This 10-minute creamy peanut butter frosting is SO easy to make and isn't overly sweet! It tastes like the center of Reese's cup but is stiff enough for piping and decorating. Enjoy it on cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and more!
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Ingredients
- Butter: You don't need as much butter here compared to other buttercream recipes because peanut butter replaces some of it. This recipe only uses 75 grams which is about ⅔ of a stick.
- Peanut butter: Use creamy, commercial-style peanut butter like Jif or Skippy- NOT natural (more on that below).
- Powdered sugar: This recipe uses 135 grams of powdered sugar, which may seem like a lot but is actually ½-1/4 of the amount of other recipes! It is just enough powdered sugar to make it stiff enough to decorate without making it overly sweet.
- Heavy cream: For a creamy consistency, use heavy cream instead of milk. Additionally, make sure it's at ROOM TEMPERATURE! I've found that the frosting can separate if it's cold. Just microwave the cream for 5-10 seconds before using it!
- Vanilla: Adds flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Cream the butter. Use a handheld or stand mixer to beat the butter for around 3 minutes, or until lightened in color.
STEP 2: Add peanut butter, powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla. Whip on high speed until light and fluffy.
STEP 3: Add more powdered sugar or cream as needed. Run through the frosting with a spatula to get a gauge of the consistency. To thicken the frosting, add more powdered sugar. To thin it out, add more cream.
STEP 4: Decorate. Pipe the frosting or spread it with a knife onto cakes, cupcakes, brownies, or whatever your heart desires.
FAQ
Use a creamy commercial peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter is far too oily and will cause the frosting to separate and curdle. I've never tried crunchy peanut butter, but I fear after whipping the frosting for 5+ minutes the peanut chunks would start to break down and make the frosting gritty and prevent it from piping smoothly.
This frosting is great for simple piping designs like swirls with the Wilton 1M tip, as pictured in the cupcakes below. For more intricate designs, reduce the heavy cream and add more powdered sugar as needed for a stiffer consistency.
This recipe makes about 2 and ½ cups of frosting, which is enough to pipe large swirls on around a dozen cupcakes or frost a square 9x9 or 8x8 inch (23x23 or 20x20 cm) cake. For layer cakes or 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) cakes, I recommend doubling the recipe.
If your powdered sugar is especially clumpy I recommend sifting it. If it already looks fine you don't have to, but sifting gives an extra smooth consistency.
What to Serve With Peanut Butter Frosting?
- Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes (pictured below!)
- Triple chocolate brownies
- Chocolate cake
- Banana cupcakes
- Snickerdoodle cake
- Sandwiched between two peanut butter cookies
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Cover leftover frosting in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Whip for about 1 minute using a handheld or stand mixer before using to regain the creamy consistency. I haven't tried freezing it, but I worry the texture wouldn't be as creamy after that.
More Frosting Recipes You'll Love
Leave a STAR REVIEW below if you try this recipe! Tag me on Instagram @treatsbytalija and for more ideas, check out the other desserts on my blog!
Print10-Minute Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2.5 cups 1x
- Category: frosting
- Method: whipping
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 75 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 250 grams creamy commercial peanut butter (not natural style)
- 135 grams powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy, plus more as needed
- 60 grams heavy cream, at room temperature, plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until lightened in color and creamy.
- Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Turn the mixer on low speed so the powdered sugar doesn't splatter everywhere, then once combined raise it to high speed and beat for another 3-5 minutes or until fluffy.
- Add more powdered sugar as needed to make the frosting more stiff, or more heavy cream to thin it out. Decorate as desired.
Notes
- Quickly bring ingredients to room temp: Cut butter into thin slices to make it soften faster. Microwave the cream for 5-10 seconds to take the chill off.
- Use creamy commercial-style peanut butter like Jif or Skippy, not crunchy or natural-style peanut butters.
- You don't have to sift the powdered sugar unless yours is already clumpy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12 batch
- Calories: 231
- Sugar: 13.4 g
- Sodium: 91 mg
- Fat: 17.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 19.1 mg
Keywords: peanut butter frosting, 10-minute peanut butter frosting, creamy peanut butter frosting, quick, easy
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