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.
I just love this recipe – turns out perfect every single time. The only thing I’ve noticed is that it takes much longer than 15-20 minutes for the meringue to get to room temperature.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! If it is in a warmer spot it will take longer.
Hi Natasha
Can u tell me how much SMBC will be made from this recipe?
Also I love ur recipes a lot.And u too.
Hi Vishmi, 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.” I hope that help put it into perspective.
Hi. I have used this recipe and it was wonderful. I’m curious if you have tried adding some caramel to make a caramel Swiss buttercream? If not, do you have any thoughts? I’m wondering if cutting back the sugar 1/2 cup would be too much, but then I would be adding 1/2 caramel sauce at the end? I know messing with sugar/butter ratios is not a good thing in baking. Thanks for your input.
Hi Holly, I haven’t tried and actually had to google it. I love that idea!! There are several recipes out there that add it to the end. You can add up to 1/2 cup based on what I’ve read and comparing proportions that are in our recipe. If you test it out, pretty please let me know how it goes! I’m so curious!!
Thanks. I’ll let you know. There is one “deconstructed” Swiss buttercream recipe that whips the butter first and then adds the whites/sugar/corn syrup…with the caramel at the end. Interesting idea…says it’s a very stable end product. I’m afraid to try some other recipe when I know yours is so yummy! Smiles!
Thank you so much for sharing that! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this one, sounds like you found a favorite!
Fantastic recipe, and really easy! I made a batch today and used to frost a birthday cake. The buttercream is really smooth and spreads beautifully.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Eva!
Hi Natasha, I’m keen to give this recipe a go seeing all the amazing reviews it’s gotten! I want to make a nutella swiss meringue buttercream to fill and frost a 4 layer 8 inch cake. Do you think this would make enough and how much nutella do you think I can add without compromising the texture?
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Lianne, 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!
I’ve tried a number of SMBC recipes and you are right, this one is the best texture, flavour and success rate (always works for me). The reason I’ve tried other recipes is to make a flavoured buttercream and I’m afraid to experiment and loose all that butter and egg white. How much liquid could I add to this recipe and not compromise it’s wonderful consistency? I’m thinking lemon juice, lime juice, cooled melted chocolate, raspberry or blueberry puree, etc. Thanks for your wonderful website and recipes!
Hi Sharon, I don’t have specific amounts for those written down so the best I could tell you is add them to taste and a little at a time.
I used this recipe and added freeze dried raspberries that I had crushed to a powder. It was excellent!
great idea!
This is my new go to icing recipe. It’s a huge hit on every cake I’ve made. So light and creamy and not overly sweet. I’ve ran into a couple of issues, but I’ve always followed your advice and refrigerated it and it pulls through. I’ve also adapted it to make peanut butter flavored icing by adding in 1/2 a cup at the end and it tasted just like peanut butter pie filling. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
You’re welcome Baylie! I’m glad you enjoyed that.
This is an excellent recipe and works perfectly! To cool the mixing bowl faster, I put two gel ice packs on the outside to chill the bowl, as I transfer to a thick glass bowl. It works very well. 🙂
I love that tip! Simply brilliant! I’m so glad you loved the swiss meringue buttercream frosting. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Natasha, I’ll share some pics of the llama cake later. I made a double (plus a bit) quantity of the buttercream. I was a bit worried it wasn’t going to thicken at first, but once I (very carefully) upped the mixer speed, it came together fine. It only just fit in my large Kitchenaid mixing bowl though! Such a lovely, silky icing.
That’s so great, Ali! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
Hi- can I double the recipe?
Hi Rebecca, 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.
Hello! About how much frosting does this yield? Could I fill and frost a 6 inch, 3 layer cake? Thank you!
Hi Vaishalee, it will work great for that type of cake. Here is a 2-layer, 9″ cake that we frosted so you can gauge how it covered that and with a 6″ cake, that should work just fine.
Hi Rebecca, you can double the recipe, but only if you have a huge mixer bowl. I used the equivalent of 16 egg whites (a 500g carton of egg whites because I didn’t have time to separate 14 eggs!). I have a big Kitchenaid mixer bowl, which I transferred the mix to after it came off the stove. It took longer to cool down and a LOT more beating to get a thick consistency and it was hard to keep it in the bowl at higher mixing speed. So if you have time, doing two batches is probably better, but in the end it came out really well for me (after some panicky moments!).
Hi,
I tried this recipe today and the flavour was good but there was a problem. It was way too dense and it still had a buttery flavour. Could it be because of too much butter? Whenever I make Swiss meringue buttercream it always turns out buttery and very dense. Please help.
Thanks
Hi Anne, We think we found the perfect balance. I recommend looking through the recipe comments. Here is what one of our readers wrote “Finally, a swiss buttercream that is absolutely PERFECT! Not so sweet, not too buttery tasting, but exactly what I was looking for” Also, that may be 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 hope that helps!
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I was wondering if it would be caused by not whipping enough after adding all the butter. Also is it necessary to refrigerate the meringue? And does the meringue need to be cold or at room temperature?
Thanks a ton
Hi Anne, it could be due to underwhipping after adding butter. Also, the cream should be piped or spread onto a cake while at room temperature and then it can be refrigerated. I let the dessert and frosting come back to room temperature to serve.
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. But I was wondering if I halved this recipe, would I use 3 egg whites or 4 egg whites since the amount of egg whites in this recipe is 7.
Thanks
Hi Anne, here is what one of our readers wrote “I halved it and used 4egg whites, large eggs. It was perfect!” I hope that helps.
This turned out beautifully i did have to whip it a bit longer but i think it was because it was a very warm day. The flavor is perfect….not overly sweet and its pipes perfectly
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Jenn. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi,
I would like to know how many eggs I would have to use if I halved this recipe.
Thanks
Hi Anne, One of our readers wrote, ” I’ve made this recipe twice and it turned out so good. I even halved it for 12 cupcakes and it was the exact amount to pipe them beautifully (exact measurements).” Hope this helps.
I halved it and used 4egg whites, large eggs. It was perfect!
Thank you for sharing that!
Can you clarify the amount of egg white needed please. It’s a bit confusing.
Thanks
Hi Anna, I apologize that did look confusing in the print friendly card, it is 7 large egg whites. I updated the recipe card so it reads more clearly. Thank you for asking!
I made this and it turned out perfect, Snow White and stable enough for piping. I use a 1M tip and my cupcakes were beautiful. The key is to follow the recipe exactly! At the end, beating it UNTIL it becomes light and fluffy. BE PATIENT! I added 1 teaspoon almond extract to mine! Thanks Natasha!
Thank you for sharing those awesome tips with us, Melanie!
If I want to make chocolate, when should I add Cocoa? Or should I add melted chocolate, if so when?
Hi Melanie, I’m so happy to hear this recipe is a hit! I haven’t tested this with chocolate but here is what one of our readers wrote “I ended up adding 3oz of melted semisweet chocolate and 3 oz of bitter 100%cocoa chocolate after adding the vanilla. I didn’t want the sweetness to go up because of the chocolate. And I also sifted about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder at the end and hand mix that in. Tastes amazing! I’ll re-whip on Friday for the cupcakes I’m making” I hope that helps.
Hi natasha.could u plz tellme what happens if i add more butter?many recipes have triple butter to eggs and i dont like it too buttery but still i want it to hold shape.so this recipe makes stable ambc?is it good for frosting?also to add white chocolate how much should i use and if now its hot in my country,if i need to add more butter to be stable and not melting…or humidity and het has nothing to do?thank you very much
Hi Dimitra, I haven’t had the experience of this being too buttery. It’s stable enough to pipe onto a cake. Here is an example of a cake I made using this frosting. I haven’t tried adding white chocolate. You might experiment with a small batch at the end to make sure it doesn’t alter the consistency too much.
I really want to try this recipe but last time I tried to make it I feel it came out oily. What can I do about that! I’ve heard you can just keep mixing it and it usually fixes most complications with this icing.
Hi Amber, We think we found the perfect balance. I recommend looking through the recipe comments. Here is what one of our readers wrote “Finally, a swiss buttercream that is absolutely PERFECT! Not so sweet, not too buttery tasting, but exactly what I was looking for” Also, that may be 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 hope that helps!
Ok thanks you! I’ll give it another try.
Hi! This recipe looks great! My stand mixer only has glass bowls. Would this still work?
I glass bowl should still work.
Hi there!
I tried this recipe last weekend and it turned out SO WELL! It’s delicious, so smooth, and pipes beautifully. I used salted butter, and it was divine!
My only hiccup was when I was heating up the egg whites and sugar over the simmering pot. I was nervous that my egg whites weren’t heated all the way to 160F, and it definitely took much longer than 3 minutes. I used a candy/meat thermometer, and it only ever got up to 155F… this was after heating and whisking for more than 15 minutes, it was no longer gritty, and it was very hot to the touch. Everything still turned out great, but I made sure to heat it for much longer to ensure it would be safe to consume. Is there something I was doing wrong, for it not to warm all the way to 160F?
Thank you for your advice!!
You’re welcome, Anne! I’m glad you enjoyed that. Do you have a gas or electric cooktop? I”m wondering if the heat source was not consistent?
Hi Natasha! We have an electric top stove. I wonder too if something was wrong with my candy thermometer. What type would you recommend?
I found that it took no time for the sugar to dissolve, but it was just the heating to 160F that I couldn’t achieve😞
We use this one here and love it!
How much does it make?
Hi Raina, 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’m wondering if I could substitute meringue powder for the egg whites? (1 Tbsp powder + 1 Tbsp water should equal 1 egg white). Is there anything I would need to change? Or is this not recommended at all?
Hi Deb, 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