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With just a few simple ingredients you can make the BEST Oreo buttercream frosting recipe that is perfect for frosting your cakes and cupcakes. This frosting is simple to make and is ready in about 15 minutes or less!
If there’s one cookie I have a hard time resisting it’s an Oreo cookie. What is it about an Oreo cookie? Now I’ve started eating the more organic, less processed cookies but doesn’t matter – still great. Still no self control.
So what do you think happens when you crush some up and stir it into the best vanilla buttercream frosting? Yes you can find me in a corner with a spoon and no shame. It’s OK, I’ll get you a spoon too.
This Oreo frosting recipe is what dreams are made of. And it’s made with just a few simple ingredients and comes together in just a few dangerous minutes. I piped these onto some Oreo cupcakes for even more Oreo goodness. Yes I have no shame. And yes you are going to want seconds.
What Is American Buttercream Icing?
So this Oreo frosting is basically an American icing or American buttercream (ABC) is probably that buttercream you had at that last kid’s birthday party you went too. Or that kind you grew up on.
Sometimes it gets a bad rep for being too sweet. Or grainy. Ugh. But I promise you this recipe is not. American buttercream is one of the beaten butter types of buttercream. Flour buttercream (ermine frosting) and German buttercream also fall into this category. This type of buttercream is made by first beating the butter and then adding in a sweet base. In this case, powdered sugar.
What Are The Main Types Of Buttercream Frosting?
There are 6 main types of buttercreams and they fall into two categories – creamed butter and cubed butter. In fact, if you want to learn how to make all 6 buttercreams, and master making frosting once and for all be sure to check out my Buttercream Basics Guide
American buttercream falls into the creamed butter category is by far the easiest of all the buttercreams to make. German buttercream or ermine frosting are two more creamed butter buttercreams similar to American buttercream. A little more involved but less sweet.
Unlike the cubed butter method of buttercreams- like Swiss Meringue, Italian meringue buttercream and French buttercream.
You can read about all the different Types Of Frosting here.
Ingredient Needed
- Unsalted butter: I always recommend using unsalted butter vs. salted butter so you can control the amount of salt.
- Powdered sugar: Or confectioners sugar (or icing sugar). I don’t sift mine in as I find that as long as I mix it long enough I don’t have lumps.
- Vanilla – You can use clear vanilla extract or pure vanilla extract. Clear vanilla will give you more of that boxed cake vanilla flavor, and keep the frosting more white in color. Or use pure vanilla extract, which is what I used.
- Heavy cream: This helps thin out the frosting, and add some richness, but milk would also work.
- Oreos – I like to use organic all-natural Oreos (I like Newman O’s or the Whole Foods variety)
- Salt – A pinch of a salt helps balance out the sweetness.
How Do You Make This Oreo Buttercream Frosting?
So simple, you ready? Ok here is a step by step photo tutorial of how to make this oreo cookie frosting.
Step 1: Cream butter
You want to do this first before adding any powdered sugar. You can make this in your stand mixer (which is what I prefer) but you can use a hand mixer as shown below. I like to add my zest at this point to help break up the zest and infuse the lemon flavor throughout.
Step 2: Add powdered sugar
Do this a 1/2 cup at a time. Then mix until incorporated. Be sure to start your mixer on low or otherwise you will have it everywhere!
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients
Now add the heavy cream, pinch of salt and vanilla. Make sure to start the mixer out on low, or the heavy cream and vanilla might splash out. Once it’s mixed in then I’ll increase the mixer speed.
Step 4: Mix on high speed
You want to do this for 8 minutes. Yup 8! But it’s worth it 🙂 In the end you get the most amazing whipped oreo frosting!
Step 5: Add in the crushed cookies
Now it’s time to add in the crushed cookies. You can do this with a spatula and fold this in or just mix on low. The cookies are crushed anyway so using your mixer won’t harm it and it’s much easier!
Frosting The Cupcakes
For frosting the cupcakes, I like to use a large closed star or plain pastry tip. And if you need help frosting, then check out this post on how to frost the perfect cupcake (+ video!).
You can also learn how to master all 6 buttercreams in my Buttercream Basics Guide!
Recipe Tips
- Use softened butter to achieve the best consistency. You can soften your butter quickly if you forget to take it out ahead of time. Click here for 3 ways to soften your butter quickly.
- Scrape down your bowl. Be sure to scrape down the bowl from time to time so it’s all being incorporated. A lot of times some butter or sugar will be hanging out at the bottom.
- Mix for a long time. Make sure to whip this buttercream for a full 8 minutes to get a light airy fluffy consistency. If you are using a hand mixer this will take longer.
- Serve at room temperature. This is a butter-based buttercream and if you refrigerate frosted cupcakes, then bring them back to room temperature as the frosting will harden and be like eating a stick of butter!
Recipe FAQ’s
For Cupcakes – This recipe will generously frost 12 cupcakes. I like to pipe a pretty tall amount of frosting on each cupcake. So if you don’t use as much as I do as in the photos, then you might get more frosted (around 24 cupcakes). For help on decorating cupcakes, be sure to check out my The Ultimate Guide To Baking Cupcakes At Home and The Ultimate Guide To Making The Best Buttercream Icing.
For Cake – This frosting will cover a 9 x 13 sheet cake or a 2 layer 8-inch cake.
Your cookies and cream frosting if left at room temperature will be fine and not melt. In fact if you frost a cake with it, it will form an outer crust while still being soft in the middle and keeping the cake fresh. If it’s too hot or humid though the buttercream will melt, so best to store in the refrigerator.
You can also store this frosting in your fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer as well for up to 3 months. When ready to use, allow it to thaw then re-whip until it’s light and fluffy again!
Yes! For up to 3 months. When ready to use, you want to thaw it overnight in the fridge and then rewhip for best consistency.
If you want to make a cream cheese frosting with Oreo cookies, then I recommend using my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe and stirring in the crushed Oreo cookies at the end.
What can I use this Oreo frosting recipe on?
You can add this to any thing you might want a big old layer of frosting on top! Here are a few recipes that I think would be perfect to pair with this Oreo frosting recipe:
- Sourdough Chocolate Cake
- 5-Minute Chocolate Crazy Cake
- Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
- Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
More Frosting Recipes To Try
Oreo Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks, 284 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups (284 g) confectioners sugar
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup crushed Oreo cookies about 6-7 cookies (no need to remove filling)
Instructions
- Cream butter. In a bowl of your stand mixer, with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes to soften.
- Add sugar. Add confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time, starting the mixer on low and then increase speed to medium until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Add heavy cream, salt, and vanilla. With mixer off, add heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Start mixer on low and beat to combine.
- Mix until light and fluffy. Increase speed to medium high speed for 8 minutes until light and creamy.
- Fold in cookies. Stir in cookies with a spatula or with mixer on low until evenly distributed. Use right away or refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Storage/Make Ahead: You can also store this frosting in your fridge for up to 5 days in the fridge. When ready to use, allow it to thaw then re-whip until it’s light and fluffy again!
- Freeze: For up to 3 months. When ready to use, you want to thaw it overnight in the fridge and then rewhip for best consistency.
- For Cupcakes – This recipe will generously frost 12 cupcakes. I like to pipe a pretty tall amount of frosting on each cupcake. So if you don’t use as much as I do as in the photos, then you might get more frosted (around 24 cupcakes). For help on decorating cupcakes, be sure to check out my The Ultimate Guide To Baking Cupcakes At Home and The Ultimate Guide To Making The Best Buttercream Icing.
For Cake – This frosting will cover a 9 x 13 sheet cake or a 2 layer 8-inch cake.
Kat says
Hi! When you say to add in the crushed cookies to the frosting, do you mean just the cookies themselves or does that include the crème as well? I wasn’t sure if I should remove the crème beforehand or not. Thanks in advance!
Heather says
Hi Kat! Yes I add the whole cookie, no need to remove the filling!
Christine says
Can i replace the heavy cream at all?
Heather says
Yes you can replace with milk of any kind! Enjoy 🙂
Leslie Ann says
I was wondering how you recommend crushing the Oreos?
In the past I’ve put them in a bag and used a rolling pin but that leaves lumps to big to go through the icing tip.
Heather says
Hi Leslie, you can crush them this way, but yes make sure all the pieces are small enough to go through your nozzle. I use a very large tip so as long as the pieces are smaller than my tip it works fine. You can also pulse to smaller pieces using your food processor.
Jess says
Favorite cupcakes! Love the texture the oreo gives the cupcakes.
Heather says
thanks Jess!
Dana Sandonato says
I had no idea there were so many types of buttercream! I’m so not a baker, but these were easy peasy and I appreciate that so much. My husband and son love Oreo anything, so needless to say, they appreciated it too 😉 Absolutely delicious!
Heather says
perfect!
Anjali says
What a fun recipe for frosting!! We are making chocolate cupcakes for a friend’s birthday this weekend and this frosting would be the perfect addition to our recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
Heather says
I’m excited for you!
Eliza says
What a great recipe! Thank you for the tips and step by step directions about how to make American buttercream, too. My kids are going to love the cupcakes I’m topping with Oreo Frosting. Another winner from Boston Girl Bakes!
Heather says
awwwww, thank you kindly
Andrea says
Holey Moley! This is my kind of frosting. I will be scraping every last bit of frosting off of the bowl and eating it with a spoon.
Heather says
😂