Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

November 19, 2018

dessert· recipes

You can’t go wrong with this easy vanilla buttercream frosting recipe! It is perfectly creamy, not too sweet, and stiff enough to hold its shape when piped.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I’ll admit, just a year ago I was quite intimidated by the idea of making homemade buttercream frosting. Before I had a stand mixer, whenever I’d try to make buttercream frosting using a hand mixer, it would end up gritty. I figured I was probably doing something wrong so when I got my stand mixer, I did my research, tried different combinations of basic ingredients, learned aboutsifting,and landed on the perfect recipe. Guys, I am NOT a natural baker. I mean, sifting seems like such an obvious concept, but I had no idea what the point of it was. Turns out, it’s a game changer! (read more about it here.)

This combination of powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and stick butter makes for a perfectly smooth and creamy vanilla buttercream frosting. It is just sweet enough to compliment the cake without overpowering it. I prefer to use clear vanilla extract because it gives it that whiter color, but regular vanilla extract works just as well! Also, I prefer to use salted butter. If you use unsalted stick butter, throw a little pinch of salt in there. I love these Country Crock baking sticks – they are ready to bake as soon as you take them out of the refrigerator – no need to let them soften!

This recipe is enough for 18-24 cupcakes. When piping as shown in these photos, it will only cover about 18. If you are spreading the buttercream, or not piping such high peaks, it will of course go further.

Be sure to pin this vanilla buttercream frosting recipe so you can easily find it next time you bake a cake/cupcakes and want to skip the canned frosting!

4.6 from 14 reviews

Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Heather Tenneson

Yield: 18-24 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
3.5 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp milk
2 tsp clear vanilla extract

Instructions

Beat softened butter in large bowl of stand mixer (or mix with hand mixer if stand mixer is not available.)
Sift powdered sugar into bowl and begin mixing on low-medium speed
Add milk and vanilla and mix on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until creamy
If too thick, add more milk, about a tsp at a time. If too thin, add more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

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Meet Heather

I am a proud wife, a child of God, and a mother to three sweet little girls, navigating my way through this thing called life and sharing my journey with you along the way. I enjoy sharing little bits of parenting, travel, food, parties, organization, and a lot of family. Welcome, y’all! I hope you’ll grab a cup of coffee and stay a while!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Marlies Vater says
August 27, 2019 at 1:38 am
Das Buttercreme-Rezept ist gut. Hab ich so noch nicht gekannt. Ein Problem gibt es bei den Mengen Angaben .
Wir arbeiten mit Grammangaben. Wie kriege ich Butter in eine Tasse und wie groß ist die Tasse?
Reply
Angel says
October 8, 2019 at 5:59 pm
I followed this recipe word for word & it turned out awful 🙁 the taste, texture, everything!!
Reply
- Heather Tenneson says
  October 8, 2019 at 8:00 pm
  Oh no! I’ve had recipes that I’ve made time and time again not turn out right for some reason that I couldn’t put my finger on. Just a couple things that can effect the recipe – if the sticks of butter is not completely soft, not creaming the butter first before adding anything else, using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, not sifting the sugar. It took a lot of playing around for me to get it right. I hope it comes out better next time!
  Reply
Jill says
December 14, 2019 at 2:30 pm
We just made this frosting for our Christmas cookies. It turned out perfectly! It is creamy, flavorful and not too sweet. Thanks for the great recipe!
Reply
- Heather Tenneson says
  December 15, 2019 at 10:42 am
  Thank you, Jill! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
  Reply
these paper says
January 4, 2020 at 1:59 pm
The cream is so gentle. I am sure that you will get a lot of pleasure while eating these cupcakes. I will definitely try to cook them.
Reply
Rosie says
January 16, 2020 at 7:40 pm
See Also
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I want to make a batch but use in a few days. What’s the best way to store the frosting? Do I whip it again before I used it?
Reply
- Heather Tenneson says
  January 24, 2020 at 5:41 pm
  I’ve actually never made it ahead of time. I’ve always gone ahead and piped it onto the cupcakes and it’s good at room temp for about a week. I would think it would be fine to keep covered at room temp
  Reply
Renee says
February 6, 2020 at 11:55 pm
Loved this icing! Turned out great! I have recently started making buttercream icing and this has been the best recipe.
Reply
- Heather Tenneson says
  February 7, 2020 at 8:18 am
  I’m so happy to hear that!! So glad you liked it!
  Reply
Rubi Kaur says
March 16, 2020 at 12:41 am
I have stuffed chicken breast before, with feta cheese and arugula or something like this. And my Family was indeed impressed ? The Caprese combo sounds pretty amazing!
Reply
Hannah Flack says
June 3, 2020 at 1:44 am
YUMMY!!!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’ve heard about your blog a couple of times and will now spend my afternoon reading 🙂
Reply
- Heather Tenneson says
  June 4, 2020 at 10:58 am
  I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Hannah! Thanks for reading!!
  Reply
Sandra Robinson says
June 11, 2020 at 1:39 pm
Can you make this into chocolate
Reply
Kathleen Arata says
August 14, 2020 at 4:16 pm
Love this vanilla buttercream My husband is more of a cake guy He only likes a small amount of frosting,, well he loves this frosting Now I can make a cake with the right cake to frosting ratio ( and add a little more frosting if I want)
It’s delicious and I consider myself a frosting expert! Lol. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Reply
- Heather Tenneson says
  August 14, 2020 at 5:45 pm
  I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!!!
  Reply
Rose Martine says
September 14, 2020 at 10:38 pm
YUMMY!!!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’ve heard about your blog a couple of times and will now spend my afternoon reading 🙂
Reply
Hannah Flack says
September 25, 2020 at 5:40 am
YUMMY!!!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’ve heard about your blog a couple of times and will now spend my afternoon reading 🙂
Reply
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December 29, 2020 at 11:14 pm
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See Also
Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk)
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Hannah Flack says
March 1, 2021 at 4:39 am
Sounds wonderful!! I’ll have to try this on weight watchers :). I love spaghetti squash so I usually poke a hole in it and cook it in the microwave about ten minutes. That gets it half way done. Then I finish by roasting it cut side down in the oven because it has better flavor!!
Reply
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Ashley Jones says
June 25, 2021 at 12:57 am
recipe looks wonderful. i hope you don’t mind but i added this recipe to my site with working links to your page. can’t wait to try this one out.
Reply
1ZsGirl says
December 24, 2021 at 5:28 pm
Turned out great! I used a hand mixer. I reduced the sugar a little bit and still found it a bit too sweet, but I dont like too much sweetness in treats.
The key is to mix your butter first until it’s nice and fluffy.
Perfect texture for cupcakes and cakes.
Reply
Ashley Jones says
May 14, 2022 at 8:42 am
What’s up, all is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing facts, that’s truly fine, keep up writing.
Reply
Motivational Quotes in Tamil says
December 27, 2022 at 7:20 am
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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe - Poppy + Grace (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to buttercream? ›

Never add too much liquid to your buttercream.

Adding additional liquid to your buttercream, such as flavorings or purees, can make it far too liquidy to come together nicely. And you don't want to have to add a bunch of powdered sugar to thicken it up, because then it will be far too sweet.

Read On ›

What is the most difficult buttercream to make? ›

Italian meringue buttercream is the most difficult to make but is worth it as it is the most stable of all buttercreams. In order to make Italian meringue buttercream you have to cook sugar to turn into sugar syrup, then stream the hot syrup into the egg white as they are whipped.

Learn More Now ›

What's the difference between vanilla icing and vanilla buttercream? ›

The best way to distinguish frosting from buttercream is through the ingredients. While both contain powdered sugar, fat, flavouring and sometimes milk or water, frosting does not contain any butter whatsoever.

Keep Reading ›

How do you make buttercream smooth and not grainy? ›

If the buttercream is still grainy, you can try warming it up over a double boiler or adding a little bit of heavy cream. It's important to find the right balance of ingredients when making any kind of buttercream. Too much sugar or not enough liquid can cause the buttercream to break or become too gritty.

See Details ›

What not to do with buttercream? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Buttercream

Starting with cold butter. ...
Using a butter substitute. ...
Using the wrong type of sugar for the job. ...
Adding too much liquid. ...
Giving up on your broken buttercream.

Dec 3, 2022

Learn More Now ›

What makes buttercream frosting thick? ›

When it comes down to it, buttercream consistency is a delicate balance between your thickener (powdered sugar) and your thinner (milk, cream or water). Even adding liquid extracts to your frosting can thin it a bit…so have some extra powdered sugar and liquid on hand to get just the right consistency!

Show Me More ›

What buttercream do professionals use? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the most standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is incredibly smooth, making it an extremely popular choice for icing cakes. Compared to American buttercream, it has a much stronger butter flavor, but is considerably less sweet.

What is the most delicious buttercream? ›

1. Swiss Meringue Buttercream. This is the Queen of Frosting. Imagine the melt-in-mouth texture of ice cream, just at room temperature.

View Details ›

What buttercream holds the best? ›

Italian meringue buttercream, also known simply as Italian buttercream, is the most stable of all of the buttercreams but also the most difficult to make. This style of buttercream gets its name because it starts out with the process of making Italian meringue.

Discover More Details ›

Why is my vanilla buttercream runny? ›

So, whether your buttercream is a veritable soup or just a touch runny, the answer is to cool it down. If the buttercream is thin enough to run off a spoon, refrigerate the whole bowl for 20 minutes, just until the frosting begins to harden around the edges.

Get More Info Here ›

What buttercream is best for cakes? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is a favorite among many cake decorators because of its smooth finish on the outside cakes and its ability to hold piping detail.

Show Me More ›

Can you overbeat buttercream? ›

Try not to overbeat the buttercream after all the ingredients have been added or you might add bubbles, which will ruin the texture of the icing. ... For the best results chill your cake and bring the icing to room temperature. You can also beat the buttercream for a few minutes to create great fluffy texture.

Read The Full Story ›

What does vinegar do to buttercream? ›

Add white vinegar.

Although many do so to avoid cracks and to achieve a smooth appearance, I find just the tiniest bit — about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon — also curbs the sweetness, allowing the wonderfully creamy mouth-feel of the icing to truly shine.

Know More ›

What is the least sweet buttercream? ›

Swiss Meringue buttercream is silky smooth and light. It's perfect if you're looking for a slightly less sweet buttercream. It is, however, more time consuming to make than American buttercream. Italian Meringue buttercream is the least sweet of the three.

Read The Full Story ›

What is the key to smooth buttercream? ›

No matter what type of frosting you make, I recommend mixing your frosting on the lowest speed for a couple minutes with a paddle attachment at the end of the process. This helps push excess air out of the frosting, which makes it nice and smooth. Don't be afraid to let your mixer run on low for a few minutes.

Tell Me More ›

How do you make buttercream frosting easier to spread? ›

To make the frosting extra smooth, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula for a minute or two right before you use it. It's an arm workout, but it's worth it! Push the frosting back and forth and spread it around the side of the bowl. This will push out any extra air and make it easier to smooth onto cakes or pipe with.

Read The Full Story ›

Why is my buttercream not light and fluffy? ›

When the frosting's temperature drops below 69°F (21°C), its butter content will stiffen, bit by bit, until the frosting breaks into a curdled mess. But between those extremes, when the butter is pliable but cool, the frosting will be silky and light—perfect for spreading over your favorite cake.

Learn More Now ›

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe - Poppy + Grace (2024)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

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FAQs

What is the secret to buttercream? ›

What buttercream is best for cakes? ›