Forget funfetti; rainbow chip is where it's at! If you have deliciously fond memories of the childhood store-bought frosting favorite, you'll be happy to know you can now make homemade Rainbow Chip Frosting from scratch. And it's absolutely as sweet and tasty as you remember.
There's always so much talk and excitement about funfetti, but I'm going to go ahead and say what I know so many of you are thinking… Rainbow chip is far superior to funfetti.
The store-bought cakes and frostings are generally used interchangeably and pretty much always referred to as funfetti, but I get a whole lot more excited about rainbow chip than I do about funfetti. Because sweet little morsels are SO much tastier than sprinkles.
I've been on a mission to create a rainbow chip frosting that tastes just like the kind you buy at the store and with a few secret ingredients, I've finally perfected it.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
This frosting recipe is for all my rainbow chip fans. For anyone who still dreams of that childhood favorite. For anyone who's just not satisfied by all the homemade versions of the frosting because they don't taste like you remember.
I realize that many people create homemade versions because they don't want them to taste like the store-bought versions, which are often a bit more artificial tasting. And if this is the case for you, you won't likely want to make this recipe.
But if you want a make-at-home version of rainbow chip frosting that tastes just like the store-bought version, you will love this easy recipe!
🗒 Ingredients
I did a lot of recipe testing to get this rainbow chip frosting exactly right and I discovered that it requires two secret ingredients to get it tasting as close to the original as possible.
The first is butter-flavored Crisco and the second is imitation vanilla extract. I almost never bake with Crisco (aka shortening) and I really only bake with pure vanilla extract (homemade by my mom!), but this frosting tastes much more like the store-bought kind with these two ingredients.
You'll also need rainbow chips, which are harder to find than you might think! So many of them are candy-coated, like you would use for cosmic brownies, but you want what are essentially white chocolate chips that are dyed in rainbow colors.
These are the rainbow chips I used in this recipe. I also purchased these chips and they would work well, too. However, the chips are larger than those in store-bought rainbow chip frosting and too large to fit through most pastry tips. You can either leave them whole and spread the frosting on your cakes or cupcakes or you can chop them before mixing into the frosting.
Here's everything you need for the frosting (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- Unsalted butter
- Butter-flavored shortening: I use Crisco. If you can't find butter flavor, substitute with regular shortening
- Confectioners' sugar
- Salt
- Imitation vanilla extract
- Heavy cream: can substitute with milk
- Rainbow chips
🧁 How to make rainbow chip frosting
If you've ever made buttercream frosting before, this rainbow chip version is going to be really easy for you! I like to make mine in my stand mixer, but you can also do it in a bowl with a hand mixer or even in a bowl with a whisk.
Add the butter and Crisco to your bowl. If you can't find butter-flavored shortening, you can use the regular kind. And if you're really anti-shortening, you can simple substitute it with all butter.
Beat until the mixture is nice and creamy.
Now, with the mixer on low, slowly blend in the confectioners' sugar, cup by cup until it's well-combined.
Add salt, vanilla extract, and heavy cream and blend until incorporated.
And fold in those rainbow chips.
I added them in whole here, but I've also made this frosting with chopped up rainbow chips. This makes it so they'll fit through a pastry tip and I can use the frosting to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
This rainbow chip frosting is really hard not to eat with a spoon. In fact, you might need to make extra so you can decorate all your baked goods and eat a few bites as is.
You'll feel like you've just cracked open a container of Betty Crocker rainbow chip frosting, except you made it all by yourself at home.
That's a big win if you ask me!
I feel a little bit "wrong" using imitation vanilla extract since I've always been such a proponent of pure... But it honestly works here so, so well. Because, of course, it's what Betty Crocker would use!
I happen to think the frosting would be perfect on these funfetti cupcakes (stuffed with cookie dough!), but now I clearly need to develop on exact copycat of a rainbow chip cupcake.
Challenge accepted.
⏲️ How to store
If you want to make this rainbow chip frosting in advance, you can simply put it in an airtight container in your fridge and it should keep fresh for about a week.
You'll want to let it come back to room temperature before using to make piping and spreading easy.
Did you know you can also freeze buttercream frosting? Just put it in an airtight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to use it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then let it come to room temperature. Once thawed, I recommend re-whisking it a bit to restore the fluffy consistency.
🎉 Variations on recipe
I highly recommend making this recipe exactly as written if you want it to be as close to store-bought rainbow chip frosting as possible. However, there are lots of substitutions and alterations you can make to the frosting.
Here are some ideas:
- If you can't find butter-flavored Crisco, you can use regular shortening. And if you don't want to use shortening at all, you can use all butter.
- If you don't want to use imitation vanilla extract, you can use pure extract. Just note that the flavor will be a little bit different.
- If you can't find rainbow chips, you can use sprinkles... But this will be more like funfetti frosting! You can also make your own rainbow chips! Simply toss white chocolate chips in the colored food dyes of your choice.
- You can flavor the icing however you want. If you don't care for vanilla, try almond or coconut. Peppermint works perfectly for the holidays (and you can use red and green rainbow chips!).
- Add food dye to the frosting to give it a different hue and to make it perfect for all kinds of different holidays and occasions.
- Add Baileys or Kahlua for an adult version of the frosting.
- Mix in a little cocoa powder to make a chocolate rainbow chip frosting.
🌈 More funfetti desserts
OK, so this is my first rainbow chip specific recipe here on We are not Martha. But something tells me that if you're a fan of rainbow chip desserts, you also like funfetti and I have lots of recipes featuring the tasty vanilla and sprinkles combination.
Here are some of my favorite recipes:
I also can't wait to make these Funfetti Rice Krispies Treats!
But for now, I will simply stick a spoon into this bowl of rainbow chip frosting and feel like I've gone straight back to my childhood where so many birthdays were celebrated in the classroom with boxed mix cupcakes.
I may prefer homemade desserts these days, but I'll absolutely always hold a place in my heart for rainbow chip and funfetti.
What's your favorite boxed mix dessert and have you ever tried to make it from scratch?
📖 Recipe
Rainbow Chip Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup butter-flavored shortening (can use regular shortening or substitute with more butter if desired)
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon imitation vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream (can substitute with milk if desired)
- ½ cup rainbow chips (see "useful products" below to see what I use)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a whisk, beat butter and shortening until creamy.
- With mixer on low, slowly blend in the confectioner’s sugar, cup by cup until well-combined.
- Add salt, vanilla extract, and heavy cream and blend until incorporated.
- Fold in rainbow chips.
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