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.
Nutrition
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I was so discouraged after making my first buttercream (random recipe) in my new mixer. It was heavy and waaaaaaaay to sweet, I actually had to toss it because the smell made me nauseous. And then I found this recipe, and it has changed my baking life. This frosting was so easy, and RIDICULOUSLY fluffy. And Not. Too. Sweet. It reminds me of the frosting found on sheet cakes at publix, but better. I could eat that stuff out of a bucket. Its airy, creamy, has a little touch of sweet that is PERFECT. I didnt think frosting could get this perfect without doing some fancy egg white thing like on food network. I cannot rave enough, this frosting needs to be the standard for anyone who eats buttercream on stuff. This recipe is magical. Thank you for sharing.
I’m looking for a frosting recipe that I can put on a cake to look fluffy like a cloud similar to the 7 minute frosting. Would the consistency of this frosting be able to look like this? Thanks in advance
No, I don’t think it will look like the 7-minute frosting, sorry!
Can I use this to make a multi-layer. cake? Is it too fluffy that the frosting layers will collapse? How is this with crumb coating? Thanks
I believe a multi-layer cake would work well with this frosting. I’ve never crumb coated with it, but I think it would work perfectly!
It works great on layer cakes. I used it for several and it was a hit. 🙂 I do leave out the milk though when using it on a cake so its a bit stiffer.
Can I use this to pipe cupcakes? I need it a bit stiff and not too soft.
I piped the cupcakes in the post with it. It is still light and fluffy though, it will not be stiff.
I replaced milk with whipping cream. Delish!
Hello,
Can I use this frosting under fondant?
I’m sorry I’ve never tried
This looks and sounds similar to the frosting I made in the 60’s. We would make it, get Ritz Crackers and use it as a dip. Mildly sweet, creamy and never was any left after 3 of us kids (early teens) had our fill. Crackers didn’t get eaten as fast as that frosting! Old memories.
Can u double this recipe
yes!
I substituted twice the amount of Bailey’s Irish Cream for the milk for St. Patrick’s Day – heavenly! Agreed, it’s a little tedious but the texture is totally worth it. I’ll never make it the old way again.
This recipe was great and turned out just as described. I used elec hand mixer and still got great results, and decided to use almond extract for mine. It’s a little more flavorful than vanilla extract…
I highly recommend this recipe and have added it to my own list of favorites. Thanks for posting this!
How many cups of frosting does this recipe make?
I’ve just made this using a hand mixer and half the quantity. It was definitely the best buttercream that I have ever made. It was fluffy, not too sickly sweet and piped beautifully. THANK YOU!
This was the best buttercream I’ve ever made! It was pure white even with me having used dark vanilla extract, it didn’t feel heavy and greasy, and it had a surprisingly similar texture to whipped cream. That said, I did think it was too sweet. I tried, but couldn’t get myself to finish my slice of cake. That is a personal/cultural thing, though; buttercream isn’t very popular where I’m from and we eat sugar with lots of moderation – with this in mind, I can confidently say that this is the best buttercream recipe out there. I’ll definitely be making this again – just with a tad bit less sugar. Thank you!
What kind of milk? Does that make a difference?
As long as it’s a liquid, it will work
Great texture and taste, it went perfectly with my cake!
Perfect buttercream! Thank you!
Can I replace the unsalted butter with butter Crisco?
I’ve never tried, sorry!
Hello! Do you know if some butters are whiter than others? Everytime I make buttercream it looks creamy from the butter – never white like this! I am so excited to try this recipe.
It might be more of a yellowish if you use a premium butter. To get it bright white you can put a teenie tiny bit of violet gel food coloring in it.
Como se comporta al decorar una tarta y se coloca al aire libre a temperatura altas, como a 85°.
Gracias por compartir su receta.
Ive used this recipe within the last two months a few times. The last time i made a cake (last week) my mom says to me “keep this recipe its good!” Shes very honest when it comes to my baking and if you live in the south theres a grocery store called publix This reminds me of the icing they use on their cake. This will be my go to from now on. Give it a try , you wont regret it.
Would love to try this recipe for my son’s birthday cupcakes. Could you add food colouring to it?
Yes, food coloring works perfectly.