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This is the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe you’ll ever make! Once you try it, you’ll want to use it to cover all of your cakes and cupcakes.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is my FAVORITE type of frosting—it tastes delicious, is a dream to work with, doesn’t crust, and isn’t overly sweet or greasy. In short, it’s almost perfect!
The only problem? It can be a big pain to make. I won’t go into all the steps—for that, you’ll want to read my post on how to make traditional Swiss Meringue Buttercream. But the point is, the whole Swiss Meringue shebang has been a necessary evil…until now. Introducing your new favorite recipe, The EASIEST Swiss Meringue Buttercream!
Traditional Swiss Meringue involves heating egg whites, then lots and lots of whipping. This recipe skips the heating step entirely, and still produces a rich, smooth, ultra-creamy buttercream with the characteristic texture and taste of Swiss Meringue. It’s as easy to make as American Buttercream, but it doesn’t crust over and it isn’t teeth-shatteringly sweet. You seriously NEED to try this recipe!
First things first: this is based on a frosting recipe by the amazing cake decorator Lauren Kitchens. If you want to see some real talent, check out her site! The frosting is not technically a Swiss Meringue, because the technique is different, but the ingredients and final product are so close, I have no problem calling this a lazy version of SMBC! I did a lot of tweaking and ended up with some very different ingredient quantities than the original recipe, to find the right balance of sugar + butter for my personal taste buds.
Now let’s get down to the business of buttercream.
This frosting will seriously change your decorating life. I used it as a base for almost all of my cakes. It’s easy to work with, tastes great, and doesn’t crust over. That is gold, people.
FAQ About the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream
What piping tip do you use for these cupcakes?
It’s a closed star tip, Ateco #849. You can get the closed star tip here.
Is it safe to eat raw egg whites? / Do I have to use egg whites in a carton?
I recommend using pasteurized egg whites for food safety reasons. Pasteurizing means the whites have been heated to kill the bad bacteria, so you can safely consume raw whites. If you cannot find pasteurized whites in a carton, look for pasteurized whole eggs, and separate out the whites yourself. If you cannot find either, and you personally feel comfortable eating raw egg whites, then you can use regular whites. OR just use this recipe for traditional Swiss Meringue! The whites are cooked in that recipe, so it is safe to use regular eggs.
The EASIEST Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 6 fl oz pasteurized liquid egg whites (3/4 cup)
- 24 oz powdered sugar (6 cups)
- ½ tsp salt
- 24 oz unsalted butter (3 cups) , at room temperature
- 2 TBSP vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar is moistened and no dry patches remain. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat on medium for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, turn the mixer to medium-low and start adding the softened room temperature butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more. Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes. At the end, you’ll have a frosting with a wonderfully light and creamy texture. It can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or the freezer for up to two months. If you have chilled the frosting, let it come to room temperature and then beat it for several minutes to smooth it out and restore its texture before using it.
- To make chocolate buttercream, chop 12 oz unsweetened chocolate, and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Once the chocolate is melted, let it cool until it is completely room temperature. Make the frosting as described, and after it is finished, add the melted and cooled chocolate. Mix on low speed until the chocolate is completely incorporated.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Want to learn to make traditional Swiss Meringue buttercream? I have a Swiss Meringue Buttercream photo tutorial and recipe right here!
First time at Sugar hero, love it.
Hi Lydia, Welcome to SugarHero!!! I am so glad you found it! I am thrilled to hear you are enjoying what you are finding, thank you so much for your response!
Frosting is amazing! Wondering if you have ever tried to substitute half of the butter for shortening to get a more stable frosting in the heat? I realize that will make it crust, but I have had this really soften in the humidity and cause problems with my cakes
This isn’t a swiss meringue buttercream. All that it is is egg whites and powder sugar mixed together. A true swiss meringue is heated over a double boiler to cook the egg whites and dissolve the granulated sugar.
Hi Holly, In the post above I discuss how this is a cheater’s version, what a true Swiss meringue buttercream is, and link to a traditional version.
Can I use cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate to make the chocolate version of this hybrid Swiss meringue buttercream?
Yes! I would start with 1/4 cup cocoa powder and add more to taste. (Different cocoa powders can produce really different results, so I always like starting small and adding more if necessary). I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute and usually use 1/3-1/2 cup for a full batch. I also find that buttercream made with cocoa powder is better if left to sit for a few hours and then re-mixed, it needs a bit of time for the flavors and textures to develop and improve.
Hi there. Planning to make this soon. I’m making a salted caramel birthday cake with homemade salted caramel. How do I incorporate the caramel into the SMBC? thanks
Hi! I recommend that your caramel be a thick and spreadable consistency (not a runny caramel consistency like you’d find in a squeeze bottle from the store.) This will help ensure the final texture isn’t too thin. Follow the regular buttercream recipe. Make sure the caramel is not warm at all–completely at room temperature–and start by adding 1/2 cup of caramel to the finished buttercream. Once it’s mixed in, you can taste the BC and decide if you want a stronger caramel flavor. It really depends on your personal preference and also how strong your caramel is–you might end up adding up to 1 cup or more. But definitely add it gradually and make sure you keep an eye on the texture so it doesn’t become too soft.
Hope this helps, and please let me know how it goes!
Re: Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream – I love this recipe! I made it for the first time today. It is wonderful, so easy to make, smooth, creamy and not too sweet like traditional american buttercream. Thank you so much!!
I’m thrilled to hear that you loved the frosting, thanks so much!
How much cake will it cover?
Hi Sheila, This makes about 8 cups, which will cover a 3-layer 6″ cake or a 2-layer 8″ cake. It freezes very well, so if you’re not sure how much you’ll need, I recommend 1.5x or doubling it, and saving the extras for later.
This is my new favorite frosting, but I have a question. I set it out to defrost and when I re-whipped it in didn’t look fluffy anymore. It looks very soft and I’m afraid it won’t hold up to piping. Do I need to heat it up and then re-whip?
Planning on trying this for the first time but just realized I have 2cups unsalted and one cup salted butter. Should I adjust/omit the salt it calls for?
Hi Lisa! It’s totally fine to use the mix of salted and unsalted. I would leave the salt out and then taste the frosting at the very end, and add a bit of salt then if the flavor seems a little “flat.” Could be that your salted butter has enough salt that you won’t even want to add extra, could be that it needs a little bit more!
Can I use meringue powder instead of egg whites marg
This recipe is delicious! I need to make and color it for cupcakes. Red, yellow and orange. Does it color easily and do you use the liquid or more pasty gel food coloring?
I love this recipe! I was wondering if you’ve experimented with adding honey to this frosting? I’m worried it might ruin the consistency/structure. Thank you!
Hi Karlissa! I haven’t added honey but I have added thick caramel sauce and it works well. Definitely start with a small amount and gradually add more if the BC seems okay. I would say I’ve added over a 1/2 cup and it’s been okay, but again, start very small! The other concern is that it would make the BC very sweet, so you might want to tweak the salt levels as well. Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
I love this frosting and all my family are now hooked too! My mum wants a coffee cake for her birthday using this frosting, do I add straight coffee powder or coffee essence? Thanks x
Hi Candice! So thrilled to hear that you love this frosting! If you have coffee extract or coffee liqueur, you can add that. I would start with 1 tsp extract or 1 TBSP liqueur and add more to taste. If you don’t have those, you can also use instant espresso powder–dissolve a few tsp in a tablespoon of warm water, let it cool completely to room temperature, then add it bit by bit to the frosting, until it’s as strong as you’d like. Hope this helps, and please let me know how it goes!