Easy Raspberry Frosting (2 Ways)
These two homemade raspberry frosting recipes are deliciously creamy and smooth, and every mouthful is filled with bright fruit flavor. They simply melt on your tongue! Both taste wonderful on top of cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, and more. They’re quick and simple to whip up — and quite possibly the easiest fruit-flavored frosting you’ll ever make! Leftovers will keep for at least two or three days (if not longer!) if covered and stored in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FROSTING #1 – BUTTERCREAM-LIKE, PIPE-ABLE + SLIGHTLY THICKER
- 1 cup (26g) freeze dried raspberries
- 2 cups (480g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding mix (see Notes!)
- ¾ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
FROSTING #2 – BUTTERCREAM-LIKE, PIPE-ABLE + SLIGHTLY SOFTER
- ⅔ cup (93g) fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries
- 2 cups (480g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding mix (see Notes!)
- ¾ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
Instructions
- To prepare Frosting #1, add the freeze dried raspberries to a coffee grinder or single-serving blender cup, and pulse until they’re a fine powder. Add the Greek yogurt, instant pudding mix, liquid stevia, and raspberry powder to a large bowl. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. (If refrigerating longer, transfer the frosting to an airtight container with a lid instead.)
- To prepare Frosting #2, add the raspberries to a blender or food processor, and purée. Transfer the purée to a small pot or pan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has reduced by at least half. Cool completely. Add the Greek yogurt, instant pudding mix, liquid stevia, and cooled raspberry purée to a large bowl. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. (If refrigerating longer, transfer the frosting to an airtight container with a lid instead.)
Notes
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE YIELD: Both recipes yield enough frosting to generously pipe on top of 12 cupcakes, very generously spread on top of 12 cupcakes, to "regularly" frost 24 cupcakes, to frost one 9x13" sheet cake, or to frost one 8-9”, two-layer cake.
IMPORTANT MIXER NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I don’t recommend using a stand mixer. They tend to mix more unevenly and often miss bits on the sides or bottom of their bowls, so the consistency of your frosting doesn’t turn out quite as well. For the best results, use a hand-held mixer. (← Mine is no longer sold in stores, but that one is really similar!)
IMPORTANT COFFEE GRINDER / SINGLE-SERVING BLENDER NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For Frosting #1, I like using a coffee grinder the best. (This is the one I own!) If you don’t have a coffee grinder or single-serving size blender (← that’s the one I own!), then add the freeze dried berries to a zip-topped bag, seal that inside of another zip-topped bag, and crush them with a rolling pin until they’re completely fine and powdery. (The second bag helps contain any potential mess, just in case the first bag breaks from the pounding it takes from the rolling pin!)
Standard full-sized blenders and food processors generally require a greater volume of stuff inside to work efficiently, so they can be a bit cumbersome or frustrating!
FREEZE DRIED RASPBERRY NOTE: Freeze dried raspberries are airy and crunchy. They’re not the same thing as dried raspberries, which are soft and chewy. I’ve had good luck finding freeze dried raspberries at Target and Trader Joe’s.
FROZEN RASPBERRY NOTE: I recommend using frozen unsweetened raspberries (rather than sweetened ones).
GREEK YOGURT NOTES: I’ve found that FAGE plain nonfat Greek yogurt works the best when making frosting because it’s thicker than many other brands, which really helps with the frosting’s consistency. (It also has less of a yogurt “tang” to its flavor!)
For more information about the best types of Greek yogurt to use (and which to avoid!), see the “Greek yogurt” header in my blog post above.
INSTANT PUDDING MIX NOTES: Many boxes of sugar-free, fat-free instant pudding mix have 4 servings per box. Since you only need 2 servings, you’ll use half of the box (not two boxes!).
Instant pudding mix is special because its thickening properties are activated when it’s cold or at room temperature — not when heated (like with cornstarch and regular “cook-and-serve” pudding mix).
Unfortunately, there isn’t a great substitute for the instant pudding mix. I’ve tried using xanthan gum, and while it does thicken the frosting, it also adds a weird texture. Regular “cook-and-serve” pudding mix and cornstarch won’t work because those require heat to activate their thickening properties, and heating the Greek yogurt is not a good idea.
So if you can’t find or don’t want to use instant pudding mix, you can omit it. If omitting it, then simply stir together the ingredients by hand with a fork until they’re just incorporated. Do NOT use a mixer! Without the instant pudding mix, stand mixers and hand-held mixers often overmix and yield a thin, loose, and runny consistency that’s closer to a glaze than frosting.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: For sweeter frosting, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon.
For the best results, I recommend using the same liquid stevia that I do. (Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for one another!) I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found, and you’ll use it all of these recipes of mine too.
If you prefer not to use liquid stevia, then substitute 2 ¼ teaspoons of this powdered stevia. Alternatively, substitute 4-6 tablespoons of granulated sucralose, Truvia, confectioners’ style erythritol, or regular confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar).
Do not substitute honey, pure maple syrup, agave, or any other similar liquid sweeteners.
HOW TO STORE: Store any unused or leftover frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Depending on the freshness of your Greek yogurt, it should last for at least a few days, if not longer.
{gluten free, egg free, low fat, low sugar, sugar free, low carb, clean eating option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.