The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

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This easy vanilla buttercream frosting recipe is absolutely perfect! It’s a basic American buttercream made with butter and powdered sugar. The secret to this recipe is that is starts with cold butter which makes a fluffy homemade frosting that’s ideal for decorating cakes and cupcakes.

Today’s post is all about going back to the basics.  There’s nothing better than a classic American buttercream frosting. I’ve used this recipe as a base frosting for dozens of cakes, cupcakes and cookies you’ll find on my blog. It’s tried and true with hundreds of reviews, it’s been pinned millions of times on Pinterest, and it never fails!

I will share my secrets to making the most perfect whipped and fluffy frosting. This simple recipe can be paired with moist vanilla cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes, lemon or strawberry cupcakes, you name it. You can even use it for frosting sugar cookies.

What Makes this the Best frosting?

• It’s quick and easy to make
• It’s light & fluffy and incredibly stable
• It’s the the best frosting for piping and decorating cupcakes, cakes and cookies
• It holds color really well 
• It’s can be made ahead of time or frozen to be reused 

Here’s My Secret

My secret of all secrets? I use cold butter!  Yes,  I said cold butter. How many times have you forgotten to take butter out of the fridge? It’s the worst! Well not anymore.

Most frosting recipes call for softened butter or butter at room temperature. However, I find that this often results in a weak frosting that doesn’t always hold it’s shape or requires too much powered sugar resulting in overly sweet frosting. 

The difference between starting with cold butter versus softened is that the cold butter requires you to whip it longer in the beginning. The longer you whip it, the better it will be. Essentially you are letting the mixer do the work to soften the butter as opposed to allowing it to sit on the counter.

The other special ingredient to making a creamy and fluffy frosting is heavy whipping cream. Sure, you can substitute with milk instead but using heavy whipping cream cuts the sweetness and helps to produce the light and fluffy texture. 

What You’ll Need

You only need a few simple ingredients to make vanilla buttercream frosting.

• Unsalted butter: either salted or unsalted butter will work fine, but if you use unsalted butter, it gives you the opportunity to control the flavor
• Powdered (confectioners) Sugar: To be frank, I am too lazy to shift my powdered sugar, but if you find that you often have a grainy texture, then I would recommend sifting it, especially if it comes from a box (as opposed to bag)
• Vanilla Extract – Be sure you are using a high quality pure vanilla extract, not the imitation stuff! 
• Heavy Whipping Cream (or Milk) – Tones down the sweetness and helps to produce the light and fluffy texture
• Salt (optional): Some prefer to add a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness

Flavor variations: 

This can be made with virtually any type of extract including almond, lemon, peppermint, mint, coconut etc. You can also add some fresh fruit zest such as lemon, orange or lime. 

How to Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes and only requires one bowl. 

Whip the butter. Cut the cold butter into 1 tablespoon size pieces and whip it with the paddle attachment for 5-7 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl occasionally. 

Add the powdered sugar & liquid ingredients.  Add the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time and mix on low speed until incorporated. Then increase the speed to medium-high for a minute or two before adding additional powdered sugar. As your frosting thickens, you’ll want to add in the liquid ingredients to help thin it back out. Usually each time I add powdered sugar, I also add some of the liquid.

Beat it one last time: After all your ingredients have been added, beat the frosting for an additional minute or two to get that final light and fluffy texture 

Ways to Use this frosting

This vanilla frosting is perfect for piping and decorating. You can add all sorts of fun colors to it, use it on cupcakes, on cakes, on sugar cookies – the possibilities are endless! Here are some ideas for you to try:

• Add some color to your buttercream
• Vanilla Cupcakes
• Unicorn Cupcakes
• Make Halloween Sugar Cookies
• Make a Flower Cake

How Much Frosting Does This Recipe Make?

This frosting recipe makes enough for at least 24 cupcakes that have a hefty amount of frosting. The second rule I live by when it comes to frosting is never to come up short. So I usually end up with more than enough frosting.

If you are only frosting 12 cupcakes or a 9×13 inch cake, you can halve this recipe.

How to Make this Ahead of Time

This recipe can be stored in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for 24 hours prior to frosting. If the frosting is stiff, just re-whip it in the mixer for a couple of minutes until it’s fluffy again.

Otherwise, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container. Any longer than that and I would recommend freezing it. If you are refrigerating it, I recommend allowing it to soften for a couple of hours before using it after it’s been in the fridge. I also recommend re-whipping it after it has come back to room temperature. 

Can I Freeze Buttercream?

Yes! I like to fill a Ziploc bag with the frosting, then squeeze all the air out of the bag, seal it and freeze it for up to a month. You will need to allow it to soften for a couple of hours to room temperature. I recommend re-whipping it in the mixer to get the fluffy texture back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do frosted cupcakes needs to be refrigerated?

If you live in a hot and humid environment then I would suggest that you refrigerate cupcakes that are frosted and allow them to come to room temperature before serving. Otherwise, I store my cupcakes in a cool, dry place in an airtight container for up to 3 days once they are frosted.

Since this frosting is all butter-based, it will melt in high temperatures or in humid environments. If you are serving this buttercream at an outdoor party, be sure to keep it out of the sun, especially if temperatures are hot that day. 

Can I make this frosting with a handheld mixer?

The short answer is yes, anything is possible. However, it will be difficult for you to make large batches of frosting, simply because the powder of a handheld mixer is not the same as a stand mixer.

You will likely need to spend even more time whipping the butter both in the beginning and throughout when adding the powdered sugar.

Can I use less powdered sugar?

You can, but it will affect the yield and texture. As a rule of thumb, I use 1 1/2-2 cups of powdered sugar for every 1/2 cup of butter. Using less powdered sugar will result in a buttery texture as well. If you are looking to make it less sweet, you can add a little bit of salt and another teaspoon or two of heavy cream or milk. 

The Best Vanilla Frosting

★★★★★

4.7 from 61 reviews

• Author: Julianne Dell
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 1/2 Cups

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Description

This Perfect Vanilla Frosting Recipe recipe is very versatile. It’s a basic vanilla buttercream using butter and powdered sugar. This is the perfect frosting for piping cupcakes and cake decorating. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup (339 g) (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cold.
• 5 cups (650 g) powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (12 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy whipping cream (or milk)
• Pinch of salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally, beating until the butter look light in color.
2. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated into the butter then add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Beat for about 60 seconds.
3. Next, add an additional 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes.
4. Add last 1 cup powdered sugar along with the heavy whipping cream and salt. Beat on low until the ingredients start to mix together. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 3-5 minutes to whip additional air into the frosting.

Equipment

Large Piping Tips

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Large Piping Bags

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Stand Mixer

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Notes

• Storing this frosting: This frosting can be kept at room temperature if serving within 24 hours and it’s not too hot. It can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for 7 days. Frosting must come back to room temperature before piping, and I suggest to rewhip it.
• Freezing this frosting: This frosting can also be frozen in an airtight bag, be sure to squeeze all the extra air of out the bag. Thaw to room temperature and I suggest to rewhip prior to piping
• Coloring this frosting: If you are coloring this frosting, I suggest using gel colors for the best color variation.
• Flavor variations: This can be made with virtually any type of extract including: almond, lemon, peppermint, mint, coconut etc. You can also add some fresh fruit zest such as lemon, orange or lime.
• How much does this frosting make? This makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes. For 12 cupcakes or a 9×13 cake, you can halve the recipe. For a layer cake, I suggest reviewing taking a look at my vanilla layer cake.
• If your frosting is too sift: Add additional heavy cream 1-2 teaspoons at a time until desired consistency is reached. Also I recommend continuing to beat the frosting.
• If your frosting is too thin: Add an additional 1/2 cup powdered sugar at a time and continue to beat the frosting until desired consistency is reached.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Calories: 540

Sugar: 65.4g

Sodium: 6.1mg

Fat: 31.3g

Saturated Fat: 19.5g

Carbohydrates: 66.7g

Fiber: 0

Protein: 0

Cholesterol: 83.2mg

• Category: Frosting
• Method: Stand Mixer
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Vanilla Frosting, Vanilla Buttercream