Skip to Content
Menu

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  • Save Recipe
New Personalized Recipes Just for You - Take the Quiz Now
  • Prep 10 min
  • Total 10 min
  • Servings 12
  • Save
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Email
Ready to Make?
  • Save
  • Shop
  • Share
  • Keep Screen On
This easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is bound to be the star of any cake, cookie or cupcake—it's rich, sweet and basically foolproof to make! With just 4 simple ingredients and 10 minutes, this Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe is ready to turn any dessert into a real special-occasion treat. Never underestimate the power of a good frosting!
By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated May 31, 2023

Ingredients

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Steps

  • 1
    In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.
  • 2
    Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13x9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Allow your butter to soften at room temperature so it easily and smoothly beats up with the powdered (also called confectioner’s) sugar.
  • tip 2
    Real Vanilla Buttercream Frosting takes very little time to make and will keep for up to one week when stored tightly covered in the refrigerator. It can also be tinted with paste or gel (not liquid) food color.
  • tip 3
    We recommend using a real vanilla or vanilla bean paste instead of an imitation one to make this easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Vanilla provides more than just flavor—it also enhances the sweetness of sugar, so bumping up vanilla flavor allows you to decrease the amount of sugar needed in recipes.
  • tip 4
    It’s easy to switch up the flavor of this Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe. Try stirring in a dash of almond extract or grated citrus zest.

Nutrition

170 Calories, 5g Total Fat, 0g Protein, 30g Total Carbohydrate, 29g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
170
Calories from Fat
45
Total Fat
5g
8%
Saturated Fat
2 1/2g
13%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
15mg
5%
Sodium
35mg
1%
Potassium
0mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate
30g
10%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
29g
Protein
0g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
4%
4%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
0%
0%
Iron
0%
0%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • Four simple ingredients—sugar, butter, vanilla and milk—come together in a homemade frosting recipe that proves the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Hundreds of home cooks and bakers have used this recipe for decorating cakes, filling layer cakes or topping off a pan of brownies. Before you begin, check out this step-by-step tutorial on making frosting. You’ll learn that a perfect buttercream frosting recipe starts with room-temperature butter that can still hold its shape but is starting to soften at the edges. Test it by pressing a finger into the butter; if it gives and your finger leaves an indent, it’s ready to go. Once you’ve mastered vanilla buttercream frosting, expand your skill set with more frosting recipes.
© 2023 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved