The Best Fluffy Buttercream Frosting, light as air and not too sweet. Perfect topping for cupcakes, cakes, and cookies, an all-purpose frosting for your baking needs!
If you haven’t tried my Buttercream Frosting, now is the time. This is one of the best and most all-purpose frostings that you will come across.
I read a lot before coming up with this recipe about people and their love for buttercream frosting and also bad things about it not working out properly.
I’ve seen the same complaints about these points on different occasions; sometimes it just comes out overly sweet. Other times it is too thick or even too runny.
BUT, I finally put together the best (to me and quite a few in the comments below, thanks guys!) recipe for the Best Fluffy Buttercream Frosting.
We have been making this frosting for many years now and it has yet to fail us, it is our go-to frosting for pretty much anything and we rarely stray from it unless it’s a different type.
This Buttercream Frosting is just light, fluffy, airy, and absolutely delicious, it has the perfect balance of flavors that you will absolutely come to love.
Some of my other favorite frostings that we have on our site include Chocolate Malt Buttercream Frosting, Brown Sugar Frosting and Cream Cheese Frosting.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With only 5 staple ingredients it is super easy to put together.
- You can halve or double this batch depending on your frostings needs.
- This works on all different types of desserts and is very stable and perfect for piping, frosting, or filling.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
Salt
Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Milk
HOW TO MAKE FLUFFY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
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Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth and fluffy, about a minute.
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Add the sifted powdered sugar a spoonful at a time over medium-low speed. Keep doing this until all of the sugar is added, scraping down the sides as necessary.
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Add the salt and stir to combine,
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Next add in the vanilla and again stir to combine.
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Lastly add the milk and whip the frosting for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
It reminds me a lot of that whipped frosting you can get on cakes at the grocery store. Those are normally made with whipping cream but not this one.
This has traditional Buttercream ingredients but I think what really sets it apart is the way you add everything into the mixing bowl.
Butter. Powdered Sugar. Vanilla. Milk and a pinch of salt… that’s it! Easy. I really took my time to perfect this buttercream frosting recipe and I hope you enjoy it too!
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING LESS SWEET?
When baking it is very important to always use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated in a recipe. But, the addition of salt to recipes is what helps to counteract the sweetness.
So, use that unsalted butter for this recipe BUT, make sure to add in just a pinch of kosher salt. Not too sweet, not salty at all, just the perfect Buttercream Frosting!
TOOLS USED TO MAKE FLUFFY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Now while we like to use a stand mixer, this can be made with a hand-mixer as well if you do not own a stand mixer. We have made it several times with a hand mixer.
While the paddle attachment is nice, we realize that not everyone has the luxury of owning a stand mixer, so do not fret! You can use a hand-mixer for this recipe, it will just take a little longer.
WHY DO YOU SIFT THE POWDERED SUGAR?
Powdered sugar absorbs moisture from the air, forming hardened lumps so you will usually see those lumps in the bag or in a storage container. That can affect the texture of your frosting. Sifting removes the lumps and makes the powdered sugar fluffier by adding air into the sugar itself.
HOW TO STORE:
There are many ways to store this Fluffy Buttercream frosting:
Refrigerator:
If you are not going to frost your cake, cupcakes, or cookies right away, place the Buttercream in an air-tight container. Place the container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Warning though, since there is butter in the recipe, the frosting will harden up. Let the frosting warm up a little and place it back into the stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy again. This will only take a minute or two.
You can store your Buttercream Frosting in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Room Temperature:
This is a great debate. Once you make and decorate with buttercream frosting for cupcakes or cakes, what do you do with them?
Do they need to be refrigerated or can they stay on the counter? That is a question that we get a lot from people!
Even though buttercream icing has both butter and milk in it, it can stay at room temperature for two to three days according to the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Services. It can stay out because of the high amount of sugar in the frosting.
Freezer:
Buttercream Frosting store perfectly well in the freezer, if you are making ahead of time for later use or if you have some leftover just place it in an airtight container and it should keep for up to 3 months.
To defrost you can remove it to the refrigerator or to the countertop depending on when you are going to be using it!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Use only unsalted butter for buttercream and add actual salt in, this balances out the flavor.
- Sifting your powdered sugar is a must, it helps add the air and fluffiness you want to achieve when making this recipe.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- This is an all-purpose Buttercream Frosting, it can be used for piping, frosting, filling, etc.
If you’ve been searching high and low for that perfect Fluffy Buttercream Frosting look no further! You have to make this recipe ASAP and you will see why all the reviews are amazing!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
- Chocolate Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting
- Maple Buttercream Frosting
- Almond Cupcakes wit Fresh Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
If you’ve tried THE BEST FLUFFY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
The Best Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 Cup unsalted butter, softened or 2 sticks
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or clear vanilla extract* or extract flavor of your choice
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth and fluffy, about a minute.
- Add the sifted powdered sugar a spoonful at a time over medium-low speed. Keep doing this until all of the sugar is added, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Add the salt and stir to combine.
- Next add the vanilla and again, stir to combine.
- Lastly Add the milk and whip the frosting for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use clear vanilla if you want a pure white buttercream. Use vanilla bean paste if you love those little black flecks like I do!
- Use only unsalted butter for buttercream and add actual salt in, this balances out the flavor.
- Sifting your powdered sugar is a must, it helps add the air and fluffiness you want to achieve when making this recipe.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- This is an all-purpose Buttercream Frosting, it can be used for piping, frosting, filling, etc.
Comments & Reviews
Robin Gagnon says
This is just the way I like my buttercream!
Sandi says
I thought that was whipped cream at first too…it is super fluffy!
Vera Hollingsworth says
Im making my daughters baby shower cake and I’m wondering if the frosting can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until I’m ready to use it?
Dana DeVolk says
Hi Vera, yes it can be made ahead of time. I wouldn’t make it more than 2 days in advance though. After refrigeration, you will most likely need to whip it again because in the fridge it will get super stiff from all the butter.
Kelly says
Best buttercream icing I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing Dana!
Dana DeVolk says
I’m so glad you liked it, thanks so much!!
Dale says
I recently made this and it is the fluffiest most delicious buttercream I’ve ever tried!
Charlee says
Will this buttercream stay soft to the touch or does it crust? Thanks!
Dana DeVolk says
It stays soft, here is a recipe for crusting buttercream from I Am Baker: https://iambaker.net/the-perfect-crusting-buttercream/
Jessica says
I was a bit skeptical that it would be any better/different from my grandmother’s tried n’true….. but WOW!! Thanks for sharing! I 1/2’d the recipe and it was perfect for a 13×9 cake.
Dana DeVolk says
YAY!! I’m so happy to hear your results, thanks so much, Jessica!
Kim says
Can you use half butter half shortening
Dana DeVolk says
I’m sure you can, but I have never tried it. I’m not sure if the texture would be the same.
Lydia says
Can this be used to layer cakes. I am doing my daughter’s first birthday cake and want a light raspberry butter cream filling. Will it hold the layers in place? How much raspberry syrup should I add?
Dana DeVolk says
I wouldn’t recommend using this between layers, it would be good as the final frosting after the crumb coat though. If you want to flavor this like raspberry, I would use pure raspberry extract, that way it will not thin the frosting like a syrup would. Add just a teaspoon, taste, then add more to your preference.
Kim says
I’m not an avid baker so this might be a silly question. I did see that you said this frosting can be made in advance, and that if you store it in the fridge you’ll have to whip it again before using it, due to hardening from the butter. My question is, can I frost and decorate the cake (put writing on it) the night before and it be eaten the next day? I’m wondering if it will hold up and if the cake should be refrigerated. Thanks 🙂
Allison says
Can this be used to pipe cupcakes and to pipe a cake? Will it hold up or is it too soft to hold its shape?
Dana DeVolk says
They will hold their shape. All the photos were made with the buttercream, so you can see it will hold well! Thanks for asking 🙂
Simang'aliso says
Hi…I cant wait to try it out…I wanna ask…the recipe says ‘1 Cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened’ Does this mean 1 cup and 2 sticks or is it 1 cup or 2 sticks?
I wanna try it out this weekend. Please let me know.
Thankx
Dana DeVolk says
It’s 1 cup OR 2 sticks, I will clarify in the recipe now, thanks!