Posted Jul 14, 2020, Updated Apr 13, 2024 This is a recipe for the best Homemade Vanilla Frosting Recipe that is perfect for decorating cakes, cupcakes, and cookies! There’s no reason to buy store-bought frosting again, when this frosting recipe is so easy to make in 5 minutes with 6 ingredients! Not only is this the most delicious vanilla frosting recipe you’ll ever try, but it’s also excellent for decorating. The mixture of shortening and butter makes it easy to pipe, plus it hardens beautifully. It’s really a recipe you need in your tool belt. I have used it to decorate every cake (this chocolate cake from scratch and this chocolate chip cookie cake) I’ve ever made over the last 13 years – which, with 6 kids plus one husband is a lot of cake decorating. It also freezes very well.
Vanilla Frosting: Ingredients & Substitutions
This homemade vanilla frosting is made with only 6 ingredients, so we’ll chat about them quickly before we jump into the recipe!
Salted Butter. I use salted butter to make frosting (and just about everything). Unsalted butter works perfectly as well. You can also try using vegan butter for a dairy-free version. Shortening. I use Crisco all-vegetable shortening to make this vanilla frosting. It works well and is easy to use because it comes in stick form. I don’t recommend making substitutions for the shortening. Whole Milk. Heavy cream, half and half or 2% milk are all acceptable substitutes. Pure vanilla extract. Use pure extract for the best flavor. You can also use vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste. Sea salt. I like to add a pinch of sea salt to really bring out the flavors. This is optional, and you can omit it if you’d like.
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Frosting
This vanilla frosting recipe is very straightforward, but here are a few tips to ensure that it turns out perfectly! The first step in this homemade vanilla frosting recipe is to cream the butter and shortening together. Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture before moving onto the next step. Next, add vanilla and sea salt and beat again until the mixture is smooth. Then, add half of the powdered sugar and beat until it is all incorporated. One the first half of the powdered sugar is incorporated, add the milk and the rest of the powered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. You may need to pause, scrape down the sides, and continue beating to be sure to incorporate all the powdered sugar.
Food coloring
If you would like to dye the vanilla frosting, add coloring after your frosting is well-mixed and has reached the desired consistency. If you are making many colors, pull out small bowls and dye them one at a time. I highly recommend using gel food coloring instead of the liquid variety, and always save some pure white just in case!
Decorating with Vanilla Frosting
You can use this homemade frosting to decorate many different baked goods. From sugar cookies to cake, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this vanilla frosting! Here are some suggestions:
I use this vanilla frosting to frost this chocolate cake for every birthday cake I make! It’s also great to use on these chocolate cupcakes. Slather some of this on top of the best sugar cookies. We use it to make this nativity cake at Christmas.
Frost a Crumb Coat
Even if you plan on covering the cake in a design, roses, etc. I recommend doing a thin crumb coat with the vanilla frosting on the entire cake first. This also minimizes crumbs in the frosting so the final product looks pretty. I use this large pastry scraper to make smooth edges/tops.
Pipe a Design
For this video I made my daughters 5th birthday cake, and of course she requested a unicorn cake. I put 3 colors into a piping bag and piped on rosettes using a Wilton 1M tip. Here are some commonly asked questions about this vanilla frosting recipe. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations! I made this sunflower cake for M’s first birthday in 2018 and it’s still my favorite cake I’ve ever made.
