The Best Quick and Easy Cool Whip Frosting Recipe
If you want to make a delicious, homemade frosting from scratch that is super easy, this recipe is for you.
Make this light and fluffy Cool Whip Frosting. With yummy vanilla flavor and just 4 ingredients, this is the perfect way to finish a cake or cupcakes.
I’m not a skilled baker. And I suck at decorating cakes. But what I do excel at is knowing delicious desserts. I like to find frosting recipes that are easy, tasty and great for all skill levels to make. Cool Whip Frosting is bomb.
Do people still say that? I’m 44. My natural inclination was to say “the bomb” but I KNOW that’s over.
Why this recipe works
Cool Whip is such a hard-working dessert ingredient. But I feel like it’s totally underrated. From topping pie to creating nostalgic desserts, like my favorite Strawberry Angel Food Cake dessert, it’s super versatile.
One of my favorite ways to use it is to create frosting with Cool Whip from scratch. It’s sweet and creamy and is such a good way to decorate sheet cakes.
While I typically use my favorite Buttercream Frosting recipe to ice all of my boozy cupcakes (because it’s easy to modify the flavor), I love to use this recipe for easy Cool Whip frosting when I’m looking for something basic and easy.
You should also take a glance at my Russian Buttercream Recipe to see if you might be into it for next time.
This frosting isn’t as sweet as a traditional frosting which is great for people who don’t traditionally like frosting. It’s also not one of the thicker frostings. (It may not pipe as well as other frostings but I’m not sure because I refrain from piping at all costs…).
I also don’t hate to eat it right off the spoon. If you aren’t a fan of the way Cool Whip tastes, you won’t like the taste of this Cool Whip Frosting. You should know that going in.
Ingredient Notes
Just a few ingredients and a hand mixer is all you need to make this yummy vanilla frosting.
Scroll down to the end of the post for a printable recipe card with full measurements and more detailed instructions.
Cool Whip has its own distinct flavor that is really tasty but adding dry vanilla pudding powder really levels up the taste. While I haven’t used vanilla extract in my recipe, you can add it if you want to drive that vanilla flavor home even more.
Milk helps to make this frosting the perfect consistency and powdered sugar sweetens it up perfectly. I used whole milk because that is what I always have on hand.
If you don’t have milk you could substitute heavy whipping cream.
And if you can’t find a tub of Cool Whip or don’t love the flavor, you could always make your own whipped cream by mixing cold heavy cream until medium peaks form, then follow the rest of the recipe as shared here. It will really elevate this recipe and make it taste more homemade.
How to thaw Cool Whip Fast
While the best way to thaw Cool Whip is in the fridge for 4 hours. But it will keep fresh in the fridge for about 2 weeks (that’s a long time!) so you can thaw it when you remember.
But if you do happen to forget, there are a few ways you can thaw it quicker. The tub is not microwavable so you’ll need to move the Cool Whip into a heat-safe bowl.
Use the defrost setting on the microwave in 30 second intervals. Take care not to stir too much as that can break down the Cool Whip and cause it to become watery.
Or you can leave it in the container and try running it until room temperature water for a few minutes to get it to soften.
While Cool Whip is pretty thick when just out of the freezer, even allowing it to thaw for 1 to 2 hours in the fridge would allow you to be able to make this great frosting.
How to make Cool Whip Frosting
It’s really so easy! I’m not a scratch baker, so this easy recipe suits my skill level perfectly!
1. Add dry ingredients
Grab a large bowl and add dry vanilla pudding mix.
Add the powdered sugar to the bowl.
2. Add wet ingredients
Add the milk to the bowl.
3. Mix to combine
Mix on low speed, with a hand mixer, until blended.
4. Let it set
Let mixture stand 3 minutes. This will allow the pudding powder to start to activate and thicken up. This will help the structure of the frosting.
The picture above shows how thick it gets. These are the marks left from the hand mixer that I left sitting in the bowl as it thickened.
5. Fold in Cool Whip
Fold in thawed Cool Whip. Make sure it’s well blended. Then stop. Try not to over mix!
6. Chill it
Place the frosting into an air-tight container when finished, and in the fridge, until you need to use it. Because you are using thawed Cool Whip, it will be a bit loose immediately after mixing.
The above, is a terrible photo, but I quickly put the Cool Whip Frosting into a plastic storage bag and cut the corner off and piped some into a circle to show you how stiff it is after it’s been in the fridge for about an hour.
As it warms up, it will likely lose its firm shape.
Storage
Keep this yummy vanilla pudding Cool Whip Frosting in the fridge until ready to frost the cake or cupcakes.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator as well.
Yield
It makes about 4 cups of frosting which should cover a standard-sized, home-baked cake or 24 cupcakes.
Tips
- This frosting has a slight yellow color from the vanilla pudding. If you are looking for a bright white frosting, this is not it.
- If you aren’t happy with the consistency of your frosting there are a few things you can add to make it thicker. Add some cream cheese, cream of tartar, more powdered sugar, powdered pectin or mix in a little corn starch. These may change the flavor a bit.
- For an extra flavor boost, you can add a splash of vanilla extract. Or try peanut butter. YUM!
- Use other flavored dry pudding mixes to change up the flavor from vanilla to strawberry and beyond.
- For best results, don’t over mix this frosting as it can cause the ingredients to break down.
- If the frosting seems to loose, put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up before frosting with Cool Whip frosting.
- Add some food coloring to give your homemade frosting the perfect color to match your party decor.
Frequently asked questions
Store the frosting in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 10 hours. Re-mix is for 20 seconds before using.
If you follow the directions, and let the pudding, milk and sugar sit after mixing, it should thicken up and be fine. If it still seems to runny, put it in the fridge to set up for 15 minutes. If still too runny, try adding a bit of cream cheese, powdered pectin, cornstarch or more powdered sugar.
This recipe is so delish. Give it a try next time you want to frost a dessert recipe. You won’t believe how good this frosting is on chocolate cupcakes.
Related Recipes
And you can always top any of my Dump Cakes with Cool Whip!
Cool Whip Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounce Cool Whip thawed
- 3.4 ounce Instant Vanilla Pudding dry powder (do not make!)
- ¾ cup milk cold
- 3 TBSP confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Add the dry vanilla pudding mix, powdered sugar and milk to a medium mixing bowl.
- Mix on low speed, with a hand mixer, until blended.
- Let mixture stand 3 minutes so the pudding can begin to thicken.
- Fold in thawed Cool Whip.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- The vanilla powder will give the frosting a slight yellow tint. If you’re hoping for a stark white color, this is not it!
- If you aren’t happy with the consistency of your frosting there are a few things you can add to make it thicker. Add some cream cheese, cream of tartar, more powdered sugar, powdered pectin or mix in a little corn starch. These may change the flavor a bit.
- For an extra flavor boost, you can add a splash of vanilla extract.
- Use other flavored dry pudding mixes to change up the flavor from vanilla to strawberry and beyond.
- You don’t want to over mix this frosting as it can cause the ingredients to break down.
- If the frosting seems to loose, put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up before frosting with Cool Whip frosting.
I was looking for a good frosting recipe for a Picaken I want to make
(pecan, pumpkin, spice cake) and I think this will hit the spot and not be to sweet
Would this be dense enough to layer between two cakes?
I made this recipe last night to put on top of cupcakes for my fiance’s birthday! I followed the recipe step by step and it turned out AMAZING. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness, and I topped the frosting with sugar sprinkles.. YUM yay yay
I’m glad it worked out for you!
i just mix cool whip with store bought icing. It’s even simpler & takes the store bought taste out of it.
How much food coloring would I use for one 13 x 9 pan? I usually use vanilla or chocolate but need to change it up a little.
I’m not sure! It would depend on how vibrant you want the color. I would start with a few drops and go from there. Try not to over mix it, but you’ll have to be the judge of the look you are going for.
It never takes more than a few drops. Otherwise you get the coloring taste. i like Wilton’s food coloring. It’s thick like an icing so it doesn’t take a lot especially to get vibrant colors. It’s more expensive but worth it for special cakes.
Absolutely delicious frosting. Many compliments when I put it on cupcakes that I took to a pot luck dinner. So light tasting.
I’m so glad you liked it!!
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Matthew chapter 24 NIV (New International Version of the Bible.)
Signs of the End of the Age
1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2″Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,[a]’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9″Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15″So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,'[b] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
26″So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29″Immediately after the distress of those days
” ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'[c]
30″At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32″Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[d]is near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation[e] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
36″No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42″Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45″Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew chapter 25 NIV
1″At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6″At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7″Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9″ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10″But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11″Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12″But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
13″Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
14″Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19″After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21″His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22″The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23″His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24″Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26″His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28″ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Sheep and the Goats
31″When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40″The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41″Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44″They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45″He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46″Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 24:5 Or Messiah; also in verse 23
b. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
c. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
d. Matthew 24:33 Or he
e. Matthew 24:34 Or race
f. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.
a. Matthew 25:15 A talent was worth more than a thousand dollars.
Matthew 24-25 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
I love this! As soon as I get home i am making this.
Is there anything that can be used to thicken cool whip other than pudding mix?
You can try adding some cream cheese, cream of tartar, more powdered sugar, powdered pectin or mix in a little corn starch. These may change the flavor a bit. I have not tried any of these personally, though, since I don’t mind the consistency for topping sheet cakes, etc. Sorry!
This did not work for me, not sure where I went wrong. Pudding consistency was crumble, not smooth
I not sure what happened! If you see the photos in the post, the pudding does really thicken up. But when you fold in the Cool Whip it smooths out pretty well. At least it did for me! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you!
Can I double the recipe
I am pretty sure you should be able to double the recipe. I have not tried it personally but it seems like it should work fine.
Making homemade strawberry cake. Can I put strawberry jam in coolwhip frosting or use fresh chucks of strawberries?
Is it good for piping? I like the taste but I’m not sure how it will do when I try to decorate
Just made this frosting as directed, turned out tasty, light, not too sweet although I used twice the powdered sugar for thickening. Putting on vanilla cupcakes by dipping cupcake tops in and then added more on top with spoon . Will refrigerate until serving time. Very simple and delicious. Also looking like a versatile recipe, will try adding alterations next time. Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it. Glad using more powdered sugar didn’t make it too sweet. And I’m def going to try dipping my cupcakes next time! That sounds like a great technique!
Use white chocolate pudding to get a white frosting if you don’t like the yellow look.
That’s such a great tip! Thank you for sharing. :)
Made this delicious Cool Whip Frosting to take to a block party…..big hit. I was a little afraid of what the frosting would do outside for an hour, but surprisingly it was just fine.
I made it with chocolate pudding to top a Duncan Hines Decadent Chocolate box cake and the light frosting was perfect. Also, days later, a few left over pieces stored in the fridge were just as delicious looking and tasting too. Thank you for this great recipe.
This sounds really good, but I’m not sure which size of Cool Whip to use.
I just remade this recipe today! It’s an 8 ounce package of Cool Whip and a 3.4 ounce of vanilla pudding. Also, the finished product is much more yellow than the images look on the site. I’ll have the updated post up in the next few days!
I made it yesterday, forgot the powder sugar. It still turned out fantastic, I used banana instant pudding, milk, and the cool whip. It was on a GF banana cake I made for my daughter, everyone ate it , it was that good and I think it had a lot to do with the frosting. It was really awesome, Thanks for the recipe
YUM! That banana pudding sounds delish! So glad it worked out for you. It’s such an easy recipe! I’m going to try to flavor my next batch too. Sounds like a great hack!