Cool Whip Frosting
This easy cool whip frosting recipe is the perfect topping for cakes and cupcakes. In just 5 minutes with 5 simple ingredients, you’ll have a delicious, creamy homemade frosting.
Once you make this frosting with cool whip one time, it will probably become your favorite frosting! Once you know that cool whip makes such a good frosting, you’ll be hooked for life!
Unlike traditional frosting or standard buttercream, this cool whip frosting uses instant pudding mix, which makes for a perfectly fluffy frosting perfect for everyday cakes.
The light, yummy vanilla flavor makes this the perfect topping for sheet cakes. This seriously might be my favorite topping because it’s so versatile.
It’s stable for piping, and can easily be made into colored frosting by adding a few drops of food coloring. It also isn’t as sweet as other frostings, so it can be a great alternative for birthday cakes and for people who don’t love super-sweet icing.
Pair This Delicious Frosting With..
Why You’ll Love This Cool Whip Frosting Recipe
- 5 basic ingredients
- Easy recipe
- Make it in 5 minutes
- Stable for piping
- Dye it with food coloring to make different colors
What You’ll Need
This whipped cream frosting only requires 5 simple ingredients. Get the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Cool whip
How to Make Cool Whip Frosting
This cool whip pudding frosting is ready in just 5 minutes, making it a great frosting for last-minute cakes and cupcakes. Get the full instructions in the recipe card below.
Combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
Cool Whip. Add in the cool whip and beat on medium until combined. Use frosting on cake or cupcakes. If storing for later, put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
How to Thaw Cool Whip Quickly
If you decide to make this cool whip frosting at the last minute and didn’t thaw your cool whip ahead of time, there is a way to thaw it quickly without ruining it.
Simply move the frozen cool whip into a microwave-safe bowl. Using the defrost setting, microwave for 30-second intervals, being careful not to mix too much in between (this can make your cool whip watery).
Alternatively, you could leave the tub of cool whip closed and run it under room temperature water until it starts to soften. If you want a more in depth tutorial reference How To Thaw Cool Whip.
Variations
- Flavor. You can make different flavors of this frosting by simply changing the flavor of the pudding mix that you use. Use chocolate pudding mix for chocolate frosting, or cookies ‘n’ cream pudding mix for an oreo frosting.
- Dye it. Use food coloring to dye the frosting various colors.
- Sugar free. Use Sugar Free Cool Whip in place of regular Cool Whip.
FAQs
Cool whip frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 hours before serving.
If you follow the directions in the recipe, this frosting should be thick enough and stable enough to place in a pastry bag for piping. You can place it in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes if you’d like it a little thicker.
If you’d like your cool whip frosting to be thicker or stiffer, you can add real cream cheese or powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency. Adding cream cheese will change the flavor to by tangy. Be careful of adding too much powdered sugar as this may make it too sweet.
More Recipes
Cool Whip Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix, 3.4 oz
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz container cool whip, thawed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
- Add in the cool whip and beat on medium until combined. Use frosting on cake or cupcakes. If storing for later, put in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Store leftover cake or cupcakes in the fridge because of the frosting.
Does the cake need to be refrigerated because of the cool whip and pudding ?
If you aren’t serving it right away, yes refrigerate. Also refrigerate any leftovers for best results.
Can you pipe this?
Yes! You can see in the photos that I piped it onto cupcakes!
do the cupcakes or cake need to be kept in the refrigerator after it has been made
If you aren’t serving it right away, yes refrigerate. Also refrigerate any leftovers for best results.
Is this stabilized or will it fall flat?
It is stable for a few hours at room temperature. For longer storage, store in the fridge.
Sounds great. Wondering how many cupcakes will this recipe frost?
This will frost 12 cupcakes!
Can I use any flavor pudding with this?
Yes you can!
Can I use sugar free pudding also?
Hi Theresa! I haven’t tried this recipe with sugar free pudding, but I am thinking it would work! Report back if you use it!
I just made this recipe following the exact ingredients (and their amounts) and directions and it turned out incredibly soupy. What am I doing wrong?
Can you use strawberry pudding mix to use on strawberry cake?
Yes! That sounds like a great idea!
can I substitute whipped cream for Cool Whip?
Hi Joanne! I haven’t tested this recipe using homemade whipped cream so I can’t offer an accurate answer.
Can i use cream stabilizer on this recipe?
Hi Kath, I’m not familiar with cream stabilizer.
I want all the icing recipes, they sound good and easy
How can this be made pure white? the pudding would probably make it more yellowish…..
Yes, unfortunately any type of pudding mix will give it a yellowish tint. But it’s not that yellow, however, it isn’t pure white either.
They say a few drops of purple coloring and let it mix feal good turns it bright white!
Can you freeze the cupcakes with this kind of frosting?
Hi Sherri! Yes, you can freeze cupcakes with this frosting. I recommend flash freezing the cupcakes until frozen then wrapping them in plastic wrap.
Will this frost a 2 layer cake and cover all edges
It will cover an 8 inch 2 layer cake. If are you wanting to decorate the top of the cake, I’d recommend 1 & 1/2 ing the recipe!
Did try this recipe with sugar free pudding and it turned out very very similar to full-sugar pudding results (really I didn’t notice a difference at all). Thus far I’ve made this recipe with vanilla, cookies and cream, and lemon flavored pudding mixes (both sugar and sugar free). I like the recipe but have had better results with the pudding mix boxes that are slightly larger than with the size indicated in the recipe
This really didn’t work as directed. 1/2 cup of milk + a box of pudding mix turned into a sticky gelatin dough, and then the beaters knocked all the air out of the cool whip trying to mix at medium speed. I got it to work pretty well though taking the deflated mixture, adding a second box of pudding mix and, a second 8oz container of cool whip, and mixing in low for about 5 minutes.
Will the results be the same using no sugar ingredients
I’m not sure, I haven’t tried it!
Wouldn’t folding the Cool Whip into the mixture give better results than beating it in?
Totally up to you! I like to beat it it so it’s fully incorporated.