Bright blueberry buttercream frosting is both colorful and flavorful. It is perfect for topping cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more!
Frosting is what takes a dessert from good to great. This blueberry buttercream is easy to whip up and is perfect for piping or spreading over your favorite treats.
Making fun new frosting flavors is one of my favorite pastimes. Having the perfect fluffy frosting is one of the easiest ways to take whatever you baked to the next level.
I had been in the mood to make summery lemon whoopie pies and needed the perfect filling. I was tempted to make some strawberry buttercream because strawberry lemonade is one of my favorite summer flavor combinations.
Plus that recipe tastes like a melted strawberry milkshake and it is so pretty and pink. But it is so much more interesting to make something new, and blueberries and lemon are another wonderful summer taste combo.
Getting big blueberry flavor
The easiest way to add big fruit flavor to an American buttercream base is to add freeze dried fruit. That way you don’t have to worry about the liquid that comes along with a puree, but you still get a really natural fresh fruit flavor.
If you add fresh blueberries, even if they are cooked down, you will need more powdered sugar to balance out the additional moisture content. If you add powdered freeze dried fruit, you can make a stiff frosting without going crazy on sugar.
Using fresh lemon juice to thin out the frosting rather than milk or cream helps accentuate the berry flavor as well. That tart balance with the sugar makes the final product really sing.
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Carlee’s Tips For Perfect Blueberry Frosting
Use a food processor or blender to make the freeze dried berries into a powder. If you plan on piping it, you will want to get them processed to a pretty fine consistency.
If you are having trouble getting the chunks out, feel free to add the lemon juice to help the blender make a paste then add that.
Make sure your butter is at room temperature. Cold butter can leave chunks, whereas properly softened butter will ensure you end up with smooth frosting easily.
Use the paddle attachment rather than the balloon whisk on your mixer. That will allow you to still get fluffy frosting without having huge air bubbles.
Be sure to scrape the sides of your mixer bowl a few times along the way. You don’t want ingredients sticking to the sides of the bowl.
Beat your buttercream on medium speed for at least 3-4 minutes to make sure the frosting is fluffy. Then drop it down to low speed for 2 minutes to get out any big air bubbles.
If you want to increase the lemon flavor, feel free to add a little bit of lemon zest. Alternatively, you can add a little bit of lemon extract. Start with just a drop or two and increase it until you like what you taste.
Storage
This frosting can be stored at room temperature for several hours before you use it. It can be refrigerated for a week or two, just bring it to room temperature before you try to use it.
Homemade blueberry buttercream also freezes well. Just put it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 or 4 months.
Blueberry Buttercream
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup freeze dried blueberries
Instructions
- Beat the softened ¾ cup unsalted butter until smooth.
- Slowly mix in 4 cups powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice until combined.
- Turn the 1 cup freeze dried blueberries into powder using either a food processor or blender. Add blueberry powder to frosting mixture.
- Adjust consistency with a little lemon juice or powdered sugar if needed.
Video
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I bought the blueberry powder before finding this recipe. How much would I use in place of the freeze dried blueberries?
I would start with a scant 1/4 cup and then adjust to your liking.
This came out GREAT! (Thank you, Trader Joe’s for having freeze dried blueberries!!)
I had an 8 year old birthday girl request a Fox-themed lemon cake with blueberry frosting, but frosting had to be orange! (She knows what she wants!) so I made a lemon cake with a blueberry buttercream middle. My first recipe find was a bust and took much longer… this was a breeze and bursting with flavor!! Will definitely use again!
Thank you!!
That sounds like quite the cake request! It sounds absolutely delicious too. I am so glad the frosting worked out for you.
Can you use fresh blueberry lemon curd instead?
You could certainly try. Of course that will add more liquid than the freeze-dried berries do. So, I would omit the lemon juice and add the curd a Tablespoon or two at a time until you get the right flavor and consistency.
Would I make a half recipe of this for 12 cupcakes? thank you!
That should work as long as you don’t pipe a big old pile of frosting on each cupcake. Enjoy!
Made this for my little one’s birthday cupcakes! Everyone commented on how yummy the frosting was. I added ¼ tsp of lemon extract to enhance the flavor. And it turned out perfect! All of your instructions were spot on. This was my first time ever attempting buttercream and with these instructions it turned out great!
Can i use frozen blueberries ? Looking forward to making this !
If using frozen blueberries, I would cook them down with the lemon juice first to get some of the moisture out. The nice thing about using freeze dried blueberries is you get really concentrated berry flavor without the moisture.
Could I use fresh blueberries instead of freeze dried?!
It will add a lot more liquid to the buttercream, so you may have to counteract it with more powdered sugar. You could also cook down the blueberries for a bit to get some of the moisture out of them before using them. I love using freeze dried blueberries because you get really concentrated flavor and it is easy to keep your frosting nice and stiff if you like it that way.
I love how this sounds, but am allergic to lemon. Is there anything I can substitute for the lemon juice in this?
You can use milk instead.
I am jelous of your piping skills! That frosting looks amazing… and I had no idea you could freeze it. Filing that away!
Yes, buttercream freezes well and thank you so much!
Such a beautiful frosting!! I can see it being served at all kinds of special occasions
Thank you!