15 Easy Buttercream Frosting Recipes!

A roundup of 15 buttercream frosting recipes that are perfect for decorating cupcakes or a birthday cake at home! You’ll need just a handful of store-cupboard ingredients, and whether you want to make a classic vanilla frosting, or you want to get a little more creative and try out flavors like indulgent chocolate and fruity strawberry, they’re so easy to make and perfect for impressing a crowd! Creamy, fluffy, and bursting with flavor, these recipes are a delicious finishing touch to any dessert.

How To Make Buttercream Frosting

Before we dive straight into the recipes, I want to share a few important bits of information that will help you to create the best possible results every single time you want to use homemade buttercream!

So the base we’re going to use for these recipes is softened butter, powdered sugar (also sometimes known as confectioners sugar), and milk or heavy cream. It’s the base that I’ve been using for years and years, and it’s the key to the creamiest, most delicious frosting! We’ll then add in extra flavorings as relevant.

I like to use salted butter as I find it helps to balance out the flavors, but you can use unsalted if you prefer. To get the right consistency, leave it out of the fridge for a while before you want to use it, so it comes up to room temperature. Otherwise, you’re going to have a really hard time beating it!

I always use an electric hand mixer to whip up batches of buttercream frosting, but a stand mixer will work just as well. If you don’t have any equipment, you can do it by hand with a wooden spoon – just be aware that it’s a bit of a workout and it does require some pretty serious effort!

These recipes are all very scalable, so you can make more if you’re planning an occasion like a birthday party or you know you’ll have lots of guests arriving.

1. Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Simple, timeless, and oh-so-satisfying, this frosting is the ultimate go-to!

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Beat butter until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy.

2. Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Rich, decadent, and perfect for chocolate lovers. I love this frosting on top of chocolate cupcakes for an indulgent treat that kids and adults alike will love.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

1. Beat butter until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and milk. Beat until smooth.

3. Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This fruity frosting is perfect for springtime desserts, and I often use it to frost strawberry cupcakes, with a strawberry on top as an extra garnish and pop of color.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries, finely crushed

Instructions:

1. Beat butter until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, and strawberry powder. Beat until fluffy.

4. Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Bright and tangy, this frosting adds a citrusy zing to your desserts. You can add a few drops of yellow food coloring if you want a really bright hue, though that’s totally optional.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Beat butter until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, lemon zest, and juice. Beat until fluffy.

5. Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

Creamy, nutty, and absolutely irresistible.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions:

1. Beat butter and peanut butter until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk. Beat until smooth.

6. Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

Sweet and salty perfection in every bite! This grown-up frosting is delicious for adult birthday cakes or when you want something a little more sophisticated than your standard flavors.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce

Instructions:

1. Beat butter and caramel sauce until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk. Beat until fluffy.

 

7. Espresso Buttercream Frosting

Wake up your desserts with this coffee-infused frosting.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder

Instructions:

1. Dissolve espresso powder in milk.
2. Beat butter, powdered sugar, and espresso mixture until smooth.

8. Fudge Buttercream Frosting

Decadent, fudgy, and perfect for indulgent desserts.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 cup melted dark chocolate

Instructions:

1. Beat butter and melted chocolate until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk. Beat until fluffy.

9. Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Bright and tangy raspberry flavor in every bite. It’s a little bit tart, a little bit sweet, and totally delicious.

Makes: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9×13″ cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 cup raspberry puree

Instructions:

1. Beat butter and raspberry puree until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk. Beat until smooth.