Lemon Buttercream Frosting

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This lemon buttercream frosting is easy to make with 7 ingredients in 5 minutes. It’s sweet with a bold lemon flavor and perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, and cookies!

Lemon Buttercream Frosting piped on top of cupcakes

Sometimes I create a recipe and believe that I struck gold – and that’s exactly how I feel about this lemon buttercream frosting.

It is bright with a bold lemon flavor that keeps it from being overly sweet.

It’s irresistibly delicious piped onto vanilla cupcakes and lemon cupcakes or slathered yellow cake, lemon poppy seed cake, and lemon cookies.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting being piped on top of a cupcake with a pastry bag

Lemon Buttercream: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead photo of the ingredients in this lemon buttercream frosting recipe
  • Lemon Juice. Use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
  • Lemon Zest. Zest is optional, but recommended for the strongest lemon flavor.
  • Whole Milk. Half and half or heavy cream are both good substitutes for whole milk.
  • Salted butter. unsalted butter works well in place of salted butter.
  • Vanilla extract. the seeds of 1 vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste are good substitutes.
  • Fine sea salt: just a pinch of salt brings out the flavor of the strawberry frosting!
  • Powdered sugar. You can make your own refined-sugar free powdered sugar.
lemon frosting piped on top of a cupcake with a text taken out of it

How to Make Lemon Frosting

First, add the butter, lemon juice, vanilla milk sea salt and 1 cup powdered sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or to a large bowl (to beat with a handheld mixer).

ingredients in a mixing bowl to make lemon frosting

Then, beat until the mixture is smooth.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting in a mixing bowl

Next, add the remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.

powdered sugar being added to Lemon Buttercream Frosting in a mixing bowl

Note: You can choose the consistency of your frosting. Less powdered sugar will make it less firm, and perfect for a cake filling.

Adding more powdered sugar will make it thicker and firmer so it holds up to piping!

Then, if desired, beat in the lemon zest. This intensifies the lemon flavor, so I suggest tasting the frosting first before adding it!

lemon zest being added to lemon frosting
Lemon Buttercream Frosting in a standing mixer

Serve

Here are some suggested uses for this lemon frosting recipe:

lemon buttercream frosting being piped onto a cupcake

Store/Freeze

Store leftover lemon frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for 2 months. I often store/freeze it in the piping bag.

Let the frosting come to room temperature before using. Make sure to be patient and do not microwave the frosting.

You may need to beat it with additional powdered sugar to make it firm again.

lemon buttercream frosting on top of 4 cupcakes

Lemon Buttercream Frosting Recipe FAQs

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, this recipe is easily doubled to frost or fill a large cake.

Can you blend sugar to make powdered sugar?

Yes. Making your own powdered sugar is very easy. You can follow this healthy powdered sugar recipe (which uses coconut sugar) and use any granulated sugar you’d prefer.

Can I use lemon extract instead of lemon juice?

Yes, start with ½ tsp of extract and add more to reach your desired flavor.

lemon frosting on top of 3 cupcakes

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Laura
This lemon buttercream frosting is easy to make with 7ingredients in 5 minutes. It’s sweet with a bold lemon flavor and perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, and cookies!
5 from 2 votes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 188
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together the butter, lemon juice, vanilla milk sea salt and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth.
  • Add remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
  • Beat in lemon zest.
  • Use to frost your favorite cakes, cookies, etc.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Lemon Juice. Use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
  • Lemon Zest. Zest is optional, but recommended for the strongest lemon flavor.
  • Whole Milk. Half and half or heavy cream are both good substitutes for whole milk.
  • Salted butter. unsalted butter works well in place of salted butter.
  • Vanilla extract. the seeds of 1 vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste are good substitutes.
  • Fine sea salt: just a pinch of salt brings out the flavor of the strawberry frosting!
  • Powdered sugar. You can make your own refined-sugar free powdered sugar.
Store/freeze
Store leftover lemon frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 2 months. I often store/freeze it in the piping bag.
Let the frosting come to room temperature before using. Make sure to be patient and do not microwave the frosting. You may need to beat it with additional powdered sugar to make it firm again. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2TBS | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 241IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.02mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I added the zest of an entire large lemon and liked the zing and lemon taste much better than the smaller amount listed. Make sure to beat for several minutes to make light and fluffy. Great tasting frosting!