The Best Homemade Vanilla Frosting
Posted Jul 14, 2020, Updated Jun 05, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The best homemade vanilla frosting! This vanilla frosting recipe is easy to make in 5 minutes with 6 ingredients! It’s delicious & perfect for decorating cakes & cookies!
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!
Use Room temperature ingredients
An important note about the ingredients in this recipe is that they all need to be at room temperature. They mix much better if they are not cold. Frosting also pipes much easier at room temperature.
- 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:
- Cakes. I use this vanilla frosting to frost this chocolate cake for every birthday cake I make! Or try it on vanilla sheet cake, yellow cake, coconut cake, or carrot cake.
- Cupcakes. It’s also great to use on chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, banana cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, lemon cupcakes and more.
- Slather some of this on top of the best sugar cookies.
- We use it to make this nativity cake at Christmas.
Freeze Cake Before Frosting
If you are using this vanilla frosting to decorate a cake, I recommend baking the cake a day ahead of time and freezing it. That way after you make the frosting, it will spread onto the cake easily without catching crumbs. Remember, do not chill or freeze the frosting, it spreads and pipes easiest at room temperature.
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.
Homemade Frosting Recipe FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about this vanilla frosting recipe.
You can store the vanilla frosting for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
You can also store it in the piping bags in the freezer or refrigerator. I often use disposable decorating bags and if I have leftover frosting I just toss the bags into the freezer or refrigerator
This vanilla frosting recipe recipe makes a ton of frosting, and it freezes exceptionally well! Even if I know I only need half of the recipe I still make the whole batch so that I can have some on hand in the freezer!
When you’re ready to use it remove from freezer and let it come to room temperature gradually (do NOT microwave).
Once you use this frosting to decorate a cake, I suggest storing the decorated cake in the refrigerator so that the frosting hardens faster. However, we are a room-temperature cake-eating family. If you are too, take the cake out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. If there are any leftovers, store at room temperature covered in foil for up to four days. Or in the refrigerator for longer.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Best Homemade Vanilla Frosting Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup shortening
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 pounds powdered sugar (about 7.5-8 cups, or 1 bag)
- ⅓ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Cream together butter and shortening until smooth.
- Add salt and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Slowly add powdered sugar 1 or 2 cups at a time until your mixture is thick and a little lumpy (you can always add more later).
- Add milk and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- If necessary, add more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
- Use to frost your favorite cakes, cookies and cupcakes!**
Video
Notes
- As you can see, my frosting isn’t pure white. This is because I used vanilla extract that is brown. If you want a whiter frosting, use clear vanilla.
- If you plan to decorate with this frosting please keep it at room temperature. Cold frosting does not pipe well (or at all).
- If you’d like to add color, simply mix it in after your frosting has reached your desired consistency.
- I suggest decorating cakes the night before and chilling them in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving so they can come to room temperature.
- This makes a lot of frosting! If you don’t use it all you can freeze it to use for later.
- This vanilla frosting lasts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- You can also store it in the piping bags in the freezer or refrigerator. I often use disposable decorating bags and if I have leftover frosting I just toss the bags into the freezer or refrigerator
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this sunflower cake for M’s first birthday in 2018 and it’s still my favorite cake I’ve ever made.
Do you use butter or plain shortening?
I used coconut oil instead of crisco and it turned out amazing!!!
made this frosting for my grandson 3rd birthday and the whole family and friends love it.. said my cupcakes were so much better than the bakery and Walmart
Great recipe, great tips! Thank you!!
Lol Laura!
I stumbled upon your blog a few years ago and I cannot get enough of it!
I love this recipe but is there a way to make less sweet frosting?
I have looked and looked for a recipe like that but I can’t find one!
Lol!
Is best your favorite descriptive adjective? You use it so much!
I think you are an amazing mom. I love how much you incorporate your love of God into you kids.
Thank you so much for posting and if you could give me some tips on how to be an amazing mom that would be great. I’m not married yet but I think the lord wants me to a mother and put strong and loving children that will love and serve him in this crazy world.
Lol I’m so sorry I keep rambling on thank you soo much
God bless you and your sweet family I really appreciate all you do in this blog i have learned so much about cooking from you, as I said thank you so much
I will pray for you. ❤️Ps: please post your comment out on the blog because I really like to keep my email very private thank you
Delicious and easy to make. First time maki g frosting. Will use this recipe again.
Thank you Heather!! I make this for every birthday in our house!
Hi, do you frost the cake while it is frozen?? or do you let it thaw?
I always frost frozen cakes! It prevents crumbs in the frosting!
Can you make this frosting into a peanut butter frosting and will if work then by piping it onto cupcakes and hold up
I recommend following this recipe: Peanut Butter Frosting
I don’t need that much frosting for cookies I’m making and if like to know how to go about making less. Please. Thank you.