Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing Recipe
Peanut butter lovers, this recipe is for you! Smooth, creamy Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting is the perfect way to top peanut butter cupcakes or chocolate cake!
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When I need a quick and easy frosting with a chocolate cake, this Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting is my go-to. Once you try it, you’ll love it too!
What is Buttercream?
We all know that Buttercream is a type of frosting (or icing depending on how you grew up referring to it!) for cakes and cupcakes, but what exactly is it? Spoon University describes buttercream as the following:
It’s made by mixing together some type of fat (usually butter, but sometimes margarine or shortening), confectioner’s sugar, and milk or cream until the mixture is fluffy and smooth.
Spoon University
Buttercream icing can be served as is or many different flavors can be created with add-ins. Today’s recipe is my favorite flavor of buttercream though!
Ingredients
This recipe is SUPER easy and requires only 5 simple ingredients:
- powdered sugar
- butter
- vanilla extract
- heavy cream
- peanut butter
Step by step
- First, you’ll mix the peanut butter and butter together with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer (affiliate link).
- Once it is blended add the powdered sugar a cup at a time.
- Then, stir in the cream and vanilla and you’re all finished!
You can pipe this frosting on or spread it, either way, it’s the perfect complement to chocolate cake or cupcakes!
Tips for best results
- I recommend using smooth peanut butter if you are piping this frosting so you don’t clog the piping tip. If you will be spreading it, creamy or chunky will both work fine.
- I DO NOT recommend natural peanut butters for this recipe (the kinds that separates) it will give you an oily result that is not great.
- Other nut butters would work in this recipe as long as they have the same consistency.
- I do not recommend trying to color this frosting as the brown will muddy any food coloring you add.
FAQs
The small amount of cream in the frosting is stabilized by the sugar, so you can keep this frosting at room temperature up to 3 days.
The recipe below yields enough to frost a 2 layer cake 8 or 9 inch cake, a 9 by 13 inch sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes with some extra for eating with a spoon 🙂
This is the easiest, most delicious frosting in the world! Can you tell I like it???
How to Adjust a Buttercream Recipe
It can easily be adjusted from its original smooth creamy consistency to a more firm consistency by increasing the amount of peanut butter & sugar while decreasing the amount of butter.
Don’t want it too sweet? Decrease the amount of powdered sugar. It can be tweaked to accommodate any taste and can’t really be messed up!
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Please comment and rate this recipe below!
Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing Recipe
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
Description
Smooth, creamy Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting is the perfect way to top chocolate cake or cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2–3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Place butter, and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and beat together with a hand mixer.
- Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until fully incorporated.
- Stir in cream and vanilla and beat until frosting is smooth and creamy!
Notes
- Can be stored at room temperature up to 3 days
- Adjust for thickness by varying the amount of sugar and/or heavy cream
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: none
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 topped cupcake's worth
- Calories: 278
- Sugar: 20.1 g
- Sodium: 48.4 mg
- Fat: 21.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.4 g
- Protein: 2.6 g
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
This recipe was originally published in May 2014 and updated with new photos and additional information in August 2019.
There is too much butter and not enough peanut butter in this recipe- disappointed- I would sub in more peanut butter for the butter. At least half a cup
I would love to make this recipe but can’t see it because of all the ads!
Here’s an update to my review from April. I made this recipe in April an dI loved it, everyone loved it. I placed a small amount in the freezer to see if it can be used after freezing. I defrosted it on the counter overnight. Stir it good a few times and it was as delicious as when I made it in April. Try this recipe you’ll love it. It’s almost too good. Thanks again.
Loved the icing! Can I freeze it?
It’s probably too late for me to really figure it out because we’re trying to print it off now, but how do I print this without all the ads and stuff?🤷♀️ Want to print three pages in half of the pages are filled up with ads even when I click options like no images.
Sorry for the inconvenience, I’m trying to work with my tech people on how to fix it, thanks for letting me know.
I made chocolate cupcakes for an 80th birthday party. I used this frosting recipe and it was delicious! I had a little frosting left after frosting 23 cupcakes. I didn’t see any note about freezing leftovers. So I froze a small amount as a test. I hope it works. I’ll let you know. I will use this recipe over and over. Love it!
I’m so glad you liked the frosting!
Oh. My. Word. This truly is the fluffiest peanut butter icing! This is the kind of frosting that come on $10++ slices of cake and restaurants. It’s so delicious. It’s rich, but the fluffiness and airiness allow you to eat way too much before you realize it:) I had a lot of frosting left over– way more than needed for my 2-layer cake (8in).
I’m so glad you liked it Andrea!
I quite like it too