14 Betty Crocker Frosting Flavors, Ranked

Betty Crocker calls herself America's First Lady of Food. That's a pretty big statement. But I guess you can call yourself whatever you want when you're just a figment of someone's imagination. That's right. Betty Crocker is not, and never was, a real person. But her cake mixes and other baking kits are always there for us in a pinch, and her ready-made frostings make things even easier. Created as a persona back in 1921 by the Washburn-Crosby Company, which would later become part of General Mills, Betty was meant to be a comforting name and a helpful presence in the kitchen. Over a century later, she's grown into something of an enigma — and I would perhaps call her a savior of the baking aisle.

I recently took on the delicious task of trying nearly every frosting in Betty's collection. She has quite the range, too, from classics like vanilla and chocolate to more whimsical picks like cherry, lemon, and Rainbow Chip that you might reserve for special occasions or special recipes. I judged and ranked each one on consistency, sweetness levels, and flavor.

So, let's jump in and taste the rainbow of Betty Crocker. Betty may be a fictional character, but her frostings are the real deal. Well, some of them, anyway.

It looks like Betty Crocker got a little cheeky with the naming of this particular frosting. Every other tub gets a straightforward flavor description. But this one gets to be Whipped Strawberry Mist. What's a "strawberry mist"? I have absolutely no idea. But what I do know is that the cutesy name isn't enough to cover up the sugar disaster hiding in this container.

It comes in a bubblegum pink color, smells just like Strawberry ChapStick, and the flavor is no less artificial. There's not a hint of real fruit in this flavor. Instead, it tastes just like liquid amoxicillin — which is much better suited for treating strep throat rather than slathering on a cake. I didn't even like the whipped consistency in this case. It feels more gummy than light and airy. Honestly, the whole thing feels like something I shouldn't be eating. And that's exactly why it landed at the very bottom of my ranking.

Without even looking, you can tell when you have a Whipped Betty Crocker frosting tub in your hand rather than a Rich & Creamy one. It's probably about half the weight, which honestly feels like a bit of a rip-off. You're essentially getting half the frosting for the same price. What gives, Betty? I can let that slide in some cases, especially if the frosting itself makes up for the difference. But that's a much harder pill to swallow when the contents of the tub are also subpar, as is the case here, with this Whipped Milk Chocolate flavor.

It seems like it would be a fairly standard chocolate icing, but it has some strange flaws. For one, while the texture is lighter, it doesn't exactly melt into creaminess. Instead, there's an unexpected grittiness to it. The chocolate flavor isn't all that impressive either. For a milk chocolate rendition, it's actually pretty bitter and lacks that smooth, milky sweetness. It's certainly more edible than the strawberry frosting (not a hard bar to clear), but there are much better chocolate options in the Betty Crocker lineup.

The coloring of this one is a bit darker than the bubblegum pink strawberry frosting. But ironically, this is the one that tastes more like a hunk of Dubble Bubble. It doesn't immediately hit you with a strong cherry flavor. Instead, it's more just sweet and generically fruity. And you know what? It wasn't an immediate no for me. Yes, it's blatantly artificial. But there's also a certain charm to it, almost like it's been touched by a bit of nostalgia. It reminds me of sipping on a Shirley Temple as a kid, with that same sugary, vaguely cherry-like flavor. This one also comes from Betty Crocker's Rich & Creamy lineup, so it's denser than the last couple of options, with a more concentrated taste.

All things considered, it's really not too bad. It doesn't have the same kind of medicinal edge as the strawberry frosting. But I do think this flavor would be more polarizing than most, and I struggle to think of many uses for it. A spoonful of this stuff is one thing. An entire cake coated in it feels like a questionable culinary choice.

It's the workhorse of the frosting world. Whether you're making a chocolate, yellow, Funfetti, pumpkin, or even a banana cake, vanilla is a great frosting flavor to default to. It's not going to clash with anything, and it's certainly not going to dominate the experience. But I'm not so sure I'd fall back on this particular vanilla frosting from Betty Crocker.

You can tell it has that mellow vanilla backbone and the inevitable sweetness that comes with it. But it's not the kind of satisfying vanilla flavor you get from a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a freshly baked sugar cookie. It's a bit more neutral than that. The bigger problem, though, is that it has more of a processed taste compared to some of the other options. It could be that most of the frostings taste this way to some degree, but since this is such a plain flavor, it's much more obvious here. And even though the consistency is creamy, there's also a bit of chalkiness to it. That's just one more strike against the Rich & Creamy Vanilla frosting, sending it further back in the ranking alongside the funky fruity frostings.

This tub is slapped with the Hershey's name for a little frosting collaboration. That also means you're paying a premium for it, with about a 25% upcharge compared to Betty Crocker's other offerings. It's noticeably thicker and fudgier than other options — definitely thicker than the Whipped Milk Chocolate tub (understandably). The flavor is also reminiscent of Hershey's products, but more so the brand's straight-up cocoa powder than anything else. It wasn't exactly giving me visions of biting into a beloved Hershey's chocolate bar. 

Where it goes a little awry in my eyes is the sweetness level. It tastes extra, extra sugary. The 19 grams of added sugar per just two tablespoons would explain that. Betty's own chocolate frostings at least have a few grams less, around 15 to 17 grams each. I liked it well enough. It's just not the best chocolate frosting I tried, and I'm not convinced it's worth the extra dough.

There's no specific flavor attached to this frosting. It's just Fluffy White. And honestly, that's a pretty fitting name for what's inside the tub. It's about as neutral as frosting gets, tasting like little more than a slather of pure sugar. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. What it lacks in flavor, it makes up for in consistency. This is the best showing for Betty Crocker's Whipped line yet. It's incredibly light and fluffy, to the point that it nearly melts away on your tongue. It's not gummy or grainy, just smooth. I could tell it would smear onto an awaiting cupcake or cookie with ease.

As I tasted it a bit more, the best comparison I could come up with for the taste was the sweet white cream tucked inside a Ho Ho or Hostess CupCake, the oldest American snack cake. It has that same sugary, almost weightless quality that makes it easy to enjoy, even if there's not much going on flavor-wise. Is it a little boring? Sure. But it's better than the boring vanilla that also had some issues, and sometimes a blank canvas is what you need in the kitchen.

Another big-league collab, and this one's even pricier. But it's more my speed than the Hershey's chocolate flavor. It's actually an Oreo Creme Flavored Whipped Frosting, so it's meant to taste just like the creme stuffed into America's favorite sandwich cookie. And honestly, it does come pretty close to that. It's specifically called creme rather than cream, because it doesn't actually contain real milk, but it still has that sweet cream flavor that's not quite vanilla. I actually thought it leaned toward a marshmallow flavor, just like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms. The airy texture also isn't too far off from Marshmallow Fluff.

I was a bit disappointed, though, because even though this frosting attempts to replicate just the creme part of an Oreo, I was still left pining for some crushed-up cookie bits. That would have really made this frosting pop. The addition may have made it a little bit too good, though, to the point that it never actually makes it onto a sweet dessert.

After the flavor fiascos I went through with the strawberry and cherry frostings, I did not have high hopes for another fruity creation. But I'm happy to report that the lemon frosting broke that unfortunate streak. The smell immediately reminded me of a Girl Scout lemon cookie, which got it off to a nostalgic start. And the flavor actually followed through. It's bright, fresh, and much closer to the taste of real fruit than either of its fruity counterparts. There's a nice zestiness to it that keeps the sweetness in check, and I could easily see it slathered on top of a scone or a lemon poppy seed cake. It feels a little classier than many of the previous frostings, and I actually liked it even more than the marshmallowy Oreo option.

As a member of the Rich & Creamy lineup, it's nice and dense. But my one complaint is that it did leave me with a bit of a weird mouthfeel, almost like it was drying my mouth out as I ate it. That's really the only reason it comes up short of some of the following more classic frosting flavors.

Betty Crocker's cream cheese frosting comes in two different forms: either Whipped or Rich & Creamy. So, you can take your pick as you plan out that decadent red velvet cake. Cream cheese frosting is a personal favorite of mine, so I really wanted to like both versions. And I did! They're both tasty frostings. But this Rich & Creamy tub in particular came up just a tad short of my expectations.

It's certainly not the best cream cheese frosting I've ever had. It's actually closer to a cross between a true cream cheese frosting and more of a regular vanilla. It's just not quite tangy enough for my liking and comes on strong with the sugar. The consistency is nice and velvety smooth, though. I won't take that away from it. And I definitely wouldn't pass up a slice of carrot cake topped with the stuff. I was just prepping my taste buds for something a bit richer, with more of that signature cream cheese oomph.

No sign of a Hershey's logo, and this is still a superior chocolate frosting. When I think of canned frosting (not just chocolate but any kind of frosting), this is exactly what I think of. There's just something about the taste that's so familiar and comforting (I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this was the frosting my mom used on her homemade cakes when I was growing up).

The label doesn't specify whether it's milk chocolate or dark chocolate. It lands somewhere in the middle. So, that means it has just enough of that cocoa taste yet not enough to make it bitter in any way. I also detected somewhat of a brownie batter flavor. At the same time, though, it doesn't dip into overly sugary territory like the Hershey's tub did. Creamy and just rich enough (as the name would imply), I think this is one of Betty Crocker's better frostings. It's bound to be a crowd pleaser.

Admittedly, the Rich & Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting flavor is not too far off from the previous chocolate one. I had to go scoop for scoop with both tubs to make sure they weren't the same recipe just repackaged. They're definitely not, and comparing them so closely revealed that the milk chocolate version is superior. The two do have essentially the same consistency. They're both full-bodied, with a texture that's a bit thicker than something like pudding but still plenty spreadable. So, no surprise there. 

But where this milk chocolate flavor has its chocolatey cousin beat is in its distinct taste. It doesn't have an overwhelming cocoa intensity, yet it's still wonderfully decadent and delicious. Think of the chocolate icing on top of a Boston cream donut, or better yet, the luscious center of a truffle made by a master chocolatier. Did I say the previous chocolate frosting would be a crowd pleaser? Well, I think this one would have even more people spooning it straight from the container. There are only a few other Betty Crocker flavors I'd place above it.

I would have never guessed I would like the Whipped variation of the cream cheese frosting over the Rich & Creamy one. Usually, I prefer my cream cheese topping thick and slathered on generously. But in this case, the Whipped version actually delivers a flavor that's much closer to what I was looking for. The taste isn't quite so concentrated or sugary. Instead, it leans more into that savory-sweet tang. I still think it could have leaned even further in that direction, but maybe that's just me. Ideally, I'd like my cream cheese frosting to taste like a block of cream cheese with just a little extra sugar mixed in.

The whipped consistency actually helps its case, too. It's wonderfully pillowy, and paired with that tangier flavor, it almost reminds me of a delicate cream cheese mousse you'd find piped on top of a fancy bakery cupcake. At the same time, it doesn't feel too specialized. It's versatile enough to work on a batch of cinnamon rolls, scooped up with graham crackers, or even layered onto a sweet quick bread.

This is a Betty Crocker must-have. Can you believe this stuff was discontinued at one time? Rainbow Chip frosting was released for the first time in the 1980s. You may also remember a similar product that debuted not too long after, called Party Frosting, that was pumped full of candy dinos and bears. Those tubs are just a discontinued memory now, but in 2013, Rainbow Chip was also stripped from shelves. Apparently, the company thought people would rather have their colorful chips sprinkled on top of their frosting instead of mixed right in. Well, they thought wrong. Fans, including pop star Katy Perry, liked it just the way it was, and eventually we got it back.

I have to say, I'm firmly on Perry's side here. This frosting is downright irresistible. It starts with a sweet cream base that's packed with frequent red, orange, yellow, green, and blue chips. They're not chocolate, but they're more than just your standard sprinkles, too. Rather than staying crunchy, they soften as they sit in the frosting, and their texture paired with that creaminess is everything. 

Altogether, it's just like a spoonful of Funfetti cake batter. It's the kind of frosting that makes you question if you even need the cake.

Rainbow Chip is undeniably fun, and it's a pick the entire family is going to like. But this Whipped Butter Cream feels like a grown-up frosting. As soon as I tried it, I knew it was going to be my favorite. Then, later on, my husband went through and tasted all the frostings separately from me. And one of the first things out of his mouth afterward was, "But that buttercream," with an approving eyebrow raise. Now, our taste buds don't always agree on things. So, the fact that this was both of our favorites says a lot.

It's a classic American buttercream that hits all the right sweet and buttery notes. It's not granular at all, either, just wonderfully soft and smooth. And although it's labeled as one of Betty Crocker's Whipped frostings, I'd say its consistency falls somewhere between her Whipped and regular varieties. It has a little more body to it rather than being overwhelmingly airy. It has that fresh-from-the-bakery taste that's not all that easy to find in store-bought frostings. So, we thank you for that, Betty.

Walmart was a one-stop shop for all these Betty Crocker frostings. I found all 14 tubs lined up on the supermarket's shelves. This ended up being a pretty good haul of most of the brand's current flavors, with only a few stragglers I wasn't able to find.

Back at home, I sampled them all at room temperature. I tried each one spooned straight from the tub (the best way to enjoy frosting, in my opinion, although usually this is done sneakily at midnight when a late-night sugar craving hits). But I also tried each one scooped onto a graham cracker, which served as a somewhat neutral pairing.

To rank them, I took notes on consistency, which varied considerably depending on whether it was a Rich & Creamy frosting or a Whipped variety. Either was fine by me, as long as it was smooth and somewhat creamy. Ultimately, though, taste was what really determined the ranking order. Of course, all frostings are sweet — essentially just tubs of sugar. But I watched out for flavors that were overly saccharine or too artificial-tasting. Instead, I wanted flavors I could see spreading onto a variety of baked goods and that most people at a birthday party or gathering would enjoy.