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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / Crisco Frosting

Crisco Frosting

October 9, 2015 by Alea Milham 34 Comments

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Easy Crisco frosting recipe
how to make Crisco frosting

Here is our classic white Crisco Frosting recipe, which is sometimes referred to as Vanilla Crisco Frosting.

A quick and easy homemade Crisco frosting recipe that tastes like bakery icing!

Did you know you can make frosting with Crisco? It may sound weird, but it is true. Crisco frosting was quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s. It was an easy way to make icing when you didn’t have any butter available.

What may surprise you is how widely Crisco frosting is still used in bakeries. My Grandma called this Wedding Cake Frosting because it is often used on wedding cakes.

Why make frosting with Crisco?

Some people prefer the flavor and texture of Crisco frosting. One of my husband’s cousins requests Crisco frosting on his birthday cake each year.

Shortening is dairy-free, so some people choose to make Crisco frosting because they are allergic to dairy.

Crisco is a firm solid at room temperature, where butter is soft at room temperature. Some people use frosting made with Crisco because it is more heat-resistant than buttercream frosting, so it holds up better on warmer days.

Even if you prefer buttercream frosting, Crisco is shelf-stable, so you can make frosting with it instead of running to the store when you run out of butter on your baking day.

Since Crisco and powdered sugar are white, you can get a pure white frosting if you use clear vanilla extract, which is an ideal canvas for decorating cakes and will produce crisp colored icing when you add food coloring.

Homemade cupcakes topped with Crisco frosting.

In the picture above, I made cupcakes from my Vanilla Depression Cake recipe and topped them with Crisco frosting because we were out of butter and milk.

Does Crisco Frosting taste good?

You have probably eaten Crisco frosting and not even realized it. This frosting recipe is very similar to the frosting that Bakeries use on cakes and sugar cookies. It is fluffy, holds its shape when piped on cookies and cakes, and has a delicious vanilla flavor.

Does Crisco Frosting need to be refrigerated?

Crisco frosting does not need to be refrigerated, so feel free to make your cake the night before your party. If you have leftover frosting, put it in a lidded container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

How to Make Crisco Frosting

You make Crisco frosting the same way that you make buttercream frosting, you beat the shortening until it is fluffy. Then mix in the vanilla and salt. Finally, you alternate adding the powdered sugar and the liquid, while continuously beating the mixture.

Crisco Frosting Recipe

You can double the recipe to frost a layer cake if you want to have thick layers of frosting between each layer of cake.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Crisco
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup water, milk, or dairy-free milk substitute

Directions:

1. Place the Crisco, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.

2. Switch the mixer to low speed and alternate adding the powdered sugar and the liquid until the ingredients are completely blended.

3. Beat on high speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4. Use it to decorate 18 cupcakes, a 13×9 cake, or a batch of sugar cookies.

Store unused frosting in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Allow it to come to room temperature before you use it to frost other baked goods.

How to make Crisco frosting.

Printable Recipe for Crisco Frosting

How to make Crisco frosting.
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5 from 3 votes

Crisco Frosting Recipe

This Crisco frosting tastes like bakery frosting and can be used to decorate cakes and cookies.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Crisco Frosting
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 18
Calories 156kcal
Author Alea Milham

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Crisco
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup water milk, or dairy-free milk substitute

Instructions

  • Place the Crisco, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
  • Switch the mixer to low speed and alternate adding the powdered sugar and the liquid until the ingredients are completely blended.
  • Beat on high speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 17mg | Sugar: 26g | Iron: 1mg

More Dairy-Free Frosting Recipes

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe

Fluffy Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting

 Fluffy Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting

How to Make Royal Icing

Dairy-Free “Butter Cream” Frosting

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. H says

    September 25, 2021 at 7:48 pm

    Can you use flour instead of powdersugar

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      September 25, 2021 at 11:47 pm

      No, flour would not taste good.

      Reply
  2. Richard says

    September 1, 2021 at 2:04 pm

    My neighbor Mrs. Mcnally used to make a frosting for her cakes and I’m going back about 50 years and it was the best it was a real kind of a stiff frosting yet smooth and creamy would she have been using lard thanks she has long since passed away and her daughters don’t have the recipes of course. I always had my mom use that frosting because it was so good

    Reply
  3. Carmela says

    August 25, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    Can you freeze crisco frosting?

    Reply
    • Mary says

      September 19, 2021 at 8:22 pm

      Yes you can freeze this

      Reply
  4. Morgan Oglesby says

    July 3, 2021 at 9:25 pm

    How many cupcakes can you decorate with this recipe

    Reply
  5. Ellen says

    June 18, 2021 at 1:32 pm

    How long does the crisco, vanilla and salt have to beat on high before becoming fluffy?

    Reply
  6. Karen Holt says

    March 23, 2021 at 6:54 am

    Is this icing good for cookie kits… put in piping bags and left at room temperature for a day or two?

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      March 28, 2021 at 4:57 pm

      Yes. This icing should work in cookie kits. It can be left at room temperature for a day or two.

      Your idea sounds fun! I would love to see the cookies you create with the kits!

      Reply
  7. Angie says

    January 18, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    5 stars
    Love it! I have added Lemon Extract and even strawberry syrup and both times it turns out awesome!!

    Reply
  8. Ashley says

    January 8, 2021 at 3:20 pm

    How long can this frosting be left out? I’m looking for a shelf stable frosting (other than royal icing) to mail- so could take up to a week to get to destination.

    Reply
    • Charlene Russell says

      July 11, 2021 at 7:57 am

      I would assume as long as you chose to use a non dairy or shelf stable dairy route it would be pretty stable.

      Reply
  9. Miriam says

    December 21, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    Could you add coconut extract to the frosting? How much and would you still use the vanilla flavoring?

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      December 21, 2020 at 8:34 pm

      You can add coconut extract. I would add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon coconut extract. Then taste it and add more coconut extract until you reach the desired flavor. Add the coconut extract in small amounts: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon at a time, stir it in, taste it, then repeat if needed.

      Reply
  10. Mac says

    October 30, 2020 at 5:32 am

    Can you use Creemore Coffee creamer if you don’t have any milk

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      October 30, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      Yes, you can.

      Reply
    • Mac says

      October 31, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      How much Creemore it’s not liquid. How much would you use?

      Reply
  11. Gina says

    September 26, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    I have always used Crisco in lieu of butter. I think it tastes better! In addition to the vanilla extract, I add a Tbs. of almond extract and a couple tsp. of lemon juice. It is a delicious frosting!

    Reply
  12. Anna says

    May 31, 2020 at 5:33 pm

    5 stars
    I was out of butter and milk, but wanted to make cupcakes for my kids. I used this frosting recipe and it was absolutely delicious! My family loved it. Thank you!

    Reply
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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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