Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting Recipe

This peanut butter buttercream is rich, creamy, fluffy, and full of sweet peanut butter flavor. It comes together with simple ingredients and can be made thicker for piping or softer for spreading, so it works well on cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, and sandwich cookies. It pairs especially well with chocolate, banana, vanilla, and peanut butter desserts, making it an easy frosting to keep in your recipe box when you want something homemade and extra delicious.

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Why this is the best peanut butter buttercream recipe

It's a simple recipe. This peanut butter buttercream uses basic ingredients like butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little milk or cream, so you may already have most of what you need in your kitchen. If not, everything should be easy to find at your local grocery store.

It's very easy. All you have to do is beat the butter and and a spoonful of peanut butter together, mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk, and keep whipping until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. You can make it thicker for piping or softer for spreading over cakes, cupcakes, brownies, or cookies.

It tastes amazing. The peanut butter gives the buttercream a rich, nutty flavor that pairs so well with chocolate, vanilla, banana, and peanut butter desserts. It is sweet, creamy, and full of that classic sweetness and peanut butter flavor without being complicated or heavy.

It's great for brownies, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and easy homemade desserts. This peanut butter buttercream is sturdy enough to pipe but soft enough to spread, making it a great frosting to keep in your recipe box whenever you want something a little extra special. You'll especially love it on chocolate desserts like brownies and chocolate cupcakes.

What you'll need to make the best Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Equipment

• Electric mixer - You can use either an electric handheld or a stand mixer, but you will definitely want one or the other. While your great great grandmother may have made frosting without an electric mixer, it's not recommended today.
• Stand mixer

Ingredients 

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information .

• Powdered sugar - This is called confectioners' sugar or frosting sugar in some parts of the world because it is a key ingredient in buttercream frosting. You can't make buttercream without powdered sugar.
• Peanut butter - This needs to be creamy peanut butter. You don't want peanut bits in your peanut butter buttercream.
• Butter - I recommend unsalted butter but salted won't hurt anything if that's all you have. This should be softened but not melted. The best way to prepare it is to let it sit on the counter for a few hours. It won't spoil.
• Milk - You only need enough milk to get the right consistency. You likely will not use as much as the recipe calls for.

How to make Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting Recipe

1. Beat icing sugar, peanut butter, and butter in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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2. Beat in milk into the mixture, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
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3. Spread over cooled brownies or cake and place in the refrigerator until frosting is firm.

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Substitutions & variations

The type of peanut butter is important. I recommend the creamy variety, not chunky peanut butter, because chunky will leave little pieces of peanut in your smooth frosting, which most people find unpleasant. Traditional shelf-stable peanut butter like Jif or Skippy usually works best in peanut butter buttercream because natural peanut butter can separate and make the frosting oily or grainy.

If the frosting is too thick, add a little more milk or heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the texture you want. For a richer frosting, use heavy cream instead of milk. If it gets too thin, beat in a little more powdered sugar until it thickens back up.

This recipe makes enough frosting for a full size cake. To frost a layer cake, use less milk and make a sturdier frosting. To frost a sheet cake or brownies, you can use a bit more milk to make a lighter, fluffier frosting.

You can also change the flavor a bit by adding a pinch of salt, a drizzle of honey, a little cocoa powder, pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, or a splash of maple syrup. For a chocolate peanut butter buttercream, beat in cocoa powder with the powdered sugar and add a little extra cream as needed. You can also use chocolate peanut butter frosting on chocolate cake, banana cake, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, or sandwich cookies.

Storing leftover frosting

If you have too much frosting, you don't have to waste it! Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before using, then beat it again for a minute or two until it becomes smooth and fluffy.

You can also freeze peanut butter buttercream for up to 3 months. Place it in a freezer-safe container or zippered plastic bag, press out as much air as possible, and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Before spreading or piping the frosting, let it come to room temperature and re-whip it so the texture is soft and creamy again.

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Check out more delicious Peanut Butter recipes

• Peanut Butter Pancakes
• Peanut Butter Brownie Pizza
• Ultimate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie
• Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
• Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies

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