Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing Recipe
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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!
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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.
I made this earlier tonight, and everything was amazing. All I can say is make this recipe, and enjoy, we did. yum!!! Thanks for sharing
Just made this and subbed out peanut butter powder for regular peanut butter (I used the Naked PB brand but I suppose any will do) and it was a game changer. So so fluffy and airy it was unreal. My family devoured most of it and it didn’t even make it on the cupcakes.
So glad you liked it!
That’s a whole lotta butter! Could I cut down to 1 cup?
I have used this recipe twice now (swirled with chocolate fudge frosting) for my Reese’s peanut butter cup cupcakes and it is truly a keeper! I’m also using it to make buttercream truffles for Mother’s Day and they are flawless! I just piped a bunch onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, popped into the freezer to firm up a bit, rolled them into a round shape, and dipped in melted semi sweet chocolate. Can’t wait to give them out! Thanks for an amazing recipe!
I’m so glad you like it, those cupcakes sound amazing!
I made this 10 days ago and had it in the fridge (not freezer) is it still safe to put on cupcakes? Not sure shelf life in fridge.
BTW Delicious recipe 🙂
I wouldn’t keep it more than 5-6 days in the fridge, if I were you I’d make a new batch
There is nothing in butter cream that will go bad fast buttercream can stay good for months it just looses flavor
Can salted butter be used?
It will alter the final taste a teeny bit but it should be fine.
Can you not use the whipping cream? I forgot to get it at the store. I realize it’s only a couple tablespoons so I wanted to check first.
you should be able to substitute milk without much difference Stephanie
Can this recipe be halved?
Yes, it can easily be halved or doubled
Can leftover frosting be frozen?
You can freeze it in an airtight container up to 3 months. When you want to use it again, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Great question, I’ll update the recipe to add that in!
Yummy! It is so delicious!! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you liked it!
So. Darn. Good!!!
Wow! Delish!
I added a bit more peanut butter to this recipe but otherwise it turned out great!
I’m glad you liked it Lisa!
Can you milk instead of heavy cream?
Delicious!
Oh my goodness peanut butter frosting… my mouth is totally watering. Now to dig through the cupboards as I’m sure we have most of these ingredients on-hand!!
Yum! Pinned!!
Thanks for pinning Jenny 🙂
Oh yum, that looks super delicious! Pinning!
Thanks for pinning Jessi 🙂
Yes, I’ll take two! That frosting sounds beyond delicious!!
Come on over Keri 🙂 LOL
That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
And they taste better then they look 😉
REALLY GOOD ON SPICE CAKE!!!!
Wow, way to make me need some cupcakes! This sounds so yummy, Erica!
Ha! Every time I look at these pictures, I want to go eat one 😉
Erica
You are speaking my language! Those look amazing!
Thanks Rachel 🙂