Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Using one bowl and just four ingredients, you can whip up a batch of this deliciously easy lemon buttercream frosting in just 10 minutes!

Everyone loves a good lemon flavored frosting. Perfect for springtime, this easy recipe is an American lemon buttercream. Similar to this chocolate frosting, it has the classic sweet, fluffy buttercream flavor and texture most of us grew up on for birthday cakes and cupcakes.

This frosting is light, fluffy, sweet, and lemony – perfect for frosting cupcakes, cakes, and filling French macarons.  I  made this with regular lemons, but you can use Meyers lemons too. Yum!  

Ingredients

• Lemons –  Use the zest and juice of one medium to large lemon. This will come to about 2-3 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tablespoons zest. Try to only zest the yellow parts of the lemon as the white part can be bitter. 
• Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted, you can add a pinch of salt to help cut the sweetness. 

Making Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Traditional buttercream frosting is one of the easiest frostings to make and there are only a few simple steps:

1. Add the softened butter to the bowl of a standing mixer or large bowl with a hand held mixer. 
2. Mix on medium to medium high for 4-5 minutes, until the butter is very pale and yellow. Mixing the butter so long make it really light and fluffy. 
3. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix on low for a minute until it incorporates. Mixing on low makes sure the powdered sugar doesn’t spill out and get everywhere. 
4. Once it’s  incorporated, mix on medium high for another 3-4 minutes until it is fluffy again. 

At this point you can gauge the consistency. If you want it thinner you can add a tablespoon or two of milk or cream (but because of the lemon juice this often is not necessary). 

Tips for making this recipe

1. Zest the lemon first, then juice it.  This is probably very obvious, but I constantly forget and go right to slicing the lemon!  This makes it much more difficult to get the zest.
2. When zesting lemons, try to get only the yellow part of the lemon.  The white part can be bitter and add a slightly bitter taste to the frosting if you get too much.   
3. Make sure your butter is at room temperature or slightly cooler. The perfect temperature is if you press your finger on it, it will do a slight indent. 
4. You want to mix the butter for a few minutes before adding the sugar and lemon. Mixing the butter until it is very pale makes for a really light and fluffy frosting.
5. If your powdered sugar is very stiff or hard, you might need to put it through a sifter so there are no lumps in your buttercream. I don’t normally need to do this but it is something to be aware of if your powdered sugar is old and has visible lumps that don’t break up when you press them.
6. When adding the powdered sugar, turn the mixer to the slowest speed and add it gradually so it doesn’t spill out of the mixer. You can also place a hand towel around the top of the bowel to keep it from making a mess. 
7. If the frosting is too thick you can add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream or milk. If it’s too thin, you can add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
8. The frosting has a very slight yellow color, but you can add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make it darker yellow. Or, add what whatever food colors you want! It’s light enough it will hold any type of food coloring well.

Storing Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Like most buttercream frostings, this recipe keeps in the fridge and freezer very well.  It’s so easy to make, it’s preferable to make the day you use it, but it can last up to a week in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. Make sure it is very tightly covered in an airtight container in the fridge and in a freezer bag for the freezer so the butter  does not take on flavors from your fridge or freezer.

When you’re ready to use, let defrost in the fridge. Then, remove the frosting from the fridge and let it soften. Some people simply stir the frosting and then use it, but I like to remix it with a mixer so it gets really light and fluffy again.

Have you tried this recipe? What is your favorite dessert to pair with lemon frosting? Let me know in the comments! 

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Using one bowl and just four ingredients, you can whip up a batch of this deliciously easy lemon buttercream frosting in just 10 minutes!

5 from 40 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 24

Calories: 145kcal

Author: Sophia Assunta

Equipment

• Standing or Hand-Held Mixer with Large Bowl
• Zester
• Citrus Squeezer, optional

INGREDIENTS

• ▢ 1 cup butter softened
• ▢ 16 oz powdered sugar 1 pound, about 3.5-4 cups
• ▢ Zest of 1 lemon
• ▢ Juice of 1 lemon
• ▢ 2 tbsp milk or cream optional

Instructions

• Using a hand held mixer or standing mixer, cream the butter using a paddle or whisk attachment on medium high until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. If necessary, half way through scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing.
• Turn off the mixer and add powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest. Mix on low for a minute until it incorporates and starts to look crumbly.
• Turn up the speed and continue mixing on medium to medium high, about 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
• If the frosting is too thick, you can add a tablespoon of milk or cream. If it is too thin, you can add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.

Notes

• Zest the lemon first, then juice it.  This is probably very obvious, but I constantly forget and go right to slicing the lemon!  This makes it much more difficult to get the zest.
• When zesting lemons, try to get only the yellow part of the lemon.  The white part can be bitter and add a slightly bitter taste to the frosting if you get too much.  
• Make sure your butter is at room temperature or slightly cooler. The perfect temperature is if you press your finger on it, it will do a slight indent. 
• You want to mix the butter for a few minutes before adding the sugar and lemon. Mixing the butter until it is very pale makes for a really light and fluffy frosting.
• If your powdered sugar is very stiff or hard, you might need to put it through a sifter so there are no lumps in your buttercream. I don’t normally need to do this but it is something to be aware of if your powdered sugar is old and has visible lumps that don’t break up when you press them.
• When adding the powdered sugar, turn the mixer to the slowest speed and add it gradually so it doesn’t spill out of the mixer. You can also place a hand towel around the top of the bowel to keep it from making a mess. 
• If the frosting is too thick you can add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream or milk. If it’s too thin, you can add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
• The frosting has a very slight yellow color, but you can add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make it darker yellow. Or, add what whatever food colors you want! It’s light enough it will hold any type of food coloring well
• This recipe makes about 3 cups of frosting. It can easily be doubled as needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tbsp frosting | Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 2mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Calcium: 2mg

Tried this Recipe? Let me know!Tag @Sophia.Assunta or #Partylicious!

Other Frosting Recipes:

• Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Cookie Dough Frosting
• Easy Chocolate Buttercream
• Mint Frosting
• Cake Batter Frosting
• Strawberry Frosting