I’m always on the hunt for frostings that are flavorful, yet a little less sweet for cupcakes and cakes, and this Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is the BEST. It’s easy, intensely strawberry flavored, and a lot less sweet than traditional buttercream. And it’s such a pretty color!

strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting

It can be hard to make a frosting for home-baked goods that tastes as good as the kind you’d get at the bakery. This one though, it totally passes muster. It’s naturally sweet from the strawberries, creamy from cream cheese and butter, and it’s a perfect match for Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes, Easy Chocolate Cupcakes, or Vegan Vanilla Cake.

It goes above and beyond plain Cream Cheese Frosting!

The strawberry flavor, which comes from freeze-dried berries, is intense and bright. And it makes the mixture the most amazing pink color. It requires just a few steps to make, too, so you don’t have to worry about setting aside too much time.

(You may also like Strawberry Sheet Cake, Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes, and Yogurt Frosting.)

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Ingredients You Need

To make this easy strawberry cream cheese frosting recipe you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand.

ingredients in strawberry cream cheese frosting
  • Freeze-dried strawberries: These are typically sold near the dried fruit or in the produce department. They are crunchy and have had all of the moisture content removed.
  • Cream cheese: I use a traditional block of full-fat cream cheese here. You’ll want to let this rest at room temperature so it’s soft to the touch.
  • Unsalted butter: You’ll want to let this rest at room temperature so it’s soft to the touch.
  • Pure vanilla extract: This adds a nice flavor base that pairs well with the berry flavor.
  • Maple syrup: You can also use honey if you prefer. (Though avoid honey for kids under 12 months old.)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s an overview of the process involved in this strawberry cream cheese frosting recipe so you know what to expect. See the full recipe at the end of the post for the specifics.

Ground up freeze dried strawberries in glass bowl.

Step 1. Grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder with a blender or food processor.

Hand pouring ingredients for strawberry cream cheese frosting into glass bowl.

Step 2. Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients for strawberry cream cheese frosting in glass bowl with mixer.

Step 3. Mix with a electric hand mixer until fluffy and evenly mixed.

Strawberry cream cheese frosting being whipped with hand held mixer.

Step 4. Place into a zip-top bag and seal. Cut off one bottom corner to use as a piping bag. Frost onto cupcakes or add to cake layers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to thicken strawberry cream cheese frosting?

If this frosting gets a bit runny, it could be that your butter is too warm. Put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to help firm up the butter before continuing with the recipe.

Can I make this with a different fruit?

Use freeze-dried blueberries in place of the strawberries if you’d like a different flavor.

How can I make this strawberry frosting sweeter?

Add ¼-½ cup powdered sugar to make the frosting sweeter if you’d like. (I sometimes do this if serving to older kids and/or adults who may expect a sweeter frosting.)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

We love to pair this strawberry cream cheese frosting with my lower sugar Vanilla Cupcakes and my easy Vanilla Cake. It would also be great with Chocolate Cupcakes or my Easy Chocolate Cake.

And for a baby’s first birthday, try it with my One-Year-Old Birthday Cake (or any of my first birthday cakes.)

cupcakes-with-frosting-in-a-row

How to Store

You can make the strawberry cream cheese frosting up to 24 hours ahead. Store in a storage bag in the fridge, with as much air removed as possible and sealed, until ready to use.

Best Tips for Success

  • Let the cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature for a few hours so it’s very soft to the touch. This will help it mix up smoothly.
  • Grind the freeze-dried strawberries to form a fine powder. (Look for them in your store near the dried fruit or in the produce department.) They have less moisture and more concentrated flavor than fresh strawberries or strawberry puree, so they are my preference here.
  • Add ¼-½ cup powdered sugar to make the frosting sweeter if you’d like. (I sometimes do this if serving to older kids and/or adults who may expect a sweeter frosting.)
  • Top with sprinkles if desired.
  • Use freeze-dried blueberries in place of the strawberries if you’d like a different flavor.
  • Make this dairy-free with vegan cream cheese and butter.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!

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strawberry cupcakes with sprinkles

Favorite Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

With a bright strawberry flavor and pretty pink color, this Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is delicious and ready in minutes. You can make this up to 24 hours ahead and store in a plastic zip-top bag in the fridge until ready to use.
4.97 from 56 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Calories 197kcal
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (I like full fat, softened at room temperature)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick, softened at room temperature)
  • 2-3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar optional
  • sprinkles optional
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Instructions

  • Place the strawberries into a blender or clean spice grinder. Grind into a fine powder.
  • Add to a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Blend well using a handheld electric mixer on high speed to make a fluffy frosting.
  • Transfer to a zip-top quart-size bag. Seal. Cut off one bottom corner and pipe onto cupcakes. (You can also just use a spatula to frost onto a cake.)

Video

Notes

  • Let the cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature for a few hours so it’s very soft to the touch. This will help it mix up smoothly.
  • Grind the strawberries to form a fine powder.
  • Add ¼ cup powdered sugar to make the frosting sweeter if you’d like. (I sometimes do this if serving to older kids and/or adults who may expect a sweeter frosting.)
  • Top with sprinkles if desired.
  • Use freeze-dried blueberries in place of the strawberries if you’d like a different flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 61mg, Potassium: 292mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 372IU, Vitamin C: 241mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

This post was first published March 2020.

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Comments

  1. I couldn’t get the freeze dried strawberries to not stick to the bottom of my blender. I tried twice and they were just like glued to the bottom no matter how much I blended them or didn’t blend them. And I would definitely add the powdered sugar next time because it just wasn’t sweet. Tasted like strawberry cream cheese on a muffin.

  2. What can I do in place of freeze dried strawberries? 2 ounces is almost 8 dollars, and if I need a whole cup… That’s way too expensive.

    1. You can use a little strawberry jam. Or look at a big box store like Target or Walmart where an 8 ounce bag is closer to 2 or 3 dollars.

      1. Thank you for responding so quickly! I checked Walmart, Target and Publix are all around $3-5 for 1oz… cheapest I could find is 2/$12 for 2.1 ounce bags. If you know of a store that sells it that cheap, please let me know 🙂 I’m making the cake tomorrow for my mom’s birthday. 💕

  3. Could I substitute frozen strawberries if I don’t have freeze-dried strawberries on hand?

  4. I am totally in love with dehydrated raspberries right now-have you ever used those in this recipe (or maybe something else)?

    Thanks for being great!