How to Make Frosting Without Milk (With Delicious Variations)

A rich, fluffy coating of buttercream icing on a cake or cupcake always makes it better. The most common buttercream frosting ingredients are butter, confectioners sugar, flavoring, and milk.

But what if you’re all set to ice your cake but don’t have any milk? Without it, how do you create frosting?

To create frosting without milk, use cream, half & half, or evaporated milk for the milk. Use water to make a neutral-tasting frosting. To create flavored frostings without milk, use orange or lemon juice, fruit puree, coffee, melted chocolate, cocoa, caramel, or liqueur.

It’s simple to open a box of frosting and pour it between the layers of a cake, but homemade icing always tastes better. Adding milk to buttercream makes it easier to spread.

But just because you don’t have milk doesn’t mean you can’t create homemade frosting. Here’s how to make frosting without milk.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting Without Milk

Buttercream is the most common icing used by amateur bakers to decorate cupcakes and birthday cakes. As the name implies, the major component in this frosting is butter, which is whipped with confectioners sugar (also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar) until light and creamy. Where does the milk fit in if butter is the major ingredient?

Why Does Buttercream Frosting Need Milk?

Most buttercream recipes call for a liquid to assist dissolve the sugar, soften the butter, and make the frosting more spreadable. This liquid is often milk since it has a very neutral taste.

How to Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Without Milk

The good news is that buttercream frosting may be made without the need of milk. Here’s a recipe for buttercream frosting that replaces the milk with the same amount of another liquid, such as:

• Water
• Cream
• Half and half
• Evaporated milk

The buttercream recipe below yields enough icing for one cake or six cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 3 cup softened butter (or a mixture of butter, margarine, and shortening)1
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Food coloring gel or powder (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons liquid of your choice

Instructions

1. Using an electric mixer, soften the butter until it is smooth.
2. Half of the sugar should be added. Blend the ingredients until it is smooth.
3. Add the remaining sugar, vanilla essence, and 1 tablespoon liquid.
4. As needed, add food coloring and stir until combined.
5. Add one extra tablespoon of liquid if needed to get a spreadable or pipeable consistency.

How to Make Orange Buttercream Frosting with Juice

In buttercream, orange juice may be used in place of milk. The icing, however, will not be completely white. Make the following adjustments to the recipe:

• Omit the vanilla extract.
• As the liquid, use two to three teaspoons of orange juice.
• Add the zest of an orange.
• Use pale orange food coloring.

How to Make Lemon Buttercream Frosting with Juice

Lemon buttercream is light and refreshing, perfect for spring and summer desserts. Make the following adjustments to the recipe:

• Omit the vanilla extract.
• Replace the liquid with three tablespoons lemon juice, which should be added to the butter as it is being beaten.
• Combine the sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl.
• Use pale yellow food coloring.

How to Make Strawberry Buttercream Frosting with Puree

Strawberry buttercream frosting tastes like summer on a platter and looks particularly lovely when tinted pink with food coloring. Make the following adjustments to the recipe:

• Use a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of strawberry essence.
• Beat in a cup of fresh strawberry puree and the two extracts to the butter-powdered sugar combination.
• Use pale pink food coloring.
• Raspberry puree is also suitable for berry icing.

How to Make Mocha Buttercream Frosting with Coffee

If you’ve created a mocha or coffee-flavored cake, you’ll need a great coffee frosting to go with it, and making one without milk is simple. Make the following adjustments to the recipe:

• Omit the vanilla extract.
• Combine one tablespoon of strong instant coffee (such as espresso powder) and two teaspoons of hot water.
• As the liquid, add the coffee to the frosting. Thoroughly mix.
• Add a spoonful of heavy cream for a rich icing.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting with Chocolate

Even without milk, you can create a luscious chocolate buttercream icing. Make the following adjustments to the recipe above:

• Melt 2 ounces dark or light chocolate. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
• When you add the powdered sugar, add 1 oz of sifted cocoa to the butter. To mix, beat everything together.
• Instead of additional liquid, add the cooled, melted chocolate to the sugar-butter combination.
• Replace the melted chocolate with a spoonful of heavy cream and a tablespoon of chocolate liqueur for an adult version.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting with Cocoa

Use the recipe above but make the following adjustments for a less rich chocolate buttercream frosting that children will enjoy:

• Omit the vanilla extract.
• Make a smooth paste with one cup cocoa powder and two teaspoons warm water.
• Beat the cocoa mixture into the sugar-butter mixture until smooth.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting with Caramel

Brown sugar may be used to create caramel buttercream icing, however the simplest and fastest caramel buttercream frosting follows the recipe above with the following changes:

• Mix in a cup of caramel to the powdered sugar-butter mixture.
• Add a pinch of salt.

How to Make Boozy Buttercream Frosting with Liqueur

It’s great to prepare alcoholic frosting for adult-only cakes; this is ideal for a celebratory event. Make the following adjustments to the recipe:

• As the liquid, use two teaspoons of your preferred liqueur, such as Baileys Irish Cream or Kahlua.

Final Thoughts

Although most buttercream icing recipes call for milk to breakdown the sugar and make the frosting spreadable, there are several milk replacements available. Use another dairy product, such as cream or evaporated milk, or just replace the milk with water.

To make flavored frosting, substitute the milk with your favorite flavored beverage, such as fruit juice or puree, coffee, chocolate, caramel, or even liquor.