Quick and easy funfetti frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. This sprinkle frosting is smooth, creamy, fluffy and full of vanilla flavor. Great for spreading on birthday cakes and piping cupcakes too. Tastes even better than the Pillsbury version.
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Both children and adults alike love this classic and I feel it should be in everyone's recipe book. It really can transform your desserts into a carnival of color. And if you want to add even more vibrant color to your cakes, you'll want to try my Red Frosting or Easy Orange Frosting. But besides it's irresistible creamy texture and kaleidoscope of sprinkles, funfetti frosting is also a party-ready indulgence. However, I know some of you prefer to indulge in a more chocolatey fancy, in which I recommend my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate Ganache Frosting, or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Table of contents
Key ingredients for vanilla sprinkle frosting
- Butter- Use unsalted, softened to room temperature.
- Vanilla extract- Adds a warm flavor to the mix.
- Powdered Sugar- You need lots to make this frosting because of its fine texture.
- Heavy cream- You can also you milk, but in my opinion the creamier the better.
- Rainbow jimmie sprinkles- This is the essential ingredient that makes it the iconic funfetti.
How to make easy homemade funfetti frosting recipe from scratch?
- Mix butter and vanilla extract- And then add powdered sugar and milk (Image 1).
- Pour sprinkles- Into the mixture (Image 2).
- Stir altogether- To make the final product (Image 3).
Variations
Use gel colors to tint the icing- Light green, pastel blue, hot pink or even pale green. Make sure you keep the shade light in order for the colors of sprinkles to shine through.
Instead of sprinkles- Use rainbow chips. That tastes even better, in my opinion.
Add extracts- For extra flavor, including coconut, lemon, almond, and almond extracts.
Use cream cheese- For a nice, richer, thicker frosting. I think 8 oz. will do.
Mix in whipped cream- To make a fluffy, light frosting. You can even use my Homemade Whipped Cream.
Use other add-ins- Such as freeze dried fruit, chopped up cookies, mini chocolate chips, crushed cookies, mini candies, or crumbled candy bars.
Chocolate funfetti- Add unsweetened cocoa for a chocolate lover's version. Then you can also fluff it up with some Chocolate Whipped Cream.
What to pair with confetti unicorn buttercream icing?
- Cakes- Like Vanilla Cake, Depression Cake (Wacky Cake), or Easy Pink Champagne Cake
- Cupcakes- Such as Red Velvet Cupcakes, Champagne Cupcakes, Best Vanilla Cupcakes, Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, or Strawberry Cupcakes. If you want to add an explosion of sprinkles in the center of your cupcakes, check out this post about How to Make Filled Cupcakes.
- Dipping items- Graham crackers, pretzels, Nilla Wafers, fresh fruits and berries.
- Brownies- Fudgy Vegan Eggless Brownies, Gooey Brownies, Black Bean Brownies, or Chocolate Orange Brownies.
- Bars- Easy Pumpkin Bars, Rainbow Cereal Bars, or Cake Mix Cookie Bars.
- Cookies- Rainbow Cookies, Easy Heart Cookies, and Easy Cutout Sugar Cookies.
Tips and techniques
Avoid nonpareils sprinkles- These are the little colorful balls and they dye/discolor the batter, so be sure to use rainbow jimmies (rod-like shape) or quins.
Quantity- If you are icing cupcakes with a spatula, this is enough for 24 cupcakes. If you are piping tall swirls, then this is enough for about 15 cupcakes. It's also enough to fill and frost an 8x2 round cake. You can easily double the recipe, if needed.
Add powdered sugar gradually- Because this allows it to to mix evenly.
Don't add all the milk at once- Add slowly to prevent the icing from becoming too thin.
Use unsalted butter- To be sure and capitalize on the sweetness without it getting salty.
If piping this frosting- Be sure to use a large round tip to prevent the tip from becoming clogged with sprinkles.
Sift powdered sugar– To get rid of any lumps, yielding the smoothest frosting possible.
Recipe FAQs
You likely added too much milk or cream. This can be remedied with adding in more powdered sugar a little at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
This happens when you over beat the mixture, so be sure to just mix until combined. You may be able to add more milk or cream to remedy it.
You likely need to add a little more milk or heavy cream to thin it out. Be sure to measure ingredients correctly.
Yes! Which means it is easy to make. It is just a fun and classic frosting to always have in your recipe book.
Storage
- Make ahead- This can be made a head and placed in the fridge or freezer using the directions below. When ready, bring to room temperature and decorate per instructions.
- Room temperature- Don't leave out more than 8-10 hours.
- Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freeze- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
More sprinkle desserts
- How to Make Homemade Sprinkles
- Easy Funfetti Cookies (Cut Out Cookies)
- Funfetti Cake/ Confetti Cake (From Scratch)
- Cake Truffles (With Cake Mix)
- Easy Rainbow Cake (With Cake Mix)
- Birthday Sprinkle Cookies (With Cake Mix)
- Birthday Cupcakes (Pinata Cupcakes)
Recipe
Easy Funfetti Frosting (Sprinkle Frosting)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter Unsalted, Softened to room temperature.
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4 cups Powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoon Heavy cream Or milk, More or less depending on the consistency you want.
- ¼ cup Rainbow jimmie sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar (½ cup at a time), while continuing to mix.
- Add milk (1 tablespoon at a time), while continuing to mix until you reach the desired consistency. The icing should be smooth, fluffy and creamy.
- Add sprinkles and mix gently with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- If you are planning on piping, fill a piping bag with icing. Be sure to use a large round tip to prevent the tip from becoming clogged with sprinkles. Enjoy.
Notes
- If you are icing cupcakes with a spatula, this is enough for 24 cupcakes. If you are piping tall swirls, then this is enough for about 15 cupcakes. It's also enough to fill and frost an 8x2 round cake.
- Add powdered sugar gradually to allow it to mix evenly.
- Don't add all the milk at once. Add slowly to prevent the icing from becoming too thin.
- If icing is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar.
- If frosting is too thick, mix in more milk.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Indya
I can't believe I STILL haven't tried anything funfetti flavoured! It looks and sounds *so* up my alley, and yet I've been totally sleeping on it! Seriously, I'm practically drooling over these photos and anything involving sprinkles HAS to be delicious! Plus, there's so many things you could this frosting for too