Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Posted Dec 03, 2023, Updated Mar 10, 2024
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This vanilla buttercream frosting recipe is easy to make in 5 minutes with 5 ingredients. It’s rich, buttery, perfectly sweet and so much more delicious than store-bought frosting. Learn how to make buttercream frosting with our step-by-step photos & video.
I always choose to make frosting at home because it’s super easy and infinitely more delicious than store-bought varieties – and this vanilla buttercream frosting is no exception.
This buttercream frosting is rich with a deep vanilla flavor. It’s silky smooth, perfectly sweet and is a great decorating frosting or filling for cakes (like our favorite chocolate cake or yellow cake) and cupcakes, or cookies – especially cut out sugar cookies!
Plus, this recipe is easy to make in five minutes with five ingredients! Once you try homemade buttercream frosting, you will never go back!
Vanilla Buttercream: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Salted butter. unsalted butter works well too, however you may want to add an extra pinch of salt.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. Vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from two vanilla beans are great substitutions.
- Whole Milk. half and half or heavy cream are good substitutes. I do not suggest using dairy with lower fat percentages than whole milk.
How to Make Buttercream Frosting
Begin this vanilla buttercream frosting recipe with softened butter – if the butter is not softened you run the risk of lumpy frosting!
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter, vanilla and sea salt for 1 minute.
Then, add 2 cups of the powered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Then, add the milk and 2 more cups powdered sugar (you should be up to 4 cups by this time), and beat until smooth.
Next add an additional cup of powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Recipe Tip (firmness)
You can adjust the frosting consistency by adding more/less powdered sugar to suit your needs. Firmer for cupcakes/piping, softer for filling cakes, etc.
Use in Your Favorite Recipes
Here are some suggested uses for this vanilla buttercream frosting (other than just eating it with a spoon, of course).
- Cakes. Use it as a filling or coating for your favorite cakes. Suggestions: chocolate cake & homemade yellow cake, hummingbird cake, and chocolate chip cookie cake.
- Cupcakes: Pipe it on top of these cupcake recipe: homemade chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, funfetti cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, and banana cupcakes.
- Sheet cakes. This vanilla buttercream frosting is perfect on any flavor of cake – like this chocolate zucchini cake, banana cake, pumpkin cake, etc.
- Cookies. Either use this recipe to frost these cut-out sugar cookies or sugar cookie bars, or use it to frost or make cookie-sandwiches with the best chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, etc.
How to Pipe Vanilla Buttercream
This buttercream frosting pipes like a dream and hardens beautifully, making it perfect for cake decorating. Here are some of my piping must-haves.
- Piping bags – I have both reusable and disposable piping bags and use them all the time.
- Piping tips and couplers – I recommend a great starter tip and coupler set. However I always make this rosette style cake with a Wilton 1M tip and large coupler.
- Pastry Scraper. I use this pastry scraper to make a smooth crumb coat.
How to Store Buttercream Frosting
There are a few different ways you can store this recipe. It’s important to note that in order to spread, this frosting needs to be room temperature.
Use Same Day
If you are making this buttercream frosting to be used later on in a day, store it in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to use. Do not chill it in the refrigerator.
Store
Leftover buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let sit at room temperature before using to soften.
Freeze
This buttercream frosting recipe freezes very well. I often freeze it in the piping bag or ziplock bag pressed flat.
To thaw the buttercream frosting remove it from the freezer and let it come to room temperature or thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Do not microwave.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe FAQS
Vanilla frosting has a mixture of butter and shortening. Buttercream frosting is made solely with butter.
Vanilla buttercream
Chocolate buttercream frosting
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Yes. Be sure to use a large mixing bowl or make it in two batches.
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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup whole milk
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter, vanilla and sea salt for 1 minute.
- Add 2 cups of the powered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
- Then, add the milk and 2 more cups powdered sugar (you should be up to 4 cups by this time), and beat until smooth.
- Add the additional cup of powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Video
Notes
- Salted butter. unsalted butter works well too, however you may want to add an extra pinch of salt.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. Vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from two vanilla beans are great substitutions.
- Whole Milk. half and half or heavy cream are good substitutes. I do not suggest using dairy with lower fat percentages than whole milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
