Vanilla Bean Buttercream

This Vanilla Bean Buttercream recipe has to be the buttery-est buttercream I've ever made! You need only three ingredients to make this frosting, butter, confectioners' sugar, and a vanilla pod.

This recipe is made with real vanilla beans and is the perfect frosting to use on birthday cakes, cupcakes, and even sugar cookies. It pipes out really smooth and is perfect to use to decorate cakes if you are looking for those sharp edges! Try out these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes to see how perfect this frosting is!

If you love trying out different frosting recipes on your favorite bakes, then have a look at this Biscoff Buttercream recipe, this Nutella Buttercream, or this Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tips
FAQ
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

To make this simple frosting, you will need the ingredients listed below. Remember always to use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.

Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
Vanilla bean pod

Unsalted butter - choose unsalted butter for this recipe rather than salted. It is also very important that you use softened room temperature butter. The butter is whipped until it is light and fluffy before the icing sugar is added, so it needs to be soft.

Powdered sugar - the texture of your frosting can be affected by the confectioner's sugar brand you choose. For a smooth buttercream try to find one with a soft texture rather than a grainy one. I also always sift my icing sugar before using it to ensure there are no clumps.

Vanilla bean pod - use the seeds scraped from a fresh vanilla bean pod for this recipe. If you can't find a vanilla bean then you can use vanilla bean paste instead.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Follow the simple instructions below to make this classic vanilla buttercream frosting. First, you will whip the butter until it is almost white in color with the help of an electric mixer, then the icing sugar is added and the frosting is beaten again.

STEP 1: Beat butter. Add the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at high speed until the butter is light and fluffy, this can take between 5 and 10 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula.

STEP 2: Add icing sugar. Switch the mixer's attachment to a paddle attachment and add the icing sugar to the whipped butter. Beat at a low speed until combined.

STEP 3: Beat butter and icing sugar. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and beat the buttercream frosting until it is light and fluffy about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often.

Image showing step 1, after the butter has been beaten until light and fluffy.

Image showing step 3, after the icing sugar has been added. You can see how fluffy the buttercream is.

STEP 4: Scrape out vanilla pod seeds. Use a sharp knife to slice open the vanilla pod lengthways and use the back of a spoon to scoop out all of the vanilla bean seeds. Add the seeds to the frosting and beat again until the perfect consistency.

STEP 5: Decorate. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle and pipe swirls of frosting onto cupcakes or use a spatula to spread it over your favorite cake. Enjoy!

Hint: For the perfect fluffy buttercream frosting, make sure the butter is at room temperature.

Variations

If you aren't able to find fresh vanilla pods, use vanilla bean paste instead. Add about one teaspoon to the vanilla buttercream frosting. You should be able to see the little vanilla bean flecks throughout the frosting, if you can't you may need to adjust the amount of vanilla bean paste that you should add.

Equipment

To make this vanilla bean frosting, you will need a hand mixer or stand mixer. The butter is beaten until it is almost white so this requires a little bit of help from a mixer!

Vanilla Bean Buttercream shown swirled onto vanilla bean cupcakes on a cake plate.

Storage

This recipe uses a lot of butter, so I do not recommend choosing to make this frosting on a very hot day or using this frosting if you are going to leave cupcakes or cakes out for a long time in the sun before consuming them.

To store this frosting before using it to decorate cakes or cupcakes, place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Remove the frosting from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before whipping it in a stand mixer and then using it to decorate your baked goods.

Top tips

Follow the top tips below to make sure you are making the best buttercream frosting!

The butter must be at room temperature otherwise it will not whip properly.
Use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to ensure your butter is whipped enough.
The butter is ready when it is almost white, has increased in volume, and is fluffy.
Always use your frosting to decorate cakes or cupcakes soon after it has finished beating.

FAQ

What should I do if my butter isn't at room temperature?

Wait - having room-temperature butter is the most important step in a successful frosting. Choose to wait until the butter has reached room temperature before making this recipe, or cube the butter and heat it gently in the microwave, being careful to not melt it.

Can I use vanilla bean paste instead of a vanilla pod?

Yes, you can, add about one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste to the frosting if you cannot find vanilla bean pods.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream shown swirled onto vanilla cupcakes.

This frosting is light, delicious, and has the perfect pipeable consistency for those insta-worthy cupcakes I know you love baking!

If you love this vanilla bean buttercream frosting recipe, please leave a comment and star review below - I love hearing about your kitchen stories! And don't forget to tell me if you used this frosting on vanilla cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes!

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Happy Baking

With Love,

Kitty

📖 Recipe