This mint frosting recipe is a simple buttercream frosting that is perfect for cupcakes and cakes!
Mint Frosting is such a fun and unique frosting! With a delicious minty flavor you can also add green food coloring, making it a fun frosting for St. Patrick's Day or Christmas.
Plus, since it's an American buttercream frosting, it only uses 5 ingredients and one bowl, so you can whip up a batch in less than 10 minutes! It pairs perfectly with chocolate cake or as a fun filling for macarons. And, you can add chocolate chips for a mint chocolate chip twist on this easy frosting.
Ingredients
- Butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but you can substitute salted. Just omit the added salt.
- Mint Extract: you can use your favorite mint extract! I personally prefer peppermint for a delicious peppermint buttercream.
- Green Food Coloring (optional): I personally prefer gel food coloring for a vibrant color.
- Chopped Chocolate (optional): You can use chocolate chunks, mini chocolate chips, or chopped up chocolate bars for a mint chocolate chip frosting.
How to Make
This frosting recipe is so easy to make! It uses only one bowl and has 5 ingredients. Plus, you can make it in less than 10 minutes!
Step 1: Cream Butter
Cream the softened butter for a good 3-5 minutes in a standing mixer or with a hand mixer in a large bowl. You can it super soft, creamy, and pale in color.
Step 2: Add Sugar
Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low until it starts to incorporate.
After it starts to turns crumply, and there is no more unixed sugar, turn to medium to medium high and mix for another 3-5 minutes. It should come together into a smooth and thick frosting.
Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients
After you're done mixing, add your extract, and milk or cream. If you want green frosting, also add one or two drops green food coloring (I have a full post on coloring frosting if you want vibrant colors). Remix for another minute and that's it! It's ready to pipe onto cake, cupcakes, or fill sandwich cookies.
Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting
For a fun variation, you can add chopped chocolate to make mint chocolate chip buttercream. After you've made the mint frosting, mix in one 3.5 oz bar of your favorite chocolate, roughly chopped, or ¾ cup mini chocolate chips.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature or slightly cooler. If using a mix of butter and shortening, make sure they are both at room temperature so they combine easily.
- Mix the butter for a good 3-4 minutes before and after adding the powdered sugar. Mixing the frosting for so long makes for a very light and fluffy buttercream, and helps cut the graininess of the powdered sugar.
- If your powdered sugar is dry, or has lumps, be sure to sift it to get a smooth lump-free frosting.
- A little mint extract goes a long way. ½ tsp gives it a pretty strong mint flavor. I think a ½ tsp is good for this recipe but you can even start with ¼ tsp and try it. If you think it needs more, add the other ¼ tsp.
- If making Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream, try using an ice cream scoop to scoop the frosting on chocolate cupcakes. So cute!
FAQ
Keep Mixing! It will turn to powdery for the for the few minutes, but it will come together into a smooth frosting as you continue mixing.
If it doesn’t, it could be because the butter wasn’t warm enough. But, no problem if that is the case. Just add a little bit of milk or cream and continue mixing.
Sure! American buttercream is a super sweet frosting and it's totally okay to add less sugar. You can always start with two cups of powdered sugar, then taste it, adding ¼ cup until you get the sweetness you want. But note, if you do cut the sugar, the frosting will have less volume, be more buttery, and less stable for piping and sitting out.
Yes, this frosting will form a slight crust.
Yes, frosted cakes and cupcakes can sit out rather than being refrigerated. Putting cake and cupcakes in the fridge can actually dry them out a bit, so keeping the frosted dessert at room temperature for up to a couple days is fine. (Technically, according to cake experts, frosted uncut cakes can stay out up to 4-5 days cut cakes 2-3).
Just be aware of any other ingredients in the desserts that might need to be refrigerated, such as filling a cake with pastry cream or strawberry filling that would need to be stored in a fridge.
Also, make sure it's being stored at a cool temperature so it doesn't melt or get greasy in the heat.
Yes, this recipe is super freezer friendly.
Frosting Cakes and Cupcakes
This recipes makes about 3 to 4 cups of frosting and in general, one batch one batch of frosting will cover:
- 12 -16 cupcakes with piped frosting like the picture
- 24 cupcakes spreading the frosting with a knife
- 2 layer cake - 6 or 8 inches
- 9 x 13 inch sheet pan cake
I recommend 1.5 or doubling the recipe if you are doing the following:
- Frosting a 3 layer cake
- Frosting using a turntable
- Adding any decorating piping to your layer or sheet cake
Because people prefer different frosting to cake rations and pipe and spread frosting differently, it can be hard to say exactly how much frosting you’ll need for a given cake or batch of cupcakes.
I've found it's always better to have more frosting and freeze the rest (buttercream freezes really well), then have to make more frosting mid-cake. This is especially true if you're coloring your frosting, as the second batch might not be the exact same color as the first.
In addition to using on cakes and cupcakes, this is a delicious frosting for filling macarons or sandwich cookies and because it's often tinted green, it's a great frosting for St. Patrick’s Day or Christmas. Mint and chocolate go so well together, I personally love it with this easy chocolate cake and cupcake recipe.
Storing Mint Frosting
Like most buttercream frostings, this keeps well in the fridge or freezer. It's so easy to make, it's preferable to make the day you use it, but it will last up to a week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Make sure it's very tightly wrapped so it doesn't take on any other flavors from your fridge or freezer. When you're ready to use, defrost in the fridge and stir or remix with a mixer.
Looking for More Unique Frosting Recipes? Check These Out!
Mint Frosting
INGREDIENTS
Mint Frosting
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar 16 oz
- ½ tsp mint extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk or cream up to 1/4 cup
- 1-2 drops green food coloring optional
Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting
- ¾ cup chopped chocolate bar or mini chocolate chips one 3.5 oz chocolate bar
Instructions
Mint Frosting
- In the bowl of a standing mixer or using a hand-held mixer with a large bowl, beat the butter for 3-5 minutes until it is pale and very creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat on low for 30-60 seconds until it incorporates and starts to look crumbly. Once it's combined, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Start mixing again on medium to medium high for another 3-5 minutes.
- Turn off the mixer and add your mint extract, milk or cream, and optional food coloring.
- Remix for another 30-60 seconds until it is fully combined.
Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting
- Once you've made your mint frosting, fold or mix in chocolate.
Notes
- A little mint extract goes a long way. ½ tsp gives it a pretty strong mint flavor. I think a ½ tsp is good for this recipe but you can even start with ¼ tsp and try it. If you think it needs more, add the other ¼ tsp.
- If your powdered sugar is old or has lumps, be sure to sift before adding to the butter.
- After adding the powdered sugar, be sure to start mixing on low so your powdered sugar doesn't fly everywhere and make a mess. Once it's incorporated you can turn the mixer higher.
- For a vibrant green color, use gel food coloring rather than liquid food coloring.
- For the Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream, you can not pipe with a piping bag as the chocolate chunks clogs the piping tips. You can still spread the frosting with a knife, or add the chocolate chunks after piping, but my favorite is to use an ice cream scoop to scoop the frosting on chocolate cupcakes. So cute!
- More Questions? Check out this American buttercream frosting recipe for more common American buttercream questions and answers such as how much a typical batch of frosting will cover, and how long frosted cakes and cupcakes can sit out.
It’s so yummy! I used peppermint extract. I heard using mint makes it taste like toothpaste.
Wonderful frosting great texture and the mint was just right. I have found a new frosting for cookies for st Patrick’s day. Thanks
What would using cream cheese be like in this recipe ?
Well, cheese and mint might be… interesting. To each their own though!
I love this frosting, it’s easy and delicious!
@gwsugarshack
so glad you like it!
How much frosting does this recipe yield?
about 3 cups
I bet this would be amazing to top brownies with! 🙂
OMG! This is the best! We love mint flavored desserts! So tasty!
I am bookmarking this green-colored mint frosting for Patrick’s day! Thank you for a great idea!
That color is so pretty .. I can imagine the minty flavor it has .. It would go well with chocolate cupcakes for sure ..
I think I’ve died and gone to dessert heaven! I’m a chocolate and mint freak, and this these cupcakes and this frosting are my idea of perfection. Making these this weekend! Yum!