This easy vanilla buttercream recipe is my go-to American buttercream for cakes and cupcakes. It’s rich, creamy, full of vanilla flavor, and less sweet than traditional American buttercream thanks to the perfect balance of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. It has a smooth, spreadable consistency that’s ideal for filling and frosting layer cakes, topping cupcakes, and piping intricate designs. It also firms up in the refrigerator, making it perfect to use as a frosting base under fondant!
One reader, Iqra, says: “I LOVE this recipe, I have been making buttercream for some time now but I wanted to see if I could make it better, creamier and less sweet. And this recipe was just that! It was so creamy, light, fluffy and the perfect amount of sweetness. Best recipe I have found!” ★★★★★
I’ve tested countless buttercream recipes over the years, and this is the vanilla frosting I come back to again and again. It’s simple enough for beginner bakers but versatile enough for detailed cake decorating, and you can easily adjust the consistency depending on how you plan to use it.
Why You’ll Love This Vanilla Buttercream
- Beginner-Friendly. No cooked sugar, egg whites, or complicated techniques necessary here. This vanilla buttercream comes together in minutes with a stand mixer or hand mixer.
- Less Sweet. This recipe uses less powdered sugar than the average American buttercream and balances the sweetness with salt.
- Perfect for Cake Decorating. The consistency of this buttercream is ideal for filling and frosting layer cakes and decorating cupcakes. You can easily adjust the consistency to make it thinner or thicker depending on what you need it for.
- Strong Vanilla Flavor. You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste here, either way you’ll end up with amazing vanilla flavor.
- Easy to Make Ahead. You can make this vanilla frosting up to two weeks ahead of time stored in the refrigerator, or up to two months ahead if you want to freeze it.
Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients
There are just a handful of ingredients you’ll need for this recipe and it’s simple to whip up for people of all skill levels. I’ll explain what role each ingredient plays in the buttercream and any substitutes you can use:
- Unsalted Butter. This is the base of the buttercream and gives the frosting a rich buttery flavor and velvety smooth texture. If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use that instead and omit the salt at the end of the recipe. And if you want a vegan version of this buttercream, you can follow this recipe which uses vegan butter sticks.
- Powdered Sugar. This adds stability to the frosting while sweetening. I like to use less powdered sugar than the average American buttercream so that the frosting doesn’t end up cloyingly sweet, but if you’d like it even less sweet you can reduce the powdered sugar amount by up to ½ cup (60g). Just keep in mind that the consistency of the buttercream will be thinner.
- Vanilla. You can use either vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to flavor the buttercream, and making sure you use a quality brand is one of the secrets to success. You can use any kind of vanilla extract or paste, but my favorite brands are Trader Joe’s and Kirkland Signature (from Costco) for vanilla extract, and Nielsen-Massey for vanilla bean paste. If you’re looking for more flavor options, I have all of my frosting recipes here.
- Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream. This thins out the buttercream while binding all the ingredients together. I like to use a liquid with lots of fat for this part because it makes the final frosting more velvety smooth, so whole milk or heavy whipping cream are my go-to’s. If you’d rather use a dairy-free option you can substitute this with any milk alternative, but keep in mind that the flavor of the liquid will affect the overall frosting flavor.
- Salt. A pinch of salt helps balance the sweetness beautifully.
How to Make Vanilla Buttercream
- Whip the Butter.
- Add the Powdered Sugar
- Add the Vanilla, Milk, and Salt.
- Mix Until Smooth.
How to Make the Right Buttercream Consistency
Depending on what you’re using this vanilla buttercream recipe for, you’ll want to consider the final consistency of the buttercream (in other words, how thick or thin it is). I have a detailed blog post on how to achieve the perfect buttercream consistency if you want additional resources. Here are the 3 types of buttercream consistency and what they’re best used for:
| Buttercream Consistency | Best For | How to Make It |
| Medium Consistency (the recipe as-is) | -Filling and stacking cakes -Crumb coating -Frosting a smooth buttercream finish -Piping a buttercream border -Piping swirls onto cupcakes | Follow the exact recipe below |
| Thin Consistency | -Piping a message with frosting -Buttercream painting -Getting a super smooth final coat of frosting (like what I use in this smooth buttercream hack) | Add one extra tablespoon of whole milk or heavy whipping cream at the end of the recipe |
| Stiff Consistency | -Piping buttercream flowers -Piping intricate designs that need to stand upright against gravity (like ruffles on a lambeth cake) -Piping a really sturdy buttercream dam before filling cakes with a soft filling. | Add extra powdered sugar to the recipe, about 2-3 tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached |
Vanilla Buttercream Tips for Success
This buttercream is simple for anyone to make, but there are a few things to keep in mind when making, storing, and working with it.
- Room Temperature Ingredients. Be sure to use room temperature ingredients. This is important for ingredients to combine and create a smooth consistency. Over the years I’ve found that cutting corners like adding cold milk will create a curdled look in the final frosting because the temperature hinders the ingredients from coming together smoothly. Not the best look! So, take your ingredients like butter and milk out of the refrigerator for about an hour prior to making the frosting.
- Use the Paddle Attachment on Your Stand Mixer. Also known as the flat beater attachment, the paddle attachment is designed to incorporate just the right amount of air into the buttercream. This makes it easier to make smooth buttercream without a ton of air bubbles.
- Whip the Butter for a Long Time. To achieve the smoothest buttercream that’s also nearly white in color, you’ll want to whip the butter for a long time – about 7 minutes. In this amount of time, the butter should go from yellow to almost white and be extra smooth.
- Then Mix Everything Else on Low Speed. After you whip the butter, it’s important to keep the mixer on low speed any time you’re mixing in the additional ingredients. Even though it will take longer to mix the ingredients, keeping the mixer on low speed helps prevent air bubbles from forming in the buttercream.
- Let the Ingredients Fully Combine. After I mix in the final ingredient (salt) I like to run the mixer on low speed for another minute or two to allow everything to combine fully. This gives the powdered sugar time to dissolve as well, so the buttercream will taste smooth and not grainy.
Vanilla Buttercream Troubleshooting + FAQs
- How much buttercream do I need to make for my cake project? It depends! I made this handy chart to help you calculate how many batches of buttercream to make for your specific cake size.
- How do I make my buttercream whiter? This buttercream is pretty white as-is from whipping the butter for so long, but to get it even more white, you’ll either want to add an icing whitener like AmeriColor Bright White or the tiniest amount of purple food coloring (it helps cancel out yellow hues).
- Do I need to sift the powdered sugar? It’s not absolutely required, but to get the smoothest texture for your buttercream, you’ll want to sift the powdered sugar.
- How do I get rid of air bubbles in my frosting? There are a few techniques! I detail them all in this blog post.
- Why is my buttercream grainy? Your powdered sugar isn’t fully dissolved. Keep mixing on low speed until it’s no longer grainy.
- Why does my buttercream look curdled? The most common reason is adding liquid (like the milk in the recipe) that is cold. This seizes up the butter content and creates a curdled look. To fix it, scoop out about ¼ cup of the buttercream and place it into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it for 5-10 seconds, until it’s melted but not hot. Then, mix it into the rest of the buttercream to re-emulsify the separated fats and liquids.
- Why is my buttercream too thin? This recipe will end up thinner than usual if you start with butter that is too soft or your kitchen environment is too warm. In either of these cases, refrigerate the whole bowl of buttercream for 15-20 minutes to let the butter re-solidify slightly, then re-mix with your stand mixer on low speed until smooth.
- Why is my buttercream hard to spread? Sometimes after storing buttercream, it can thicken naturally and become hard to spread when you’re frosting a cake. In this case, I recommend re-mixing on low speed with your stand mixer and adding 1-2 teaspoons of room temperature milk until the consistency is silky and easy to spread.
- How do I store buttercream? Place the buttercream in an airtight container and store at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix with your stand mixer on low speed until smooth. You can also freeze buttercream in a Ziploc bag for up to 2 months, then thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before bringing it back to room temperature and re-mixing until smooth.
Vanilla Buttercream Video Tutorial
This video shows my vanilla buttercream recipe from start to finish and includes all my best tips for success. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for all my latest recipe videos and cake decorating tutorials!
Cake Recipes to Pair with Vanilla Buttercream
The great thing about vanilla buttercream is that it pairs well with pretty much any cake flavor! Here are a few of my favorite recipes to pair it with:
- Vanilla Cake
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Funfetti Sheet Cake
- Funfetti Cupcakes
I hope this vanilla buttercream recipe becomes your new go-to! Let me know what you think in the comments below (be sure to leave a star rating!) and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo.
Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups (420g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp whole milk or heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
- With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
- Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated.
Notes
- Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
- Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe.
Thank you for sharing with us ! If I want to colour this buttercream when do I put the food coloring ? An if I want to taste it for example with Nutella !? Can I do it ? Love from Greece
Hi Efi! If you want to color this buttercream, first make the buttercream, then add the food color gel to it afterwards. You can certainly add Nutella or any other flavorings, but the amounts are going to vary. I do have a recipe for Nutella buttercream here: https://sugarandsparrow.com/pretzel-nutella-cake-recipe/
Hi Whitney! I am baking a cake next week that is 3 layers and 6 inches round. How much of this recipe should I use?
Hi Sophie! I always double this recipe for a three layer 6 inch cake.
I finally succeeded a buttercream perfectly thanks to this recipe. Thank you so much for such a great recipe and instructions. My cake has been stacked and crumb coated with my first batch and I cant wait to make my second batch and using it to make a camo cake.
So happy you love this recipe, Samanatha! That totally makes my day. Thanks for letting me know and good luck on your camo cake!
Does this method work with Swiss or Italian buttercream as well so long as the consistency is correct or does it require the crusting that simple buttercream has?
Hi Amanda. Depends on which method you’re talking about. If it’s filling and frosting a cake, Swiss and Italian buttercreams work just fine. I’m not sure about creating buttercream flowers with either of those buttercreams though. The American buttercream crusts and dries firm, making it easy to work with buttercream flowers. Not sure if Swiss or Italian would do the same.
Hi Whitney! I just finished making this frosting. One quick question… if I’m on a low carb diet can I eat the entire bowl and not worry about my diet? Bahaha!! Just kidding. I crack myself up! It’s a great, easy recipe, love it!
Haha! I’m so happy you love this recipe, Lori!
Hi Whitney!
I’m looking to use this recipe to make some buttercream for a birthday cake, and I was wondering what brand/kind of butter you use? I’ve been doing a lot of research and I’ve heard a lot about European butter & high fat butter. Do you recommend this for this recipe? Is there a specific kind of butter you think is best for this specific recipe?
Hi Abby! I have never tried European/high fat butter before, I always just get mine at Costco (It’s classified as American butter). After doing a little research on European butter, I’m sure it will work just fine in this recipe if you want to use it. I’ve read that it has a tangier taste (which should be counteracted fine with the sugar in this recipe) and yellower hue, so you might end up with a yellower buttercream as a result. Just some things to consider. Let me know if you try it, I’m curious now!
Very well described. Thank you ! What do you suggest if we live in a cold county and the butter has to sit overnight on the counter to come to room temperature? I don’t use microwave. So what’s the best method ?
Thank you in advance.
Hi there! You only really need about 1-2 hours for butter to come to room temp (which should be about 65 degrees), but leaving it out overnight is fine. You can also cut the butter into smaller pieces and it will reach room temp even quicker.
Another question, is it true that colors set better when you add white food coloring and then the color that you want the cake to be ? Been wanting to know this for a while. Thank
You!!!
Adding whitener will just give you a pure white base (as opposed to yellow or off white), so when you add the food color gels, the color ends up being more pure. This buttercream ends up being pretty white as-is (from whipping the butter for so long), so I’ve never had to really add additional whitener to achieve rich colors with it.
First of all, I love you! I have a question, is this buttercream ok to put your white chocolate ganache on?(drip cake) and another question, can I add concentrated oil flavor to the buttercream, for example, strawberry oil flavor? Should
I still add the vanilla extract? Thanks !
Hi Alejandra! You can definitely do a white chocolate ganache drip cake over this buttercream (I do all the time!). Just make sure the buttercream cake is chilled before dripping with the room temp ganache. I’ve never added concentrated oil to buttercream, but if they’re made for flavoring I would add just a little bit at a time until you get the desired taste. I would still add the vanilla extract if it’s a complimentary flavor to the one you want to add.
Hi, I was just wondering how much buttercream I would need to make for a semi-naked cake with four layers?
Thank you so much!!
Hi there! For a 6 or 8 inch four-layer cake, I would make 1.5 batches of this vanilla buttercream recipe. That will be enough to fill the layers and frost them in a semi-naked finish.
Hello Whitney,
Thank you so much for sharing all of your talents.
I tried your medium consistency vanilla buttercream to frost cupcakes. However, I am so slow at frosting that by the time I finish frosting five cupcakes, my hands have heated up the rest of the frosting in the piping bag making the frosting very melty and aesthetically unpleasing. So, I tried adding less to the bag, refrigerated it, whipped it up, and then frosted but then I get these bad ruffley edges for the rosettes. PLEASE HELP. I can’t seem to get the temperature right to frost.
Hi Sam, I have a few tricks for that because it’s happened to me before! Prepare one piping bag by fitting it with the piping tip. Then, fill a second piping bag with the frosting, snip off the end, and place it inside the piping bag with the piping tip. This will help prevent the frosting inside from heating up too quickly. Also, try running your hands under cold water and drying them off before piping. This will slow down the process of your hands getting too hot. Between those two things, I think you can buy yourself lots of extra time for piping those cupcakes!
Hi Whitney! Can i use 1/2 cup margarine and 1/2 cup shortening?
Hi Roneth! I’ve never tried this recipe with margarine, but I have tried it with half butter and half shortening (which works great!). I’d say give it a try, but I can’t recommend it confidently since I don’t know how it will turn out with margarine.
I’ve used stick margarine instead of unsalted butter. DO NOT used Country Crock or any whipped margarine. It’s always better with real butter. I generally use half butter and half Crisco because it’s more stable. For decorating I sub all Crisco.
How much buttercream you use for a cake? To decorate it
Hi Alia! It depends on the size of the cake. For a three-layer 6 inch cake (the most common size I make), I double this vanilla buttercream recipe.
Do you have a butter brand preference?
Hi Daniela! I don’t really have a butter preference, I just buy unsalted butter in bulk from Costco (their brand).
Interesting! I have not bought the Costco butter because it says sweet cream and I thought that was different. Did you use Costco butter for your vanilla cake too?
Hi, could you explain what Tbsp mean? I cant find it in the dictionary 🙂
Hi Kasia! Tbsp = tablespoon.