Vanilla American Buttercream Frosting
Using only one bowl and four ingredients, you can whip up a batch of this easy and classic vanilla American buttercream frosting in just 10 minutes so try it today!
Total Time10 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24
Calories: 147kcal
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 16 oz powdered sugar 1 pound, about 3.5-4 cups
- 1-2 tbsp milk or heavy whipping cream up to 1/4 cup, optional
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt optional
Using a hand held mixer or standing mixer, cream the butter using a paddle or whisk attachment on medium high until pale yellow, 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 and vanilla. Mix on low for a minute until it incorporates and starts to look crumbly.
Once crumbly, turn up the speed and continue mixing on medium to medium high, about 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Gauge the consistency. If the frosting is too thick, you can mix in a few tablespoons of milk or cream, 1/2 tbsp at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
- If using salted butter, omit the added salt in the recipe.
- 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 hard or has lumps, sift it to get a smooth lump-free frosting.
- Start mixing the powdered sugar on low so it doesn’t spill and make a mess. You can mix ½ or ⅓ at a time until it is incorporated.
- Test the consistency. If the vanilla frosting is too thick add milk or cream 1/2 tbsp at a time and mix until it reaches the desired consistency. If you add too much liquid, add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar and remix.
- You can easily color with frosting with food coloring. I recommend gel food coloring because it brighter and more vibrant than the liquid kind .
- The frosting will keep up to two weeks in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
- This recipe makes about 3 cups of frosting and can be doubled as needed.
Serving: 2tbps | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 2mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg