How To Make Buttercream Frosting
Learn how to make buttercream frosting with this easy tutorial. This is the BEST recipe for homemade buttercream, it pipes perfectly, and makes a great base for other frosting flavors too!
Today we’re covering how to make buttercream frosting. Actually, we’re covering just how EASY it is to make your own frosting right at home. If you’ve been buying store-bought, you’ll want to ditch it after seeing just how easy it is to make your own.
I originally published this recipe in January of 2017, but decided it was finally time to update it with better instructions and more information. In today’s post, I’m breaking down everything you need to know about how to make the best buttercream frosting.
This recipe also makes a great base for so many different flavor variations. The possibilities are really endless, but I’ve included four different variations for you to try!
Recipe Ingredients
This easy buttercream frosting uses just 5 ingredients – butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Here’s a simple overview of each ingredient:
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in all of my recipes because the amount of salt in salted butter can vary quite a bit between different brands. By using unsalted butter, you control the amount of salt in your recipe. Make sure to use actual butter too and not a butter substitute like margarine.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar, this helps to thicken and sweeten the frosting. It’s best to sift the powdered sugar beforehand, but if I’m being honest I usually skip the extra step.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream work best in this recipe. You can replace it with milk, but keep in mind that the frosting won’t be quite as creamy.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a little bit of flavor to the frosting. I recommend using pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. You can even use different extracts like mint, almond, lemon, etc.
- Salt: This helps to balance out the sweetness of the frosting. I stick with just a tiny pinch of table salt, you don’t need very much at all!
How To Make Buttercream Frosting
To start, set your butter out ahead of time so that it can soften. This will ensure that the frosting is smooth and creamy. You will need two sticks of unsalted butter, which is equal to 1 cup or 230 grams.
Beat the butter with a mixer for about 1 minute, just until it’s nice and smooth. You can either use a handheld mixer or stand mixer for this recipe, either one works fine!
Next, you’ll mix in the powdered sugar. I typically only use 3 cups of powdered sugar for a batch of this frosting. Some recipes call for quite a bit more powdered sugar, but I’ve found that 3 cups is all you really need. Feel free to sift the powdered sugar, but as I mentioned earlier, I usually skip this step.
Note: When you first start mixing the powdered sugar with the butter, mix it on low speed so you don’t end up throwing it all over the place. You may also mix the powdered sugar in 1 cup at a time to make it easier.
Once the butter and powdered sugar are mixed together, mix in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. If needed, stop and scrape down the sides of your bowl and mix again to make sure everything is well combined.
Easy, right? At this point, you can go ahead and use this frosting to pipe onto cupcakes or decorate a cake. Or you can store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Recipe Variations
The best thing about this recipe is that you can change it up to make different flavors of frosting. I’ve included 4 different variations below, but keep in mind that you can do so much more with this recipe.
- Vanilla: If I’m just making plain vanilla buttercream frosting to pipe on cupcakes or frost a cake, I like to add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract to amp up the vanilla flavor.
- Chocolate: Sift 1/2 cup (40 grams) of unsweetened cocoa powder, then mix into the frosting base until well combined. Add 1 to 2 extra tablespoons of heavy cream if needed for a smoother, creamier frosting. If you prefer your frosting sweeter, mix in an additional 1/2 to 1 cup of powdered sugar.
- Caramel: Mix in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of homemade or store-bought caramel sauce. For a salted caramel frosting, you can use salted caramel and omit the salt in the recipe.
- Strawberry: Add a 1-ounce bag of freeze dried strawberries to a blender or food processor and process until the berries are crushed into a fine powder. Mix the freeze dried strawberry powder into the frosting until well combined.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
This frosting can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. While it’s not necessary to refrigerate it, I do recommend covering it tightly and storing it in the refrigerator so it stays fresh longer. When you are ready to use it, bring it to room temperature, and mix well before frosting cupcakes or a cake.
This will also freeze well for up to 3 months in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature and mix well before using it.
Baking Tips
- You can add food coloring to this recipe if you prefer. If using liquid food coloring, I recommend using just a few drops as it can thin out the frosting. For a darker color, gel food coloring is a great option!
- This recipe makes about 2 and 1/2 cups of frosting, which is enough to generously frost a batch of 12 to 14 cupcakes. If you prefer less frosting, you can cut the recipe in half. This recipe will also make enough to frost a 9×13 cake or lightly frost an 8 or 9-inch layer cake. If you prefer more frosting for decorating, then I recommend multiplying the recipe by 1.5.
- You can find my full tutorial for how to prepare your piping bag and frost cupcakes here.
Different Ways To Use This Frosting
Here are a few of my favorite cupcake recipes that you can use with this frosting:
Video Tutorial
How To Make Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed at first, then increase to medium speed and continue mixing for 1 to 2 minutes or until fully combined.
- Add the heavy cream (start with 2 tablespoons and add a little more if needed), vanilla extract, and salt and continue mixing on medium speed until everything is well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Use the frosting to pipe onto cupcakes or frost a cake or cover tightly and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
Notes
- Vanilla: For a vanilla buttercream frosting, I like to add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract to amp up the vanilla flavor.
- Chocolate: Sift 1/2 cup (40 grams) of unsweetened cocoa powder and mix it into the frosting base until well combined. Add 1 to 2 extra tablespoons of heavy cream if needed for a smoother, creamier frosting. For a sweeter frosting, mix in an additional 1/2 to 1 cup (60 to 120 grams) of powdered sugar.
- Caramel: Mix in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of homemade or store-bought caramel sauce. For a salted caramel frosting, you can use salted caramel and omit the salt in the recipe.
- Strawberry: Add a 1-ounce bag of freeze dried strawberries to a blender or food processor and process until the berries are crushed into a fine powder. Mix the freeze dried strawberry powder into the frosting base until well combined.
How can I cut this recipe in half ??
Thank you
Hi, Jacqueline. I’m not quite sure what you mean. You can cut the recipe in half, just cut all the ingredients in the recipe in half.
This recipe is going make too much and I just need a little bit and I just don’t want to waste so much so I wanted to see if you have a recipe for a smaller batch ?
I don’t have a smaller batch recipe, but you can cut this recipe in half by using:
1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
tiny pinch of salt, adjust to taste
I would make half a recipe…..freeze what you don’t need right now.You would have some on hand for a quick frosting for a single layer cake or a few cupcakes should you have last minute guests!
I’m sorry to say that this buttercream tasted like nothing but butter and sugar minced together. It was pretty disappointing. I made it the day before Easter and refrigerated it to use the following day. I allowed it to come to room temp before attempting to pipe with it, but unfortunately it was still a mess to get into the bag. My friends tried to be positive but the overwhelming feedback was, “wayyyyy too sweet”.
Sorry you didn’t like the buttercream frosting, Carly. How did you fill your piping bag? I typically use a cup to hold the bag open and that makes it much easier. Also, you can scale the powdered sugar down to 2 cups if you decide to make it again. However, 3 cups is actually not very much for buttercream. Other buttercream recipes use up to twice as much powdered sugar.
If you’re looking for a frosting that’s a little less sweet, you could try my cream cheese frosting and you can scale the powdered sugar down to 1 cup in that recipe as well. Hope that helps 🙂
I just used this recipe for an easter cake and it was FANTASTIC! Thank you!
So glad you liked the frosting, Leslie!
How much cupcakes can this fill?
It kind of depends on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes. If you like more frosting, like in the pictures, it will frost about 14-16 cupcakes. If you prefer less frosting, you can cut the recipe in half or it’s enough for a lighter frosting on about 24 cupcakes.
Hello! Can you tell me if this recipe could be used as a cake filling instead of being piped on cupcakes?
And if so, would it be okay at room temp for a couple of days?
THANKS!
You can use it between cake layers. If it’s going to be a few days, I would store it in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Thank you! I don’t normally refrigerate my cakes because I use fondant and the fridge temp and fondant don’t mesh well!!
It would be at room temp 2 days. Think it’s safe to go for it?!
I think that would probably be fine. I typically refrigerate cakes just to keep them fresh and then bring them to room temperature. But from my understanding, if it has a small amount of cream and large amount of sugar (like this buttercream recipe) it’s okay to leave at room temperature for a couple days.
I’m into cakes,cupcakes and sweets of all kind and flavor and always looking for different buttercream ideas.This one I’m going to try on cupcakes for my Red Hat luncheon.I plan on baking (24) so should I make a double the recipe? I like more frosting and I’m using the Wilton triple color swirl for that beautiful effect.I’m using red,purple and white.Thanks for the recipe and I’ll post on how it turns out.
Hi, Lea! I can usually get a good frosting on about 14 cupcakes with this recipe, so I would probably double it. You can freeze any leftover frosting and use it later.
I am an amateur baker and have been trying to practise frosting for my nieces first birthday! Finally this receipe has helped me achieve the perfect frosting! Thank you so much for sharing!
So happy to hear that, Amelia!
In my family we always use a couple tsps of bourbon in the buttercream frosting for birthday cakes. It’s just enough to give it a really different but delicious taste!
That sounds fantastic, Courtney! I’ll have to give that a try.
Could you put a orange flavoring in this?
Yes, absolutely! You could try 1-2 teaspoons of orange extract.
Wow thank you so much for this delicious buttercream frosting! My family and friends said it was the best frosting they’d ever tried! Thank you again!?
So happy to hear that everyone loved the frosting, Sophia!
Mine turned out more like cake batter. The only thing I used different what I used butter spread. Was that my problem? Currently have it cooling in the fridge.
Hi, Talena. Butter spread is not the same as butter, it’s typically made with oil and doesn’t work well for buttercream frosting. If you make it again, I would suggest using real butter.
The butter taste is a bit strong, is this something I did incorrectly? Maybe I should just use a little less to match my preference, or should I add something else?
Hi, Katie! I don’t necessarily think you did anything wrong. This is buttercream, so it does have a buttery taste. You can certainly add more vanilla extract, cocoa powder, etc. to increase the flavor of whichever frosting you made though.
Just wondering if buttermilk would work as a substitute for the heavy whipping cream?
You could probably use it, but it may change the taste of the frosting. If you don’t have any heavy cream you can use milk too.
This looks great! I’m considering making a cherry version of this. Other recipes have called for Maraschino cherry juice but I worry about watering the frosting down. Any recommendations on how much to use?
You could try blending some freeze dried cherries in a blender or food processor and add them to the frosting (similar to the strawberry version). You can also use about 1/3 cup of jam, but I find that it does make the frosting a little softer. Maraschino cherry juice would probably work too, but I would use it sparingly so you don’t make the frosting too thin.
Thank you!
Thank you so much. I’d like to know if I can add coconut to make a frosting out of coconut? I know this recipe will be great. Today is my daughters birthday and I’m making this after work. It look easy. Thanks again.
Hi, Bella! Do you mean shredded coconut? If so, I think it would be fine to add some to the frosting. You could also frost the cake then add some shredded coconut on top.
This buttercream recipe is amazing!!! It was a big party hit. Thank you so much.
So glad to hear that the buttercream was a hit, Lorenda!
Hi Danielle, I’m looking forward to baking some cupcakes and I love your vanilla frosting recipe and the simplicity of it. My question is can I use a substitute sugar like Splenda or Equal to make the frosting? Thank you, Wilma
Hi, Wilma! I haven’t tried it, but I’m not sure that the frosting would set up properly if you used a sugar substitute.
How would you go about making this icing a true white color?
When you’re mixing the butter, you can beat it for a few minutes longer and that will help lighten it. You can also use clear vanilla extract to keep the frosting lighter. I haven’t tried white food gel, but that’s another option to get really white frosting.
So I used this recipe and my icing was super runny it was yummy but didn’t have any form at all and the next day I had to toss the cupcakes bc it made them soggy. I followed the recipe exactly any idea of what could of gone wrong?
I’m honestly not quite sure, I haven’t had this happen. Did you use butter or did you happen to use margarine? Did you use heavy cream or milk? And did you happen to have the frosting in a warm area?
love this recipe 🙂 My daughter is learning to bake and she used this for the frosting on cupcakes and she added food coloring for the 4th of July and everyone loved it … thank you
So glad to hear that everyone enjoyed the frosting, Jess!
This frosting looks delicious! I’m going to make it for a birthday party, but first I have a question- will this recipe be enough to fill a four tiered cake, or should I double it? The layers are: two 9-inch rounds / two 8-inch squares / two 8-inch rounds / five 6-inch rounds / 2 cupcakes. I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
Hi, Lily! It kind of depends on how thick of a layer of frosting you’re wanting and how much you want to decorate the cake. The frosting recipe is enough to lightly frost a 9-inch layer cake. If I want a thicker layer or some to decorate the cake I typically multiply the recipe by 1 and 1/2. If your cake has that many layers you may need more frosting than just doubling it. You could also just make more frosting as needed or if you have some leftover you can freeze it.
Hey! What does the heavy whipping cream do in place of milk? Also how many cupcakes would this frost??
It makes the frosting creamier so it’s easy to pipe, but still sturdy and holds up well. You can use milk, but you may need a little less. The frosting won’t be quite as creamy, but it will still work fine! The recipe will generously frost about 12-14 cupcakes.
Thank you!!! I used the recipe. Very good!!!! Only thing is, do you have any tips to get it to come together when you take it out of fridge for next day use? It’s pretty crumbly when mixed.
You’ll need to let it come to room temperature first, then you should be able to mix it easily!
Completely love this recipe. I made a double batch, half chocolate and half vanilla. It was super sweet and rich , couldn’t finish a whole slice of it lol. I used 2 piping bags( 1 chocolate and 1 vanilla) with a 1m tip to pipe flowers and used fresh strawberries in the middle of the layers. This was my first time making frosting and I have to say thank you for the recipe it truly was a big hit in my house.
Sounds delicious, Heather! I’m glad you liked the frosting!
Could I use créme fraiche instead of thick cream in this recipe?
I honestly haven’t tried it, you can use milk in place of the cream.
I was wondering how I could change this up to make peanut butter buttercream. Could you help? This is my go to recipe for all diffent kind of flavors. I want to try something different p
Hi, Brandy! I have a peanut butter frosting recipe in this post: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/chocolate-cupcakes-peanut-butter-frosting.
Carly how much does this recipe make in cups?
This is so good! i am using the recipe for a bake-off, and i am so excited!
Hope everyone enjoys the frosting, Eden!
Danielle,
This recipe is delicious! Not too sweet…just perfect! LOVE the buttery flavor too. I’m making it again but chocolate this time for my hubby’s birthday cake. Thanks so much!
So glad you liked the frosting, Connie! Hope you enjoy the chocolate version too!
I don’t use heavy cream on anything in the house. how can you store heavy cream so that doesn’t go bad so you can use it latter. ?
I haven’t tried it yet, but I believe that you can just freeze it and use it later. If I just need a small amount, like for this recipe, I buy a smaller 8-ounce container. You can use the rest in things like scones or make some whipped cream with it too. You can also just use milk in place of the heavy cream in this recipe.
Use this and the instructions on how to frost to make some pretty awesome cupcakes for my son’s first birthday. Got loads of compliments! Thank you!!
So happy to hear that, Erin!