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This fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting is one of my favorite frosting recipes. It’s smooth, it’s creamy, has the perfect sweetness, and it just might be the best buttercream frosting recipe ever. The peanut butter taste is spot on and sure to blow you away!

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting on top.


BEST Frosting Ever!

When I say that this is the best Peanut Butter Icing, I’m serious! It’s smooth enough to go on any dessert, like cupcakes or cake. You could also eat this frosting by the spoonful, that’s how good it is.

Many people actually ask me what I think this whipped easy peanut butter frosting recipe tastes best with while it tastes good with just about anything, peanut butter and chocolate is the perfect pairing. I paired them with chocolate cupcakes, but chocolate cake, brownies or even a brownie pie would suit this frosting.

Homemade peanut butter frosting is the perfect 6 ingredient frosting recipe for any dessert you make. If you’re a peanut butter lover you’re going to love this recipe!

ingredients in peanut butter frosting laid out on a white counter.

Ingredients Needed

  • Peanut Butter – creamy works best so that you keep a smooth texture. Be sure to use no-stir kind of peanut butter (like Skippy or Jif).
  • Powdered Sugar: Also called confectioners’ sugar
  • Unsalted butter – softened at room temperature. You can swap salted butter but be sure to reduce the added salt.
  • Heavy whipping cream – I always add heavy cream to my frosting recipes because it makes them more fluffy and whipped.

How to make Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting 

  • Beat peanut butter and butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer until creamy (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment).
  • Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, slowly, until the mixture is crumbly. Add salt and vanilla extract and mix again.
  • Add in heavy whipping cream and beat frosting until smooth, adding more heavy whipping cream until you reach the desired consistency (I always add 6 tablespoons). You can use milk if you want but it won’t be as fluffy.
  • Pipe or frost as desired.

How Much Frosting This Makes

This recipe makes enough frosting for:

  • 24 cupcakes (12 if piled super high)
  • One 9×13-inch sheet cake
  • 8-inch layer cake (with 2 layers)
  • Approximately 36 cookies (great on chocolate sugar cookies)
  • Double the recipe to make a 9-inch layer cake or if you want to pile frosting high on cupcakes.
peanut butter frosting on a grey metal mixer.

Expert Tips

  • You can freeze peanut butter frosting for up to 3 months. 
  • I prefer using a stand mixer to make frosting because it will incorporate the powdered sugar into the butter and peanut butter mixture better, allowing you to use less heavy cream. Stand mixers also whip the cream better, making the frosting even fluffier.
peanut butter frosting in a clear bowl with a teal spatula.

FAQs

Why is my peanut butter frosting grainy? 

If you didn’t mix the frosting all the way, you might notice a grainy texture. Add some extra whipping cream if needed and mix until it’s not grainy any longer. 

Why did my peanut butter frosting separate? 

The biggest reason that the frosting separates is that people use natural peanut butter. Make sure to use a no-stir peanut butter. 

How to store peanut butter frosting?

Store frosting in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. For best results, use it within 2 days.

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting on top.

Peanut Butter Frosting

4.86 from 14 votes
This easy peanut butter buttercream recipe is a from scratch buttercream full of peanut butter! It's creamy and the perfect frosting for cakes, cupcakes, or brownies!

Recipe Video

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Yield 24 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (268g) creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cups (452g) powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons (90ml) heavy whipping cream
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Instructions

  • Beat peanut butter and butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer until creamy (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment).
  • Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, slowly, until mixture is crumbly. Add salt and vanilla and mix, then add 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream.
  • Beat frosting until smooth, adding more heavy whipping cream until you reach the desired consistency (I always add 6 tablespoons).
  • Pipe or frost as desired.

Recipe Notes

  • Store frosting in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. For best results, use it within 2 days.
  • You can freeze peanut butter frosting for up to 3 months.
  • I prefer using a stand mixer to make frosting because it will incorporate the powdered sugar into the butter and peanut butter mixture better, allowing you to use less heavy cream. Stand mixers also whip the cream better, making the frosting even fluffier.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 72mg | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

4.86 from 14 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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14 Comments

  1. I’m going to put this icing on a grooms cake. The groom wants peanut butter icing. Do you think I could add cocoa to sone to pipe a border?

  2. Made this frosting and it is excellent. I added a little more whipping cream to make it fluffier like the recipe said. Everyone loved it.
    Will definitely make again

  3. Love the flavor, but find that the butter and peanut butter separate and have an oily sheen.  We put it in the fridge to try to harden it up.  Any other suggestions.  We live in Hawaii, so maybe the humidity is just too much. 

  4. Great peanut butter frosting! Light taste- easily doubled recipe- my question before I do it- do you think it could be tinted with a pink colouring? The momma requested pink and peanut butter but I don’t want the frosting to turn a weird colour! Thanks in advance! 

  5. Looks good. To be vegan, the heavy cream would have to be omitted as vegan don’t use animal by products.