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 there,
The recipe looks awesome. Will definitely be trying this. Just a small question, can i use whipping cream as heavy cream? Or heavy cream is something else?
You can use whipping cream or milk in place of the heavy cream in this recipe.
Do cupcakes frosted with this recipe need to be stored in refrigerator?
It’s not necessary, but I do prefer to keep mine refrigerated so they stay fresh longer.
I would like to know if you can also useCream cheese in this recipe?
I’d recommend using my cream cheese frosting recipe here.
Super easy to make and the consistence is great! However, the taste of butter is overpowering. What would you recommend adding for of the tone it down and make is sweeter?
You can add more powdered sugar or more vanilla extract if you prefer. Keep in mind that if you use quite a bit more powdered sugar, you will likely need to add more heavy cream.
Hello, is this recipe fondant friendly? Can I put fondant ontop of the buttercream?
I haven’t tried using it under fondant, but I think it would work.
Would this frosting work well for gluten free cupcakes? I have made this recipe countless times and I enjoy it so much! Just wondering if it’s safe for gluten free cakes. Thanks!
Some brands of powdered sugar can contain gluten. I’d make sure to buy one that states it’s gluten-free on the package. Other than that, the rest of the ingredients should be fine.
This is the best butter cream I’ve ever had
The heavy cream makes all the difference.
The entire family loved it too!
I made a sugar free version too using Sugar free
confectionery sugar.. …Thank you.
Hello,
If the cupcakes are decorated like the ones in the picture, how many will this recipe decorate?
It will frost 12 to 14 cupcakes.
How much heavy cream and vanilla extract should I put?
I use 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla. You can find the full recipe at the bottom of the post. There’s also a jump to recipe and print recipe option at the top of each post 🙂
Excellent and I used almond milk creamer because I am allergic to dairy. It was perfect
It’s a really good recipe when I say good I mean REALLY GOOD
So how does this buttercream
Hold up outside for 3 hours in 80 degree weather!?!?
Hi, Liz! Butter can start melting at 82°F, so it may not hold up very well. I’d recommend storing it in a cool place, if possible.
I have to say that I have made frosting many times and they came out terrible. This recipe has given me confidence in making cupcakes again. I gave my 9 girls and myself each a cupcake and not one complained everyone was happy as pie. Thank you so much for taken the time to make this recipe and posting it for everyone else to enjoy ☺️
Hi, how much will the recipe make, and will it be enough for a 32 inch baking pan. Thanks!!!!
Hi, Shelby! Do you mean 32 cm or something else? The recipe will make about 2 and 1/2 cups of frosting.
This is a great simple recipe. Thanks, it worked out awesome.
I used this recipe to make both vanilla and chocolate frosting to go along with your cupcake recipe. It was outstanding! I hate when cupcakes are too sweet, and these were just right. Everyone loved them and was impressed they were homemade.
This is the best buttercream recipe I have tried. Thank you!
Hello! I’m wondering approx how many cupcakes the 2 1/2 cup yield will make?
It’s enough to generously frost 12 to 14 cupcakes.
Help! I think my “tiny pinch of salt” was too much of a pinch! How can I fix this? I added more vanilla and more sugar (and then more cream, because it was too thick), but it still didn’t taste right.
Hi, Liz! It kind of depends on how much salt you added. If it’s just a little too much, you could make another batch of frosting and mix it all together, then freeze any leftover frosting. Or you could add some caramel sauce to it and make a salted caramel frosting instead.
If I frost the cupcakes with a spatula instead of piping how thick should it be applied and how many would it frost?
It’s really up to you. If you do a thin layer, it’s probably enough to lightly frost two dozen cupcakes. For a thicker amount of frosting, it will cover 12 to 14.
Do we have to use whipping cream or heavy cream?
Either one would be fine in this recipe, but I typically use heavy cream.
Amazing
The butter is a bit over powering but other that that it’s crazy good ?
I used just 1 Tbsp Heavy cream as it holds better than 2–3 Tbsp.
Good texture.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Aloha,
Patricia Wuijano
Hello I’m curious on how much frosting this makes
2 and 1/2 cups.
I used exact ingredients and it came out runny. What did I do wrong?
Did you use the correct measurements in the recipe card? Did you make sure to use butter and not margarine? Was your butter too warm when you mixed it together?
Hello,
I tried out this recipe and it was delicious with the cupcakes. But, I was wondering if you can use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar.
I wouldn’t recommend it with this recipe, it would make the frosting too grainy. I do have a Swiss meringue buttercream recipe here that uses granulated sugar though.
Hi Daniella
can you tell me can this be frozen for a couple of days and how does it go when defrosted Thanks Tammy
Yes, it will freeze well for up to 3 months. It defrosts just fine too, but it’s best to mix it well before frosting cupcakes/cakes.
Hey there! I saw some people saying that the butter flavor is a bit overpowering, I’m using this to frost a wedding cake and was wondering if you could cut down on the amount of butter used without throwing off the recipe.
If not what else would you recommend?
No, you’d need to adjust the other ingredients. I don’t find it too buttery, but you could use more vanilla extract if you prefer.
This is the BEST buttercream frosting we have ever had! No one can resist having a piece of cake when I use this recipe. It is so good and easy to make.
this did not work for me i think i added way to much heavy cream, but everything else was amazing!! <3