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
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. I tried this recipe today, it came out quite lumpy (looked curdled). Any idea why?
Hi Umm, if it looks curdled, you need to continue beating it and it will correct itself. It is pretty normal for Swiss Meringue buttercream to look that way while beating and then it corrects after a few more minutes of mixing.
Hello, so I made cream and it turned out runny at first too and got me a bit disappointed at first. I believe its because the butter was probably too soft. I put the cream for like 15 min in the fridge and beat it again for 1 min or so and it came together beautifully. Piped roses out of it and ruffles.
I just finished a 1.5x batch and it came out perfect. Thanks for a great recipe! I added a little homemade cherry preserve to make it pink for my niece’s birthday. Its not overly sweet and very glossy.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you like the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Hi NAtasha! I was just wondering if this buttercream will hold under fondant?
Thanks
Hi Diana, I do believe it will. It is a pretty stable buttercream.
Would your full recipe be enough to ice a 6/8/10″ round cake?
Hi Melissa, I have used it to frost a 2-layer 9″ cake. Click here to see that recipe.
🙁 I weighed (instead of measured), I took the temperature of the sugar/egg white mixture, did everything according to the recipe and mine was super runny. No way this would hold up on a cake.
I’m not sure what I did wrong (and I know it’s me, since the recipe has excellent reviews).
Hi Heather, make sure to read all of the tips throughout the post and that should help. It sounds like maybe your meringue was too warm when butter was added. I have had that happen before and it needs to be refrigerated and whipped again. I have also found that giving it 3 minutes of extra mixing time helps if it still looks too loose. Longer mixing time will fix it almost every time!
I’ve just had the same problem and have put it in the fridge to see if it will harden up. Meringue not quite cool enough I’m guessing, but the silkiness is amazing so I’m hoping it will have a miraculous recovery! Will keep you posted.
It worked!! 45 mis in the fridge and it’s mixing up beautifully.
AWESOME!! I’m so happy for your success :).
What a great recipes. This turned out great. I cut the recipe in half since I don’t like lots of sugar. I used this on your scrumptious chocolate cupcakes for a friend, who quickly devoured them up. We are making your chicken fritters tonight. I love your site and your recipes and videos.
I’m glad to hear how much you are enjoying the recipes Janet! Thanks for following and sharing your great review!
I had to make more today to share with friends. I have a tip when beating in the butter I put the bowl in ice water to make it fluff up quicker. So if anyone has problems they might try a bowl ice water in the last step. p.s Made your chicken fritters last night, it was a hit.
What a great tip Janet! Thanks for sharing with other readers!
Could I use SMBC for making flowers i.e. rose, peony, carnation, etc. Is the consistency ok for flowers?
Hi Ida, it is a pretty stable cream and will work well for flowers.
Hi Natasha, can I use this buttercream to cover my rainbow cake because l’m not a big fan of American buttercream .
Yes I think that would work great! I would love to see your cake when it is finished! I started a new group on Facebook where readers can share their beautiful creations. I would love it if you joined 🙂
Hi Natasha thanks for posting this recipe. I am from India.I have made Swiss meringue once and I swear it tastes heavenly. So I am pretty sure that this ia going to be juat yum. I am planning to try my hand at thia frosting sometimw very soon. Could you please tell me the quantity of butter needed in grams? Thanks in advance😊
Hi Ritu, 1 stick of butter is 113 grams so 3 sticks would be 339 grams of butter. I hope you love it! 🙂
Hi I made this recipe but with 5 eggs and 1/2 cups of sugar and it tastes too buttery. Is there something I can do to fix it?
Hi Vanessa, I have tested it with less (not that much less though) and found it to be a good balance with 2 cups for sweetness where you can taste more than just butter :). To be honest, I haven’t tried adding sugar after the fact. It may take a while for it to incorporate and no longer be grainy but I’m not sure if that extra length of mixing time wold break the frosting or hinder the consistency somehow. I wish I had a good answer for you. Has anyone else added sugar after the frosting was already made? Thanks in advance! 🙂
This is the best ratio of SMBC I ever made. do you have a cream cheese version of SMBC. I try many different ways of making cream cheese buttercream always come out soupy
Thank you for such an amazing review! 🙂 I do have a cream cheese and butter frosting but it isn’t a SMBC. It sure is good though and easy too! 🙂
I made this yesterday for my dads birthday cake! It was my first time making a SMBC and tasting one. It turned out absolutely beautiful and the taste was amazing!! I really loved the texture, and also that it wasn’t overbearingly sweet like American buttercream.
I’m happy to hear you love the recipe Morgan! Thanks for sharing your excellent review! 😀
This recipe is perfect! Not too buttery and the salt adds so much flavor. Thank you for sharing this goodness with us!
My pleasure Katerina! I’m glad you love it as much as I do! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
I was unable to get it thick after adding the butter. Not sure if my butter was too soft or if my meringue wasn’t cooled enough. Is there any way to rescue it once it gets to this point? Like sticking it in the fridge and rewhipping it?
Holly, 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.
Great advice!
Hi, does the icing taste like butter or buttercream? Because my family isn’t a big fan of buttercream and i’m making my mom a birthday cake. Also, would this icing go well with biskvit?
Hi Tatyana, this is a buttercream so yes it does taste like a buttercream but nothing like an American buttercream. It is much more silky and smooth and I do think it works great over biskvit. 🙂
Looks great! What can I add to make chocolate frosting.
Hi Betty, I haven’t tried that with this frosting but I should!! I’ve seen others fold in melted chocolate towards the end but I can’t really provide any specifics without trying it first. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!!
This recipe comes at a perfect time! I’ll be making birthday cupcakes this week, not a fan of American buttercream at all, but getting tired of cream cheese frosting. Question: I do not like to use artificial dyes, could I add strained juice of raspberries for pink tint (like you do in blackberry cream cheese frosting?) or would that mess up this frosting? Thanks
Hi Natalya, I assume you could do that but I haven’t tried it myself. I would add it slowly until the correct color is achieved and better yet, you might test with a small batch of the frosting to make sure it doesn’t break the frosting consistency.
I love SMBC and this is the best recipe I’ve ever tried!
Wow! That is a seriously amazing compliment! Thank you so much Ana! 🙂
Man this looks sup. good. i love those doggy faces. And the frosting looks great! gonna make it for my little brother’s birthday. He loves dogs.
Awww that’s so sweet of you to make them for him. All of the kiddos at the party my sister threw just loved the puppy cupcakes 🙂 I hope they make him smile big and happy birthday to him!
Hi. Making this frosting right now. 2 questions: What piping tip did you use in the photo and when would be the best time to add a gel color?
Hi Desiree, add the food coloring at the very end, one drop at a time until desired color is reached. I used the Wilton 1M large open star tip
Natasha- Thank you for sharing your recipes and techniques. Your puppy is adorable! I plan on making it for my grandchildren. I read in a response that you used a Wilton 1M for the frosting swirl. When I enlarge your super photos of the puppy cupcake, it appears there is another layer of frosting, underneath the swirl. Maybe a star tip or…? Can you please share what tip you used under the swirl. THANK YOU!
Hi Eljer, I believe that was the star tip like this Wilton #199 (Amazon affiliate link) which was the best one I could find to look like dog fur underneath 🙂