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.
Hi
Will this frosting hold in 3 layer red velvet cake?
Do you mean between layers? If so, yes it will.
Hello! This was a great recipe, just finished making it as I’m typing! I split the finished icing so that I could put half of it as chocolate icing on half of the cupcakes and the rest of the vanilla icing on the other half of the cupcakes. However I realized when I was done both of them (taking a while because this was my first attempt!!) the icing dried up and I couldn’t put any sprinkles on them. Do I have to be faster?
I also found it to be a tad too sweet, but was still very yummy. Would reducing the amount of powdered sugar help this?
Thanks for the recipe!
Kara
Hi Kara! If you let it sit for too long it may dry up a little and be harder to add sprinkles. You could try adding the sprinkles after you frost each cupcake. You can also reduce the powdered sugar by 1/2-1 cup but the frosting will be a little softer.
Hi
I would like to know how to make a true white frosting.
Can this recipe be used with some kind of substitution to make it white ?
Thank you
There are a couple of ways to do that. For a whiter frosting, it’s best to stick with a butter that’s light in color (avoid grass-fed as it’s usually very yellow). I really like Challenge Butter. You can beat the butter for a few minutes to lighten it and also use a clear vanilla extract. Another option would be to use white gel food coloring.
I was wondering if you or anyone you know has experience with this, but does the buttercream “harden” like tub frosting does? When using store bought usually I can stack the cookies in a Tupperware for school or something because the top layer hardens. I don’t love royal icing so I am trying to find a homemade recipe that will harden like tub frosting doesn’t because I don’t want to use tub. Thanks!
It should be okay to stack them, I just wouldn’t stack too many otherwise it may be too much weight and squish the frosting. I do have a sugar cookie recipe on my site with an easy icing (not royal icing) that hardens.
Thanks for a very helpful site, I did a cake , quiche, and muffins/cupcakes for my grand daughters 10th birthday 3 days ago, now I understand why the icing ran, I’ll use buttercream/frosting next time, thanks John Phoenix(UK)
Glad you found it helpful, John. Hope the enjoy the buttercream!
Hi. I want to make this frosting and use brown gel food coloring for my grandsons birthday cake. He doesn’t like chocolate but it is a construction themed cake and I need brown to resemble dirt. Can I just add the coloring with a toothpick to the desired color? And do I add it at the beginning when mixing ingredients or wait to paddle it in after it is mixed? I just don’t want to over beat and thin it out. Advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Yes, you can add the gel food coloring with a toothpick. I mix up the frosting first, then add the gel food coloring at the end, mix it, then add more as needed.
I want to use this frosting to frost a 12 x 18 x 2 sheet cake. Would a double batch be enough or would it take more? Thank you!!
It kind of depends on how much frosting you want to use and if you need some to decorate too. I would think that doubling it would be enough to frost it and add a little bit of decoration.
This may sound silly… i’m starting to make buttercream icing from scratch within the last few months and each recipe I find is different. I’m going to be making a late 4th of july cupcake and the red and white icing will have a cherry and lemon extract added to them for flavor. Would I still have to add the vanilla extract to the recipe or replace it with the flavors I would need?
Hi, Kristi! It’s totally up to you, but I usually just replace the vanilla with the extract I’m using. Some extracts are stronger than others though, so I would start with less and then add more as needed.
Hi.. thank you for the lovely recipe. Can i substitute heavy cream with a dairy free whip topping??
You can use a dairy-free milk in place of the cream.
Is this buttercream cream frosting good consistency for making all kinds of flowers?
You can definitely pipe some flowers with it. You can start with a little less cream if needed so that it’s thicker.
How does adding a tablespoon of preserves go? I have some lemon fig preserves I was hoping to use to flavor a buttercream icing recipe but I don’t want to ruin it. Do I need to play with the amount of cream?
You can add some! You’ll want to reduce the cream and use a little extra powdered sugar.
How could you adjust the recipe for cream cheese frosting? Could I just add about 8 oz of cream cheese?
Here’s a link to my cream cheese frosting recipe.
Hi there! I made this just as im typing this.
The frosting was looking great but right after like 5min … it melted flat… I live in Singapore where the room temperature can go up to 30 degree Celsius..
Could it be why the frosting couldnt stay up?
I used your chocolate cupcake recipe and its awesome!
Hi, Lyn! Since the base of this recipe is made with butter it can soften quite a bit if it gets too warm. I would recommend keeping your cupcakes refrigerated if it’s too hot, just to avoid that. You could use less cream next time and see if that helps. Glad you liked the cupcakes too!
I tried making the chocolate frosting and I’m not sure if I misunderstood the directions. I made it 2 times and still failed at perfecting it. The first one I basically did the recipe for the buttercream frosting and added cocoa and it was too sweet. Then I tried adding the cocoa first and then powdered sugar and the flavor was off. What step did I miss? Help!
Hi, Karla. I’m not quite sure, but I don’t think changing the order of the cocoa powder and powdered sugar would make a difference as far as the taste. If you found it too sweet the first time, you can try making it again but reduce the powdered sugar to 1 and 1/2 – 2 cups then add more as needed.
How long can cupcakes frosted with this recipe be left unrefrigersted?
You can leave them out 1-2 days. However, if I frost cupcakes in advance I do refrigerate them and then just bring them to room temperature a couple of hours before I plan to serve them so they stay fresh longer.
Do you have to use unsalted butter? Does salted butter do something to the frosting or mess up the consistency?
I always suggest using unsalted butter because the amount of salt in salted butter varies quite a bit between different brands. By using unsalted butter, you can control the amount of salt in the frosting.
Can any butter b use for my butter cream icing?
Yes, just be sure to use unsalted butter. Also, keep in mind that grass-fed butter can be more yellow in color, so if you’re looking for a whiter frosting you may want to avoid it.
How much would you suggest to add of maraschino juice to make a cherry frosting? I’m planning on making shirley temple cupcakes but kind of unsure how much maraschino juice to add to the frosting.
Thank you.
I would probably start with 1-2 tablespoons and then add more as needed. You may want to omit the heavy cream since the juice will thin out the frosting.
Appreciate if you could share the brand of unsalted butter.
Any brand is fine, I either use the store brand or Challenge butter.
I’m going to try this tomorrow. I’m going to frost a raspberry-vanilla layer cake. I want the frosting to have a hint of raspberry flavor. My plan is to use a little bit of raspberry syrup. Am I going in the right direction or do you have a better idea? Any help will be much appreciated. I’m a newbie in the baking world but I love it!
Hi, Sherry! If it’s a raspberry flavored syrup, that may be okay but you would want to reduce the heavy cream if you use it. If it’s made from fresh raspberries, I wouldn’t suggest it since that can tend to cause the frosting to curdle. For a raspberry frosting, I like to use a one ounce bag of freeze dried raspberries and blend them up just like I do for the strawberry frosting.
I’m going to try this! Do you know how much in cups, this recipe gives you?
A little over 2 and 1/2 cups.
Oh. My. Word.
This is delicious! Made it as written and iced a pumpkin cake made from a Libby’s boxed bread kit. Delish, thank you!
One cake is frosted with the buttercream does it need the cake need to be refrigerated?
It will be fine to leave at room temperature, but I do prefer to refrigerate it so it stays fresh longer.
How much do I need for a three layer cake
I would double the recipe if you want enough to frost the cake and decorate it. Or you can make a little more than that and just freeze any leftover frosting.
Thank you
Can baking chocolate be substituted for the cocoa powder in the chocolate frosting recipe?
Do you mean melted chocolate? If so, you could probably use it but I’m unsure of how much or how you would need to adjust the recipe.
This was my first time making homemade frosting. Why? Well, because I was scared I was going to mess it up. I followed this recipe as written and it came out wonderful! Now I’m looking for freeze dried strawberries to make a strawberry batch. Thank you for easy to follow directions!
My local Dollar Tree carries freeze dried strawberries in the snack section.
You can also order freeze dried strawberries on the Dollar tree website and have them delivered to your favorite store. Minimum 12 packs. Sometimes it’s not available in the store.
Hello Danielle,
I love your blog and this recipe is delightful!!
I have been working on a small batch cream cheese frosting recipe for a little while and just posted it! I linked back to this specific recipe because I wanted to direct people to one of the best buttercream frosting recipes out there!
Have a great rest of your day 🙂
Thank you so much! Your cream cheese frosting looks fantastic as well!
We tried this recipe on a birthday cake and loved it! It is so easy to work with and tastes great! Even my husband likes it and he doesn’t like buttercream.
How many cupcakes does this cover? Just trying to work out how much to make for 20 cupcakes thanks
It depends on how much frosting you want on your cupcakes. If you want a taller swirl, it’s enough for 12-14 cupcakes so I would multiply the recipe by 1 and 1/2. If you want a smaller swirl of frosting, the recipe as written should be enough for 20.
How does that translate to a double layer 9″ round cake? I am new to baking and haven’t a clue!
This recipe will only lightly frosting a layered 9-inch cake. If you want more to decorate it with I would multiply the recipe by 1.5 or double it.
Could I use fresh strawberries in place of freeze dried?
I wouldn’t suggest it for this recipe, it tends to make the frosting curdle.
What do you recommend I use to color the frosting? Do you think I’d be able to color the strawberry buttercream frosting a blue or purple? Going to attempt a rainbow cake with this later this week.
You can use either liquid or gel food coloring. If you use liquid food coloring, just make sure to use it sparingly because too much can thin out the frosting.
i just made the best ever buttercream frosting for my team and they are going to love it! thanks a bunch for this recipe!XD