Swiss meringue buttercream is better in flavor and texture than American Buttercream. Once you try it, you will want to use it on all of your cakes, cupcakes, cookies, everything! It is silky, pipes beautifully, and is stable. Watch the easy video tutorial and you will be a pro in no time!
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Swiss Meringue Buttercream Video
Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) is my favorite of the meringue frostings because it is not overly sweet or difficult to make, and this method pasteurizes the egg whites in the process – Hooray!! It is simple enough to use for everyday baking but the flavor is a special occasion worthy frosting (scroll down to see the fun design I made for my niece and nephew’s puppy-themed birthday party). This frosting makes me think of wedding cakes every time I make it!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream keeps really well overnight at room temperature without drying out or forming a crust as American buttercream will. You can completely assemble your cake ahead of time without taking up space in the refrigerator and it will look and taste just as good the next day. It’s also freezer-friendly (see instructions below).
Cook’s Tip for Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Butter should be softened at room temperature for about 1 hour (more or less depending on your room temperature). You want it to be still slightly cool to the touch and not overly soft or warm. If it gets too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes at a time.
How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1. In a medium pot, add about 1-inch of water and bring to a simmer.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry the stainless steel mixing bowl from your stand mixer** (you don’t want any fat touching meringue). Add 7 egg whites and 2 cups sugar and whisk together. Place mixing bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, creating a seal over the pot (bowl should be over the steam, not touching water). Whisk constantly until sugar/egg white mixture reaches 160˚F (takes about 3 minutes). Sugar should be fully dissolved (you should not feel any sugar granules when rubbing the mixture between fingers), and the mixture will feel hot to the touch.
3. Wipe water from bottom of mixing bowl and transfer bowl to your stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form (about 15-20 minutes) and the bottom of the bowl feels completely at room temperature and not warm (important: if meringue is warm, it will melt the butter).
3. Once bowl is at room temperature, switch to the paddle attachment, reduce to medium speed and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time, adding it just as fast as it can be absorbed by meringue. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until the buttercream has reached a thick whipped consistency (3 min on med-high speed). If it looks lumpy or liquid at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.
4. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt then mix on med-high until incorporated (about 1 min).
P.S. The tiny amount of salt at the end gives this frosting incredible depth of flavor.
Common Questions
For egg whites to become glossy and reach stiff peaks, it’s critical to make sure your mixing bowl and attachments are free of any grease, egg yolks, or water. You need to start with thoroughly clean and dry tools.
This is usually due to the mixture being too warm or adding the butter before the meringue has fully cooled down. Thankfully, it is easy to fix. Refrigerate the bowl for 15-20 minutes then continue mixing until the frosting thickens.
It is ok to use a high-speed electric hand mixer, but it may take 5-10 minutes longer of total mixing time. Also, a glass bowl will work but meringue may take longer to whip/cool down because glass retains heat longer.
Avoid using coarse sugar. Granulated sugar works best here. Also, make sure to heat your mixture over the water bath until it registers 160˚F on a thermometer.
Absolutely! See how we frosted our 9-inch, 2-layer Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Make-Ahead
- Room Temperature – Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a stable frosting, meaning it will keep well covered at room temperature for 1 to 2 days in a low humidity environment.
- Refrigerator – cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring back to room temperature to re-whip before piping.
- Freezing – SMBC can be frozen for up to 3 months. Transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag, squeeze out any excess air, and store flat for quicker thawing. Thaw at room temperature then re-whip for a few minutes to lighten it up.
More Frosting Recipes
We haven’t found a storebought frosting even comes close to homemade. If you love homemade frosting as much as we do, you’re sure to find some new favorite frosting recipes in this list:
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Cupcake Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 oz egg whites, from 7 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, (3 sticks)*
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add at least 1-inch of water and bring to simmer.
- Thoroughly wash and dry the stainless steel mixing bowl from your stand mixer (you don't want grease touching meringue). Add 7 egg whites and 2 cups sugar and whisk together. Place mixing bowl over a large saucepan of barely simmering water, creating a seal over the pot (bowl should be over the steam, not touching water). Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160˚F (takes about 3 min). Sugar should be fully dissolved (you should not feel any sugar granules when rubbing mixture between finger tips). Mixture will feel hot to the touch.
- Wipe water from bottom of mixing bowl and transfer bowl to stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form (about 15-20 min) and bottom of the bowl feels completely at room temp and not warm (important: warm meringue will melt the butter).
- Once bowl is at room temp, switch to paddle attachment, reduce to medium speed and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time, adding it just as fast as it is absorbed by meringue. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until it reaches a thick whipped consistency (3 min on med-high speed). If it looks lumpy or liquidy at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.
- Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt and mix on med-high until incorporated (about 1 min).
Notes
Filed Under
And here are the puppy cupcakes I made using this Swiss Buttercream for my niece and nephews birthday party! The kids LOVED them!! Here is the vanilla cupcakes base that I used for these. I used mini M&M’s on the eyes, a Hershey’s chocolate drop for the nose, then used a rolling pin and my hands to form the ears out of tootsie rolls and the tongue out of a similar shaped pink candy (similar to an airhead candy).
If you make this frosting, let me know what you think of it in a comment below.
Hi Natasha pls how many cups does this recipe make
Hi Grace, I wish I had measured it that way, but I can only guess now – maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake.
I tried making this for the cupcakes I had to frost, but when I made it, it turned into soup. I kept beating it hoping it would stiffen up, but no luck. My meringue was BEAUTIFUL until I added in the butter, then it went to soup. It had a great flavor, but just dripped off the spoon. I tried putting it in the fridge and seeing if that would help stiffen it up, but still soup. Would putting the meringue in the fridge for 15 minutes, and then adding the room temperature butter work better? I am not sure what I did wrong the first time, so any suggestions would be awesome 🙂 Thank you! 🙂
Hi Rachel! I’m more than happy to troubleshoot! Is it very humid in your house? I haven’t heard of humidity being an issue, but I suppose it’s possible. I would suggest trying with the AC running to decrease humidity somewhat. Usually, if you are getting “soup”, it is due to either not allowing the egg whites to cool completely to room temperature before adding butter. If the meringue is warm at all, it will take longer to beat the frosting for it to reach the correct consistency. I would suggest beating it a few minutes longer next time before refrigerating and if refrigerating, do that for no longer than 20-30 minutes and then beat again.
Hi Natasha! Unfortunately I don’t have a stand mixer but I do have a hand mixer. I really want to try your recipe for my brother’s engagement party cake. How would my directions differ with the hand mixer?
Hi Jessica, to be honest, I have not tried it with a hand mixer because it takes a really long time to whip and that would leave you with a very tired arm! I also haven’t come across any recipes that I can recall where a hand mixer was used – maybe solely because it is not easy to stand over it that long. I wish I could be more help but I just haven’t braved this with a hand mixer. Also, a hand mixer is not as efficient at whipping and cooling a mixture so you may have to whip even longer.
I made this for valentines day and it was very good. Added strawberry, and chocolate to some of it. Yum. I was wondering if you can add more sugar or will it mess the recipe up? I’m gonna make my husbands birthday cake soon but he said he would want the icing to be sweeter.
Hi Ana, it can depend on what kind of cake you pair it with – if the cake is very sweet, the frosting will seem less so, but I think you could get away with adding more sugar here. I would start with 1/2 cup extra sugar. I’m so glad you enjoyed the frosting and I wish I could see a picture of your cake – sounds lovely!
Hi, do you know why my meringue isn’t able to get stiff peaks? its not stiff and not too soft, so I started adding in my butter. I don’t want the buttercream to be too sweet, so I only added in 1 stick and a half of butter. Now my buttercream won’t become thicker and the consistency isn’t right. It’s really runny and liquidy, so I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t wait until the stiff peaks formed, or if I didn’t add in enough butter. I will probably add in more butter, hopefully that will fix it but do you know what went wrong? I kept mixing for a long time, even though it says be patient I waited for almost 30 minutes. Thank you!
Hi Chloe, If it is runny and not pipe-able, the easiest fix is to beat the swiss meringue buttercream frosting a few minutes longer. It could be that the mixture did not cool completely to room temperature before adding butter, but it can be fixed with longer beating. I hope this helps
Thank you for the advice but the more I keep mixing it’s getting more liquidy? I’m going to add in more butter to see if it helps.
Hi Natasha,
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s always fabulous. I’ve been able to make it ahead and put it in the freezer and it comes out great. This last time it wasn’t looking as smooth as I liked so I put it in the mixer for a while but it came out too soft Should I have kept whipping it or did I whip it too much?
Hi Misty, thanks for sharing that it freezes well! I haven’t tried freezing but with SMBC frosting, beating longer will usually firm it up.
Hi Natasha,
You asked me to tell you how it turned out when I tried adding chocolate. It was amazing! I used about 6 ounces 78% and 3 ounces 65%. I added another 1/4 teaspoon of salt to cut the sweetness. Next time I will use all 78%. I liked it much better than using Nutella because that made it too sweet for me.
That’s so great, Misty! I’m so happy that worked out for you! & thank you for getting back to me! I’m sure our readers will find this helpful also!
Hi Rachel, if making the frosting ahead, it would be best to pipe onto the cupcakes and then refrigerate overnight, otherwise you would have to let the frosting come to room temp the next day and remix to get it to the whipped consistency. If you frost and then refrigerate, your cupcakes are done and the frosting will just as good once the cupcakes reach room temperature.
Can I make this frosting the night before, and then frost my cupcakes the next morning? I am making 240 cupcakes for a party, and will have the cupcakes made in advance, but didn’t want to frost them too early. Thanks!
Hi Rachel! This frosting is very stable and should last pipped out in advance, but I think that should work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Rachel, I have made this SMBC many times now. It’s my go to for frosting now. Just love it. I’ve found that piping the cup cakes the day before, refrigerate them, then take them out about 2 hours before you need them. (1 hour if it’s very warm weather). I’ve done this many times now with cupcakes and whole cakes. You will be less stressed on the day too, because that is a lot of cupcakes. Hope this helps. P.S. Another plan could be: 3 days before, you make the SMBC & pop in the fridge, the next day, make the cupcakes, cool them, whilst your SMBC is back out of the fridge softening a little bit, re whip it (that won’t take as long as it does to make it), then pipe them and pop back in the fridge. then the next day you’ve got them made, just have to take them out for your event. Just thought it might help. Good luck
Thank you so much! 🙂
Loved the texture of this recipe but I found it too buttery. Would it work if I cut half the butter out?
I’m also unsure if this buttercream holds up at room temperature and for how long?
Hi Jasmine, I would have to test it to make sure it formed properly before I could make that kind of recommendation.
I’ve made this recipe last night for a wedding cake and it turned out perfectly fine but then I put it in the fridge to use it the next day. I took it out and let it sit for 2-3 hrs and then remixed it. Unfortunately the mixture first started to crumble and then I mixed it some more and it became smoother but it completely collapsed. It’s more like a buttery, dense mixture rather than silky and smooth like last night. Help!
Hi Francine, make sure it is completely at room temperature when re-mixing, otherwise if it still has any chill in it, it won’t whip up properly. I would let it sit another 30 minutes at room temperature and re-try.
I have never made swiss buttercream. I’ve taken about 3 years off from making cakes and always used shortening and butter flavor in the past (blech). I love that this one uses butter instead of shortening but looks to be pretty white and stable.
Question: if I double the recipe, can I cook the egg whites and sugar, then split the mixture in half and whip a batch at a time? I’m sure my mixer won’t hold two batches once whipped but I wasn’t sure if the egg whites being cooled before whipping would make a difference. I know it doesn’t matter for regular whipped egg whites. Thought this would be a time saver.
Thanks!
Hi Melinda! I’m so happy you enjoyed that! If you wanted to double it, I would suggest making a double batch since it would take a really long time to cool to room temp and would overwhelm most mixers.
Natasha, I’m not sure you understood my question. I want to make a double batch. So i want to put 14 egg whites and 4 cups of sugar in the double boiler. Then split that in half, set aside one half and whip the other half (then add in the butter and such, finish it and remove it from the mixing bowl). I thought this would save time by not having to heat two batches of egg whites and sugar separately.
The other half i set aside will be cooling while i whip and mix the first batch. If i whip and mix the mixture after it has sat and cooled a bit, will that cause issues?
I realize i will have to clean my mixing bowl well between whipping or the 2nd batch definitely won’t whip.
Hi Melinda, I haven’t tried it that way (and I don’t foresee any issues), but since the mixture is heating up over steam, it may take twice as long to heat to the right temperature so I’m not sure that it will save time to do it that way. Great point about cleaning the bowl in between!
Hi I have a question!
The consistency of my Buttercream seems off. I’ve whipped the heck out of it but it just won’t get thicker. It’s like the consistency of soft whipped cream. I’ve tried refrigerating it for a couple hours and whipping it again but still doesn’t get thicker. I’m wondering if maybe I didn’t cook the egg whites and sugar hot enough or doubling the recipe threw it off?
Hi Danielle, usually if you just continue beating it for another 2 to 3 minutes, it will thicken. You may run in to a problem if your butter was overly soft/partially melted, or if butter was added while the meringue was still warm. If that was the case, I would refrigerate 15 minutes and then continue mixing.
Hi Natasha, I was just wondering if the recipes will be enough to RIM (Outer circle inside the layer where I’ll be filling the centers with a jam) a 4 layer cake with a crumb coat and full cake frosting. 8″ x 2″ (4 times). Please help.
Hi Josue, I think that should work. Here is a cake that we frosted that was a 2-layer 9″ cake which might help with perspective.
Thank you!!
Hi Natasha,
How much swiss meringue would be needed for an equivalent 4 cups sugar : 4 cup butter American buttercream? I know that this quantity of ABC is required for my frosting but am doubtful about the equivalent quantity of swiss meringue buttercream. Please help.
Hi Deepthi, I’m not sure I”m understanding your question correctly – SMBC has different ratios than American Buttercream, but for 4 cups sugar, I would recommend doubling the recipe and you would have to do it in 2 separate batches unless you had an industrial sized mixer. Hope that helps!
Thanks Natasha. Should the egg whites be at room temperature?
Hi Deepthi, with this recipe it doesn’t make a difference because you will be heating the egg whites. They will heat up faster if they are at room temperature but it isn’t critical for the recipe.
The recipe I used called for 10 eggs and 2 1/2 C sugar. It fit fine in an small 6qt kitchen aid I think 14 eggs would fit fine in a large KitchenAid mixer just my opinion😁
Hi Natasha my mixture is not getting hot over the stove. Any ideas?
Hi Marley, it might be how you have your water bath set up – you should have the bowl sitting over the steam. make sure you are using a pot without a lip on the edge so the steam isn’t escaping or it will take forever for the mixture to heat up. Also, be sure your water is simmering underneath. Hope that helps troubleshoot.
I used this recipe a few weeks ago and loved the flavor and texture of the frosting! I am in the process of making a birthday cake and trying to figure out if I need to double it. I might of missed it somewhere but how many cups of frosting does this recipe make? Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Shana, I wish I had measured it that way, but I can only guess now – maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake.
Hi Natasha! I was wondering if you you could use a hand mixer instead because my electric mixer had broken and I have nothing else to make this with but I still have my hand mixer. Also, I’ve wanted to make this recipe for a long time but I can’t find any recipe without the electric mixer
Hi Bianca, to be honest, I have not tried it with a hand mixer because it takes a really long time to whip and that would leave you with a very tired arm! I also haven’t come across any recipes that I can recall where a hand mixer was used – maybe solely because it is not easy to stand over it that long. I wish I could be more help but I just haven’t braved this with a hand mixer. Also, a hand mixer is not as efficient at whipping and cooling a mixture so you may have to whip even longer.
Thank for the advice😊! I’ve been wondering about this for a long time and thank you so much for the help. Also, thanks for helping me throughout my baking journey. I have been making all of your recipes but it is really truly hard when i’m at such a young age and you are such an inspiration to me. Thank you so much for replying to me and being such an inspiration to me😊😊😊🥳
You’re so nice, Bianca! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment 🙂
This frosting is so good! If you aren’t making cupcakes for children, replacing the vanilla extract with Kahlua really makes it extra!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for that suggestion!
Absolutely the best buttercream I have made. My 10 year old even likes it. My stand mixer took a little longer, and I was struggling with patients, but it came out perfectly. I did add just a 1/4 teaspoon more of vanilla just to increase the flavor even more. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Its going in the envelope for sure
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing your review with us 🙂
Hi natasha!
Can i add food coloring to the buttercream?
Thank you!
Hi Celine, you sure can! I think you could, but add a little color at a time until you reach your desired color while maintaining the consistency. I would recommend using a gel food coloring over a liquid one.
My grandson cannot have dairy, could I use imperial stick butter for this?
Hi Melinda, I have not tried it with the imperial stick butter tt may be worth experimenting!
My son is allergic to dairy also, but I only use real butter, and he doesn’t have any problems.
One more question. I’m wondering how much I will need to pipe a basket weave on the sides of my 2 layer cake along with large flowers on the top? I’m wondering if I will need to actually double this recipe? I may be hard to do 1.5 times the recipe unless I buy liquid whites. I can always double this and make something else to use the rest. 🙂
Hi Holly, I wish I could tell you but I hadn’t measured it that way, but I can only guess that it may be enough. It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake. If you end up doubling the recipe, you can use the leftovers for some cupcakes 🙂
Hi Natasha,
This is a wonderful frosting! I’ve added raspberry preserves and made a wonderful raspberry buttercream. I’d like to make a chocolate one but don’t know how much chocolate to add. What would you recommend?
Hi Misty! For chocolate SMBC, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online is it may be possible! It is suggested to add 2/3 cup or up to 9 oz of melted, cooled chocolate, or you can add 3/4 cup of nutella. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!