A staple in any baker’s kitchen, vanilla buttercream frosting is deliciously soft, creamy, and sweet. My favorite recipe for American vanilla buttercream is simple to make and is easily piped onto cakes and cupcakes for a truly memorable dessert.
Finally! A completely separate post for the most common recipe in any baker’s repertoire: vanilla buttercream frosting. This is my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe. There’s nothing fancy, crazy, or complicated about it, but the flavor and texture will certainly taste like you added something special.
But guess what? You didn’t. It’s our little secret.
How to Make American Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
American vanilla buttercream is incredibly simple and much easier than, say, Swiss meringue buttercream. From mixing bowl to decorating cupcakes in less than 10 minutes! Here’s how to make it:
- Beat butter until creamy. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before beginning. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add sugar, cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until these ingredients are incorporated, then bump up the mixer to medium-high speed. At this point, you can add more confectioners’ sugar if the frosting is too thin or a splash of heavy cream if it’s too thick.
- Taste and salt. Add a pinch of salt to offset the sweetness. Trust me on this one!
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
Buttercream ingredients hardly differ between recipes, but the ratio of ingredients does vary. I’m here to tell you that this careful buttercream formula works EVERY time—my recipe is perfection.
- Butter: We can’t have buttercream without butter. Though salted is fine, I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the added salt. Whichever you use, make sure you are using room temperature butter.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens vanilla buttercream and adds stability and pipe-ability to the frosting.
- Heavy Cream: Though whole milk or half-and-half are perfectly acceptable, use heavy cream for maximum creaminess and richness.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds that glorious vanilla flavor. And if you use homemade vanilla extract, even better.
- Salt: Offsets the sweetness and adds that little something extra.
This recipe also serves as the jumping point for strawberry buttercream frosting and the cinnamon-swirl frosting from snickerdoodle cupcakes.
For something lighter and less sweet, I recommend this whipped frosting.
Decorating with Buttercream Frosting
The word “creamy” doesn’t even do this stuff justice. But even though it’s supremely creamy, this vanilla buttercream holds its shape beautifully. It’s perfect for piping even the most complicated and intricate designs. When decorating cakes and cupcakes, I gravitate towards the following 5 piping tips. Each creates a completely different look, so that’s why it’s a great collection if you’re just starting out. And these tips won’t break the bank—they’re each pretty inexpensive.
- Wilton 1M (Rose) – a classic piping tip and the easy buttercream rose is a staple decoration. This same tip can also produce a decoration that resembles soft serve ice cream.
- Wilton 8B – one of my all-time favorites.
- Ateco 849 – it’s a pretty wide piping tip. You can make a rose, a soft-serve swirl, or a super easy ruffled look.
- Wilton 12 small round – since it doesn’t have any detailed edges, I love using this tip for silky creamy frostings such as salted caramel frosting and cream cheese frosting.
- Ateco 808 large round – it’s also a round tip, but it’s much larger. Its decoration looks like a big fluffy cloud!
Want to see how to decorate cupcakes? Here’s my how to use piping tips video. And here is how we use this frosting to decorate easy Halloween cupcakes!
How to Rid Vanilla Buttercream of Air Bubbles
Over-whipping vanilla buttercream creates air bubbles. The taste is no different, but the buttercream is no longer smooth and velvety. Here’s how to get rid of air bubbles in your frosting:
Ditch the mixer. Grab a wooden or metal spoon and begin stirring the buttercream by hand. Mash the frosting up against the side of the bowl to “pop” the bubbles. Do this until most of the air bubbles pop, about 1–2 minutes. This trick requires a lot of arm muscle!
Yes, absolutely! You can add various extracts, in addition to the vanilla extract. If doing so, I recommend reducing the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon. Extracts you can add include 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, 1/2 teaspoon maple extract, 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract, 1/2 teaspoon orange extract, or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Taste the buttercream, and, if desired, beat in an extra splash of extract. Instead of adding extracts, you can keep the vanilla extract as 2 teaspoons, and beat in 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. You could also try this Lemon Buttercream, Chocolate Buttercream, Chai Spice Buttercream, or White Chocolate Buttercream.
Yes, this is American-style buttercream and it’s sweet. If you’re looking for a less-sweet option, try this Whipped Frosting or Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
There are 2 options. You can freeze the buttercream for up to 3 months, and those detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. You can also make it up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. Remove from the refrigerator and use a mixer to beat it with a splash of room-temperature heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk to help make it creamy and smooth again.
You can keep the buttercream white or tint it with food coloring. To color it, beat in a drop of gel food coloring. (Here is my favorite brand.) I recommend gel food coloring instead of liquid food coloring because liquid can throw off the consistency. For lighter tints, I recommend using the tip of a toothpick to add color, rather than squeezing a whole drop into the bowl of frosting.
Buttercream frosting is typically fine at room temperature for up to 1 day. After that, it’s best to refrigerate it. That said, do what you feel comfortable with; if your kitchen is particularly warm, you may want to refrigerate it on day 1.
Ways to Use Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
I’ve used this vanilla buttercream more times than I can even fathom, but I love it most paired with chocolate cupcakes or vanilla cupcakes. If you scale it up (slightly) you can use it to frost a layered cake, like I do with my white cake recipe (use this how to assemble a layer cake post as a guide). If you add slightly more heavy cream, you can use this as the base for whipped buttercream, as I recommend with my vanilla sheet cake. It also tastes delicious with:
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Confetti Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cake
- Soft Cakey Sugar Cookies
- Brown Sugar Butterscotch Cupcakes
- Checkerboard Cake
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Piñata Cupcakes
- Sugar Cookie Cake
By the way, if you make my homemade vanilla extract, this buttercream tastes even more fantastic. 🙂
Print
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2.5 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite vanilla buttercream. It’s the perfect vanilla frosting that’s simple, creamy and smooth and tastes unbelievable on vanilla cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 – 5 cups (480-600g) confectioners’ sugar (see note)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 4 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, the heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. I always add 1/8 teaspoon.
- Adjust if needed: You can control the consistency at this point—add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or more heavy cream if frosting is too thick (add only 1 Tablespoon at a time, beat together, then taste and add more if desired).
- Use immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of room temperature heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer)
- Quantity: This recipe is enough to frost 12-16 cupcakes or a thin layer on a 9×13 inch quarter sheet cake. Follow the ratios written in this white cake for a two layer cake, or for a three layer cake use the ratios in this confetti cake.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: If your confectioners’ sugar is particularly lumpy, I recommend sifting it 1-2x before measuring and using.
- Heavy Cream: I love using heavy cream for the creamiest consistency. You can use half-and-half or whole milk instead if needed. The lower the fat, the less creamy your buttercream will be. Whichever you use, make sure it’s at room temperature. Otherwise your frosting could separate or appear grainy.
- Decorating Tips: Be sure to check out my post on how to use piping tips (with video tutorial!), and my recommendations for essential cake baking & decorating tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this for the first time with my kids the other day. It was so delicious and creamy. I am not one for exact measurements but I did follow the recipe as is and it was perfect. Thank you for a treat of a buttercream. It was easy and yummy. I even piped it on cupcakes and used food coloring. Your recipes never fail me. Thank you for sharing.
I love this recipe but need a dairy free option for the heavy cream. I have used coconut milk before for other icings but I wasn’t sure if it worked for this icing or not. Also I already plan to replace the butter with country crock plant butter. Any advice so the consistency stays creamy?
Hi Rachelle, we haven’t tested coconut milk here, but you certainly can give it a try. It may take some tinkering get your desired creaminess. Please do let us know how it goes!
How long can it stay in a lunch bag on top of cookies? (Please answer ASAP)
Hi Rachele, this isn’t a crusting buttercream, so we wouldn’t advise putting it in a sandwich bag unless you don’t mind it getting a bit messy. You could leave it at room temperature for up to 24 hours, otherwise we recommend storing in the refrigerator.
Does this buttercream crust over if meringue powder is added? If so, how much meringue powder do you recommend?
Hi Lori, This buttercream is pretty stable, but won’t harden with a crust. You can replace some of the butter with shortening for a “crustier” buttercream.
The recipe tastes buttery to some of us. How can I balance that flavor out? I want to try to salvage this for an upcoming birthday at the end of the week. Thankfully, I made it in advanced to try it first so it’s refrigerated and I have time.
Hi Connie! This buttercream is quite buttery, by nature. A little extra salt may help balance out the flavor, or maybe some extra vanilla or even almond extract for a different flavor profile.
Can crushed Oreos be added to make it cookies and cream?
Yes, absolutely!
Hi sally, I made the vanilla buttercream and no problem they turned out beautiful; but when I did the chocolate buttercream recipe, I ended up with small chunks of butter. Any ideas what I did wrong? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, was your butter not quite room temperature yet? That’s usually the culprit when large chunks of butter are still visible in the frosting. Creaming it for a bit longer should help, too. Hope this helps for your next batch!
Thank you very much fir sharing your cakes and desert recipes. They are the best and reminds me of the cakes.mama use to make. Again thank you and may God continue to bless you and your family’s endeavors.
Hello! I made this with your vanilla cake and raspberry filling for a work potluck and it was amazing! So many compliments on it!
That said, when it was left at room temperature throughout the day, after about 8 hours, the 3-tier cake would slide when cut into or moved. While it was still yummy, it didn’t look great. Would you have any recommendations on stabilizing this frosting recipe for room temp? Or, even better, outdoor temps? (Bringing it to another event this weekend!)
If not, no worries! I can always just ensure it’s properly stored between cuts. Thank you!!
Hi Kaleb, this frosting can start to soften over time, but is it possible that your butter was a bit too warm? Here’s more on room temperature butter (it may be cooler than you think!). You could also use cake dowels to help support the layers, and you could swap some of the butter for shortening for more of a “crusting” buttercream. Otherwise, popping it in the refrigerator when not in use is always helpful! We’re so glad it was a hit!
Oh, probably! I tried the microwave trick, but I may have overdone it. Next time, I’ll just follow the “leave it out” model and see. Thanks for the great tip on shortening, too!
I’m using this recipe for my son’s wedding cake. I’ve heard the trick to make frosting more white by adding a drop of purple. Does this trick really work? I’m nervous to ruin it!
Hi Melissa, Yes it really works! It’s easiest to use something very small like the end of a toothpick and add the tiniest dot of purple to the frosting, and add just one drop at a time until you reach you desired shade of white.
Hello! Can I make this frosting a few days in advance? If so, would I freeze it or put it in the fridge? How many days is ok and how do I take it out and use for the cupcakes I am making once it has been in the fridge or freezer.
Thanks!
Hi Janine, You can cover it tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. For longer storage you can freeze it for up to 3 months. See the last step in the recipe instructions for details.
Can I use 2% milk instead?
Hi Bea, You can, but the texture may be a little thin.
Hi Sally, I don’t usually have this much unsalted butter around so can I use salted and use no salt?
Hi Sophia, you can use salted butter. Taste the frosting before adding salt, then add salt to taste.
Would it make sense to add vanilla bean seeds to this frosting? If so, how much would you recommend and would you reduce the extract? Thanks!
Hi Alyssa, you can really use as much or little as you’d like, but we’d recommend at least 1 vanilla bean. You can leave in the vanilla extract or reduce it just a bit, depending on how heavy you’d like the vanilla flavor. Enjoy!
I have used this buttercream recipe for virtually every birthday cake I’ve made for my kids since coming across it a few years ago. Perfect every time, not too sweet and yummy. People have complimented me on it a lot!
Can I use cooking cream in place of heavy cream or are they the same thing?
Hi Munashe, cooking cream typically has a lower fat content then heavy cream, but that should work okay in this recipe.
Hi, would this work well for icing a cake days in advance?
Hi Gillian! After decorating anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, we would refrigerate it.
Hello, I am making cupcakes for someone allergic to cows milk. Can I use almond milk in this? If so should I add extra butter to give it more fat? Thank You!
Hi Jenna, you can try almond milk here, but the texture may be a little thin. Adding extra butter wouldn’t change that. Oat milk may work a little better, but we haven’t tested it.
Hi!! Can I use gel or liquid coloring in this buttercream without affecting the final result or texture?
Hi Lucy, gel food coloring is our recommendation!
The recipe doesn’t specifically say to soft or melt the butter. So what do I do with the butter before mixing it?
Hi Julie, the recipe calls for room temperature butter.
I used the scale slide feature on the recipe card and failed to realize the grams in parenthesis didn’t also scale. So I used three cups of butter and only 420 g of powdered sugar. I kept thinking, “wow I know it’s supposed to be less sweet but this hardly uses any sugar” I filled and crumb coated two 4 layer 9 inch cakes before realizing my error. I started to make a second batch when I saw my mistake. Just commenting so someone else doesn’t make the same mistake.
Hi Hannah, we don’t have that feature on our recipe cards. Could you have used a different recipe? We include our recommendations for larger batches in the Notes after the recipe.
Could I make this a day ahead? (E.g. make frosting on Friday, frost cupcakes on Saturday, serve on Sunday) Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Sarah, yes, you could make the frosting ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. You’ll likely want to add a splash of milk/cream and re-whip before using. Enjoy!
Hi! I was wondering how many cupcakes I will be able to frost with this recipe?
Hi River, This recipe is enough to frost 12-16 cupcakes.
OMG! I just made this today to frost cupcakes and it was the best frosting I’ve ever tasted and it was so easy to make! I loved it, it was delicious! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Can you use margarine in place of butter for this recipe or will it affect the consistency?
Hi Dallas, no, we do not recommend using margarine here.
would this butter cream be better than a shortening butter cream under fondant ?
Hi Martha, we don’t work with fondant often, but this can be successfully used under fondant. It does not “crust” as much as buttercream that contains shortening.
Hi there! I will be making a two layer half sheet cake in a 13×18 size pan. Can you recommend a way to figure out the ratios for your frosting on such a large cake? This is my favorite frosting recipe and I’d love to be able to use it on my son’s birthday cake!!
Hi Catherine, doubling the recipe will give you enough for a thin layer on the surface of that cake, so for a layer cake, you’ll likely want 4x the amount for a thin layer. Your mixer may get overwhelmed with that amount of ingredients, so you may find it best to make separate double batches. That way, you can also judge how much more you’ll need before making a mass amount. Hope this helps!
I just made your super moist chocolate cupcakes & I want to frost them this afternoon for my daughter to take to school tomorrow morning; will they be ok in a container on the countertop all evening and overnight and still be good tomorrow at lunch or should I refrigerate them overnight? Thank you so much!
Hi Lauren! After decorating anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, we would refrigerate it. But, use your best judgment and whatever you are comfortable with – we’ve never had any problems leaving frosted desserts at room temperature for a day.
Thank you for this recipe! I’m looking forward to trying it for my son’s birthday party cupcakes on Sunday! I only have a whisking handheld beater, no paddle type. Any advice for this modification? Should I just go out and get a paddle
Hi Mary, a handheld mixer will be just fine with the beater attachments!
Can I use full fat coconut milk in all your recipes of buttercream (the one in the can) instead heavy cream? Thank you
Hi Federica, you can use canned coconut milk in this buttercream recipe in place of the heavy cream.
Good morning. I only need to frost 36 mini cupcakes can I make 1/2 the recipe ?
Hi Maureen, yes, you can halve this recipe.
Can icing sugar be used instead of confectioners sugar?
Hi Matt, confectioners’ sugar and icing sugar are typically one in the same—so yes!