This peanut butter frosting recipe is a rich and creamy buttercream frosting infused with peanut butter flavor, thanks to the addition of creamy peanut butter. It's the perfect frosting for cakes, cupcakes, or cookies, and it's incredibly easy to make.
Buttercream frosting is a delicious topping for almost any baked good, but when you add other flavors to it, things get really delicious. Variations like chocolate, berry, or Nutella buttercream all make deliciously unique variations of a classic, allowing you to do even more with this delicious topper.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: You'll only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this frosting.
- Easy: This frosting takes just a little mixing, and that's it. It's all done in about 10 minutes.
- Versatile: Use this frosting on all kinds of cakes, cupcakes, quickbreads, and even cookies.
- Decadent: This frosting is super rich and creamy with bold, sweet peanut butter flavor.
Ingredients
- Butter: Butter adds the fat necessary to create a rich, full-bodied frosting.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is blended into the frosting for its signature flavor.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar gives the frosting all its sweetness and rich, decadent texture.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream helps adjust the texture of the frosting while keeping it rich.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a bold, sweet undertone. I prefer Singing Dog vanilla for its quality and deep vanilla flavor.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Peanut Butter: Create variations of this frosting by using any of your favorite creamy nut butters.
- Dairy Free: Use dairy free butter and plant milk for a dairy free version.
- Vanilla Extract: For even deeper vanilla flavor, try vanilla bean paste.
How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting
1: Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Then, mix in the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully combined.
2: Add the peanut butter and mix until incorporated.
3: Add the vanilla, salt, and a little cream and mix. Adjust with with more cream if necessary to achieve a rich, smooth consistency.
Hint
Be sure to fully soften your butter for the creamiest frosting with no grainy lumps of raw butter.
Storage
Refrigerate this frosting for up to a week in an air-tight container.
What to Use with Peanut Buttercream Frosting
Use this peanut butter frosting on baked goods like banana cake, chocolate cupcakes, vanilla bean cake, or any of your favorite baked goods. It's also a great filling for sandwich cookies. Get creative because the sky's the limit.
Expert Tips
- Fully soften your butter so it creams easily, and there are no little bits of raw butter in the frosting.
- Be sure to use regular peanut butter, not all natural peanut butter. The oil separation can never be mixed enough to make a smooth, creamy frosting.
- Be sure to scrape down your mixing bowl as you go to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
- A stand mixer or hand mixer is the easiest way to make this frosting.
- Bring all of your cold ingredients to room temperature to avoid a grainy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buttercream frosting will remain shelf-stable for up to 3 days at room temperature. However, if you haven't used it to decorate a baked good, it's better to refrigerate it.
Buttercream frosting will last for about a week in the refrigerator.
Of course, buttercream frosting makes a great finisher for cakes and cupcakes. However, you can also use it as a filling for sandwich cookies, donuts, as an ice cream topping, making cake balls, or even as a delicious dessert dip.
If you don't bring all your cold ingredients to room temperature, the frosting can end up with a grainy texture. In addition, if you overmix the buttercream, it can become greasy, separated, and deflate.
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📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup dairy or dairy free butter room temperature
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar more to taste
- 1 teaspoon Singing Dog vanilla
- 3 tablespoon almond milk or heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed for 2 minutes until creamy.
- Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Start on low speed, then slowly increase to medium until everything is well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add the peanut butter and mix on medium-high for a minute.
- Add the vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tablespoon of almond milk or heavy cream and mix.
- Add more almond milk or heavy cream in small amounts to adjust the consistency of the frosting as needed.
Notes
- Refrigerate this frosting for up to a week in an airtight container.
- Fully soften your butter so it creams easily and there are no little bits of raw butter in the frosting.
- Be sure to use regular peanut butter, not all-natural peanut butter. The oil separation can never be mixed enough to make a smooth, creamy frosting.
- Be sure to scrape down your mixing bowl as you go to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
- A stand mixer or hand mixer is the easiest way to make this frosting.
- Bring all of your cold ingredients to room temperature to avoid a grainy texture.
- This frosting works well on any of your favorite cakes. Peanut butter goes with everything!
swathi says
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Anonymous says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Juyali says
My family loves PB, so I wanted to surprise them with something unique for cupcakes. They loved it! Great recipe. 🤤
Nora says
Amazing frosting! Such an intense peanut flavor! Yum!
Elizabeth says
This frosting is AMAZING! Made it this weekend with my toddler and she loved it!
JC says
This frosting was so rich and delicious. Loved the PB flavor!
Krystle says
My favorite frosting! We love it on cakes and brownies.