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 tried your recipe today and I loved it. It so smooth and has the right amount of sweetness. Thank you for sharing.
You’re most welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Would you be able to substitute the egg whites with meringue powder ?
Hi Karen, This recipe is specifically designed for real egg whites. I don’t know how to incorporate or substitute with meringue powder or if it will even work. You may try researching to see if there is another recipe that uses meringue powder.
HI
just wondering if you can make this, decorate the cake – then referiate it overnight for an event the next day ? or does it weep and seperate when going from fridge to room temp
Hi Jamie! Yes, that will work well. It won’t separate when you leave it at room temperature to soften.
I’ve used this recipe so many time and it holds up beautifully! Just take the cake out 45mins to an hour before serving
I am fairly new to cake decorating and still learning all the tricks. I have never used Swiss meringue but am eager to try! I have read American buttercream is better to paint on (which I have done before). Is there any reason I can’t paint on Swiss meringue buttercream? Maybe if I frost and then freeze the cake before painting? Thank you for your insight!
Hi Kristi! I have not tested it to advise but based on what I’ve read, yes, you can paint on it. Swiss meringue buttercream is a non-crusting buttercream unlike American buttercream which is a crusting buttercream so you may not have the same results but please let us know how it turns out. 🙂
This frosting is SOOOOOOO good! I just added an extra half cup of sugar to accommodate my sweet tooth! 🙂 Thank you!
It’s my pleasure! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Omg thank you for your buttercream frosting, been trying other recipes, it’s always a fail,
My first try with yours and it’s a wonderful smooth buttercream frosting. Again thank you 😊
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Ginette!
Made this and followed the directions. Consistency was initially great and I stored it in the fridge overnight. The next day, I let it come to room temperature so I could pipe it. I did not rewhip it Bc it didn’t look like it separated. I left the cupcakes out for about 5 hrs to see how they would look for our party and the frosting looked “wet and melted”. It didn’t lose its shape but looked weird enough that I would never serve them for a party. Any suggestions?
Hi Beth! This frosting is stable at room temperature overnight so I don’t refrigerate it. I’ve had that happen once before and I had to let it re-whip for a very long time before it came back together. My guess is that it happens because of the temperature changes and it could have been either too cold or too warm when it’s re-whipped. There is some helpful information online if you search “how to fix separated/curdled swiss meringue buttercream.” I hope that helps.
Hi, could you give me a recipe of this frosting for a smaller amount? Maybe just half? Thank you!
Hi Sheri! You can use the tool in the recipe card to decrease the number of servings. Just hover your cursor over the number of servings in red font and you can slide the bar to increase/decrease.
Wow this is super sweet. I used sugar as written. No subs. I probably would have cut it by half cup but so many comments said it’s not too sweet. Hopefully it magically works with the choc cake.
Hi Mita! Yes, this pairs beautifully with chocolate cake.
I find it odd that it was too sweet. It uses significantly less sugar than traditional buttercream and I have sometimes heard feedback that it is not sweet enough.
Wow, wow, wow! First time making Swiss meringue buttercream and I am converted. I followed the recipe as is, used a KitchenAid stand up mixer, and it was a success. Best buttercream ever! I have been using a lot of your recipes and I have not found one that didn’t turned out great. Thank you!
Hi Vicky! I’m so glad you loved it! It truly is an amazing alternative to American buttercream. Thank you for sharing.
Might want to update the cost to make. Eggs alone are now $6…. Thanks Biden!
Hi Natasha! My meringue looked great but after adding the tablespoons of softened butter my mix deflated and the butter got clumpy and almost had the texture of cottage cheese. I didn’t think it was too warm, any idea where I went wrong? Thanks so much!
Hi Ailsa! Your butter should be soft to the touch and leave an indent if you press on it. That is normal for it to look like that, just keep mixing and trust the process, and it will come together beautifully. If after several minutes of mixing, it still is curdled then there may be another problem.
Hello Natasha,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been using it for a few years now. I wanted to add some notes after having much experience with it and other swiss meringue buttercream recipes. Yours is my go to! (with a bit of a tweak for sweetness and also a chocolate version.
I use 1.5 cups of egg whites, 4.5 sticks of butter, and 2 cups of sugar to adjust for my families’ sweetness preference. I follow all other specifications in your recipe, and it comes out delicious! I make a chocolate version using all the same measurements but adding 6 oz of semi-sweet or darker melted and cooled (to 100-90 degrees before adding) chocolate chips. Comes out perfectly every time. Thank you for sharing your wisdom! I so enjoy your recipes and love sharing them with others.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Shell! I’m so happy to hear this is your go-to recipe!
Shell are you saying that you use carton egg whites? I was wondering if it will work with them…Maria
Hello!!! Could you please tell me if I could add white chocolate? In the case I can, how should I proceed??? Thank you!!
Hi Maria, I haven’t tested that to advise if that’s okay. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
It pipes very nicely but I thought it was way too sweet. Although it’s less sweet than American buttercream, it’s still too sweet for my liking. I also found that the paddle didn’t help make it stiff, but once I changed to the whipping attachment, it got the correct texture.
Made this buttercream frosting recipe today and it turned out perfect.
Glad to hear that, thank you for sharing!
Hello, I am planning on making this frosting BUT…I needed to know if I can use powder meringue instead of egg whites? Also, just need 1/2 the amount so can the remaining be frozen?
Hi Trish! This recipe is specifically designed for real egg whites. I don’t know how to incorporate or substitute with meringue powder or if it will even work. You may try researching to see if there is another recipe that uses meringue powder.
I was just looking at this recipe and saw this error – 210 large egg whites, I don’t need that much Swiss cream
Hi Wendy, I’m not sure why it’s displaying that way – it should say 210 grams when you convert it to metric. I sent that to my tech team and hopefully they can fix it.
Any suggestions on what I can do with the yolks from the eggs? I hate to waste food
Hi Gina! You could make my lemon curd recipe HERE or the
pastry creme recipe HERE is a great choice too.
Hello Natasha have you tried to make faux swiss meringue buttercreams using powdered sugar and pasteurized egg whites
Hi! I have not to advise, but I have heard of it!
Hello Natasha, just quick question, can I add food coloring? And how much? Thank you
Hi Edith, adding food coloring should work. Add a little color at a time until you reach your desired color while maintaining consistency. I would recommend using gel food coloring over a liquid one. I would add that at the very end.