If you’re looking for quick and effortless way to create a lovely frosting to take your cakes and cupcakes to the next level with bold, tropical flavor, I highly recommend this easy and fluffy pineapple frosting. Light, creamy, and filled with the vibrant taste of pineapple, it is a delightful tropical twist on my classic American buttercream frosting.
This pineapple frosting recipe uses freeze-dried pineapple – just like my pineapple truffles – to infuse the natural sweetness of ripe pineapple into the fluffiest buttercream, delivering a vibrant, tropical burst of flavor without adding extra moisture.
In my opinion, this is the perfect frosting for pineapple cupcakes, pairs wonderfully with berries, and makes a great alternative to classic cream cheese frosting in hummingbird cake for a summery, tropical twist.
Key ingredients
🍍 Freeze-dried pineapple is the absolute key in this recipe, each 1 oz package is equivalent to 2 cups of fruit, adding all the flavor without making the frosting thin or watery. Freeze-dried fruits are very common nowadays so you shouldn’t have a difficult time finding it, especially if you live in the US.
I don’t recommend substituting fresh or canned pineapple since they will add too much moisture even if you reduce it on the stove first. Pineapple jam may work. I’ve used blueberry jam to make blueberry frosting before, but the flavor doesn’t compare to freeze-dried fruits, and you’ll still run into the same problem of thinning out the frosting if you add too much jam.
🥛 The other key ingredient in this recipe is heavy whipping cream. I use this instead of milk to lighten the frosting but not thin it out too much. Whipping cream adds volume and body to this buttercream making it fluffier and creamier.
Simple steps for pineapple frosting
Skip straight to the printable recipe card for my beginner friendly recipe with detailed instructions, step-by-step photos and all the tips to help you succeed.
Step 1 – Grind the freeze-dried pineapple
Step 2 – Make the frosting
You can actually dump all the ingredients into your stand mixer bowl and let it run until you get a fluffy frosting. But to ensure success, you can break this into smaller steps:
- Cream the butter.
- Incorporate the powdered sugar, pineapple powder, and salt.
- Add vanilla extract, and drizzle in the cream little by little to blend slowly.
- Beat until fluffy.
Troubleshoot runny frosting
All my frosting recipes, including this pineapple frosting, have a lot less sugar than other recipes so it will be thinner and looser. If you want a thicker frosting, you can reduce the amount of cream used in the recipe, or increase the amount of powdered sugar added. Both these options will alter the taste as well the texture of your frosting.
Did you start out with softened and not melted butter? During very hot months, butter could go from softening to melting quickly, making frosting with very soft butter will make your frosting a bit runnier than it should. Just pop it in the fridge to set for 15-30 minutes before piping.
Hungry for more?
Pineapple Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 bag freeze-dried pineapple, 1 oz, 28 g
- 8 oz unsalted butter, 2 sticks, 227 g, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar, 150 g
- A pinch of kosher salt
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, 60 g, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grind one 1-oz bag of freeze-dried pineapple in your food processor or high speed blender until a fine powder forms. Set aside. Drape a towel over the food processor in this step to prevent the powder from puffing up.
- Cream 8 oz of softened butter in your stand mixer bowl on medium to medium high speed until it is light and creamy.
- Add 1 ¼ cup of powdered sugar, along with the pineapple powder and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir first to combine to prevent the powdered sugar from puffing up. Then gradually increase mixer speed to medium high and beat until completely incorporated and creamy. Sift the pineapple powder in this step if necessary for a smoother frosting.
- Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and stream in ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream. Beat at medium low or medium speed to incorporate. Then continue beating on medium high until the frosting is light and fluffy, an extra 5 to 10 minutes. Color cue: the frosting should turn bright white in this step when enough air is incorporated.
Notes
- How to soften butter: Let the butter come to room temperature before making frosting. About 30 minutes to an hour will soften it enough without being too soft.
- Storage: Pineapple buttercream frosting can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature and re-whip until fluffy before using.
- Yield: This pineapple frosting recipe makes about 2 cups, enough to frost 12 – 15 cupcakes or a 2-layer 6” cake. Double the recipe for a 2-layer 8” cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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