Cupcakes/ Frostings & Sauces

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

April 11, 2022

This is my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting recipe – fluffy, creamy, and velvety-smooth, this frosting is not overly sweet. It’s the perfect buttercream frosting recipe for cake decorating and cupcakes. And the best part? It’s so easy to make!

Vanilla Cupcakes

A fluffy, classic buttercream recipe is essential for any baker. Just like swiss meringue buttercream, buttercream is extremely versatile because you can flavor it with almost anything (think chocolate, peanut butter, jam, the possibilities are endless) and it can be used to top any dessert, like white cake, funfetti cupcakes, or even cocoa brownies.

While there are only a few ingredients in vanilla buttercream, each recipe varies slightly in how much of each it calls for. I usually find classic vanilla buttercream recipes to be a bit too sweet, so I add a pinch of salt and lemon juice to cut down on some of that sweetness.

How to make vanilla buttercream frosting

  1. Cream butter and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add sifted powdered sugar. Pour in half the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Then, add the second half and combine.
  3. Add cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes until fluffy.

Baker’s tip: Feel free to add more and less sugar, depending on how sweet you like your buttercream frosting. You can also replace the paddle attachment with the whisk attachment if you want extra light, fluffy, and whipped frosting.

How to use vanilla buttercream

Vanilla buttercream is the perfect topping for all kinds of cakes and cupcakes. You can use a piping bag with a piping tip to create beautiful swirls, or simply use a large spoon, knife, or spatula to spread it on cakes.

Here are some of my favorite cakes to frost with vanilla buttercream:

Does vanilla buttercream need to be refrigerated?

If you want to make the frosting ahead of time, store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Before using, bring to room temperature and mix it up with a whisk or electric mixer.

If you’re making cupcakes, frosted cupcakes can be made one day ahead, covered, and stored at room temperature. It’s safe to keep it at room temperature because the butter and cream are stabilized by the large amount of sugar. If you intend to keep cupcakes or cake for longer than a day, store in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.

4.95 from 17 votes
Basic Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
Prep Time: 10 mins
YIELD: 2 .5 cups
 

This rich and creamy vanilla buttercream recipe makes enough to frost 16-24 cupcakes, depending on how generous you are with the frosting. For a 9-inch layer cake, multiply the recipe by 1½.


Ingredients
  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted, plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until combined, then add another 2 cups, and beat until completely smooth. Add cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until fluffy. Beat in more sugar as needed, until desired consistency (thick enough to pipe).
Recipe Notes

*Salt and lemon juice are added to cut sweetness and are optional. Depending on your personal taste, you can add more or leave out entirely.

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71 Comments

  • Reply
    Marta
    March 5, 2016 at 11:37 pm

    I made this buttercream and it came out perfect for piping. I would like to use this recipe but with chocolate. Can I add cocoa if so how much?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      March 6, 2016 at 6:37 am

      Hi Marta! For my favorite chocolate frosting click here. It’s a bit softer but also great for piping. If you still want to try using this recipe – add to it unsweetened cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate (and I suggest to also reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon and skip the lemon juice).

  • Reply
    Jezenia
    March 27, 2016 at 7:44 pm

    Will the lemon juice make the frosting tangy?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      March 28, 2016 at 4:06 am

      Both salt and lemon juice are added to cut sweetness and are optional. You won’t be able to taste the lemon juice in the frosting.

  • Reply
    Bea
    April 24, 2016 at 4:16 pm

    I want to use this frosting recipe for a two layered cake, but I’m not sure if this quantity will be enough. Should I double the recipe?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      April 25, 2016 at 6:56 am

      Yes, you should double the recipe 🙂

  • Reply
    Yolanda
    October 4, 2016 at 5:35 pm

    I will be trying this recipe tomorrow night with your chocolate cupcakes. I’m doing a test run for my son’s birthday party in two weeks. Do you have any other recipes where the frosting isn’t too sweet. I find buttercream way way too sweet so I’m excited to give this a try. Also, can cupcakes sit at room temperature once frosted with this?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      October 5, 2016 at 6:10 am

      Hi Yolanda, classic buttercream is indeed sweet, but I add a bit of salt and lemon juice to cut down on some of the sweetness. My recipe for cream cheese frosting is a bit less sweet and tastes amazing if you prefer to try it.

  • Reply
    Korina
    December 19, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    hi just out of curiosity how do you get the little black specks in the icing ?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      December 21, 2016 at 8:00 am

      Hi Korina, sometimes I use vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract. The seeds are these little specks.

      • Reply
        Sydni
        December 3, 2020 at 9:31 am

        Hi – What would the substitute amount be for vanilla bean vs extract?

        • Reply
          Shiran
          December 6, 2020 at 6:27 am

          Hi Sydni, it depends on the size of the vanilla bean. I usually use about 1/2 vanilla bean for 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

          • sydni
            December 8, 2020 at 4:31 pm

            thanks! I made the vanilla cupcakes/buttercream this past weekend and found vanilla beans at whole foods. The jar gave teaspoon measurements for the size of the beans. The cake needed 1/3 of the bean and the frosting called for the rest, so used 1 bean total. It turned out soooo good! Def worth the price of the vanilla beans and could taste the difference, and loved the black specks!

  • Reply
    Alyssa
    April 12, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    Should I double the recipe if I’m making a 2 layer 8 inch round cake?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      April 14, 2017 at 6:40 am

      Yes, you should double the ingredients.

  • Reply
    Iqra Aslam
    August 18, 2017 at 8:04 am

    Hi Shiran
    I am using your chocolate cake recipe to make a 3 layer 6inch cake. Would you recommend that I double or triple this recipe to fill and frost my cake?
    Thank you! Love your recipes
    Iqra x

    • Reply
      Shiran
      August 20, 2017 at 6:20 am

      Thank you so much Iqra! I suggest to triple this recipe so you’ll have enough frosting. I hope you enjoy it!

  • Reply
    Elena
    October 26, 2017 at 4:48 pm

    How long will this stay in the fridge….need to make a few days ahead for convenience

    • Reply
      Shiran
      October 29, 2017 at 6:41 am

      Hi Elena, the frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before using, bring it to room temperature and mix until smooth.

  • Reply
    Jillian Dee
    June 9, 2018 at 5:40 pm

    Hi! I was curious as to how long this recipe could be frozen. I made it too soon and it’ll be a week until I need it

    • Reply
      Shiran
      June 10, 2018 at 7:58 am

      Hi Jillian , cover it well and freeze it. Place it in the fridge the night before you want to use it, then place at room temperature for 1-2 hours until it’s at room temperature. Then whisk it well until smooth.

  • Reply
    Lillian Leidner
    June 24, 2018 at 4:28 am

    I’d like to try the vanilla buttercream with lemon juice , as I think mine is too sweet. How is it that you can add lemon with cream and it doesn’t curdle? Also, would this work in hot weather if I added some meringue powder?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      June 24, 2018 at 11:19 am

      Hi Lillian, the frosting won’t curdle, it should be smooth and creamy. I haven’t tested it with meringue powder, but this frosting is quite stiff, and you can always add more powdered sugar (that’s why buttercream is sweet). I make these cupcakes in summer, and the frosting holds its shape well unrefrigerated. Just try to avoid direct heat or sunlight.

  • Reply
    Chloe
    July 31, 2018 at 2:56 am

    Hello whay can i substitute for heavy cream? Thank you.

    • Reply
      Shiran
      July 31, 2018 at 6:22 am

      Heavy cream is my favorite, but you can use a bit of whole milk instead or leave it out completely.

  • Reply
    Anne-Marie
    October 26, 2018 at 9:01 am

    Hi Shiran,

    How many cupcakes can this recipe frost? I need to make 36 cupcakes.

    Thanks!

    • Reply
      Shiran
      October 28, 2018 at 9:55 am

      Hi Anne-Marie, it’s mentioned in the recipe. 16-24 cupcakes, depending on how much frosting you use.

    • Reply
      Tilde
      December 22, 2020 at 8:21 pm

      Why isn’t my frosting white? It was slightly light buttery in color.

  • Reply
    Lindsay
    November 2, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    I just made this for pumpkin whoopie pie filling and it is wonderful! I did add cinnamon to it and it worked really well; I think this will be my new go to filling. Thank you for the recipe!

  • Reply
    Antonio
    November 13, 2018 at 10:34 pm

    Hello Shiran

    I am planing to make 24 cupcakes with buttercream frosting and use fondant to make some unicorn decorations for my friend kid ‘s birthday. The party is on Saturday but my friend wants to pick them up Friday at 6pm , now is it okay for the cupcakes to be in the refrigerator till the party starts?

  • Reply
    Antonio
    November 13, 2018 at 10:45 pm

    Hi shiran

    I am planing to make 24 cupcakes with buttercream frosting and some fondant unicorn decoration for my friend kid’s birthday party. The party is on Saturday but I am going to frost the cupcakes on Friday because she wants to pick them up on Friday night. My question is if is okay for her to keep the cupcakes in the refrigerator till the party starts?

    Thank you, hope to hear from you

    • Reply
      Shiran
      November 17, 2018 at 1:39 pm

      Hi Antonio, it’s ok to keep the cupcakes in the fridge for a day or two, but I recommend adding the fondant later (when they’re at room temperature), because it’s not recommended to keep fondant in the fridge. It will be ok if you’re adding it as a small decoration.

  • Reply
    Tricia Poitras
    December 6, 2018 at 10:34 pm

    Hi Shiran,
    I made Red Velvet cupcakes and Cream Cheese frosting last Sat but did not get to frost them. I would very much like to use the frosting that has been refrigerated. It would be 11 days surely cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar would last and be usable? Thank you

    • Reply
      Shiran
      December 9, 2018 at 11:15 am

      Hi Tricia , the frosting will keep for 3 days in the fridge. If you want to keep it a while longer, you can freeze it, and then thaw it overnight in the fridge.

  • Reply
    Jennifer
    March 1, 2019 at 1:17 pm

    So perfect! This recipe has become my go-to for all of my baking. Thank you!!

  • Reply
    Marisa
    April 30, 2019 at 10:59 pm

    How much cupcakes can this recipe frost, i need 20 cupcakes

  • Reply
    Mary
    May 17, 2019 at 9:19 am

    I am going to make a 2 tier cake, 3 layers each. 6 in on top and 10 for bottom. It will be a naked cake. Should I triple it or more.

  • Reply
    Chelsea
    May 22, 2019 at 7:48 pm

    Hey Shiran, I’m thinking about doing a bake sale and I’m wondering if I can add orange juice to the frosting to make it orange sickle flavored, will it make it too watery? Looks good!

  • Reply
    Chantal
    June 29, 2019 at 9:40 am

    I’ve used this recipe previously and it was amazing! I’ve since gone dairy free, do you have any experience substituting the dairy ingredients for non dairy?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      July 1, 2019 at 4:10 am

      I don’t 🙁 Sorry!

    • Reply
      Raina Saul
      October 10, 2020 at 3:03 pm

      Hi Chantal, im vegan so i use earth balance for butter sub. I use a soy cream for the cream, but if you cant find that you could use coconut cream. Good luck!!

  • Reply
    Sophia
    July 7, 2019 at 2:45 pm

    Great recipe! I made it as a present with the vanilla cupcakes and everybody loved it! Thank you!

  • Reply
    Jenna
    July 18, 2019 at 8:02 pm

    What is meant by “heavy cream”?

    • Reply
      Maryam
      April 30, 2020 at 5:25 am

      Heavy cream is also known as whipping cream or double cream.

  • Reply
    Maryam
    August 29, 2019 at 3:53 pm

    I made this basic frosting with the vanilla cupcakes and the frosting came out great! I changed it to lemon flavoured frosting by adding some lemon juice( more than what was written in the recipe). It was super easy to make!!

  • Reply
    Lindsay Ramirez
    May 4, 2020 at 10:15 pm

    I want to use this frosting and add strawberry jam of some sort and to put it on the cale so how woulf I augment the recipe?kmmoo

  • Reply
    Allison
    May 6, 2020 at 5:15 pm

    Incredible! I have been using the same American buttercream recipe for years and have been trying to make it less sweet tasting and the addition of the lemon juice had been the answer all along! This is now my new go-to for buttercream!

  • Reply
    Joycelyn
    June 24, 2020 at 1:53 pm

    Hi Shiran ,

    Im making sunflower cupcakes for a little girls 1st birthday ill be making about 30 of them on Sunday July 5th. Should i stick with making the buttercream and store it for 3 days? ive noticed that sometimes the fridge has melted away my store bought whipped frosting decor on previous cupcakes that i had to redo. Unless you have suggestions on how to make the buttercream stabilize or stiffer so it could last for that day im not sure if they will keep the cupcakes out or if they will place them in the fridge.

    • Reply
      Shiran
      June 29, 2020 at 2:25 am

      Hi Joycelyn, you can store the buttercream in the fridge, that’s not a problem. Before using, bring it to room temperature, whisk it by hand until it’s creamy and then use it. This buttercream is stable and should keep well outside, but if the weather is humid, you can always add more powdered sugar to the recipe until the frosting is stiff as you wish.

  • Reply
    Jill
    July 18, 2020 at 12:14 am

    Wow this came out great! The lemon juice gives it a cream cheese vibe and does a good job cutting the cloying sweetness of some buttercream. This amount filled my 16 woopie pies perfectly. Excellent recipe, thank you!

  • Reply
    linda
    July 31, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    Hi Can I use cooking cream(35%) instead of heavy cream?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      August 20, 2020 at 5:45 am

      35% cream is great 🙂

  • Reply
    Olivia Sweeney
    August 2, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    Hi, I used this recipe for cupcakes and I found that the frosting only tastes like the powdered sugar I used. It’s a very sweet and distinct flavor so I was wondering if you have a powdered sugar brand that you prefer to use. Thank you!

    • Reply
      Shiran
      August 24, 2020 at 2:31 am

      Hi Olivia 🙂 I don’t have a specific brand that I use. Buttercream frosing is very sweet, and it should taste like butter and sugar. You can try to sift the powdered sugar twice to make sure it melts into the butter.

  • Reply
    Kate
    August 12, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    Whipping cream is same as heavy cream?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      August 20, 2020 at 5:35 am

      They’re essentially the same thing, yes.

  • Reply
    Ragan
    August 23, 2020 at 1:38 pm

    This frosting is wonderful if you don’t use a lot! It seems very sweet to me, but that could be because I haven’t been eating a lot of sugar lately 🙂

    Do you have the “nutrition” facts for it?

  • Reply
    Lisa
    September 8, 2020 at 7:11 am

    I just had to write and say I dont really like buttercream frosting. But I made this recipe and I loved it! It tasted amazing! Melt in your mouth creamy and not sweet. Very pleasant. I’ll be making this for my kids birthday. Thank you ! :))

  • Reply
    Esmu
    October 7, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    Although still sweet, the icing wasn’t sickly sweet. Very creamy and smooth! (I reckon thanks to the cream. 😊)
    I’ve been looking long and hard for a buttercream icing recipe that I really like. I think I found it. Thank you for sharing

  • Reply
    Emily
    June 28, 2021 at 7:51 pm

    It was perfect! Very pipeable, held it’s shape well, and set nicely! I added a smidge of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and it wasn’t very sweet at all! I will say that at the last minute, I decided I needed more and didn’t have any more butter softened, so I added in a bit of shortening and extra powdered sugar. Oh, and I used vanilla bean paste to add a few specks!

  • Reply
    Anna
    July 7, 2021 at 2:00 pm

    Excellent, light and fluffy buttercream! I haven’t used lemon juice in buttercream before; but you couldn’t taste it which was good. It was a bit sweet for me so I’ll try a little more lemon juice next time.

  • Reply
    great baker
    July 23, 2021 at 12:31 am

    yum! best cupcakes ever so delicous

  • Reply
    great baker
    July 23, 2021 at 12:32 am

    yum! best recipe ever

  • Reply
    Ryleigh
    July 23, 2021 at 7:49 pm

    This is the BEST vanilla buttercream recipe ever. For years I have been searching for a good recipe for piping that isn’t too sweet and I finally found the one! I’d give this 10/5 stars if I could!!

  • Reply
    Iris Janga
    October 17, 2021 at 4:46 pm

    Hi ShIrani can I add strawberry or cherry extract to the recipe? If yes, how much?

    • Reply
      Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
      October 21, 2021 at 10:27 am

      Hi Iris, you can add any flavoring to this type of buttercream. I would start with a teaspoon and then add more depending on how strong you want the flavor.

  • Reply
    Courtney
    November 3, 2021 at 12:12 pm

    Hi Shiran is buttercream good to use in macaroons.

    • Reply
      Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
      November 7, 2021 at 10:35 am

      Hi Courtney, yes buttercream makes a delicious filling for macarons!

  • Reply
    Beverly Mae Nisbeth
    November 24, 2021 at 6:52 am

    Can I make this a pourable glaze instead of a frosting?

    • Reply
      Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
      November 24, 2021 at 10:57 pm

      Hi Beverly, this frosting won’t work as a glaze. You can make an easy glaze using sifted powdered sugar and add a bit of milk to it until it is glaze-consistency. You could also look up recipes for chocolate glaze (or even white chocolate if you wanted to keep the white color).

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