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:
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of a standing mixer or large bowl with a hand held mixer.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
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
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
Other Frosting Recipes:
Hi. Could you tell me how many grames/ounces is a cup of butter?
Thanks
Shirley
Hi, it’s 8 oz
Yhank you x
Do I have to keep my cupcakes in the fridge if I use this frosting?
Nope, they’re okay to leave out for a day or so loosely covered, at room temp.
By far the easiest and most delicious Lemon Frosting! Light. Fluffy. Ultra Flavorful.it’s worth it.
so glad you like it!!
What is drizzled on top?
Lemon Curd! You can get the recipe here.
Would i need to double this to frost a 10 inch double cake
Nice recipe. Good proportions of sugar to butter. I like my frosting really lemony, so I used the juice of two lemons and a little bit of lemon extract. Really good.
Dead easy and seriously good! And, love it calls for real zest and juice and not extract!
So glad you liked it!!
Such a great recipe! It was so yummy. Great tips, too. When life gives you lemons…..💛
So glad you like it!
Salted or unsalted butter? You
Either works fine!
If it just says butter salted if it says unsalted butter Then unsalted
Soo easy! I’ve never tried adding citrus to my buttercreams but have always been curious to do so. I’m afraid of curdling the frosting. I’ll have to make this for a spring cupcake!
Great cookie and frosting! Made these tonight. Easy and delicious. Thanks!
Thank you for the tips to make lemon buttercream frosting. Anything lemon is a yes for me!
The butter cream looks perfect fluffy and light. This butter cream can make any cake or cupcakes more delicious
This will become my new favorite recipe to go to when making various desserts – really like the texture and how easy it is to prepare it – bravo!
Such a light recipe! I have been avoiding frosting for quite some time but it looks like I am back in business with this amazing recipe – thank you for sharing it!
With the spring finally here, I can’t get enough lemon desserts, so I’ll definitely be using this delicious buttercream for some cupcakes. I just love the citrus zip in this buttercream. Thanks for sharing!
Love that this buttercream is so easy! Going to use this next time I make cupcakes. Such a great frosting for summer!
Buttercream is the best kind of frosting around! I grew up in a buttercream frosting only family, haha, but have never tried lemon in it. What a fresh and zingy idea! Guess I am making a cake this week. Yum!
Very beautiful and vibrant cake frosting recipe and very interesting flavor.
I love a quick and easy buttercream like this. Plus this is perfect for spring/summer cupcakes.
I am a lemon lover, so this is my kind of frosting. Classic buttercream is the best. Easy to make. Delicious to eat. The perfect topping to spring cupcakes.
I haven’t made a lemon buttercream before but I love everything lemon so I’m excited to give this a try. I like any excuse to make a batch of yummy cupcakes with this delicious frosting.
Yay to more lemons in our lives! I haven’t made a buttercream in agesss but it looks like I need to make lemon buttercream asap, because this looks so tasty! Loved all your tips too, very helpful.
i love this time of year if just for all the lemons. i really love anything lemon. this frosting sounds amazing, I could just eat ti with a spoon 🙂