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Deliciously sweet and bursting with flavor, Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is made with real strawberries-either fresh or frozen!

Several years ago now, we celebrated the upcoming birth of the first granddaughter in our family. Up to that point, we’d had six grandsons but no “sugar and spice and everything nice” on my side of the family.

We had a bright pink and green color scheme for the baby shower and I was in charge of making the cupcakes. I wanted to have some pink in the cupcakes without using a bunch of food coloring, so I went searching for a strawberry frosting recipe.

I found one that sounded easy and looked good. I really like cream cheese in my frosting, so I played around with the recipe just a little and ended up with this tasty Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.

What you need to make Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

frozen strawberries, thawed and drained OR fresh strawberries
butter
cream cheese
Pinch of salt
powdered sugar
vanilla

You’ll also need a blender or food processor of some kind to puree the strawberries. I like the smaller Nutribullet for things like this. Just a quick zip is all you need to prep the strawberries for the frosting.

If you have a stand mixer for making the icing, that’s very handy, but you can make strawberry frosting with a regular hand mixer just as easily.

Start by creaming together the butter, cream cheese and salt until completely blended. It’s very important that both the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.

If cream cheese is too cold, it won’t mix well and there will be small lumps in the frosting, no matter how much you mix it. After the butter and cream are mixed, then add the powdered sugar a little at a time.

After the powdered sugar has been mixed in, add the vanilla and strawberries, a few tablespoons at a time. Add more or less based on your taste and desired consistency.

As with any frosting, you can play with the consistency. I really like strawberries, so I added quite a bit. Be sure to refrigerate the strawberry cream cheese frosting for at least 2 hours so it can thicken up before icing cupcakes or a cake.

Does Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting need to be refrigerated?

Yes! First, it needs to thicken up after being at room temperature for mixing. After the cupcakes (or cake) have been iced, they will be OK for a little while at room temperature, but the butter and cream cheese will continue to soften. For best results, keep refrigerated.

Can you make strawberry icing with frozen strawberries?

Yes! While I prefer fresh strawberries, using frozen strawberries makes this recipe available all year long. Frozen strawberries tend to be really “wet” so be sure to thaw them completely and then drain any excess liquid before pureeing them.

Can you pipe cream cheese frosting?

Yes! While the strawberries make this frosting a bit runnier than a thick buttercream, it’s still good for piping. Be sure the frosting is chilled first.

If you need to thicken it more, you can stir corn starch into cold milk and then add that slurry to the icing. Mix well and then let it rest to thicken. Try these piping bag and tips for decorating your cupcakes.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is perfect for cakes! It’s easy to spread and makes a great filling, too. Try it on this homemade Strawberry Cake instead of the lemon cream cheese frosting. Or make small batch cupcakes just to give it a quick test on 6 cupcakes. You’ll love it!

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