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You are here: Home / Recipes / Small-batch Vanilla Frosting

Small-batch Vanilla Frosting

11/15/17 | Desserts, Recipes, Small-batch Dessert

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This is the perfect small-batch vanilla frosting recipe. It’s rich, delicious, and so easy to make.

Another Wednesday, another small-batch frosting recipe. I love sharing these small-batch frosting recipes with you because having an archive of different frosting flavors means that you can mix and match them with my small-batch cupcakes or cookies and make the small-batch dessert of your dreams.

Here on the blog so far, I’ve shared Small-batch Chocolate Frosting, Small-batch Oreo Frosting, and Small-batch Cream Cheese Frosting. This time, it’s classic, perfect Small-batch Vanilla American Buttercream Frosting.

Overhead photo of small-batch vanilla frosting in a bowl.

What is American Buttercream Frosting?

American buttercream is a fabulous and convenient frosting that can be made with just a few ingredients, butter, powdered sugar, a little salt, some vanilla, and usually a bit of cream or milk.

Unlike Swiss, French, and Italian meringue buttercreams, American buttercream does not contain eggs, so there is no cooking involved. You just soften some butter, beat it until it is nice and fluffy and then beat in the rest of the ingredients.

From start to finish, it takes less than 5 minutes. I love it for small-batch baking because it’s so simple to make and easy to scale.

It’s also very tasty. This vanilla frosting is rich and buttery and quite sweet, with a smooth texture that crusts just a little.

If you’re looking for a sweet and easy vanilla frosting for sugar cookies, cupcakes (I love it on my Small-batch Vanilla Cupcakes), or maybe a little gingerbread house, this is the frosting you’re looking for.

Ingredient Notes

  • Softened butter: Be sure to start with butter that is softened but not melted. Melty butter can give your frosting an unpleasant, greasy texture. When butter is properly softened, you should be able to press an indentation into the stick with your finger, but the butter should still hold its shape around it. I call for unsalted butter in the recipe, but you can use salted butter if that’s what you keep on hand. Simply omit the added salt in the recipe. 
  • Powdered sugar: You must use powdered sugar for this frosting recipe. You cannot substitute granulated or brown sugar. 
  • Vanilla extract: For a more luxurious vanilla flavor, you can use vanilla beans or vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract. See the notes in the recipe card for substitution amounts.

Vanilla buttercream frosting being scooped out of a bowl.

Variations

  • Chocolate frosting: Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Chocolate cream cheese frosting: Add 2 ounces of softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. 
  • Cream cheese frosting: Add 2 ounces of softened cream cheese along with the butter. 

FAQ

How much frosting will this make?

The recipe makes ¾ to 1 cup of frosting depending on how much air you beat into it. This is enough vanilla frosting to frost:

  • 4 to 6 cupcakes with a piping bag (big swirls)
  • Up to 8 cupcakes or cookies with a knife
  • The top only of a 7×5-inch or single-layer 6-inch cake

My frosting is too sweet/buttery. What did I do wrong?

You probably didn’t do anything wrong. American buttercream is very sweet and very buttery by design. If that’s not working for you, but you still want to try this style of frosting, make one of my flavored small-batch American buttercreams. The butter flavor and heavy sweetness aren’t quite as in your face when there are other flavors there to off-set them.

Can I reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe?

You can cut it by a little, but not much. Sugar helps provide structure to the frosting, and if you keep cutting sugar, at some point you’re just eating lightly sweetened butter. 

Where can I use this frosting?

So glad you asked! My favorite things to use this frosting on are:

  • Small-batch Cut-out Sugar Cookies
  • Small-batch Frosted Sugar Cookies
  • Small-batch Vanilla Cupcakes
  • Small-batch Chocolate Cupcakes

More Small-batch Frosting Recipes

  • Chocolate Frosting
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Cookie Dough Frosting
  • Strawberry Frosting
  • Oreo Frosting

Recipe Notes

  • Storage: Store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Frosting will harden significantly once chilled, so let it come to room temperature on the counter before using. If piping the frosting, re-whip as needed to return the frosting to its fluffy consistency. 
  • Freezing: American buttercreams freeze extremely well. Store frosting in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before using. 

Small-batch vanilla frosting being piped onto a cupcake.

Small-batch vanilla frosting being piped onto a cupcake.

Small-batch Vanilla Frosting

This is the perfect small-batch vanilla frosting recipe. It's rich, delicious, and so easy to make.
4.96 from 63 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 8 servings
Calories: 100kcal
Author: Tracy

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter* softened
  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon milk or cream
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract*
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, beat softened butter until light and fluffy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of milk or cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
  • Beat until smooth. Add up to 2 additional teaspoons of milk until frosting reaches your desired consistency.

Notes

*If using salted butter, omit the additional salt in the recipe.
*To substitute vanilla bean for extract, use ½ to 1 inch of vanilla bean, to taste. For paste, follow the substitution guidelines on the jar, as it varies from product to product.
Yield: This recipe makes ¾ to 1 cup of frosting depending on how much air you beat into it. This is enough to frost 4 to 6 cupcakes with a piping bag (big swirls), up to 8 cupcakes or cookies with a knife, or the top only of a 7×5-inch or single-layer 6-inch cake.
Storage: Store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature on the counter before using. If piping the frosting, re-whip as needed to return the frosting to its fluffy consistency. 
Freezing: Store frosting in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before using. 
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.

Comments | 93 comments

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Comments

  1. Lila says

    October 10, 2018 at 2:22 pm

    5 stars
    I loved this…don’t have to sift pwd. sugar if you put in deep bowl and wisk by hand first. Also, I used Tablespoon cream cheese and mixed almond and vanilla for flavor.
    Put on my cherry cake. did thin layor on 9×13
    Excellent frosting. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      October 21, 2018 at 4:37 pm

      Great tip! And love the idea of adding cream cheese and almond extract, especially for a cherry cake. My mouth is watering thinking about it! 😉

      Reply
  2. Alli says

    September 17, 2018 at 9:42 pm

    5 stars
    Is it 100 calories per serving? So so good. I ended up adding a little peanut butter.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      September 18, 2018 at 6:34 am

      Hi, Alli. Yes, it’s 100/serving. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and love the idea of adding peanut butter!

      Reply
  3. Amber L says

    September 8, 2018 at 4:09 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so much! You saved the day, Tracy!! I was on a very strict time budget, needed frosting for cake pops, and your recipe was not only the perfect amount, but tastes great!!

    A little back story– today is Saturday. From 9-10 kid 3 has a soccer game and directly after has swim lessons. Then, kid 1 and kid 2 have a birthday party. Directly afterwards, we drive out of state for another birthday party, which is the party that the cake pops go to. When I say you saved the day, I mean you saved the day!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      September 10, 2018 at 4:00 pm

      LOL, sounds like you were in total supermom mode this weekend! So happy this recipe could help even a little!

      Reply
  4. Afreen says

    August 9, 2018 at 11:18 pm

    Thanks for sharing small batches of frostings.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      August 10, 2018 at 10:26 am

      You’re welcome! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Aaliya says

    August 5, 2018 at 2:37 am

    4 stars
    The frosting us a little yellow but tastes awesome.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      August 5, 2018 at 9:04 pm

      So happy you enjoyed it! And, yeah, buttercream made with butter will never be pure white. If you want a snow-white frosting, you can use shortening instead and clear vanilla extract.

      Reply
  6. Dominique says

    August 3, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    It tasted great just that liquid

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      August 5, 2018 at 8:56 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it, Dominique! What did you mean by liquid?

      Reply
  7. Anna Miles says

    July 24, 2018 at 2:34 pm

    Can you substitute the butter with vegetable shortening?

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      July 31, 2018 at 10:24 am

      Yes. You can also do half butter half shortening if you find you miss that buttery flavor.

      Reply
  8. Aryanna says

    July 3, 2018 at 5:07 am

    Can I do this without an electric mixer? By hand?

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      July 3, 2018 at 3:23 pm

      You can! Just make sure your butter is room temperature when you start. If the butter’s too cold, you’ll have trouble getting it to mix. It might take a little while to come together, but it will, so just keep whisking it.

      Reply
  9. Bonnie Williamson says

    June 15, 2018 at 9:54 am

    Does this taste like the store frosting they use in the bakery?

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      June 18, 2018 at 10:51 am

      Hi, Bonnie. Not quite. I think most bakery frostings usually use at least some crisco/shortening since it’s more stable/cheaper. You can try substituting some shortening for the butter and see if that gives you the flavor you’re looking for.

      Reply
  10. Kate says

    April 24, 2018 at 11:22 pm

    4 stars
    I made this earlier but it was a bit too sweet. Is there any tweaks to reduce the sweetness?

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      April 27, 2018 at 5:43 pm

      Hi, Kate, you can try cutting the sugar to 3/4 cup. Any less than that and it gets pretty buttery, texture-wise. Unfortunately American buttercream is really sweet because the sugar helps make up the structure of the frosting. For a less-sweet frosting, you might want to try a cooked frosting where other ingredients like eggs help with the structure. Here’s a good article on different types of buttercreams with recipes to go along with them ( https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/buttercreams-frosting-how-to-make-the-best-buttercream-icing-cupcakes-swiss-buttercream-italian-german-styles.html ). I don’t have any small-batch cooked frostings on the site yet, but I’d like to add some in the future. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  11. Missy says

    March 18, 2018 at 6:17 pm

    This was perfect! So glad I came across your recipe as I was hoping to find an alternative to constantly buying frosting. So excited to now be able to make it myself!!!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      March 19, 2018 at 8:46 am

      Thanks, Missy! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  12. Elliana Dailey says

    March 18, 2018 at 2:26 pm

    5 stars
    Ohhhhhh my gosh. This was so, SO, SO amazing!! Though it didn’t make as much as I was expecting, it was still delicious

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      March 19, 2018 at 8:47 am

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  13. Kristina says

    March 4, 2018 at 4:59 pm

    Do you have a simple strawberry frosting recipe? These look like absolutely delicious recipes!! Thanks so much for posting these. I cannot wait to try them ALL!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      March 6, 2018 at 1:46 pm

      Hi, Kristina. Thank you! I don’t have a strawberry frosting recipe on the site yet, but it’s on my list. Hopefully within the next month or so…

      Reply
    • Tina says

      April 30, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      Hey Kristina, use some strawberry milk syrup instead of vanilla extract. That’s what my Mom used to do and so do I.

      Reply
      • Tracy says

        May 1, 2018 at 9:36 am

        Love this idea. Thanks, Tina!

  14. Holly says

    March 1, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    Do you think this recipe would work well with piping? I am hoping to just do a few flowers and freeze them for a later time but don’t want to make a big batch of frosting! I just found your website last night and I love it. I’ve already tried one of your recipes and it tasted awesome! Thanks for all the hard work you do. It’s very appreciate.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      March 4, 2018 at 3:35 pm

      Hi, Holly. Thanks so much! And yes, American buttercreams like this are great for piping. Just make sure when you are adding milk at the end you don’t add too much. You want your frosting on the stiffer side so it holds its shape.

      Reply
  15. Beverly says

    February 20, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! I made a 6 cup chocolate bundt cake yesterday and wanted a frosting for it instead of the usual drizzle. The amount of frosting yielded by the recipe was perfect for spreading on top and sides. This frosting is so good, it was hard to stop eating. The beater was enjoyed immensely. My husband, who is very picky, raved about it. Thank you for sharing your recipe. This will be the only vanilla frosting I use from now on. Looking forward to checking out other small batch recipes on your site as it’s just me and the Mr.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      February 25, 2018 at 11:08 am

      Hi, Beverly. Yay! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it!

      Reply
  16. Krllie says

    February 14, 2018 at 6:50 am

    5 stars
    This was perfect. Woke up this morning and realized i needed a cupcake for my daughter for her party at school. She cant eat the ones at school due to allergies. Had the cupcake in the freezer bur no frosting. This saved the day!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      February 17, 2018 at 2:48 pm

      This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Carrie says

        July 7, 2018 at 5:04 pm

        5 stars
        This buttercream frosting recipe is sooooooooooo good. i was making cupcakes for my sister and she loved it !!!!!

      • Tracy says

        July 12, 2018 at 8:56 am

        Sooooooooo happy to hear, Carrie! 😉 Thanks for reporting back!

    • Lana Kuhn says

      May 18, 2018 at 3:40 pm

      this buttercream does not work i did the exact same things in the recipe and it tastes and looks like butter my daughters don’t like it very much

      Reply
      • Tracy says

        May 28, 2018 at 11:25 am

        Hi, Lana. So sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the frosting! I’m not sure what you meant by the buttercream doesn’t work, but if it was that the frosting didn’t come together to look like the frosting in the photos, your butter might have been too soft or not soft enough at the start. You can see the Recipe Tips section of the post for more info, but butter temperature is really important for the texture of the frosting.

        If it was just that the frosting was too buttery tasting, I’d recommend next time trying a different type of buttercream that uses eggs, like French or Italian Buttercream. American Buttercreams, which are made with just sugar and butter, are pretty buttery (and very sweet) and some people really don’t care for that. Hope that helps!

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Hi, I'm Tracy! Welcome to Baking Mischief, where we realize that not everyone is cooking every night for a family of four. We have delicious sweet and savory recipes, mostly scaled for one or two, and we love our pop culture around here, so keep an eye out for film, book, and TV-inspired treats as well! Read more»
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