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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!
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
Recipe Notes
MEASURING TIPS
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Click here to learn more about baking measurements and conversion.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!
Hi, the receipe was easy and taste good. I did have to double all my ingredients as it said 6 cups of powder sugar but it should say 3 cups.
Hi from the UK! Question for you Can I use real egg whites for this recipe? Making my daughter’s rainbow cake next week and need a good buttercream thank you.
Hi there, can you let me know what you’d recommend for a lemon flavoured version please?
I followed the recipe and even set timers for the exact times but it is grainy and has an texture with tons of air bubbles so it doesn’t give a smooth finish. Is there a secret to this recipe? What am I doing wrong?
Hi Selena, I’m sorry to hear the buttercream is giving you trouble. The graininess usually comes from the powdered sugar you’re using–I recommend using a name brand rather than store brand (C&H is my fave) because some cheaper sugars are very grainy. As far as air bubbles, if you run the mixer on low with a paddle attachment for 5-10 minutes after the buttercream is made, that will go a long way toward removing most air bubbles. Hope this helps!
Love this recipe. Love this site. First time I have visited. Great advise and instructions. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you for your recipe! If you frost a cake with this can it stay out at room temperature overnight ? Thanks!
Absolutely cannot believe how easy and delicious this recipe is. My go to all the time now, wish I’d have tried it sooner. Thank you, thank you!!! Xx
Any advice on turning this into cookies and cream version?
I found your easy swiss meringue recipe on Instagram. In the video, you referenced using Princess cake and cookie emulsion flavoring. I have never seen it. Anyway, I bought some to add to my next batch of icing. How much of the emulsion do you typically add?
At first I was doubtful, but worked so well! I made 1/3 the recipe for small batch of cupcakes and it was fluffy sweet perfection. Thank you!
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
Hello wondering if you can half this recipe? using only 1 cup of butter?
Hi Elizabeth– In your recipe intro you said, “…this is based on a frosting recipe by the amazing cake decorator Lauren Kitchens. 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.” —— I’d REALLY like to see the ORIGINAL Lauren Kitchens’ “Lazy Version SMBC”–the reason is that MY personal taste buds are likely different from yours–my friends and family and I prefer our frostings a LOT less sweet. I’ve been searching for YEARS for a frosting recipe that is far less sweet, but easy, fast, tasty and non-grainy. I want it to be more of a CARRIER for clear, clean organic flavors that are brilliant & better on their own than muddied up by so much sugar. —— I’ve tried going to the Lauren web-link in your post but can’t find the recipe anywhere, so I’d be most grateful to have you help. And sooner rather than later would be helpful because my husband’s birthday is fast approaching …and he’d be very appreciative too! Thanks! 😀
Hi Merrille,
I’m not sure where to find it on Lauren’s own site these days, but here is another site with her original recipe:
https://avaloncakesschool.com/recipe/easy-and-delicious-lauren-kitchens-buttercream/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/28006828907622236/
This is the original recipe posted on Pinterest – the one on Avalon cakes also made adjustments for their sugar.
Hey there, I’m very excited to try this recipe ASAP because my two attempts at making the triditional version have failed terribly. If you don’t mind, I do have some questions: I understand that meringue can be finicky and if there is any grease or fat left in the mixing bowl or on any other utensils, that the meringue won’t ever come together. Is that the case here as well? Also If I use butter that is made with sweet cream, would that change the elements of the recipe? I’m asking because my other attempts at SMB tasted too much like a mouthful of butter, and I’m hoping the sweet cream butter might improve the taste? What do you think? Lastly, I’d like to make this frosting coconut flavored. What amount of coconut extract should I use? The same amount as the vanilla extract in your recipe? Thank you! I really appreciate your time and your blog is so amazing! Thanks for sharing your work. <3
Hi there I haven’t tried this yet, but the reviews definitely show that I won’t regret it when I do! Please advise if I could colour the frosting?
Thank you!
This is absolutely my favorite frosting recipe! I use it all the time. I had already cheated by heating sugar and eggs in micro, then add to whipped butter. That was excellent also, but this skips heating altogether and uses powered sugar. BRILLIANT! With your recipe, stand-mixer power that is the secret and SO easy. I have added cocoa, or melted bitter or semi-sweet chocolate cooled to room temp, almond emulsion, COOKIE BUTTER and more! Thank you so much for posting this. Why aren’t there 1,000s of comments on here?
Can I beat butter and brown sugar to add to the egg whites (no powdered sugar) and this still turn out? I’m wanting to make a brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream that I don’t have to cook. Any thoughts?
Could you turn this into a Strawberry Frosting and if so how ??? Thanks Angie
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.
The article was called “ THE EASIEST SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM” Non-traditional is implied. I liked the recipe! Thank you. Not having to cook egg whites over a double boiler? Awesome! Thanks, Cookie Monster Bakes (aka “Gam”)
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I’m looking forward to trying. Do you think this method would hold up with cream cheese. I’m looking for an alternative cream cheese frosting to American buttercream (too sweet for me) without having to make an IMBC. I personally prefer the texture and flavor of SMBC but I can’t ever get mine to come together with cream cheese. I want to avoid using cream of tartar because I have 4 dogs and with or without permission one of them always gets a taste of icing and cream of tartar is toxic to dogs (grapes, yikes!) Any suggestions for getting this or another cheat to work with cream cheese while avoiding the toothache of American BC?
I made this for the first time and I love this recipe!! Not too sweet! I’d like to add kahlua or baileys to flavor the buttercream. How much should I add so I don’t change the texture and so that I can pipe it into cupcakes? Thanks so much!
I’ve made this recipe many times since coming it on your site and it works and tastes awesome. Much easier than the tradition method of cooking egg whites and letting them cool etc. silly question, have you ever tried replacing half the butter with margarine or even using only margarine instead of butter? Just curious if that would work. Thanks!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it is very easy and tastes great! So much easier and less time consuming than making SMBC the traditional way. Have you ever replaced half or all of the butter with margarine? Would that change the consistency much? Thanks!
You cannot call this swiss meringue buttercream. There is no swiss meringue in this to call it that. There is somrthig called truth-in-menu where you have to tell the truth on what’s inside. A swiss meringue is sugar and whites headed over a double boiler.
It is a buttercream, but not a swiss.
Hi Hammie, this exact point is covered in depth in the post, along with a link to an actual Swiss meringue BC recipe.
We love this frosting! We use a nondairy butter due to food allergies in our family. It makes the frosting very soft, so I’ve been experimenting with different butters… I just made it yesterday and realized that your recipe calls for 24oz of powdered sugar or 6 cups. Which is it? 6 cups is equivalent to 48 ounces. I am wondering if more sugar would help solidify my frosting but I wanted to see what the correct amount is. I usually do 24 ounces.
Thank you so much for sharing this buttercream. I have been using it with great success to fill macarons! Do you know or have you tried adding cream cheese to it to make a cream cheese buttercream to frost a cake? I would appreciate any input before I attempt it. Thanks in advance.
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.
Can I reduce the sugar content as I prefer a less sweet frosting ?
Love this recipe – foolproof everytime. How would adapt this to make it lemon flavoured? I’m worried that with adding lemon extract or juice, the added moisture will throw the balance off. Thanks!
I have made this recipe now twice (my first batch was a double batch with 6 sticks of butter) and I have received multiple praising reviews on it! It was the best frosting I’ve ever made! And its super easy to make! It pipes beautifully and makes nice clean lines!! It will be my go to frosting for everything now! I LOVE IT! If you are contemplating making it, DO IT! You’ll never make another frosting as long as you live!!
I love this recipe! It’s my go-to for all my cakes now. How do you think you could adjust the recipe to add strawberry flavour?
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.
How many cupcakes will this frost?
Love this recipe!! So much easier than my old SMB recipe! Followed it to the letter and it turned out beautifully. Lots of compliments on my cake and the buttercream spread beautifully with an angled spatula. Will definitely keep this recipe on hand! Thank you!! xo
Please reply asap, do I have to bring pasteurized egg to room temp before using it.
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?
How long in advance can i made this frosting? Can it be refrigerated and for how long? Frozen and for how long?
This was delicious!! I used it on a wedding cake I made for a friends wedding and so many people were talking about how it was the best icing they ever had! Definitely my go to icing now! And it’s so easy to make! I like it way better than American buttercream Thank you for recipe!
Hi Elizabeth,
I would like to make this frosting. The recipe above produces 8 cups. Do you have a recipe for smaller quantity. I would like to use to cover one 8inch cake or even 24 cupcakes?
Hi! Can the leftover egg whites in the carton be Frozen for later use?
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
Once I frost my cupcakes how long can the frosting be ambient? Or do I have to put the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator? Thank you.