This Homemade American Buttercream is super easy to make and uses only 4 ingredients! You can spread it or pipe it on top of cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more.
This is my go-to recipe for homemade buttercream for a few reasons. It's actually not incredibly sweet like most American buttercreams are, it's soft and fluffy, and it spreads or pipes really easily! We make a huge batch that can stretch, or you can freeze any extras for future use.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving (2.5 cups): $1.24
- Total Cost (5 cups): $2.48
- Those Other Guys: $8.99 for 5 cups of buttercream
Ingredients
- Butter - Use softened, room temperature butter. I've used both salted and unsalted with no issues.
- Powdered Sugar - Just enough to sweeten the frosting, but not too much where it's sickly sweet!
- Vanilla Extract - Clear vanilla will give you the whitest shade of icing. Regular vanilla is fine to use in a pinch.
- Salt - Added to cut some of the sweetness of the icing.
Variations and Substitutions
Chocolate American Buttercream: Add some unsweetened cocoa powder to the mixing bowl.
Strawberry Buttercream: Blend up some freeze-dried strawberries to a powder and add to our recipe. This one has no artificial colors or flavors!
Cream Cheese Frosting: This one is a bit tangy and usually thicker than regular buttercream. It goes so well on top of red velvet cake or my Carrot Cake Baked Oats.
Royal Icing: If you're looking for something a bit more sturdy (like for decorated sugar cookies) try my Easy Royal Icing!
Flavored Buttercream: Instead of vanilla extract, add in a bit of lemon or orange extract for a fun flavor twist.
How to Make a Foolproof American Buttercream
Honestly, the stand mixer does all of the work.
- You want to whisk softened butter until really light yellow in color - 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar, and salt; beat again on low speed for another 3 to 5 minutes so the sugar is fully incorporated.
- I always let my buttercream firm up by leaving it on the counter (in a sealed container) overnight. It's that simple!
Recipe Pro Tip
- Make sure to whisk on low! This helps get rid of the air bubbles in the frosting.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this frosting colors easily. Add gel food coloring to get your preferred shade. As a reminder: the icing will deepen in color after it sits for awhile.
Yes; you can add the buttercream (colored or plain white) to an airtight freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to decorate, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, mix the buttercream by hand for a few minutes to get the texture how you want it. Add to frosting bags, and pipe as normal.
This recipe is not overly sweet like most buttercream recipes that use a 1:1 ratio of butter to powdered sugar.
However, for an even lesser sweet option: try Swiss Merengue Buttercream instead!
Take your spatula and "mash" the frosting against the side of the bowl over and over to pop those bubbles.
In addition, be sure that you're following the recipe instructions and mixing for most of the time on low speed.
Recipes to Use With Buttercream:
If you tried this Homemade Buttercream Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Buttercream
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Paddle Attachment for Mixer
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter (4 sticks) softened
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, whip the softened butter with a paddle attachment on medium speed for 3 minutes, followed by low speed for the next 12-17 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the bowl down halfway into the mixing time.It should be white in color and silky smooth.2 cups butter
- Pour in the vanilla extract and salt.Add the powdered sugar a little at a time to avoid big clouds of dust.4 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon salt, 8 ounces powdered sugar
- Continue mixing on low speed for another 3 - 5 minutes, ensuring all of the sugar is fully incorporated.
- That's it! Let the buttercream set on the counter (in a covered bowl) to continue to firm up. Enjoy!
Dana says
All my buttercreams before tasted like just straight butter. Thank you for making a recipe that isn't overly sweet, but tastes like actual icing!
Shani H. says
Thank you for leaving a review Dana!