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Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is light, fluffy, and bursting with real strawberry flavor, made with fresh berries and tangy cream cheese for the prettiest pink swirl on any cake or cupcake. I whip this up *every strawberry season* and my girls beg me to make it for every birthday. If you love a creamy, fruity frosting, it is right up there with our chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Reducing fresh strawberries into a concentrated puree gives this frosting bold berry flavor and gorgeous color without making it runny.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 45kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, tangy, and fresh with real strawberry flavor
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as our chocolate cream cheese frosting
Quick Answer
To make strawberry cream cheese frosting, puree fresh strawberries until smooth, strain out the seeds, then simmer the puree down to about 1/4 cup and let it cool. Whip softened cream cheese and butter until smooth, mix in the cooled puree and vanilla, then beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Whip until light and fluffy. The reduced puree gives it bold strawberry flavor and a pretty pink color without thinning the frosting.
Jump to:
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs
- Other Recommended Dessert Recipes
- Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Real reduced strawberry puree. Simmering fresh strawberries down concentrates their flavor and color so the frosting tastes intensely of berries.
- No watery frosting. Reducing the puree removes excess liquid, so you get bold flavor without a runny, soupy texture.
- Tangy cream cheese base. Cream cheese balances the sweetness and adds that signature tang that pairs so well with strawberries.
- A little butter for body. Softened butter gives the frosting structure so it holds a beautiful swirl on cupcakes.
- Naturally pink. The strawberry puree tints the frosting a soft, pretty pink, no food coloring needed.
- Whips up light and fluffy. A final few minutes of whipping makes it smooth, airy, and perfectly spreadable or pipeable.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is bursting with real, fresh strawberry flavor and a naturally gorgeous pink color.
- It is creamy, tangy, and not too sweet, perfect for cakes, cupcakes, and more.
- It pipes and spreads beautifully, right alongside our chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes this strawberry cream cheese frosting so good. A handful of simple ingredients delivers big, fresh berry flavor.
- Fresh Strawberries: The star of the show. Pureed and reduced, they give the frosting its real strawberry flavor and pretty pink color.
- Cream Cheese: Softened cream cheese is the tangy, creamy base that balances all that sweetness.
- Butter: A little softened butter adds richness and structure so the frosting holds its shape.
- Powdered Sugar: Sifted powdered sugar sweetens the frosting and gives it that smooth, fluffy texture.
- Vanilla and Strawberry Extract: Vanilla rounds out the flavor, and a little strawberry extract boosts the berry taste even more.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This strawberry cream cheese frosting is easy to make your own.
- Use frozen strawberries: Thaw and drain them first, then puree and reduce the same way.
- Make it pinker: Add a drop or two of pink or red food coloring for a more vibrant color.
- Try other berries: Swap in raspberries or a mix of berries for a different fruity frosting.
- Skip the strawberry extract: It is optional; the fresh reduced puree gives plenty of berry flavor on its own.
- Switch the flavor: For a chocolate version, try our chocolate cream cheese frosting instead.
How to Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the strawberries in a food processor and process until completely smooth.
- Press the puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds, then simmer it in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Let it cool completely.
- Whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then mix in the cooled strawberry puree, vanilla, and optional strawberry extract.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until fully mixed in, then whip on medium-high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Reduce the puree well to about 1/4 cup so the frosting has bold flavor and is not runny.
- Cool the puree completely before adding it, or it can melt the cream cheese and butter.
- Soften the cream cheese and butter to room temperature so they whip up smooth and lump-free.
- Sift the powdered sugar for the silkiest, lump-free frosting.
- Add the sugar gradually, one cup at a time, to keep it from clumping or making a mess.
- Chill the frosting for 15 to 20 minutes if it is too soft to pipe, then give it a quick re-whip.
- Strain the seeds for a smooth frosting, or leave them in if you do not mind the texture.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Strawberry cream cheese frosting is the perfect finish for so many treats. Swirl or pipe it onto vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry cupcakes, or spread it thick between the layers of a celebration cake.
It is wonderful on more than cake. Frost a batch of our angel food cupcakes, top a banana bundt cake, or spread it on warm scones and cinnamon rolls for a fresh, fruity treat.
Love a good frosting? Try our chocolate cream cheese frosting for a rich, tangy classic, or use this one to top our cranberry coffee cake.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs
Reducing the puree concentrates the strawberry flavor and removes excess water. This gives the frosting bold berry taste and a pretty pink color without making it thin or runny.
Yes. Thaw the frozen strawberries and drain off the extra liquid, then puree and reduce them just like fresh. Frozen berries work beautifully and are great when fresh are out of season.
Because it contains cream cheese, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature briefly and re-whip before using if it firms up.
Yes. Freeze the frosting in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then re-whip until smooth and fluffy before frosting.
This recipe makes enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes or fill and frost one 8 or 9 inch two-layer cake. Pipe it for thick swirls or spread it for a thinner layer.
Runny frosting usually means the puree was not reduced enough or was still warm when added, or the cream cheese got too soft. Reduce the puree well, cool it fully, and chill the frosting if needed.
Ready to frost? Pipe this pretty pink frosting onto our angel food cupcakes for the perfect spring and summer treat.
Craving more strawberry treats? Bake a batch of our fresh strawberry scones.
Add these to your berry dessert lineup with our white chocolate raspberry blondies.
Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound strawberries stems removed
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract optional
- 10 cups sifted powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place the strawberries in a food processor and process until it is completely smooth.1/2 pound strawberries
- Place a fine mash sieve over a large bowl and press the strawberry puree through the sieve to get as much puree out as possible while discarding the seeds. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve for any excess puree. (This is optional; if you don’t mind the seeds, then proceed as written.)
- Pour the puree into a small saucepot over medium heat.
- Stir constantly until it simmers and simmer until reduced to about ¼ cup of puree, 10-15 minutes; take off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Whip together the cream cheese and butter in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Stir in the strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and optional strawberry extract.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
- Stir in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until fully mixed in, scrape down the sides as needed.10 cups sifted powdered sugar
- Once all of the sugar is added, place it at medium-high speed and whip for 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Let the cream cheese and butter come to room temperature so they mix easily and don’t leave lumps.
- Sift the powdered sugar before adding it. This keeps the frosting smooth.
- Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer to whip the frosting until fluffy.
- Don’t skip reducing the purée. It makes a big difference in flavor and thickness.
- Use fresh strawberries for the best flavor, but frozen ones work too.
- Print the recipe card and save it—you’ll want to make this again and again!
Nutrition
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These were so much fun to make and tasted delicious.