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.
Oh my goodness . . . I just wanted to send a comment to you to acknowledge your patience! So many of the comments asking about how many cupcakes this will frost, how many ‘balls’ of icing it will make, how subsititutions will work out, how long it can be made and left at room temperature . . . so much repetition – yet you handle each with grace! Bless you!
Thank you!
Would food coloring be okay to add to the recipe? I would like to make a green cake for St Patrick’s day
Yes, that would be fine. If it’s liquid food coloring, just make sure to use it sparingly because it can thin out the frosting. Gel food coloring is a better option if you have some.
This recipe looks delicious! I plan to use it frosting for my daughters birthday cake this weekend. Once the cake has been served, is it best to store the left over cake in the fridge or will it be ok left at room temperature?
It’s okay to leave at room temperature, but I do prefer to refrigerate leftover cake so it stays fresh longer.
Ok I never normally comment but this recipe is amazing! I will never buy premade frosting again. It came out delicious! Thank you!
Thank you, Lynda!
Hi Danielle, I will be making a 2 tiered birthday cake this weekend. The bottom cake will be 11 inch and the top will be 7 inch and both a square cake tin. My question is will this frosting be too sweet as a crumb coat before I cover the cakes with fondant? Thank you
Ni Luh
I don’t really work with fondant, so I’m 100% sure. This frosting uses a lot less powdered sugar than most buttercream recipes though, so I don’t think it would be too sweet if you’re just doing a light crumb coat.
Greetings from Texas! I have made the
vanilla buttercream, the chocolate and the strawberry frostings and they are indeed the best recipes!! My family loves all the flavors! I am making an orange flavor cake and was wondering if this recipe also comes in orange flavor. I sure hope so! Thanks and have a great day!?
So happy to hear that, Lily! I would probably stick with orange extract for an orange frosting. You can start with 1 teaspoon, then add more if you think it needs it.
My husband and daughters (9 & 7) made a batch each of vanilla and chocolate frosting the night before my daughters “nailed it” themed birthday party. Before the party we let the frosting warm to room temp (and also worked it in the piping bag with our hands to warm up too) the icing worked perfectly for the kids to use to decorate with. We received rave reviews from parents and kids alike. Even our baking skilled friend who delighted in how tasty our frosting was! I highly recommend this recipe for the ease of the recipe and flavor. I wil NEVER buy store bought again.
So happy to hear that, Jennifer!
I just made it and finally, I found the easiest and yummiest buttercream recipe. I’m just wondering if I could keep it at room temperature for 24 hours? Or I need to keep it in the fridge? The party is tomorrow and I made 2 dozen cupcakes that I already frosted. Is it okay if I keep it out until it’s served?
I would suggest refrigerating the frosted cupcakes and then sitting them out a couple of hours ahead of time to come to room temperature.
It sounds like you could make this a day or so ahead. How long do you think it would be okay if you went ahead and put in piping bags? I am using for a class and would make and prep the piping bags around 10 am but we wouldn’t use them until more like 3. Think it would still be okay?
I think that would be fine, but keep in mind that if it’s warm the frosting will soften. I would check it about 30-45 minutes ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes beforehand if it’s a little too soft.
Could you tell me what tip you used to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes? That’s the look I’m going for!
For the vanilla frosting I used the Wilton 2D piping tip and for the other frosting flavors, I used the Wilton 1M tip. There’s a link right above the recipe for my post on how to frost cupcakes too.
Please excuse this novice question, I’m a beginner. I plan on trying your recipe but all I have is a standard handheld mixer, will that suffice? I noticed most commenters were using stand mixers with multiple attachments and some mentioned using a paddle.
A hand mixer will work just fine, I use mine all the time for this recipe.
I made buttercream frosting for the first time, is it suppose to be extremely sweet.
How can I tone down the sweetness?
Buttercream frosting is sweeter. You can reduce the powdered sugar down to 2 cups, but keep in mind that the frosting may not pipe as well.
Ok now i have a question… if i frost my cupcakes in the morning, my party is at 6… do they need to be in the fidge all day? …. it is at a hall, so im taking them at 9am and will be back at 5 for the party… tY!!?
They will be fine at room temperature as long as it’s not too warm. You can refrigerate them until a few hours before you plan to serve them, but keep in mind the frosting will firm up and need to sit at room temperature for an hour to two to soften.
Such a simply yet delicious recipe, thank you!
Hi dear, looking forward to try the frosting very soon. Have a query, what if I use this for layering in between the cake? Have to try it tomorrow itself… Also we are not a lover of too much of butter, can we increase the proportion of heavy cream and to what amount. Will appreciate an early reply. Thanx
You can use this frosting between cake layers. If you’re looking for a lighter frosting without butter I have a stabilized whipped cream recipe on my site too.
What’s the butter brand is use on this recipe??
I typically use Challenge butter or just the store brand.
I used this recipe and tried piping for the first time. the butter cream started to melt half way thru piping a sheet 9×13 pan of cake. the cake was room temperature and I just made the frosting and put into piping bag. my 8 year old want to pipe the cake. should I have let the frosting chill in fridge for a bit? Help please!
Sorry to hear that, Emelyn. Was the frosting piping okay when you first started? If so, keep in mind that as you hold the piping bag the frosting will warm up and can make it harder to pipe. You can put it back in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and that should help firm it up again.
Could be the butter is too soft.. I sit mine out for 20 or 30 mins before I start to mix it!
How much is 2 sticks of butter in gram or ml? I’ve never seen this way of measuring before and I don’t understand how much to use / confused swede
The gram measurements are in the recipe card. Two sticks of butter are equal to 1 cup or 230 grams.
This is the easiest and yummiest butter cream. It will be my only butter cream recipe from now on
One more question!! I am sorry, you just seem knowledgeable in this area! If I frost my cupcakes the night before, can I leave them in a tiered cupcake container on the counter? I am trying to cut my work the morning of the party, and our fridge won’t house that many cupcakes.
Thank you!!
~Emily
They should be fine at room temperature, but I do prefer to refrigerate frosted cupcakes if I make them a day or two ahead of time. I would leave the cupcakes at room temperature and refrigerate the frosting. Then, just set the frosting on the counter to come to room temperature and frost the cupcakes the day you plan to serve them.
Oh, I forgot!
Can I also make this today (Tuesday) and set it in the fridge until it’s party day and then frost them on Saturday?? I am assuming that it would be fine since it would be in the fridge, but you know better than me!
Thanks!!
I would probably freeze it if you make it that far ahead of time. You can thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature before frosting your cupcakes.
Thank you for this information! Your frosting is outstanding! The event I was going to use it for just got rescheduled, so now I’m relieved I don’t have to dump the six sticks of butter concoction.
Hi there! I plan to use a cookie scoop of this frosting, one scoop per cupcake. How many cupcakes will this amount cover using that method? I am making a total of about 40 cupcakes.
It really kind of depends on the size of the cookie scoop. This recipe makes about 2 and 1/2 to 2 and 3/4 cups of frosting. So I would see how large your cookie scoop is and go from there.
Sounds delicious. Will this batch be enough to cover two 8 inch cakes? Or should I double it?
If they’re just single layer cakes it will be enough, but if you prefer more frosting I would multiply the recipe by 1.5.
I loved this frosting. Super easy and very delicious.
I have not use this recipe yet, but looking forward to it! But to comment on the above not mixing in very well, I have always shifted my powdered sugar & add it a with a lg stove top spoon one spoonful at a time (with the recipe that I have) maybe that would help?!
Happy baking!
Thanks for sharing, Debra! 🙂
I’m having the same problem as the poster above the texture is kind of a fine grit. Maybe I didn’t mix it enough? I used the whisk attachment. Followed the recipe to a T.
You can try adding the sugar 1 cup at a time and then mix it together really well before adding the cream. It may also be the powdered sugar that you used. You can buy powdered sugar that’s finer and may help prevent that, I personally just use regular powdered sugar and don’t notice a strange texture.
Use the paddle attachment. It makes a huge difference!
Sifting the icing sugar first is always a good for a smoother incorporation.
I found this recipe a few months ago when making a cake for my sister in law i wanted to make my own frosting for the first time something not too sweet i hate store bought buttercream everyone loved how good the frosting came out not too sweet and held its shape wonderfully and i really didn’t wanna use any other recipe … i didnt save the post and have been searching for days for this exact one and im so glad i finally found it!! I have to make my nieces unicorn cake this weekend thanks for a great recipe gonna bookmark it this time Thanks again for sharing 🙂
So glad to hear that! Hope the unicorn cake turns out great for you too!
Thank you very much for this recipe! I’d just like to know how many cupcakes this recipe can cover if I frost flatly?
It really just depends on how much frosting you use. If it’s not too thick, it should be enough to cover 2 dozen.
Hi! I’m making pull apart cupcake cake and used your frosting recipe. Do I need to Refrigerate? Thank you
It will be fine at room temperature. If I frost cupcakes a day or two ahead of time I do prefer to refrigerate them, then just set them on the counter a couple hours ahead of time so they can come to room temperature.
I used ur recipe for icing for my cake but it seems like it didnt mix the butter and sugar very well. I went by the recipe can it be that my stand mixer caint mix it? I tried and tried. I want a mixer that has the paddle and the other attachments im sorry my brain isnt letting me think of the name. I have alot of medical issues and i try to make home made things for my family.
What was wrong with the buttercream? And what attachment did you use with your mixer? I’d be happy to try to help you figure out what might have happened, but I’ll need a little more information 🙂
Omg I totally apologize, my pregnancy brain got the worst of me. I was totally confused about the butter. Please disregard!! Making this icing this morning and so excited to try it!
No worries, Kat! Hope you enjoyed the frosting!
Can I make this the day of and if so ho long show i let it set in the fridge?
Yes, it depends on how far ahead of time you’re making it. It will be fine at room temperature, but if you refrigerate it you’ll still need to set it out ahead of time to come back to room temperature.