How to Make Icing Less Sweet – The 4 Best Ways

Last Updated on February 6, 2023

Today, you’ll be given some sweet tips on how to make icing less sweet. We’ll also explain how to adjust the consistency of your icing and frosting.

This tutorial will help enable you to get the best possible icing every time! And, you can even apply these rules to other dishes and toppings too. So, are you ready to expand your knowledge of this essential culinary ingredient?

What is Icing?

Icing (or frosting) is a sweet, sometimes creamy, glaze made of a combination of sugar and liquid.

The liquid used when making icing is usually water or milk. Sometimes, other ingredients like egg whites or butter are also used to act as liquid ingredients. These of course also have some other functions like adding flavor and developing texture in the icing. Even a simple extract or concentrate does help add moisture to your icings.

Furthermore, the dry ingredient used is almost always powdered sugar (confectioners sugar). Some recipes, for example, an Italian meringue icing, will be made using caster sugar.

Icing or frostings are typically used to coat and/or decorate baked goodies like cakes and cupcakes. Not only does icing make your baked goods look great, but it also adds flavor and texture. And, in some cases, it can even help preserve the item as well. A cake that is fully covered in the icing will hold its moisture extremely well because the icing traps it inside.

Below we have listed 4 different types of icing, their unique properties, and their uses. You will see that some of them you may know as frosting, but in many parts of the world, the terms are used interchangeably.

Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream frosting is probably the most common type of frosting. This is because it is very versatile. It can be used as a filling between layers of cakes and as a decorative ingredient to make piped details.

This frosting is very soft, airy, and spreadable. And, it is incredibly easy to flavor using simple essences or extracts.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is essentially the same as buttercream frosting, except it has added cream cheese. This makes the frosting a bit heavier, but it adds a wonderfully luxurious tart taste to the already rich frosting.

Royal Icing

Traditionally, this icing is used to cover and decorate Christmas cakes, wedding cakes, gingerbread houses, and sugar cookies. It is made from softly beaten egg whites, icing sugar, and sometimes lemon or lime juice.

You can create a wide variety of decorative details using different consistencies and techniques.

Meringue Frosting

This type of frosting is very light & frothy. It is made by beating together egg whites, cold water, and sugar. There are 3 different kinds of meringue including French, Italian, and Swiss. The differences between each lie in how you beat the egg whites and whether or not they are cooked.

How to Make Icing Less Sweet

Now, while the icing is an incredibly tasty treat that is meant to be uber-sweet, not many people love this. So, we have created a list of some of the best ways how to make icing less sweet. Let’s have a look at them!

1. Use More Fat

This will only work for buttercream frosting and cream cheese frosting because they are fat-based frostings.

Adding more fat (butter, margarine, lard, shortening, or cream cheese) will help decrease the sugar content of the frosting and lessen the sweet flavor.

Piping Bag and Tips Cake Decorating Supplies Kit 

2. Add Flavoring Ingredients

One way to cut down on sweetness is to add a flavoring ingredient that counteracts the high sugar content.

There are a few different ingredients that can be used. But remember, that each ingredient will alter the flavor of the icing slightly. Before trying this technique, make sure that the new flavor you’re introducing doesn’t clash with the actual baked items’ flavor.

For example, if you baked a coffee-flavored cake, don’t go icing it with a lemon-flavored frosting.

You can use extracts, essences, or concentrated to add flavor to your icing.

Two other flavoring ingredients that you can add to lessen the sweetness include adding a touch of whiskey or adding a pinch of salt with some vanilla.

3. Add Some Cocoa or Dark Chocolate

One way to reduce the sweetness of a chocolate-flavored frosting is to add more cocoa powder to the recipe. This can deepen the chocolate flavor while reducing the sweetness at the same time.

And, by using semi-sweet or dark chocolates, you can also counter the sugar.

4. Counter the Sweetness With Salt or Acid

This may be one of the easiest ways how to make icing less sweet. Adding a touch of salt can balance the sweetness.

You could also simply use salted butter if you’re making buttercream frosting – this will automatically balance out the sweetness a bit from the get-go.

As mentioned before, you could also use lemon as an acid to counteract the sweetness. But, remember that it will give the frosting a slight lemony taste.

How to Adjust the Consistency of Icing?

If you want to make your frosting or icing thinner or more “runny”, then simply add more cream, milk, or water. Whichever is most applicable to the type of icing or frosting you are trying to thin out. Remember to only add about a teaspoon or tablespoon at a time depending on the quantity of icing you are making.

If you want to thicken your frosting or make your icing less runny, then add a tablespoon of sifted powdered sugar while mixing. Keep adding until you reach the right consistency. Remember though, that this will also sweeten the icing or frosting. So you will need to counteract the increased sweetness with one of the aforementioned techniques that don’t involve adding cream or milk.

How to Make Canned Frosting Less Sweet

Canned frosting in particular is very sweet. For this reason, you may be looking for ways to make your canned frosting less sweet. If this is the case, then look no further! There are plenty of simple fixes to ensure your frosting isn’t overbearingly sweet. Let’s take a closer look at some of our top tips.

• adding nut butter. Add around 1/2 cup of nut butter per can of frosting. As well as taking away some of the sweetness, it also adds an extra layer of flavoring, as well as giving the frosting extra creamy and improving the texture.
• adding salt. This is the easiest way to balance out the sweetness and add a bit of neutrality to the frosting. Start by adding a pinch of salt and then incorporating it into the frosting. After this, taste the frosting and adjust the salt, if you need more. Salt has also been known to enhance the flavor of frosting.
• adding cream cheese. Cream cheese isn’t sweet; in fact, it has a rich, tang – and this counteracts the extra sweetness that usually comes with canned frosting. As well as this, it also makes the frosting extra creamy. It’s worth noting that you should soften the cream cheese at room temperature before adding it to the frosting.
• adding flavorings. Another easy way is to add a teaspoon or two of flavoring. Something as simple as vanilla extract can help balance out the sweetness. Depending on the flavor of your frosting, you can also use flavorings such as coffee (for chocolate frosting) or cinnamon (for spiced cakes).
• add-ins. Additions to your frosting can not only add texture but can also be great for reducing the sweetness. The best options for balancing out sweetness are add-ins such as walnuts, peanuts, or toasted coconut. Some other favorites include dark chocolate chips (as they taste quite bitter) or sprinkles.
• adding citrus. A squeeze of lemon juice or any other citrus fruit is great for toning down the sweetness in frosting. Only use a very small amount and the flavor is unlikely to change very much.

How to Counter Sweetness

Sweetness is easy to counter in sweeter dishes. Using seasonings or acidic ingredients can do this immediately. Some of the best quick fixes to add to your sweet treats are:

• lemon or lime juice
• zest of a citrus fruit
• instant espresso/coffee granules
• cocoa powder
• salt

How to Make Frosting Taste Less Like Powdered Sugar

Sometimes your frosting can taste too much like powdered sugar. There are many quick fixes to help this. Some of my favorites include:

• add a pinch of salt
• add cocoa powder
• add coffee granules
• add extracts such as vanilla or lemon

Another option is to make your frosting without powdered sugar. We’ll be taking a look at how to achieve this in this post!

DIY Frosting Without Powdered Sugar Recipe

If you’re looking for a way to make frosting without powdered sugar, then look no further. The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:

• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of softened butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Now all you need to do is:

Step 1: Cook

Add the following ingredients to a saucepan: milk, sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt. Heat on medium heat, stirring continuously. Keep cooking until the mixture becomes thick and then remove from heat.

Step 2:  Chill

Pour mixture into a bowl and chill in the fridge.

Step 3: Butter time

In a stand mixer, add your butter and beat. Keep beating until your butter is creamy, and then pour in the vanilla extract.

Step 4: Mix

Gradually pour in your chilled mixture from earlier, mixing as you go. Serve and enjoy!

Wrapping Things Up

Hopefully, we’ve given you some great tips on how to make icing less sweet that you can use in your kitchen from now on.

If anyone ever asks you how to make icing less sweet, now you’ve got an excuse not to sound like an expert! If you found this article interesting, please leave a comment in the comments section and share it with your fellow bakers.

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