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Pudding Buttercream Frosting + Video

Pudding Frosting is easy to make without Cool Whip or whipped cream. All you need is butter, instant pudding mix, milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. Try this white chocolate pudding buttercream frosting or switch it up with any flavor of instant pudding mix.

Cupcakes topped with white chocolate pudding buttercream frosting made with instant pudding mix.

Buttercream

“I’ve never really been a fan of buttercream. Too sweet and too greasy. I use bare minimum on the cakes that I actually eat, or I’ll scrape it off if it’s served to me.”

This was my opinion back when buttercream was primarily (or partially) made with shortening. Especially in grocery store bakeries. Bleh! Pure homemade vanilla buttercream frosting made with all butter is MUCH better.

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Bowl of pudding frosting with a spatula inserted and a box of Hershey's white chocolate instant pudding mix.

Pudding Frosting

Now there is an even funner way to spruce up buttercream!

You’ve heard of pudding cake and pudding cookies, but have you ever heard of pudding frosting?

I hadn’t, until I searched it and only found like one recipe. I adapted it to my liking and I loved the results!

Close up top view of white chocolate pudding frosting on top of white cupcakes and a box of Hershey's instant pudding.

No Cool Whip or Whipped Cream

Most pudding frosting will be made with cool whip or whipped cream. Which is fine, but if you want a frosting you can pipe with, you need to make pudding buttercream frosting — with butter.

The texture is perfect: smooth and velvety, yet durable and holds its shape. You also use less powdered sugar than typical buttercream, while adding flavor (not just pure sugar) to the frosting. It’s genius! Or at least I think so.

Ingredients

For this recipe you will only need 5 ingredients.

Ingredients for pudding frosting: Instant pudding, milk, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
  • Instant Pudding Mix – One small box (4 serving size; approximately 3.4 oz); any flavor. Just the dry powder. Do not follow directions on box to make pudding.
  • Milk – To mix with the pudding and thin the frosting to the desired consistency. Whole, 2% or skim milk all work well.
  • Butter – At room temperature. Unsalted butter is preferred, unless you love salted butter. You can always add a pinch of salt to the frosting if you’d like. Better to control the salt, than for it to be too salty.
  • Powdered Sugar – To add a little extra sweetness and volume to the frosting.
  • Vanilla Extract – To enhance the flavor.

How to Make Pudding Buttercream Frosting

It’s easy to make pudding frosting with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.

Steps to make pudding frosting. 1- Combine instant pudding mix and milk. 2- Beat butter with an electric mixer. 3- Add pudding and vanilla. Mix. 4- Add powdered sugar. Mix. 5- Add extra milk 1 Tablespoon at a time. 6- Finished frosting in a bowl with a spatula.
  1. Whisk together the pudding mix and milk in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Cream the butter until smooth, using an electric mixer.
  3. Add the prepared pudding and vanilla extract. Beat together.
  4. Add the powdered sugar. Mix completely.
  5. Add extra milk 1 Tablespoon at a time to the desired consistency.
  6. Frosting is ready to spread or pipe onto cakes or cupcakes. For best results, use immediately.
A box of Hershey's white chocolate instant pudding mix with frosting piped next to it and frosting piped on top of vanilla cupcakes.

Tips and Storage

Extra Milk: I add between 4-6 Tablespoons of extra milk to get it soft and thin enough to pipe.

NOTE: The frosting will look a little more thick and slightly lumpy straight in the bowl, but it will smooth as it is piped. You can add more milk if you plan to spread it on a cake with a spatula.

Use immediately. This pudding frosting can get quite firm, especially when refrigerated. For best results spread or pipe the frosting directly after making it. If you refrigerate the frosting before using it, simply mix in more milk to a spreadable consistency.

Refrigerate leftovers. Since the frosting is made with a substantial amount of milk, it is best to refrigerate any leftovers. Be sure to remove the cupcakes/cake from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving, to take the chill off the cake and frosting. Otherwise they may both be quite stiff.

Front view of cupcakes topped with pudding buttercream frosting and a box of white chocolate pudding mix.

Pudding Mix Flavors

Now that you see how easy it is to make pudding frosting, just think of all the flavor combinations! Crazy amounts of pudding boxes waiting at the store for you to make frosting with!

Of course there’s vanilla and chocolate, but there’s also, cheesecake, pistachio, lemon, banana cream, butterscotch, and white chocolate. And that’s not even seasonal or specialty flavors like pumpkin spice or Oreo.

I just happened to have this Hershey’s instant white chocolate pudding mix in my cupboards and needed something to make with it, so that’s what I did. I like it! And I hope you will too!

Great Cupcakes to Pair with this Pudding Frosting

Cupcakes topped with white chocolate pudding buttercream frosting made with instant pudding mix.
4.39 from 149 ratings

White Chocolate Pudding Buttercream Frosting

Created by Amber Brady
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Buttercream frosting flavored with pudding mix for piping or spreading onto cakes and cupcakes.
Yields18 servings

Ingredients

  • 3.4 oz (96 g) small box white chocolate (or other flavor) instant pudding mix, (the 4 servings size box)
  • ½ cup (118 ml) cold milk, plus extra for thinning
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks) room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Whisk pudding with milk in a small bowl. Set aside until thickened; about 3 minutes; it's not very long.
  • Meanwhile beat butter in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth. Add thickened pudding and vanilla. Blend until combined.
  • Add powdered sugar and blend again.
  • Add additional milk, 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. (I added about 4 to 6 Tablespoons.) Fill pastry bag and pipe icing onto cupcakes or spread onto cake with a spatula.

Video

Notes

    • Use pudding frosting promptly after being made. If prepared beforehand: thin with additional milk to a spreadable consistency. Keep refrigerated.
    • Remove decorated cake/cupcakes from fridge 20-30 minutes before consuming to take the chill off of the cake and frosting.
    • YIELD: 2 ¼ cups frosting; enough to pipe high onto 16-18 cupcakes, spread on top of a 13×9-inch cake, or decorate a single layer round cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 Tbsp | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.8g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31.6mg | Sodium: 93.1mg | Sugar: 12.3g
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
Course Cakes
Cuisine American
Sharing this recipe with a link is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying/pasting and/or screenshots of full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Content and photographs are copyright protected.

Did you make this?

Don’t forget to leave a rating below and make sure to follow on Pinterest and Instagram for more!

Recipe adapted from Cooking with Carrie
White Chocolate Pudding Buttercream

*Originally published 4/16/13. Photos updated December 2021.

4.39 from 149 votes (145 ratings without comment)

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110 Comments

  1. Just made this. Used cream cheese instead of shortening and added some melted whites chocolate. Taste is good, not too sweet. However, doesn’t look like enough to frost my layer cake. Thankfully I’m making a filling so I should be able to spread around the top and outsides.

  2. if i use instant pudding mix with sugar,,how much powder sugar should i use?same?also is it steady to make swirls?thanks

    1. Amber Brady says:

      The pudding I used has sugar (not sugar-free) so follow the recipe as written. It makes swirls, just like in the photos. Very sturdy.

  3. Can I substitute coconut oil for the shortening or at least part of it?

    1. Amber Brady says:

      Absolutely! Probably even for all of it. I substitute coconut oil for shortening all the time.

  4. I make icing with cool whip and different puddings. Makes a nice base to add things like cookie crumbs or peanut butter too. Everyone loves my cupcakes.

  5. Adriana Restrepo Garcia says:

    Thank you for your recipe!!! I think exactly as you when you said: “I’ve never really been a fan of buttercream. Too sweet & too greasy. I use bare minimum on the cakes that I actually eat, or I’ll scrape it off if it’s served to me.”
    Do you know a “non buttercream” recipe that I could use with Russian tips, for flowers?
    Thank you so much!!!
    Adriana

  6. Susan Korecky says:

    I don,t like super sweet frosting. Do you think leaving out the powdered sugar would make a big difference?

    1. You can always taste it first and then add powdered sugar to taste, but it may also effect the texture and pipe-ability of the frosting.

  7. Anuradha Das says:

    i tried this recipe i use 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup of butter it has too much shortening flavor and is super greasy can i use less shortening more butter and add more powdered sugar? also does this crust?

    1. You can definitely adjust it to fit your personal tastes. And I’m sorry, but I haven’t made it recently, so I can’t remember if it crusts. I hope you can get it to work out the way you want it to. 🙂

      1. Anuradha Das says:

        I used less shortening more butter so i can get that butter taste. It gets hard in the fridge so i guess it does or doesn’t matter if it does. I couldn’t tell either cause it went from the fridge to serving. i made this recipe for a b-day party came out really nice thick and fluffy! i loved the white chocolate, thank you this saved me such a nice way to use less sugar. Cant wait to try different pudding flavours!

        1. Yay! I’m so glad you got it to work out! Thanks for the update!

  8. Sunshine baker says:

    I made this icing with all butter, but find it to have a strange texture. Did anyone else have this problem?

    1. I wonder if the shortening helps stabilize it. I didn’t think it would be that different doing all butter. I’m sorry it went all funky on you. 🙁

  9. Just made this and I love it! Normally I use buttercream but have been trying to find something that is not so sweet. This is perfect. I am making a wedding cake and due to time constraints I am making it ahead and will have to freeze for a few days. I am wondering if the frosting will thaw well? Any idea? Have anyone ever tried freezing it?

    1. Hi Valerie! If it’s only for a few days I would just refrigerate it. You will need to add a little bit more milk to get it to be workable again, because it thickens up like pudding, but you should be fine. Good luck!

  10. I just made this icing and I’m not impressed. It has a after taste. I was so hoping this was my miracle recipe. I tasted mainly butter and shortening. I ended up adding unsweetened cocoa and more flavor. Oh well I thought I would give it a try.

    1. Okay, thanks for your review.

    2. I am wondering what brand of pudding you used?

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