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.
Hey Natasha, I’ve tried making double the recipe because it was for a bigger cake but my buttercream split, then I just did a single recipe and it worked perfectly. Any suggestions on making a double or just stick to making single couple times? Thanks
Hi Yana, 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.
Hello!!!
I need to frost an 8” ombre style. Will one batch be enough or should I make 2?
thanks
Hi Lorena, This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.”
Hi Natasha! My name is Anastasia. I was trying to reproduce with a hand mixer, but after an our of beating I gave up, could not get sharp heads. Could you please advise is that expected with hand mixer? Any tips to what to do with under-beaten eggs with sugar will be highly appreciated. Thank you
Hi Anastasia, 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’m so excited to try this because I’ve been wanting to try SMBC for a long time now. All the reviews make it sound awesome so I’m in the process. It seems like it’s taking much longer for the meringue to cool to room temp than just the 15-20 minutes. Do I keep mixing until it reaches or do i stop the mixer at the correct consistency and let it cool while still?
Hi Kaitlynn, we recommend refrigerating it for 10-15 minutes then whipping it again. I hope that helps.
Amazing, Never made swiss butter cream before so I was a little nervous but loved the idea of something less sweet than regular BC. This was a lot easier than expected, my butter was a little warm so I threw the whole thing it the fridge for 10 mins and whipped great. So smooth and held great shape.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Erica!
This has been my go-to for awhile and always gets compliments! I’ve shared the link around too, everyone deserves a slice of happiness❤ thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so happy you found a favorite on our blog, Andrinna!
Hi how long can I keep this outside without melting?
Hi Ku, if it will be left out for a long time, I would experiment with refrigerating it as long as you can and then letting it come to room temperature over time during the wedding. It will take a couple hours for it to fully soften (more or less depending on the temperature of the location).
Is it possible to turn this into lemon Swiss meringue? My husband wants a lemon cake for his birthday and I’d love to get away from American buttercream but I’m worried the lemon juice may break the icing…
Hi Morgan, I haven’t tried but I have seen lemon swiss meringue buttercream recipes online that add about 3 Tbsp of lemon juice with the egg whites and sugar before heating it over the water bath. Another method I have seen is to add the zest from 1 lemon folded in at the very end.
I made this frosting for the first time the other day, and it worked beautifully with my cake! It wasn’t as hard as I thought and was very light, which was perfect. It also wasn’t too sweet, which I really enjoyed. Thanks for the recipe, will be using again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Thank you, Natasha for this recipe! This is my first time doing a Swiss meringue buttercream. I did add a 1/4 cup of Hershey’s unsweetened chocolate powder and boy does it remind me of chocolate ice cream! it was that good😊. It took me a while only because I use a handheld mixer. Don’t have a stand mixer yet. I just kept beating/mixing until it finally came together. I’m looking forward to using this recipe again.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review Shirl!
At what point did you put the chocolate powder in?
I’ve made this a few times now and it always comes out great. This past time it was a bit warm in the house and I don’t think I let the bowl completely cool before adding the butter. It went a little soupy so I followed the tips and refrigerated for 15 minutes then whipped it and it was perfection.
I like my frosting a bit sweeter than this comes out, but I think that’s just my sweet tooth. Everyone else who tries it loves it. I might try more sugar in my next batch.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Jenell! Thank you for sharing that great review with me!
Followed this exactly and was going well until adding the butter. It became very thin and could not be used as frosting. The more I mixed it the worse it became.
Hi Cynthia, don’t give up! In most cases, that is fixable. That can happen if the butter is added before the meringue is fully at room temperature or if the butter is over-softened. I suggest refrigerating for 10-15 min then continuing to beat for a few minutes. It does look like it won’t come together but it will. I hope that helps!
This happened to me too, but in the recipe it says to keep beating if it’s runny. I did this and it thickened up 🙂
Just about to make for the first time, and wondering does a double batch fit in a standard kitchen aid bowl? 12cup capacity
Hi Kate, I haven’t tested this doubled in a Kitchen aid but this recipe does make about 5 or 6 cups (estimated measurement).
Tried this recipe out to go with your chocolate cake recipe as I was looking for a chocolate recipes with a white icing, and since this is gonna be for a 4 year old, when I saw the words “not overly sweet” I was sold, any reason to lessen the sugar high the kids will already be in for the party. Anyhow, I do not have a stand mixer nor does my hand mixer have a paddle attachment so I thought I’d give it a try beforehand. I’m glad I did, and sad to say I will be looking for another icing recipe. This took me too long to do, practically all of my 1 year old’s nap time. It’s too much whisking for a hand blender. I ended up using 2 whisks hoping to get a faster result, it still took over 20 mins, stopping a couple of times to let my machines cool down and my arms rest. In the end I got the amazing gloss and a tiny bit of peak. All looked (and tasted) great, until I added the butter using the electric beaters (no paddle attachment). At first the meringue was eating up the butter really nicely. Then it just started to look to crumby. I put it back in the fridge, 1 y.o woke up so fed him lunch, then took it out of the fridge and It actually got more liquidy. I beated it some more, Looked slightly better, but still not presentation worthy. I’ll probably keep it, could maybe use it at least to ice in between the two cake layers. I’ll try beating it some more tomorrow. But maybe this crumby look is the effect of the beaters instead of the paddle? Just the same, I very much enjoyed licking down the spatulas during clean up. Tasted like very yummy and light vanilla ice cream.
So, great recipe! But lost a star because it’s not fool-proof, lots of slight “mistakes” can happen that greatly affect the final product. And another star because it’s not simple enough for every and all kinds of bakers (in terms of expertise at least) – i.e. those who don’t have stand mixers and paddle attachments.
Thank you for your honest feedback, Arantxa! If it is runny and not pipe-able and too runny, 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.
Hi! I have used this twice now. Its soooo good! The first time was for cupcakes. I had PLENTY for 2 dozen cupcakes and some left over. However, for a bigger cake, I was a little short. Has anyone doubled this exact recipe and is it just as good? I’m only asking because when I Google ‘large batch of smbc’, the recipes dont quite add up in measurments to this one. For example, the few I looked at had almost twice the amount of egg whites, but almost the same amount of sugar as this recipe. So if I double the sugar to 4cups, would that be too sweet? I know this is kind of a complicated question, haha. but I basically need a larger batch. Thank you
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.
Hi! Yes, I did refrigerate for quite some time and try to beat it some more, I did this maybe 3 times. I actually found that after refrigeration, there was some liquid in the bottom that had separated from the rest of the ingredients. Anyhow, I still slathered it all over the cake and it still tasted amazing. It was just a trial cake so for a “no special event” cake, we were all very happy to still eat it despite how it looked. I froze the leftover and will see if that does anything. Otherwise, I’ll just blame it on not having the paddle attachment. I’ll update when I do. Cheers!
Hi Natasha. I haven’t tried this yet but I really want to. Got a question. I don’t mind using certain extracts like vanilla or almond but when it comes to berries, I like to use freeze dried berry “dust”. I’ve made a cream cheese frosting and a marshmallow frosting using that method and I’ve never had an issue. My question is, would I be able to do the same with this frosting? If yes, 1. at what point would you suggest adding the dust and 2. how as in, beat it in using the paddle attachment or folding it in? Hope to hear from you soon. I’m dying to try this but I don’t want to waste ingredients/money….
Hi Tammie, I honestly haven’t tried that with this frosting so I can’t say for sure. You might google to see if it’s safe to add it at the end (when you usually would add flavorings to SMBC). I hesitate to recommend it without testing it first myself.
Hi Tammie, I’ve made this recipe many times and have added milled freeze dried strawberries at the end, once the SMBC has come together. You can beat in for the last 30 seconds or so, or fold them in by hand for a more swirled effect, where the mix of freeze dried fruit is uneven, nice for a “hit” of intense fruit and colour. I mill the freeze dried strawberries myself. It’s the yummiest flavour, I still add the vanilla as per recipe too. Hope this helps. Cheers
How many cupcakes will this frost?
Hi Taylor! It will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that helps!
Read the ingredients on the egg cartons. The ones I use are 100% egg whites and work just fine.
Thank you for sharing that Karen.
All I have ever made was a normal American Buttercream because I was afraid to go outside that box. I finally went outside that box today and made your SMBC and I have to tell you – it is the most amazing, smooth, cloud-like, tasting frosting I have ever made. I followed your recipe exactly (weighing egg whites, sugar) with one exception. I did use carton egg whites. They were 100% egg whites, no additives. It came out like a dream. I have it in my fridge now because I didn’t need it tonight, was just wanting to see if I could do it. I am looking forward to seeing how it pipes because I do a lot of cupcake/cake decorating (very amateur I might add) but can’t wait to try and pipe something tomorrow. It is soooo much more delicious than my standard American buttercream.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing that with me, Sally!!
I have always made “American Buttercream”, ie “sweetened shortening”! I was always envious of these silky smooth, just sweet enough frostings. Well, I found my new go to.
At first, it was liquid-y and I thought I would just continue with my old stand by. I put it in the fridge and then rewhipped it. If I didn’t need it to decorate a cake, I would have eaten the whole bowl!!
I did have to make a second batch. I bought egg whites in a carton end it came out good but just a little stiffer.
Thanks for such a great recipe!
Making another cake tomorrow for a graduation! Just need to figure out how to make some into chocolate frosting.
That’s so great Lisa! 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!
Hi Natasha, is it possible to substitute egg white with meringue powder? If yes, any idea how much of meringue powder to put in? Thank you!
Hi Paige, I don’t think that would work in this recipe. That kind of substitution would need more modifications and without testing it, I won’t be able to provide specific advice.
EXCELLENT recipe I have always used American buttercream, but since moving to a more humid climate it weeps. I have not had and problems with this.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha! I love this recipe and I make it all the time for my cupcakes but I need your help! Tomorrow I am taking on a 9″ rosette layer cake in addition to 24 cupcakes. Do you think 2 recipes will be enough for all of that?
Hi Shelly! This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.”
Ok great! Thank you!
I am about to use your recipe for a rose-flavoured christening cake, but have just noticed in one of your responses that you suggest not using pre-cartoned egg-whites. What’s the reason for that please, because I hate having yolks lying around with a potential for waste. If I use the carton whites very fresh, would your opinion be any different? [ And do you suggest medium or large eggs?] Thank you!
Hi Dawn, I have had readers report undesirable results using the carton whites and this is most likely due to additives in the cartons.
Thanks for clarifying this Natasha. I thought it was 100% egg – how naive of me.
Hi Dawn, no worries at all – there might be some out there that don’t have additives, but I can’t say for certain.
will it be firm enough for unicorn cake to make swirls in cake sides?will it last 30min drive without melting?thanks
Hi Demi! Yes it should! Several of our readers have wrote great results using this on a side of a cake.
Help! My butter cream is like soup, I have followed previous comments of putting in the fridge then whipping it again but it is still like soup! How long shall I whip it for once it’s been in the fridge? Is there anyway of saving this!?
Hi Lucy, if you are still 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.
It tasted great but I did something wrong. It was too soft and grainy. Did I under whip it, or was it too warm when I put the butter in? Or maybe both.
Hi Agnes, are you doing anything different in the process or maybe using a different tool (hand mixing versus using an electric stand mixer) – using the correct attachments? Not trying any substitutes such as egg whites in the carton? Was the mixing bowl completely at room temperature before adding butter? Most issues with texture are repairable with a little bit longer mixing. I hope that helps!
Hi, how long will this buttercream last stored in the fridge?
Hi Alba! It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, just let it come to room temp and re-whip with the paddle attachment to make it fluffy again.