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Oreo Frosting

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of frosting. One of the few things that make buttercream even better is to incorporate Oreos into the mix! The end result is an irresistible Oreo frosting that takes you right back to your childhood.

I found myself eating scoops of it with leftover Oreos while I was decorating this cake. It took all my self-control to resist it!

image of a slice of red velvet oreo cake that's frosted with an oreo red velvet cream cheese frosting

Back in the day, I was a big fan of the Oreo dunk. If I had a big glass of cold milk and a few Oreos, I was one happy camper.

I liked my Oreos to be softened by the milk, with a tiny bit of crunch left. I’d really let my Oreos hang out in my glass of milk, to get that perfect texture.

That milk-soaked Oreo cookie is exactly what this frosting reminds me of.

American Buttercream Base

The base of this frosting is my classic American buttercream frosting recipe. There are so many reasons why I am obsessed with my buttercream recipe.

I love that it only uses a handful of ingredients, which most of us already have in our pantries! This frosting is also pretty much foolproof and comes together in less than 10 minutes.

adding crushed oreos into buttercream to make oreo frosting

American buttercream is definitely on the sweet side though. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I love it!

If you don’t, you can try mixing crushed Oreos into a less sweet frosting. Swiss meringue and Italian meringue buttercream are great alternatives.

The only thing that could make my American buttercream better is…you guessed it…crushed Oreos!!

My Advice: Use Crushed Oreos

It may seem like all you have to do is cut up some Oreos and throw them into the buttercream. However, it’s actually not that simple!

If you plan to pipe with this buttercream (which I did!!), you need to use a food processor to completely crush the Oreos.

Bits of Oreo will get stuck in your piping tip if you don’t break down the Oreos into small enough pieces.

image of oreo cream cheese frosting piped on top of a cake

Trust me, there is nothing more frustrating than being mid-swirl, only to have the frosting tip get plugged and ruin your perfect design.

Large bits of Oreos also make smoothing the frosting on the sides of your cake almost impossible.

photo of food processor crushing oreos

It’s worth reaching up to your highest cabinet (or the back of your pantry), and pulling out your food processor.

I keep my food processor on my top shelf and have to get out a step stool to reach it. It’s a pain, but I knew it was necessary for this.

I’ve had my Ninja for several years, and it still works great! You can also use a blender if you don’t have a food processor handy.

I really pulverized my Oreo cookies to get them to the right consistency. To do this, crush the Oreos by pulsing them a few times, then hold down that crush button!!

Let the food processor work its magic until you have super fine bits of Oreo.

Workaround If You Don’t Have A Food Processor

If you don’t have a food processor, be sure to use a sharp knife to cut your Oreos into superfine pieces.

Really commit to getting a super fine texture! It’s definitely more challenging to get the right texture with a knife.

It also takes a bit of time to get the Oreo bits into uniformly small pieces.

photo of oreo buttercream

Above is a batch of Oreo buttercream I made with hand-chopped Oreos.

It definitely wasn’t as smooth as I would’ve liked, but the frosting tasted great.

I was using this as a cake filling, and it worked well for that! However, frosting with this consistency would’ve been really hard to pipe with.

I actually like the texture of the frosting with larger bits of cookie. If you eat this Oreo frosting shortly after making it, it actually still has a wonderful bit of crunch!

However, the cookies will soften over time as the frosting sits. If you still want a contrast in texture, you can sprinkle some chopped Oreos on top of the frosting between the cake layers.

This is my go-to move since I usually make my frosting in advance.

photo of chocolate oreo cake slice with oreo frosting

However, these chunks would definitely get stuck in a decorative piping tip like a Wilton 1M or 2D. They also make it so much harder to get perfectly smooth sides on a cake with a bench scraper.

Best Ways To Enjoy This Oreo Frosting

There are so many ways you can use this frosting! I like to use it to frost cakes and cupcakes, especially when it’s paired with my chocolate cupcake recipe.

As long as you really pulverize the Oreos that you add to this frosting, it pipes like a dream. This Oreo frosting would also make a great cupcake filling!

image of oreo frosting on a whisk attachment, after just being made in a pink stand mixer

While I love a good cupcake, I use this recipe the most on cakes! I’ve made quite a few Oreo drip cakes over the years, and this is my go-to frosting for them.

One important tip to note when using this frosting on a cake!! Give it a really good stir with a rubber spatula before you add it to a cake.

As the frosting sits, it can develop tons of little air bubbles, which make it really hard to smooth.

image of a red velvet oreo cake decorated with crushed oreos and red velvet cake crumbs

By working the frosting around the bowl and stirring it back and forth, you will push all those little air bubbles out.

The end result will be super smooth, perfect Oreo buttercream.

Tips For Making the Best Oreo Frosting:

  • Be sure you really finely crush the Oreos, so that you can easily smooth this frosting on a cake or pipe with it
  • If you are making frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes, to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.
  • I usually make 1 1/2 batches of frosting to stack and frost a seven or eight-inch layer cake.

Making This Oreo Frosting in Advance and Storage Tips

Make your frosting ahead of time, or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this Oreo frosting recipe, please tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets so that I can see your delicious creations!

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Yield: 7

Oreo Frosting

image of a red velvet oreo cake decorated with crushed oreos and red velvet cake crumbs

This Oreo frosting is totally addictive! It's made with only 6 ingredients and is so easy to make. It'll be gone just as quickly as you can make it!!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Oreo Buttercream Frosting

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (452g)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract (8ml)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (3g)
  • 7 cups or a 2 lb. bag powdered sugar (907g)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream (60ml)
  • 1 cup crushed Oreo cookies - about 12 cookies (150g)

Instructions

  1. Crush the Oreo cookies (centers and all) in a food processor until they're super fine and no large bits remain. Set aside.
  2. Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth. Mix in the vanilla and salt on a medium speed.
  3. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar on a low speed. Place a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to help reduce the powdered sugar clouds. Halfway through add the heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix.
  4. Add in 1 cup of crushed Oreos and mix on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached.
  5. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 at a time).

Notes

This recipe makes about 7 cups of frosting.

Tips For Making the Best Oreo Frosting:

  • Be sure you really finely crush the Oreos, so that you can easily smooth this frosting on a cake or pipe with it
  • If you are making frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes, to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.

Making this Frosting in Advance:

I usually make 1 1/2 batches of frosting to stack and frost a seven or eight-inch cake.

Make your frosting ahead of time, or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

7

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 1082Total Fat 59gSaturated Fat 36gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 20gCholesterol 149mgSodium 222mgCarbohydrates 142gFiber 0gSugar 136gProtein 1g

Mal

Wednesday 31st of May 2023

In the instructions, you say to blend the whole oreo, centers and all, yet in the tips you say to separate the cream first? Why the contradiction?

Chelsweets

Sunday 4th of June 2023

Hi Mal,

For years I did separate the centers from the cookies when making Oreo frosting because I thought it made a smoother, better frosting. But recently I was in a rush and just threw whole Oreos into my food processor and it turned out great! I always try to keep my recipes simple / practical, so I updated the recipe to use whole Oreos. I've updated my blog post to reflect that. Happy baking!

Jennifer

Monday 3rd of October 2022

Can you add food coloring to this? Or will it just look muddy?

Chelsweets

Tuesday 4th of October 2022

Hi Jennifer,

It depends how finely you chop the Oreos, but I do think it'd be hard to color this frosting! You could try adding less Oreos to see if that makes it lighter in color, but overall I do think it'd be tough to achieve a brightly colored version of this frosting :/ If you do try it or a figure out a better way to color it, please let me know how it turns out!

Maria

Sunday 27th of March 2022

Why did my buttercream crust and come out really hard?

Oreo Cupcakes: Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Frosting

Saturday 26th of March 2022

[…] I’m a big fan of baking with Oreos. I love them in ice cream, cakes, even croissants! Hence my oreo drip cake and my oreo frosting recipe. […]

Bridgette Hiatt

Sunday 20th of March 2022

Loved this with your chocolate layered cake. My family is a fan!

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