A quick and easy recipe for Cool Whip Frosting will change your favorite desserts for the better! This creamy and tasty frosting recipe can be paired with any of your favorite baked goods.
Cool Whip with Pudding Frosting
This tasty cool whip frosting recipe is a creative way to make frosting for any occasion. I am not a professional baker by any means, and I love easy tips and hacks in the kitchen. The powdered sugar sweetens the frosting while also acting as a thickener. The pudding mix is a great way to get a lot of flavor with minimal effort. I highly recommend you try this recipe next time you make a batch of your favorite cupcakes.
Out of all the easy frosting recipes I have tried, Cool Whip frosting is the quickest to make. It only takes a few minutes, and it’s ready to use. It also stores very well in the refrigerator or freezer. You can also make it ahead of time. It’s an airy frosting that doesn’t skimp on flavor. Plus, it has a delightful creamy texture.
What You’ll Need
It only takes 5 ingredients to make this yummy frosting from Cool Whip!
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: Do not prepare it according to the package directions. Add the dry mix to the other ingredients as is.
- Whipped Topping: I use Cool Whip extra creamy.
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract: Clear vanilla extract is best to keep the frosting white. It makes coloring easier.
How to Make Cool Whip Frosting
In just a few minutes, you will have ready-to-use frosting for any sweet treat. Once all of the ingredients are combined, it’s finished!
Step 1. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix for 30-45 seconds.
Step 2. Add vanilla pudding mix and mix for an additional 2 minutes or until thick. Let it set for about 5 minutes.
Step 3. Fold in the whipped topping until well combined.
Step 4. Add to your favorite dessert and enjoy!
How to Use Cool Whip Frosting
- Cake: Replace the frosting of your favorite cake or add it to a recipe like Strawberry Bundt Cake that doesn’t have any.
- Cookies: I love using this cool whip frosting on cookies. Some of my favorite ideas are; Dark Chocolate Cookies, Spice Cookies, and Sugar Cookies.
- Dip: Dip your favorite fruit! I like strawberries and apple slices best.
How to Store Leftovers
Place leftover cool whip frosting into an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze this frosting for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using it.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use your favorite pudding flavor in place of the vanilla. I like chocolate, banana, and cheesecake flavors.
- Instead of extra creamy whipped topping, you can use the original. I just like the rich flavor of the creamy variety. If you are using regular, start with 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar and add more as needed.
- Don’t have any Cool Whip? Try making our easy homemade whipped cream recipe.
- Add a couple of drops of food coloring to color the frosting any way you wish.
Tips
- If you prefer a stiffer frosting, add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Completely thaw the tub of cool whip before making this frosting recipe.
- You can use a whisk instead of an electric hand mixer if you wish. It is quicker and easier to use a hand mixer.
More Dessert Topping Recipes
Cool Whip Frosting
Ingredients
- 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
- 8 oz extra creamy whipped topping thawed
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup cold milk
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, cold milk and vanilla extract. Mix for 30-45 seconds.
- Add in instant vanilla pudding and mix for 2 minutes until thickened. Then let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Fold in whipped topping and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Frosting is ready to use!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
Nutrition
Leave a Review!
We LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or comment here.
Your email address will not be published.
23 comments on “Cool Whip Frosting”
Very easy to make! My family loved it!
Thank David!
Pretty disappointed with this recipe. I expected the frosting to stand up firmer due to the picture that was posted with the recipe. Mine turned out, incredibly disappointing.
Sorry to hear this Christy. The pictures that are posted are from this recipe. Several things could be the issue, but over mixing can cause the the frosting the separate and cause a thinner consistency. If this happens, adding powdered sugar may help.
Love this easy recipe . I followed directions and it came out perfectly
I used this frosting for a coconut cake. I used coconut milk in place of the regular milk and used 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 coconut extracts — it was soooo good. I wasn’t decorating this cake, so the consistency was ok, but I do think it may be a bit thin for piping without adjusting sugar and/or liquid amounts. Otherwise, 5 stars!
Thank you Karen!
does this recipe for cool whip frosting cover an average 2 layer cake?
Hi Elaine. This recipe yields 4 cups so it will be enough for your average 8″ two layer cake and possibly enough for a 9″ two layer.
Can you frost the cake the day before decorating it with sprinkles? Hosting a cake decorating party for kids.
Hi Megan. With this frosting I would recommend frosting the day of as it is not as forgiving as say buttercream frosting.
When piping will it hold shapes
Hi Lisa. Yes, this frosting will hold it’s shape fairly well when piping.
This is a great recipe!
I tried this again using chocolate pudding and it worked out great! I don’t know what was wrong with the Jello banana pudding I tried earlier, it never thickened and had a weird pasty texture. This is my go to recipe for frosting now!
Thanks Gay Marie!
Use 1/2 cup of milk or this won’t work. It will be too soft to pipe on a cake. Otherwise it tastes delicious. I tried it with the powdered sugar and it was way too sweet. I omitted the sugar in my next attempt and it was perfect. The trick to making this work is to beat it with the mixer longer than the recipe says.
Much better taste than butter cream IMO, easier to make too! I think I have found my new “go to” frosting! So creamy!
Thank you Doris!
Great recipe
Easy is how I roll. Thank you!
Thank you Constance!
Does this frosting need to be refrigerated- like a whipped frosting? Or is it ok to sit out after frosting – like American Buttercream?
Basically asking, if I frost cookies with this, do I need to refrigerate before serving or put into an airtight container until serving?
Thank you!
Hi Erin. You won’t need to refrigerate right away or before serving, but any leftovers will do best refrigerated.