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.
This frosting is hands down the most delicious thing ever, but I can’t get it to firm back up for me after I add the butter. It’s stiff and glossy and then becomes super liquid but won’t fluff up no matter how long I mix it. The egg whites were room temp and the butter was soft but cool to the touch. This is try number two and I’m so sad it’s not working! Do you have any ideas what may have gone wrong? It’s still mixing as I’m typing this, I am determined!!
Hi Jessica, 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 an 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! 🙂
I did everything exactly as the recipe went. Separated the egg whites, used my stand mixer with correct attachments, and made sure the butter and eggs were cool enough. I even refrigerated it over night and in the morning brought it to room temp and tried mixing it again. Still soup. I live in a humid climate, could that have something to do with it? Could adding less butter maybe help the consistency?
Hi Jessica, 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.
hola , se ve excelente la receta, mi pregunta es si se puede hacer de otro sabor como la crema de mantequilla tradicional como de chocolate o agregandole cacao por ejemplo. Saludos desde Venezuela
Hi Vanessa, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online, 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!
Would this be a good macaron filling?
Hi Hannah, I think it would still taste good but it doesn’t have a distinct flavor so I don’t usually use it for macarons.
I have been whipping these egg whites for probably an hour. It will not give me stiff peaks! It resembles marshmallow fluff. What am I doing wrong? Help!
Hi Sharon, that is definitely much longer than required for this recipe. Are you using a high powered stand mixer with whisk attachment? Also, did you place the egg whites and sugar on the water bath as directed? If you beat raw egg whites without sugar, it tends to look like marshmallow fluff. Did you possibly omit the sugar? Was anything else changed or modified either in process or ingredients in the recipe?
7 egg whites in a bowl with 2 cups of sugar over simmering water until the sugar was dissolved. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I used my electric hand mixer with the whisk attachment. After 20 minutes straight I switched to the regular attachment and that thickened it. But after another 20 – 30 min of mixing, it was still just a sweet sticky goo.
Hi Sharon, did the mixture feel hot before you took it off the steam? Also, a stand mixer is much more efficient at whipping mixtures like this so it would take longer if using a hand held mixer with the normal egg-beater attachments and I imagine if you tried to use the single whisk attachment that comes with the Kitchenaid hand mixer, it would take even longer – that is probably the issue here – the efficiency of the mixing tool. It sounds like you are doing the process correctly otherwise.
This frosting is incredible. I read the recipe and reviews/replies before I started, and so I knew to just let the mixer do its thing! Overall, it took me twice as long to reach the desired consistency. But it was worth the wait! Time and patience delivered a white and fluffy delicacy.
I’m glad you love it Sara! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review with other readers!
Hi:
I tried this recipe before and we all loved it. My godson’s mother loved it so much that she asked me to make his 1st birthday cake and cupcakes using this frosting (not sure sho’s crazier her for asking me or me for saying yes). Anyway, I was wondering if this recipe doubles or even triples fine. I’m frosting 47 cupcakes (using Wilton’s 2D tip) and a giant cupcake using the grass like tip. Really appreciate any light you can share with me. Thansk for all and for this wonderful recipe
Hi Theresa, I have only tried making this one batch at a time for my 6 Qt mixer. I would probably make the buttercream two separate times unless you have a commercial sized mixer or it would probably overwhelm the mixer.
Hi Natasha,
Your swisse buttercream looks amazing, I am excited to try however I want to make it maple flavoured (French toast cupcakes), how can I add maple syrup without the meringue failing?
Hi Lauren, I haven’t tried adding maple syrup to it so I’m not completely sure how that would work or if it would affect the consistency. Normally flavorings are added at the very end. I would suggest trying to add it to a small batch in a ramekin to be sure it doesn’t hurt the consistency. You might do some googling to see if someone else has tested maple in this type of buttercream. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
How about Maple flavored extract to actual maple sugar in lieu of some of the granulated sugar.
Hi Robin, I just haven’t tested that and I also haven’t seen that done. I would suggest googling for maple extract swiss meringue and see if someone has already tested that. Without trying it, I can’t advise on that.
Hi
I love all your posts but have a question.
I’m baking for a bake sale at school 36 cupcakes and want to know if I can frost them today and keep out of fridge till tomorrow!! Do they need to be refrigerated after frosting?? Will they hold up?
Hi Jill, you don’t necessary have to refrigerate since this frosting holds up well overnight without refrigeration (it will be ok for about 24 hours without refrigeration), but since it’s a bake sale and might set out for awhile, I wonder if it would be safer to refrigerate overnight and then let them sit at room temperature at the bake sale (this frosting is best served at room temperature).
Your swiss meringue buttercream looks really white. Did you add white food coloring to make it as white as that?
Hi Jing, no, I only added the ingredients listed. If you continue beating, it will turn white and whipped and silky like what you see in the photos :).
I made this frosting by following the instructions exactly, but mine didn’t thicken at the end.
My butter was room temperature as was the whipped egg/sugar mixture.
It looked beautiful but failed as soon as I added the butter.
What might have happened??
Hi Jenn, with this frosting, most issues can be resolved by beating a little longer. I hope you saw the note in step 3 in time: “If it looks lumpy or liquid at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.” It may be that the butter was added before the meringue was fully at room temp, but if you keep beating it will almost miraculously correct itself.
Can you over eat the mixture by any chance ?
lol. I do think that is a real risk when making this recipe! ha ha!
Can I replace the butter with Hi ratio SHORTENING or use half butter and half shortening.
Hi, I have not tried that but my guess is that it would not work the same way.
If I don’t have a paddle attachment and just a standard hand mixer will it be fine? I’m making an anniversary cake for my fiancé and this recipe seems like it will work out great
Hi Taryn, 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 soley 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 but mine curdled :(( and was too soft too
Hi Tricia, that is a normal troubleshooting issue with this type of buttercream. It may be due to adding the butter before the meringue was truly at room temperature. I would suggest refrigerating for 10 to 15 minutes at a time and then re-whipping for 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth fluffy and glossy. I hope that helps! Usually, just continuing to beat this frosting will correct most issues.
Do you tint your frosting ? Mine turned yellowish buttery and slippery. I don’t know what to do 🙁
Hi Melissa, You can tint it at the end. I would suggest beating another 1 to 3 minutes since longer beating will fix most issues with Swiss meringue buttercream.
Natasha how can I flavor this recipe to mocha? Do I omit the vanilla and add the melted chocolate and coffee in the end?
Hi Ria, I haven’t tried that combination so I’m not sure. You might google coffee flavored swiss meringue buttercream to see what the same way to incorporate those flavors would be. I’m worried the coffee (rather than coffee extract), might bee too much liquid.
Just tried it and it turned out perfectly.
Thank you Natasha. Will use it for the cream recipes now.
You’re welcome Iryna! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Can I make it in two stages leave in a cool room then add butter next day? And any idea how long it keeps please
Hi Carol, I have never seen it done that way before but I imagine the consistency might break and not work properly if you don’t combine them until the next day. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, just let it come to room temp and rewhip with the paddle attachment to make it fluffy again.
Thank you
Hi Natasha!
Can I add nutella or cocoa to the cream to turn it into Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream? How?
Hi Virginica, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online, 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!
Hello, quick question, if I need to whipp the frosting again after refrigeration what mixer attachment do I use?
Hi Inna, the same paddle attachment should be used to re-whip the frosting once it is softened at room temperature.
Love the recipe and have made it before but I want to make it again and all I have is salted butter. Would it be too much salt if I just don’t add the 1/4 tsp?
Hi Barb, I recommend using unsalted because each stick of salted butter has 1/4 tsp salt so you would be tripling the salt in the recipe by using salted butter.