This smooth and fluffy keto strawberry buttercream frosting is a delicious topping for your sugar free cupcakes and cakes. It has just the right amount of sweetness and is wonderfully fruity. With my tips your sugar free frosting will be a roaring success!
Table of contents
I always thought I did not like frosting. The sugar versions I remember from my pre-low carb days basically made my teeth hurt. And to be honest, the keto recipes I checked out at online didn't look much better. Sure, they were sugar free. But 3 cups of sweetener in a frosting? Shudder.
For a long time, I topped my keto cakes and cupcakes with pure cream cheese frostings, mascarpone frostings or a mix of either with Sugar Free Keto Whipped Cream.
But I kept on returning to the question - How could I make a keto buttercream that I would actually enjoy?
Well, here it is. This sugar free frosting recipe uses a LOT less sweetener than you'll see anywhere else. I think I've found the IDEAL balance of sweet and fruity, smooth and creamy.
My keto strawberry frosting recipe makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes or a 20 cm round cake that yields 12 slices. Enjoy!
Ingredients for strawberry sugar free buttercream
Butter and cream cheese - It is absolutely essential that both butter and cream cheese are room temperature! Otherwise, the mixture can curdle. The cream cheese MUST be full fat. Also, I found that using a quality brand such as Philadelphia resulted in superior smoothness.
Powdered sweetener - I used an erythritol monk fruit sweetener that is a 1:1 sugar alternative. Xylitol or allulose works as well. Arguably, allulose is the best option because it melts just like sugar. However, it's tricky to get hold of over here in the UK right now and it's expensive. Eryhritol blends are my go-to and they work just fine.
Strawberries and xanthan gum - I used 180g of strawberries which I reduced by half to thicken it (slightly more than half, actually). For the frosting, we need 80g or ¼ cup of strawberry puree. Xanthan gum thickens the mix further. Stir any leftovers into your morning yoghurt or add a little sweetener and use as jam.
How to make keto strawberry frosting
First, puree the strawberries in a food processor. Then, bring the strawberry puree to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced by half.
Start stirring regular half way through cooking so the mixture does not burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat.
Sprinkle over the xanthan gum to thicken the mixture further and whisk to combine. Guar gum, agar agar or even 1 tsp ground chia seeds would work equally well.
Let cool to room temperature. I put mine in the freezer for 15 minutes to speed things up.
Meanwhile, get started on the buttercream. In a mixing bow, blend the butter and cream cheese until combined. I like the cream cheese in this recipe because it makes it a little lighter.
You can heat fridge cold butter and cream cheese in the microwave. 30 seconds each was perfect for me (my microwave operates at 800 W).
Then, add the powdered sweetener bit by bit and blend until fully combined.
Last, add in the cooled strawberry puree and blend again. I used ¼ cup or 80g of the reduced puree.
Use straight away or cool in the fridge until suitable for piping onto cupcakes or frosting cakes.
Sugar free frosting tips and variations
First, let's talk sweetener. Most keto buttercream frostings you'l find online will use up to 3 times more sweetener than this recipe. I found that ¾ cup was the perfect amount for me. But, if you prefer a sweeter frosting, just add more. If adding more makes the frosting too thick, simply loosen it with a tbsp or 2 of almond milk.
Use different berries: Both raspberries or blueberries would work as well in this recipe. Make sure you strain the raspberry puree after reducing to remove any hard bits.
Add vanilla extract or freeze dried strawberries - ½ tsp of vanilla extract would be a tasty optional addition to this recipe. 2 tbsp of freeze dried strawberries would intensify the strawberry taste and colour.
Storing keto frosting
This keto strawberry frosting holds its shape at room temperature (but not outside in the sunshine!). However, I would always store it in the fridge. It stays fresh for up to 5 days and is even suitable for freezing - up to 3 months.
Simply bring back to room temperature before piping onto cupcakes or spreading over cakes.
Use the frosting here...
Give these keto vanilla cupcakes a strawberry frosting topping! I've tried it and they were amazing.
Another wonderful base recipe for my frosting would be these keto strawberry muffins.
I've topped this coconut flour cake with a simple icing, but it would be perfect with this frosting.
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Keto Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
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Ingredients
- 2 sticks / 230g butter unsalted, room temperature
- ⅔ cup / 160g cream cheese full fat, room temperature (I used Philadelphia)
- 1 cup / 180g strawberries sliced (6.35 oz)
- ¾ cup / 120g powdered sweetener or to taste, up to 2 cups
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
Instructions
- Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Then, bring the strawberry puree to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Start stirring regularly half way through cooking so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once reduced, remove from the heat. Add xanthan gum to thicken further and whisk to combine. Let cool to room temperature.
- In a mixing bow, blend the room temperature butter and cream cheese until combined.
- Then, add the powdered sweetener bit by bit and blend until fully combined.
- Last, add in ¼ cup or 80g of the cooled strawberry puree and blend.
- Use straight away or cool in the fridge until suitable for piping onto cupcakes or frosting cakes
Notes
Nutrition
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Tom says
Love your recipes. Have you tried monk fruit sweetener? No carbs. I like it but is it good for me?
Thanks, Tom
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Tom, most monk fruit sweeteners are in fact erythritol and monk fruit blends - and that is exactly what I use. Their taste is very similar to sugar. Pure monk fruit is very, very concentrated.