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.
Hello Natasha, thanks for the great recipe! I’ve made this a few times and always have the same problem. My frosting is soft and fluffy when it’s made, but it curdles/splits/stiffens after one hour at room temperature and become unusable. My room temperature is around 68-70F, egg whites had stiff peaks and butter was soft. Any idea what causes the emulsion to break? Thank you!
Hi HC, I haven’t had that happen. Did you try re-mixing it until it comes together?
Hello Natasha, yes I did remix it and it comes together for a bit, but splits again after 🙁
This was an epic fail. As I was whisking over the simmering water, the sugar started to harden on the side of the bowl and, even though the time was supposed to be 3 minutes, I cooked and whisked for thirty minutes before it was a good finger feel. Then, when whipping on the stand mixer, the whisking pulled some of the sugar from the side of the bowl and now it is like sand. Would it be easier to make the 7-minute beginning and then add the vanilla and butter?
Hi Jackie, it should only take 3 minutes. Make sure your bowl is over the steam and not touching the simmering water – it sounds like maybe your bowl got too hot?
Could you do a video showing how to make the Swiss meringue buttercream please?
That is a great suggestion. Thank you!
Is using meringue powder instead of egg whites a good idea? I make A LOT of this buttercream and I always feel guilty tossing out the yolks.
I have not used meringue powder. It is a different process and should not be a substitute for this recipe.
I’ve been using your recipe for years and have always used meringue powder and it’s turned out great every time. 2tsp of meringue powder + 2tbsp water= one egg white. I have found that the brand of meringue powder matters. Genie’s dream, which I like for my royal icing bc of its soft bite, doesn’t get to stiff peaks. Wilton, which I think is too hard for royal icing, works great for SMBC!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Brandy.
Love this recipe! Have been using it on all my cakes since I tried it the first time. I always struggle with it being soupy though, even when I whip the eggs until they’re cool. I even put in colder butter than normal last time I made it and had the same issue. I put it in the fridge for 30 minutes and whip it back into shape, and it’s fine, but it’s a big time waster. Any tips?
Hi Alexia, usually the reason for it turning soupy is adding butter while the meringue is still too warm and the remedy is usually to refrigerate the mixing bowl for 10 minutes at a time and continue mixing until it forms. It may be the humidity that is also affecting it.
Hi, I would love to make a cake using this recipe. Can I use pasteurized egg whites and if so what steps will I need to revise. Also how many cups does this recipe yield? I need 5 cups of frosting will this be enough? Thanks.
Hi Olivia, you can use pasteurized eggs. Keep in mind, when you put them over the hot steam, you are essentially pasteurizing them (see the second paragraph).
Hi Natasha
I tried making this Swiss Buttercream. It was a disaster! I don’t know what happened. It curdled. Is there anyway it could be salvaged? I wish I could download a pick of this disaster. Any hints?
Hi Jerry, I’m not entirely sure what happened. Were there any substitutes used? What happened with the result?
My icing consistency was perfect. I started adding to a piping bag then realized there was still some butter not mixed. When I went to mix again everything curdled. Any ideas how to fix it?
I am not sure what happened. It could be that the butter was too cold and didn’t mix in well. Or it wasn’t mixed long enough, or the temperature of the mixture was off.
Beautiful frosting for your chocolate cake recipe. Your directions were spot on for temp and whipping procedure. I also really appreciate you including metric measurements for weight. I halved this recipe since the cake recipe was also halved to make one layer. It’s much easier to divide or multiple recipes when using metric system along with kitchen scale. Thank you!
Hello Theresa, thank you for your good comments and feedback. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed making this recipe!
Hi Natasha. Will this buttercream resist hot/humid climate? I would love to try this recipe but I live in a very hot country.
Hi Ana, Since it contains butter, it will soften at 80 degrees and will melt at around 90 degrees so it’s best to keep it out of the hot sun.
Is this recipe good for piping delicate buttercream flowers such as the Korean style flowers?
Hi Tasnim, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Is a drop of blue coloring necessary to achieve a true white color?
Hi Nat, I have never had to do that, but my best advice for a true white is to avoid yellow-colored butter.
Hi Natasha, just wondering if it will work if I add some freeze dried raspberry powder, and a couple of drop of pink colouring to the buttercream. If so should I add it at the end? Thanks, Judy
Hi Judy, While I haven’t tried this. One of my readers tried berries for a tang, here’s what they wrote “when I finished making the Swiss meringue buttercream, I gently folded in some freeze dried strawberry powder. It gave a beautiful pink fleck to it and it also had a slight strawberry tang.” That sounds like an awesome idea, I hope that helps!
Ive been trying to make this buttercream and its just a soupy mess! I have done this before and managed to whip it back. I have kept in the fridge for over an hour and when I took it out to whip again, it just turned back to liquid… I may try overnight in the fridge. I am in a hot and humid climate at the moment, so I know thats playing a part in this!
Hi Natasha, I don’t have a stand mixer but rather a hand-held electric one. How should I go about the whisking part after it has been heated on the stove? Thanks!
Looking forward to trying this recipe
Hi Jenny, a stand mixer is much more efficient at whipping mixtures like this so it would take longer if using a handheld 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.
Super easy to follow but for some reason mine didn’t quite thicken up at the end? It seemed almost to slightly seperate?
Hi Natasha,
If I will make a two layers of 8×2 inch round cake pan for my chocolate cake recipe, how many eggs, sugar and butter should I use for my swiss meringue buttercream? Thanks!
Hi Marie, I would use 1 recipe for 1 cake just like we did with our Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Made this today. Cut the recipe in half and used four eggs. Let it come to room temp. Had to put it in the fridge for ten minutes after I added the butter but it came together. will be using it tomorrow for my son’s 2nd bday so I will update after I rewhip it.
Happy Birthday to your son! I hope you’ll all enjoy the day and the food that you will be making.
Yay! This was my first Swiss meringue that worked! It started out not working at all, but I read the comments, put it in the fridge for 10 m, whipped, back in fridge for 10 m, whipped for 3m, and it was PERFECT. Really did pipe perfectly and wasn’t too sweet. If I cut down even further on the sugar, would it still hold up??
That’s just awesome, Jill! I’m so happy to hear it worked for you! The foresting is already lightly sweet so I would not recommend using less sugar because it can affect the consistency and it will start tasting buttery.
I tried using less sugar anyway, and it didn’t come together. Then I realized I love the taste of your buttercream the way it is. I even tried another recipe that called for less sugar, and hated the taste. So yours is my go to from now on!! So grateful!
The first time I made this, it was flawless. The second time, it never came together. The third time, it didn’t come together…until I realized the mistake I’d made both the second and third times: I’d measured the butter by the stick, not by the cup. As such, I’d used half the amount of butter I’d needed. So, if your frosting is runny, liquidy, thin, or otherwise not coming together (these are all words and phrases I searched for in the comments when I was troubleshooting!), make sure you added the correct amount of butter.
Thank you for your feedback!
Dear Natasha, I just wanted you to know that I love your recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I have tried many versions, including Martha Stewart’s. Yours is the perfect balance of sweetness and fat for my tastes, and I get raves everytime I make it. I have made this into chocolate by adding melted and cooled semi sweet chocolate, and some cocoa powder, all to taste. It comes out beautifully. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Aww, thank you so much for that lovely compliment! I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes, Shell!
About how many cupcakes does this recipe frost? Do the egg whites need to be pasteurized as well?
Hi Sonia, This recipe makes maybe about 5 or 6 cups. It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake, OR it will ice 24 cupcakes.