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Melted Ice Cream + Sprinkles + our creamy Best Buttercream Frosting = a fun Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream Frosting your family will beg you to make again and again.

Closeup on two cupcakes frosted with Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream Frosting and a bowl of sprinkles.

Summer and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream go hand and hand for us.  When we were kids our parents made homemade ice cream every year for the 4th of July.  Mom was in charge of the ice cream recipe.  Dad was in charge of the ice cream maker and the rock salt.  Laurie and I were in charge of eating the yummy melty vanilla-y ice cream.  We’ve taken these flavors, added in a handful of sprinkles, mixed in a few memories, and came out of the Two Sisters’ test kitchen with a brand new frosting.  Let us introduce you to our Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream Frosting, we hope you like it as much as we do!

How to Make

Closeup on a pint of Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Step 1: Our secret ingredient that gives this frosting a fun subtle taste of Homemade Ice Cream is the rich and creamy Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream.  Take out a scoop of the ice cream and allow it to melt, you will need 1/4 cup of melted vanilla ice cream.

Collage image showing how to cream together the melted ice cream and the butter and vanilla.

Step 2: Add the butter, melted ice cream, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. The Ice Cream should be thoroughly melted and the butter should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has been out of the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
Step 3: Mix the melted ice cream, butter, and vanilla together on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.)  You want to fully cream the ingredients together so their flavors meld together.
Step 4: Use a spatula to scrape the mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.  

Collage image showing how to add the powdered sugar to the frosting mixture.

Step 5: We use a food scale to measure the Powdered Sugar, you will need 1 pound.  If you don’t have a food scale, you can measure 4 cups of Powdered Sugar.  Do you need to sift the Powdered Sugar? You can if it is really lumpy but we don’t normally do that. We rely on our mixer to break up any lumps during the mixing process.
Step 6: Add the Powdered Sugar into the mixing bowl with the butter/ice cream mixture.
Step 7: Two Sisters Tip – cover the mixer with a towel during this part of the mixing process to keep the powdered sugar from flying out of the mixer.
Step 8: Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the ice cream/butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add another teaspoon of melted ice cream and mix again.

Collage image showing how to add the sprinkles to the frosting.

Steps 9-10: Time for the sprinkles! We added an entire small bottle of sprinkles which was approximately 1/3 cup but you can add more or less to your taste. Any color will work. We made this frosting for a 4th of July party but any color combination of Jimmie sprinkles will work!

Closeup on a glass bowl filled with Homemade Ice Cream Frosting and a white spatula.

Step 11: Guess what? Now you get to taste your frosting! You’re welcome! You want to figure out if the taste is right (does it need more melted ice cream or vanilla?) and consistency is correct (is it too thin or too thick?)  Too thick? Add another teaspoon of melted ice cream and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency.  The amount of melted ice cream to use depends on the state of your frosting and sometimes the time of year (if it is a hot humid day, you might not need to add any liquid.) A good rule of thumb is to add the melted ice cream a teaspoon at a time. You can check out our FAQ section below to see some other advice on making the perfect batch of frosting.

How to Serve

Closeup on a decorating bag filled with Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream Frosting sitting in front of a batch of unfrosted Chocolate Cupcakes.

How much frosting will you need?  That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough Homemade Ice Cream Icing to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake.  If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife.  If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag as we have done here, you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

What brand of Vanilla Ice Cream should I use?

When we were working on this recipe we tried a bunch of different brands of Vanilla Ice Cream and ended up thinking that the rich and creamy Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream added the most pronounced “homemade ice cream” flavor to the frosting but any rich and creamy version of Vanilla Ice Cream will work.

Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?

Yes. Ice Cream Frosting needs to be refrigerated because of the addition of melted Ice Cream. You can leave it out for a couple of hours at a maximum before it needs to be refrigerated again.

How do I store any leftover frosting?

Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 months.

What should I do if my frosting is too sweet?

Buttercream is a sweet frosting and the addition of Melted Ice Cream also ups the sweetness level. One thing you can do if it seems too sweet for your palette is to add a pinch of salt to the frosting. But please note that a little salt goes a long way. We cannot stress enough that a pinch (10-15 granules of regular table salt) is all you usually need. Even 1/4 a teaspoon of salt would probably ruin the frosting. Add the salt and mix again and see if that has cut down on the sweetness level.

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thick?

Add another teaspoon of melted ice cream and mix again. Continue to add the melted ice cream, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thin?

Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.

Closeup of a chocolate cupcake topped with Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream Frosting sitting on a white table next to a bowl of sprinkles.

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Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream FrostingPrint

Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream Frosting

Yield 2 1/2 cups
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Melted Ice Cream + Sprinkles + our creamy Best Buttercream Frosting = a fun Homemade Ice Cream Buttercream Frosting your family will beg you to make again and again.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Butter, slightly softened (We use Sweet Cream Salted Butter)
  • 1/4 cup Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream (melted)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 pound Powdered Sugar (or 4 cups)
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup Jimmie Sprinkles (amount depending on your love of sprinkles!)

Instructions

  1. Melt a heaping 1/4 cup of vanilla ice cream. (Add exactly 1/4 cup at the beginning of the mixing process and reserve the rest to use if the frosting is too thick.)
  2. Add the butter, 1/4 cup of the melted ice cream, and the vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. The Ice Cream should be thoroughly melted and the butter should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has been out of the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
  3. Mix the melted ice cream, butter, and vanilla together on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.)  You want to fully cream the ingredients together so their flavors meld together.
  4. Use a spatula to scrape the mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.  
  5. Add the Powdered Sugar into the mixing bowl with the butter/ice cream mixture.
  6. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the ice cream/butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). 
  7. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy.
  8. If the frosting is too thick, add another teaspoon of melted ice cream and mix again.
  9. Time for the sprinkles! Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of sprinkles and mix until combined. (Optional)
  10. Taste your frosting. You want to figure out if the taste is right (does it need more melted ice cream or vanilla?) and consistency is correct (is it too thin or too thick?)  Too thick? Add another teaspoon of melted ice cream and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency.  The amount of melted ice cream to use depends on the state of your frosting and sometimes the time of year (if it is a hot humid day, you might not need to add any liquid.) A good rule of thumb is to add the melted ice cream a teaspoon at a time.

Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!

© Two Sisters Crafting
Cuisine: American / Category: Frosting