This tasty sugar cookie frosting recipe yields a thick and smooth vanilla-flavored spread. You can easily customize the look with festive colors, and it’s fun to top with sprinkles to elevate your creations.
Recipe Science
- Use softened butter below room temperature, between 64 and 67ºF, for a smooth, easy-to-spread frosting.
- Powdered sugar’s fine crystals and cornstarch prevent clumping and create a smooth, thick frosting.
- A small amount of whole milk hydrates the powdered sugar, helping it blend smoothly with the butter to make it pipable.
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Featured Comment 13
“This frosting is not just delicious, but for a famous-in-my-own-kitchen cookie decorator/phenomenal artist, it’s the perfect consistency with 3 added tablespoons of powdered sugar. Had a great time decorating pastel Christmas cookies with my family!”—Amber
Why It Works
This homemade sugar cookie frosting quickly comes together with everyday pantry items. All you need are basic ingredients like butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk—that’s it! It’s so much better than the store-bought stuff, which consists of oil, syrups, and additives.
I use softened butter and whip until fluffy to make a thick, spreadable consistency. I add vanilla to flavor the frosting, but you can always switch it up. Are you feeling festive? Portion out the frosting, add different colors for decorating, and then top it with sprinkles. It’s a perfect pairing with my cut-out sugar cookie recipe!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: Use softened butter slightly below room temperature, between 64 to 67ºF (17 to 19ºC). This makes it much easier to mix into a smooth consistency. If used straight from the refrigerator, the texture will be lumpy.
- Sugar: Powdered sugar (aka confectioners sugar) has finely ground sugar crystals combined with a small amount of cornstarch to prevent clumping during storage. The tiny particles create a smoother texture instead of crunchy granules. The sugar also helps create a sturdy and thick consistency in the frosting.
- Milk: A small amount of whole milk hydrates the powdered sugar and ensures the sugar and butter combine easily.
- Flavoring: Vanilla extract enhances the sweetness of the sugar.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This sugar cookie frosting is easy to customize! Try these delicious options:
- Butter Substitute: If you prefer a hint of saltiness, you can use salted butter. Vegetable shortening is a non-dairy option.
- Milk Swap: Use heavy cream for a richer frosting. Plant-based milks like almond, cashew, oat, or coconut can be used, but they will add their unique flavor.
- Flavoring: Use clear vanilla extract to keep the frosting white. Try peppermint, anise, maple, honey, lemon extract, or almond extract. Start with ¼ teaspoons and gradually add more. Flavors have different concentrations, so use a small amount at first. I recommend adding alternative flavors at the end so that it’s easier to adjust.
- Coloring: I highly suggest using gel food coloring for the most vibrant color without diluting the frosting. Liquid food coloring will be lighter in color, you may need to add more powdered sugar if the frosting thins out.
- Chocolate: Add cocoa powder, melted chocolate, or Nutella for a chocolate flavor.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Frosting
Step 1: Whip the Butter
I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make this sugar cookie frosting recipe. However, if you have a hand mixer, that works too. It just takes 5 minutes to create a smooth texture. First, the butter mixes by itself to break down the stick and lightly aerate the fat.
Expert Tip: Leave the butter at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or cut it into slices to speed up the process. Some microwaves have a soften butter setting, which works well, too. To test if it’s ready to use, poke it. It should only indent slightly.
Step 2: Add the Sugar and Milk
Mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract at low speed until combined. If you keep the agitation minimal, like only using a spatula, the consistency will be very dense and fudge-like.
Whipping for a few minutes at medium-high speed dissolves most of the sugar, incorporating just enough air to make the frosting light and fluffy. Don’t add all of the milk at once because it’s harder to incorporate air into the mixture.
Adding the final tablespoon of liquid right at the end helps smooth out the frosting consistency while still staying fluffy.
Tips for Perfect Execution: Large air pockets will develop if you overwhip the mixture, making it a better product for decorating cakes than cookies. However, it’s easy to adjust the consistency to be thinner by gradually adding small amounts of milk or thicker with more powdered sugar.
Step 3: Adjusting the Consistency
For Thinner Frosting: Add 1 teaspoon of milk and mix on medium-high for 15 seconds, adding more as needed.
For Thicker Frosting: Add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and mix on medium-high for 15 seconds. Add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
Step 4: Decorate
Frost the sugar cookies on a baking sheet. Keep it simple and use a small offset spatula or butter knife to spread the frosting on each sugar cookie. Alternatively, you can add it to a piping bag to make detailed designs using tips like round and star. Make sure to add sprinkles before the frosting dries. Do not stack the cookies; keep them on a single layer until completely dried.
Pro Tip: After decorating the cookies, the icing will set as it dries at room temperature. The sugar is hygroscopic and attracts moisture from the frosting surface, so it’s not so sticky. However, it will not harden like royal icing made with meringue powder. If you like a more flat, glossy finish, try my easy sugar cookie icing recipe.
Decorating Tip: Changing the Frosting Color
I recommend using gel food coloring to mix into the frosting. They are concentrated, so you only need a small amount, and I like that they don’t dilute the consistency. You can use liquid food coloring, but I find the color won’t be as vibrant.
Portion the frosting into small separate bowls, then gradually mix in the color. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so the surface doesn’t dry out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It contains milk, so it needs to be kept below 40ºF (4ºC) after being at room temperature for 2 hours. Let it come to just below room temperature or until spreadable, and stir before using.
Use butter softened to between 64 to 67ºF (17 to 19ºC). This temperature range ensures that the needle-like beta prime fat crystals hold their shape. This is important because it helps create air pockets in the butter, making the frosting easy to spread. If the butter is too warm, it won’t whip properly and be too soft and dense.
Crisco-based frosting does harden slightly but not as much as butter-based frosting. It’s a hydrogenated vegetable shortening with a higher melting point than butter, creating a more stable frosting that holds its shape at room temperature without melting. However, unlike butter, Crisco lacks water content, so it doesn’t set as firmly. This results in a frosting that stays soft with a slight crust on the surface, making it ideal for decorations that need stability but don’t require a fully hardened texture.
Ways to Use This Frosting
If you tried this Sugar Cookie Frosting Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Sugar Cookie Frosting
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to 64 to 67ºF (17 to 19ºC)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whip the Butter – In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the softened butter on medium-high speed (setting 8) until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the Sugar and Milk – Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on the lowest speed (stir setting) until combined, 15 seconds. Mix on medium-high speed (setting 8) until fluffy, 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through mixing. Add 1 tablespoon of milk, and mix on medium-high speed (setting 8) until smooth and fluffy, 15 to 30 seconds.
- Adjusting the Consistency – For a Thinner Frosting: Add an additional 1 teaspoon of milk, mix on medium-high speed for 15 seconds. Add more milk until the desired consistency is reached.For a Thicker Frosting: Add in 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar, mix on medium-high speed (setting 8) until smooth, about 15 seconds. Add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
- Decorate – Use the frosting as is, or add gel coloring or food coloring and mix until combined. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate if not using right away.
Notes
- Yield: About 2 cups of frosting
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Storing: In an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Make ahead: Leave on the countertop until spreadable, just under room temperature, about 1 hour. Stir before using.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Recipe Resources
Pantry Staples
12 Types of Sugar for Baking
Tools
Stand Mixer Guide
Food Science
Lillie says
I used soy milk and unfortunately mixture does not stay cohesive. Next time I’m definitely using cow’s milk!
Jessica Gavin says
I appreciate your feedback!
DesignByEmtudo says
Is it possible to achieve the same level of stability and texture as butter-based frosting using Crisco, or are there limitations to its firmness and overall consistency?
Jessica Gavin says
You can use crisco, it will be stable enough for decorating, similar to butter. However, the flavor will be more bland.
Cathleen Eddie says
Can this frosting be used for cinnamon rolls
Jessica Gavin says
Yes! I will be a thick frosting you can add on top. I also have a cream cheese frosting that would be delicious for cinnamon rolls.
Amber says
This frosting is not just delicious, but for a famous-in-my-own-kitchen cookie decorator/phenomenal artist, it’s the perfect consistency with 3 added tablespoons of powdered sugar. Had a great time decorating pastel Christmas cookies with my family!
Jessica Gavin says
Whoo-hoo! I’m so glad that you enjoy using this recipe for decorating Christmas cookies. Thanks for the tip on adding in some extra powdered sugar!
Sydney says
Delicious! Perfect for my sugar cookies. I will be saving this recipe to use in the future as well 🙂
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for making the frosting recipe, Sydney! I’m sure your cookies turned out amazing!
Megan says
Do the cookies need to be refrigerated after frosting? I want to mail them to my kids but will the frosting turn since there is milk in it? Thanks!
Diane says
Does this dry to a hard consistency?
Jessica Gavin says
The surface will dry and set, but underneath will still be soft.