If you're a fan of Oreo cookies, you will absolutely love this creamy homemade Oreo frosting recipe! Top your favorite cakes and cupcakes with this delicious cookies and cream treat made with silky vanilla buttercream frosting and crushed Oreo cookies. With the perfect balance of sweetness and chocolate cookie flavor, it simply can't get any better!
Jump to:
🌟 Why this is the best Oreo Frosting recipe
- It is a breeze to make - This delicious Oreo buttercream frosting recipe takes only 10 minutes to come together. Even if you've never made American buttercream frosting, you can make this recipe just like a professional!
- It doesn't require any fancy ingredients - It only requires six ingredients, most of which are pantry essentials you can find in any nearby grocery store.
- It is the most delicious - This is an Oreo frosting without cream cheese, which means it has the perfect balance of flavor, sweetness, and texture. I only use the highest-quality ingredients and optimal ratios, making it one of the best cookies and cream frosting recipes your tastebuds have ever experienced!
- It is super versatile - This recipe goes great with any cake or cupcake recipe. Use it to decorate cupcakes, as I do in my Oreo cupcake recipe. Or, try it in place of the cream cheese frosting on my chocolate cake or decadent chocolate brownies. You can also make this Oreo cream frosting with different-flavored Oreos or crushed chocolate chip cookies.
- It is an eggless recipe - This Oreo frosting recipe does not use eggs, making it the perfect alternative to Oreo Swiss meringue buttercream recipes.
- It is an honest, detailed tutorial - This recipe is easy enough to follow yet thorough enough to help you understand the science behind the magic. I also provide expert tips and troubleshooting tips to ensure you make flawless Oreo frosting the first time around!
📝 Ingredient notes
Butter - Always use unsalted butter so that you do not end up with a salty frosting, as you would with salted butter. I like to use European-style butter with an 82% fat content to give my buttercream the best flavor and texture. You can also make your own butter at home. The butter must be softened (but not melted) before using it.
Powdered Sugar - Powdered sugar gives the buttercream its sweetness and helps give it structure. Sift the sugar first to avoid lumps. Do not use granulated sugar, which would give the frosting a gritty texture.
Oreos - To effectively pipe cookies and cream icing, the Oreos first must be crushed into very fine crumbs.
Vanilla Extract - To give the base buttercream frosting the best vanilla flavor, use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Avoid imitation extract or vanilla essence.
Salt - A small amount of salt helps to balance the sweetness of the frosting.
Heavy Cream - Also known as heavy whipping cream, heavy cream gives the Oreo buttercream its creamy, fluffy texture. You want to use a high-quality cream with at least 36% fat for the best results.
🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
👩🍳 How to make Oreo Buttercream Frosting
- Before starting, make sure the butter is softened or at room temperature. The temperature of the butter, which should not be too hot or too cold, is crucial for a successful buttercream.
- Use a food processor to pulse the Oreo cookies until they are finely crushed. Alternatively, you can put the cookies in a ziplock plastic bag and use a rolling pin to beat or roll them into fine crumbs.
- Next, attach your stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Then, cream the room temperature butter at medium to high speed until it becomes lighter in color and fluffy.
- Lower the mixer speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time. Once added, return the mixer to medium-high speed and whip for approximately four minutes until it becomes light and fluffy and increases in volume.
- Add the crushed Oreos and whip for another minute. Lastly, add the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream. Whip for another minute until the frosting becomes smooth and silky.
- At this point, the Oreo buttercream frosting should have the perfect consistency for piping. If not, add one tablespoon at a time of heavy cream to make it thinner or one tablespoon at a time of powdered sugar to make it thicker.
- Use immediately and enjoy!
💡 Top Tip: To prevent extra air pockets from forming in the frosting, use a paddle attachment and stop whipping as soon as it becomes light and fluffy. If you accidentally overwhip the cream, use a rubber spatula in a back-and-forth spreading motion to knock out the air pockets and make the buttercream smooth and silky!
❄️ Storage and Freezing
If you have extra Oreo frosting left over or want to make it in advance, store it in a piping bag or airtight container at room temperature for a few hours or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To freeze, transfer the frosting to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Once refrigerated or frozen, you must bring it back to room temperature before use. If frozen, it is best to bring it back to room temperature overnight. Use your stand mixer to whip the cream for another 1-2 minutes to increase the volume again.
🔍 Troubleshooting
The buttercream is too thin/thick - If the butter is not at the right temperature, it can result in a buttercream that is too runny or thick. If it is too thin, first try refrigerating it for 30 minutes. If it does not help, add a small amount of sifted powdered sugar to thicken it. In case it is too thick, add a small amount of heavy cream to thin it out.
The buttercream is too grainy - If you overwhip buttercream, it can become grainy. To fix this, re-whip it with the paddle attachment until it smooths out. You can also add one tablespoon of heavy cream and mix it until smooth.
The butter separated from the frosting - If the butter is too cold, it can separate from the frosting. To fix this, simply add some warmth to the bowl's exterior (you can use a hair dryer to do this), which will help soften the butter. Then, mix it well to incorporate it into the mixture.
🎓 Expert tips
- For a smooth, pipeable frosting, the Oreo crumbs should be very finely crushed and about the same size. There should be no large cookie chunks. I recommend using a sifter once you crush them to ensure the larger chunks don't end up in the frosting!
- Soft, room-temperature butter is also crucial to creamy, pipeable cookies and cream buttercream. See my guide on softening butter quickly for tips on achieving the right temperature without resorting to last-minute microwaving.
- High-quality ingredients are essential for the most delicious flavor and creamy texture. Always use high-fat butter, heavy cream, and the most natural vanilla extract you can find.
- Ensure your mixer is at low speed when adding the powdered sugar; otherwise, you will end up with a huge sugar cloud!
- This Oreo frosting is best used immediately after it is made while the butter is at the perfect temperature.
- Try this Oreo frosting with different kinds of Oreo or any other hard biscuits eg. Biscoff.
🥣 Equipment Notes
A stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment is the easiest way to make buttercream frosting. However, if you do not have a stand mixer, you can also use an electric hand mixer (which will require a little more effort).
It is always best to use a digital scale to measure the ingredients, as it gives the most accurate and consistent measurements.
❓Recipe FAQs
You can make this recipe vegan-friendly using high-fat vegan butter and heavy cream. However, the taste will slightly differ from when you make it using dairy products. Since Oreos have milk as a cross-contact ingredient, it is best to avoid them if you follow a vegan diet for health reasons or have a milk allergy.
The amount of Oreo cookie frosting you use for a cake depends on its size and complexity. This recipe makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes. However, you will need approximately 2x more for a 6-inch cake, 2.5x more for a 7-inch cake, and 3x more for an 8-inch cake.
No, the Oreos are already crushed into almost fine powder and remain very stable with the butter in the buttercream.
Since butter is an essential ingredient in buttercream frosting, it cannot be omitted. However, you can try making Oreo cream cheese frosting. Or, if you prefer your Oreo icing without cream cheese, you can try making Oreo whipped cream frosting, which also does not use butter. Or, try one of these butter substitutes, particularly vegan butter or margarine, which might be the best options.
🧁 More Frostings
Have you tried this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your dessert turned out and your feedback also helps other Readers!
Oreo Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Oreo Buttercream Frosting
- 226 g (1 cups) Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
- 300 g (2½ cups) Powdered sugar sifted
- 120 g (1 cups) Oreo crushed into fine crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Heavy cream 36% fat content
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
- First, bring your butter to room temperature. Buttercream can only be prepared with softened butter, neither cold nor too hot (i.e. melted butter) will work.
- Make the Oreo crumbs by either pulsing the cookies in a food processor or by putting them in a zip bag and beating them with a rolling pin.
- Prepare a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Alternatively, use your electric hand mixer.
- Cream the room-temperature butter at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Add in the powdered sugar tablespoon by tablespoon on low speed, then turn the mixer back on medium-high speed and whip it for another 4 minutes or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume. Then, add the crushed oreos and whip it for another minute.
- Then, add the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream and continue whipping for another minute until it is smooth and silky.
- This Oreo buttercream frosting should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture. If, for some reason, it is too thick, add some more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time).
- Note that the buttercream texture is best straight after making it when the butter is at the right temperature (room temperature), and the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours. If stored in the refrigerator, you will need to bring it back to room temperature before using it and might need to give it another minute or two to whip in the stand mixer to increase the volume again.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
- Use high fat (36%) heavy cream and good quality high fat (82%) butter for making buttercream.
- Alternatively, the recipe can be made with high fat vegan butter and vegan cream, however, the taste will be different vs using dairy products.
- It is key to use high quality vanilla for the best flavor, feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.
- You can try the recipe with any other hard biscuits eg. Biscoff cookies.
- Make sure you read my Expert tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details, and science behind baking.
- The temperature and texture of the butter are key when making buttercream. Wait until it is soft, however, avoid last-minute microwaving.
- When adding the powdered sugar, reduce the speed of the mixer to avoid creating a huge powder sugar or cocoa powder cloud.
- Make sure that the Oreo crumbs are fine and that there are no visible big chunks left. This is important so later you will be able to pipe the cream out of a nozzle tip.
- I recommend the paddle attachment to avoid unnecessary air bubbles. To get your buttercream fully silky, without air bubbles, mix the cream at the end by hand with a rubber spatula for a few minutes.
Leave a Reply