Swiss meringue buttercream is a thick, silky, and stable frosting that you can make with just 4 ingredients! This classic frosting holds its shape well, making it ideal for piping and decorating cakes and cupcakes.
Looking for a chocolate version? Try my chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream recipe, next.
Swiss meringue buttercream, sometimes shortened to SMBC, is a light, silky, and buttery alternative to traditional American buttercream frosting. It’s made by heating egg whites and whipping them together with sugar and butter until fluffy. My love affair with this particular frosting began in the VERY early days of my blog, and it quickly became one of my favorite frosting recipes. It was only a matter of time before I created a step-by-step for those who’d like to make perfect Swiss meringue!
Give This Swiss Meringue Buttercream A Try
- Frosting, elevated. There’s something luxurious about Swiss meringue frosting. It’s less sweet than traditional American buttercream, with a rich, silky taste and thick, pipable texture.
- Easy method. If the thought of homemade meringue sounds intimidating, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this recipe. It’s very easy and I’ll walk you through how to dissolve the sugar and whip the egg whites into a fluffed, perfect frosting.
- 4 ingredients. You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make this “fancy” frosting from scratch. Just eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla.
- Perfect for decorating. Swiss meringue buttercream has a light, airy, and stable consistency that makes it the BEST for piping onto cakes and cupcakes.
How Is This Different From Regular Buttercream Frosting?
The main difference is that Swiss meringue buttercream is made with cooked sugar and egg whites, while American buttercream uses powdered sugar and no eggs. American buttercream tends to be sweeter, while Swiss buttercream has a stronger butter flavor due to the higher butter content.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need for this Swiss meringue buttercream recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full, printable recipe card with the full amounts and details.
- Egg Whites – Egg whites are essential in meringue recipes. It’s much easier to separate eggs when they’re cold from the fridge. Let the egg whites come to room temperature afterward.
- Sugar – You’ll want to use granulated white sugar for a crisp, white meringue.
- Butter – Most of my frosting recipes begin with cold butter, however, Swiss meringue is the exception! Like the egg whites, the butter for this recipe should also be at room temperature. I recommend using unsalted butter and adding salt to taste (I’ve found that salted butter makes this frosting way too salty).
- Vanilla Extract – Traditional Swiss meringue buttercream calls for high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. If you’d like to flavor your frosting differently, you can also use another extract, like peppermint. See further in the post for my variation ideas.
How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
The steps below show how to make perfect Swiss meringue buttercream frosting from start to finish. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card after the post.
Before You Begin, Clean Your Tools
The tools you’re using must be free from any residual oil or grease, otherwise, the meringue will flop. Oil and meringue do NOT mix. I like to give the bowl of my stand mixer and the attachments a good wipe-down with vinegar to remove any greasiness before I make the frosting.
- Combine. In a squeaky-clean stainless steel bowl, heat the egg whites with sugar in a double boiler over medium heat.
- Dissolve the sugar. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves, which usually happens at around 140-160ºF (use a candy thermometer if you have one). When you rub a drop of egg whites between your fingers, it should feel smooth, not gritty.
- Beat the egg whites. Next, move the bowl to your stand mixer and beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment. Start slow before gradually increasing the mixer speed. Keep whipping for 7-10 minutes, until the frosting turns white and forms glossy, stiff peaks.
- Add butter. Now, slowly add the butter to the meringue a little at a time. You may notice your glossy meringue looks a bit curdled at this stage, but don’t panic!
- Beat again. Once the butter is incorporated, switch to the paddle attachment and beat the frosting again. The curdled frosting should start to stiffen, and after 3-5 minutes, it’s ready to use.
Recipe Tips
- Where possible, use only metal tools. Wipe the bowl, mixer attachments, etc. down with vinegar (or lemon juice) to completely remove any leftover grease.
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature. If your butter is too cold, you’ll end up with clumps of butter in your frosting. Likewise, if the butter is too warm, it can cause the buttercream to separate. The butter should be soft enough that it indents easily when you press it with your finger, but not melty.
- Don’t overcook the egg whites. Place the pot for your double boiler over medium heat, and don’t pre-boil the water. If the egg whites heat up too fast, they’ll cook and scramble. If this happens, unfortunately, you’ll need to discard them and start over.
- To see if your sugar is fully dissolved, drizzle some of the egg whites on your fingertips and gently rub them together. The mixture should be completely smooth.
- Make bright white frosting. Use colorless imitation vanilla extract if you’d prefer your SMBC to stay a crisp bright white. You’ll find this at most craft stores or specialty cake stores.
Flavor Variations
There are many ways you can change up this buttercream frosting to suit just about any cake or dessert. Here are some ways to flavor Swiss meringue buttercream:
- Extracts. This is the easiest way to flavor frosting. Use high-quality flavoring extracts like almond, lemon, peppermint, or another flavor you prefer.
- Fruit. Add fresh strawberry purée to this frosting, like I did for my strawberry margarita cake. I’ve also made blackberry buttercream before with great results. Freeze-dried fruit is another great way to add flavor to frosting recipes (like the freeze-dried strawberries I use in the frosting for my strawberry cake).
- Marshmallow. My marshmallow frosting is a fun spin on classic SMBC that tastes just like fluffy marshmallows.
- Zest. Add lemon, lime, or orange zest to make a fresh citrusy buttercream, like the orange Swiss meringue used for my mimosa cake.
Frosting FAQs
No, you don’t want to use margarine or any other baking spread in place of butter in Swiss meringue recipes.
The egg whites will lose air and curdle during the process of adding the butter. A good whip usually sorts this out, for a stiff, stable final product. It has never happened to me, but I have read that if your frosting is still a bit soupy even after you whip it, you can pop it into the fridge for 10-20 minutes and then re-whip it.
Yes. As written, this recipe makes about 5 cups of frosting, enough to frost approximately 24 cupcakes. To make enough frosting for an 8” three-layer cake, for example, you’ll need to use 10 large egg whites, 3 cups of unsalted butter, and 2½ cups of granulated sugar, plus your extract.
Yes. I recommend using gel colors to color Swiss meringue buttercream. Add the color gradually (a little goes a long way) and gently fold it in using the paddle attachment on your mixer, or a spatula. I have a post on how to color buttercream that goes into this in-depth.
Ways to Use Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Swiss meringue buttercream’s light and airy texture makes it especially ideal for piping over layer cakes, cupcakes, and more. It’s also less sweet than other traditional types of frosting. This makes it a good match with recipes where you’d like the true flavors of a cake or cupcake to shine.
I love pairing Swiss meringue frosting with vanilla cake or vanilla cupcakes for a classic combination. It’s my frosting of choice for this festive chocolate peppermint cake and also goes great with recipes like my champagne cupcakes, lemon raspberry layer cake, and lemon blueberry cake.
Meringue does make a softer frosting, so frosted desserts are best served right away or stored as soon as possible. See the next section for details.
How to Store
- Store leftover buttercream. Keep this Swiss meringue buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. It will harden when chilled, so I recommend bringing the frosting back to room temperature and giving it a fresh whip with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer before you use it.
- Freeze. Most Swiss meringue buttercream frostings are fine to freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the frosting completely to room temperature and re-whip it before you use it.
More Easy Frosting Recipes
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups or 24 cupcakes
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy Swiss meringue buttercream recipe makes thick, stable frosting perfect for decorating cakes and cupcakes! Made with whipped egg whites, sugar, and butter, you can flavor it with any extract you’d like.
Ingredients
- 5 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Wipe down the inside of your stainless-steel bowl with vinegar to remove any grease. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl with candy thermometer attached.
- Set the bowl over top of a pot with 1 ¼ cups water covering the bottom. Place over medium heat.
- Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture reaches 140°-160° The sugar should be dissolved in the egg whites. You can test this by placing a drop on your finger tips and rubbing them together. The mixture should be completely smooth.
- Immediately place the mixing bowl on your stand. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat the eggs white on low for 2 minutes than increase to medium high.
- Beat for another 5 minutes. At this point, your frosting should have turned white and the body of the meringue starts to form. Increase the mixing speed to high. It will start to look glossy as the peaks begin to form. Beat for another 3-5 minutes until the bottom of your bowl is cool to the touch and your meringue has stiff peaks.
- Turn your mixer down to medium-low. Slowly add your butter, 1 tbsp at a time. As you add more butter, the frosting might appear to have curdled and lost its body, that’s ok. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Switch to the paddle attachment, add the vanilla extract and continue beating on medium-high speed until your frosting start to have stiff peaks. Beat for about 3-5 minutes.
Notes
- Original frosting recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
- The utensils have to be grease-free, wipe down your bowls, whisks, and spatulas with vinegar or lemon juice prior to starting
- Use a candy thermometer for the most accurate temperature.
- Always use unsalted butter! This allows you to control how much salt is in your frosting.
- To tint the buttercream, slowly add the color gel and beat with a paddle attachment, or fold it in with a spatula until completely incorporated.
- Flavor variations:
- This can easily be flavored with any type of extract vanilla bean, peppermint, almond, lemon, etc. Start with ½-1 teaspoon at a time. Lemon, lime, or orange zest is a great way to add a more intense flavor.
- See the full tutorial for my chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream for a chocolate variation.
- Strawberry or blackberry purees can be added for natural flavoring.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake’s worth
- Calories: 176
- Sugar: 9.4g
- Sodium: 13.6mg
- Fat: 15.4g
- Saturated Fat: 9.6g
- Carbohydrates: 9.5g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: .9g
- Cholesterol: 40.7mg
I followed the recipe exactly. It came out exactly as you said. However it is quite tasteless. It’s pretty, pipes well but even adding more vanilla didn’t fix it. I’ll stick with traditional buttercream icing that my family and friends look forward to. I did wait to experiment and make this when it wasn’t humid.
Hi Tracy- yes it’s far less sugary than traditional buttercream frosting, and a much more mild taste. I am so glad you tried it!
I LOVE the consistency and taste but if you wanted something that tastes more like American buttercream I would add clear vanilla extract (different than regular vanilla extract) and a tiny bit of butter extract and it will give you a similar sugary frosting taste!
Thanks for sharing Hannah!
I used your SMBC recipe this weekend and it was my first time. It came out awesome. It was a hit.Thank you very much for sharing it.
Thank you so much Elham! I am so happy this was useful for you!
If I want to use pasteurized egg whites, what would the equivalent be for 5 large egg whites?
Thank you in advance
Hi Elam, sorry I am not familiar with pasteurized egg whites, I’ve only ever cracked whole eggs.
Hi Julianne ~ I’ll be making this frosting to go on top of your Hot Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes for a “Cupcake War” we’re having at work on Friday for our Holiday Party. I have 4 dozen cupcakes baked…can I double this recipe or do I have to do two separate batches?
Hi Roxanne, I have made a double batch before and I usually follow a recipe from Sweetapolita
Gosh this took some time! But it is delicious, and I’m hoping, worth it on the cake 🙂 A couple of things I wish you had in your recipe notes for a first timer like me (I panicked and had to do some googling) – be prepared for how much it drops from a massive, stiff meringue, once you start adding butter. I thought I had done something wrong and that I had ruined it because suddenly there was half a bowl instead of the full one it had been. It also took quite a while to get the first couple of butter bits in because it had been rather stiff and didn’t want to mix all together. The second panic came when it suddenly looked a bit soupy and curdled and again I thought I had ruined it. After looking up a few other places I found out it was either adding butter too fast or it was too warm, but just keep beating. I kept it whipping for another 3 minutes or so and suddenly it looked smooth and creamy again! Phew! All in all, a helpful recipe and delicious frosting. Thank you.
Hi Vicky! First of all, CONGRATS on your first time make this frosting!! I know the feeling of intimidation, I actually feel that every time I make it! HA! I really appreciate the feedback, I will look to make those improvements!
I live in Ohio. We don’t make this frosting (aka 7-minute frosting, recipe has been around since WWI) on humid summer days.
You cannot make this frosting successfully on very humid days. I live in Ohio and we all know this rule (for some reason…?).
Thanks for sharing Annie, I’ve never been to Ohio! But you’re correct it’s not good for humid days because it’s all butter.
worked out perfectly and pipes easily just a shame it tastes awfull!! The taste of slimy sweet butter remains after eating yuckkkkk.
Hi Violetta, I am sorry you did not enjoy this. It is a much less sweet frosting than traditional buttercream and as such, without enough extract, you will have buttery notes left on your tongue.
Hello, I need to make a cake 2 days before the event and drive 6 hours with it. How do you suggest I store the cake before transporting it? It will have swiss meringue buttercream flowers decorations. Will it hold up?
Hi Sylvia, the frosting should be fine, but you need to keep it is a very cool and dry place. If it’s humid or too warm the frosting will melt
hi. i tried to make this 2 times already and i love the taste and the smooth texture. however, due to the smoothness, it cant really hold up. is there something that i did wrong? i live in a tropical country wherein it gets really hot. so is there a way for SMB not to be too soft? can SMB be used with a russian icing tip?
thanks!
Hi Rica, I think the problem is the climate. This is a butter heavy recipe, so unless refrigerated, it will melt rather quickly. I would try a more traditional American buttercream that is less butter and more sugar. It tends to be a bit more stable. I’ve never used Russian piping tips.
Julianne, Sweet Sweet Woman, I could kiss you right now! This is AMAZING! I’ve had a very rough week with my American Buttercream recipe and about 6 months ago I unintentionally started a home bakery. It’s a long story but I swear I was ready to through my mixer across the room last week and I searched and searched for something better and easier to work with. Many many years ago I burnt a pan cooking up sugar for something different I’ve been terrified to try anything of the sort since.. and this recipe changed just changed everything for me! It came out perfect and it’s stable and tastes amazing. HUGE thank you! I’m going to make another batch and dance around my kitchen now! 🙂
Ashley! Oh my gosh girl, tell me about it! Your cakes are amazing!! The chicken nugget cakes? OMG! SMB is more work for sure but it is such a different product than American buttercream. I am so glad you got over your fears and you’re cooking sugar again. Confession, I am totally afraid of making caramel sauce! I would also like to suggest you see my post for the Perfect Vanilla frosting. I’ve gotten pretty great reviews on it. I am here to help, so just reach out if you have any more question!
I tried to colour my smb with Wilton gel color and it wouldn’t take the color….it’s like the Color just disappeared , when i kept adding. Any suggestions? I love to color my buttercream and i love the SMB. Help please!
Hi ,,, i would like to try this ,,, but i do not have a candy thermometer ,, how can i know the exact temperature?
after mixing the egg whites and the sugar ,,, if it did not return to room temperature after finishing mixing should i turn off the mixer and wait or continue mixing till it reaches room temperature? this may take half an hour or more !
Hi Ola, I have only ever made this with a candy thermometer, so I would suggest doing some more research on Swiss Meringue Buttercream before attempting. I’ve also heard that you should be able to rub the mixture between your finger tips and not feel any of the sugar crystals, meaning that they have dissolved into the egg whites. You do not need to wait until this reaches room temperature when mixing, it is more about the consistency of the frosting when the stiff peaks form.
Can you tell me what tip you used to pipe these cupcakes? Thanks!
Hi Sheryn- this is either a 2D tip. I have a great tutorial post showing different types of frosting techniques. https://beyondfrosting.com/how-to-decorate-the-perfect-cupcake/
I’m glad I found your blog. May I know if this SMBC can be used for piping roses and borders? Thanks.
Hi Ela, this buttercream is the fluffiest buttercream ever. It can be used for piping but you should test a few first! Also if you are going to be piping, make sure you are not in a warm climate or the frosting will melt as it is mostly butter.
I was so happy with the end result , but upon using it the next day it turned out a disaster, I followed the instruction, kept it in an airtight container, leave at RT before using be sure to re-mix again, after I mixed it with the mixer, the butter was ok but I think the rest of the ingredient like eggs & sugar started to liquefy , I felt so sad…… & I was staring at the buttercream asking myself where did I went wrong : (
Hi Elaine, I am spry to hear you had trouble 🙁 Unfortunately, with egg whites, they can be effected by any number of things such as temperature or humidity change. I wish I could be there to help you.
Can I make this in advance , how many days could I store this one?
Hi Elanie, the general rule of thumb that I have read is that if you are not serving it that day or the next, it should be refrigerated. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. However since it is all butter based, the frosting will harden, and you need to allow several hours for it to come back to room temperature before you use it. If you are piping on cupcakes and serving the next day, make sure they are kept in a cool, dry place.
Hello. This is a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing. I attempted to do this Swiss meringue buttercream yesterday and failed. After I added the butter, like Ashley, it became runny even after several minutes of mixing. I only have a handheld mixer and it took me a very long time to get to that shiny stiff peak stage, so I was really frustrated after that. 🙁 I am thinking, what would happen if I leave out the butter? Would the eggwhite mixture hold if I pipe it? I live in a tropical country (almost around 40C these days), so I really need something that would hold shape. Please help. Thank you.
Hi Kaye, I am sorry this was not successful for you. I have honestly never tried to do this with a handheld mixer, but I can imagine your frustration since this needs to be mixed for 10-15 minutes on the egg whites alone. If you leave out the butter, you are essentially making a marshmallow frosting. I have never made this without butter so I can’t give you an honest answer as to weather or not it will work. Your tropical climate night have something to do with it. Was your butter melting when you added it? Since you live in a warm climate, I would suggest trying a buttercream using Crisco instead of butter. It will hold it shape but much. However, that will be a little oiley, so try adding a pinch of salt, some milk and whatever extract flavor you are looking for.
Hello! Thanks for answering. It took me forever to reply. Yes, perhaps the butter was melting a liiiitteeellll bit when I added it. Perhaps that’s the culprit apart from the hot weather we had (it’s now rainy season here). I will try doing this again and I will also try to do it without butter. I will let you know the outcome. Thanks again. 🙂
I am early in my infancy of baking and piping. I have made a few different buttercream frosting and I have to say this is the easiest and most delicious buttercream frosting by far!!! This recipe will be my go-to frosting!
Yea Susan! That is awesome!
I LOVE your SMB. I can get the flavor and meringue just right, but as soon as I add the better it gets really soupy and looses it’s fluffy-ness. The butter is softened and I only mix it for about 1 – 2 minutes after the last tbsp. is dropped in. Sooo confused. Any tips?
Thanks!
Hi Ashley- just keep mixing the butter into the egg whites. Increase the speed one or two stops. The mix will appear curdled but just keep the mixer going, it might take several minutes.
Beat it until it submits.