Gorgeous homemade Watermelon Buttercream is soft, sweet, tangy and creamy! Fluffy yet dense and full of fruity flavor, this recipe is perfect for piping onto cupcakes or spreading on a cake!
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The Best Watermelon Buttercream Frosting
I’ve done it: I’ve managed to create a recipe that lets me literally take a bite out of summer. This might be the best buttercream frosting ever!
Thanks to a secret ingredient, this super easy, homemade watermelon buttercream has all the juicy, fruity flavor of your favorite watermelon candy. It’s like a burst of sunshine and flavor in every bite – and that bright and rosy pink color doesn’t hurt, either.
I use this watermelon buttercream whenever I make a batch of my crowd-pleasing Watermelon Cupcakes. But you can use it all summer long for loads of other cupcake recipes, cakes, cookies, and more.
What You’ll Need
Below is a quick round up of the ingredients you’ll need for this buttercream recipe. (Refer to the recipe card later in the post for the full measurement amounts!)
- Butter: It’s what literally puts the “butter” in buttercream! Butter forms the base of the frosting and gives it a smooth texture.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is key to a velvety frosting consistency.
- Salt
- Milk: Milk thins out the frosting while keeping things creamy. If your frosted baked goods will be left at room temperature for a while, I recommend using evaporated milk.
- Watermelon Drink Mix: This is what gives your buttercream its amazing, sweet, tangy watermelon flavor! You can use either Jolly Rancher Watermelon Drink Mix or Kool Aid Watermelon Drink Mix!
- Red Food Coloring: Optional, for an especially vibrant watermelon pink hue.
How to Make Pink Watermelon Frosting
Buttercream is actually ridiculously easy to make from scratch! Here’s how to make this bright and cheery pink buttercream frosting in minutes:
Combine: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and Watermelon Kool Aid with a pinch of salt.
Mix: Beat the ingredients on low for a minute, and on medium-high for another three minutes or so. Add a tablespoon of milk at a time, as needed, to reach a smooth consistency. If you’d like to brighten the color of your buttercream, beat in a couple of drops of red food coloring.
That’s it! Fresh and fluffy homemade buttercream, ready for frosting.
Tips for Success
Here are some tips for the smoothest homemade buttercream:
- Scrape the Bowl: Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of your mixer’s bowl to keep the frosting consistency smooth.
- Fluff It Up: If you’ve made your frosting ahead, or if it’s otherwise sat for a while, give it a fresh whip before you use it.
- Thin It Out: If you’re in need of a more spreadable frosting, adding an extra spoonful or two of milk will help thin it out.
Ways to Use Your Buttercream
When it comes to using your watermelon buttercream, you can go the classic route or get as creative as you wish! Here are some ways to use it:
- Pipe It: Pipe your fruity buttercream frosting onto cupcakes or other frosted desserts. You can use a piping bag, or a gallon ziplock bag with the corner snipped off, fitted with your choice of piping tip.
- Spread It: Use a spatula to spread your watermelon buttercream over cakes, cookies, blondies, and cookie bars, or use it as a filling in sandwich cookies.
- Mix It: Mix this frosting into your favorite vanilla cake pop recipe for easy watermelon cake pops!
- Dip It: Use watermelon buttercream as a sweet dessert dip for Graham crackers, or fresh fruit like hulled strawberries.
How to Store Extras
Since buttercream contains dairy, keep any leftover frosting stored airtight in the fridge. It can be kept for up to 5 days, just let it come to room temperature again to make it easier to pipe and spread.
Can I Freeze This?
Buttercream frosting does not hold up well when frozen, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
More Fun Pink Treats to Try
- Watermelon Cupcakes
- Valentine’s Day Marbled Sugar Cookies
- Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
- Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Pink Air Fryer Donuts
Watermelon Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 sticks, 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 watermelon drink mix** single packs, .22 oz total
- Pinch of salt
- Milk, optional
- Red food coloring, optional
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Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle or whisk attachment,
beat the butter, powdered sugar, Kool Aid and a pinch of salt. Beat on low for a minute until the powdered sugar begins to combine with the butter. - Turn speed up to medium high and continue to whisk for an additional 3 minutes. If the buttercream is not smooth after 3 minutes, add in a tablespoon of milk at a time.
- If you so desire, you can add in a little bit of red food coloring to achieve a darker, more red color.
Notes
How to Store
Since buttercream contains dairy, keep any leftover frosting stored airtight in the fridge. It can be kept for up to 5 days, just let it come to room temperature again to make it easier to pipe and spread.Nutrition
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This is delicious! I added watermelon extract instead of milk. Thanks for the easy and yummy recipe!!