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.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Do you have a chocolate version using cocoa powder if Swiss meringue buttercream?
Hi Pamela! I do not. I think it would work to add cocoa powder, I just haven’t tested it myself. You might try researching online to see if you can find a recipe that does so you can reference how it’s done. Let us know if you experiment.
Hi Natasha, the best tutorial I found is on “The Preppy Kitchen “. He goes into great detail on how to fix issues and add flavors. He recommends melting chocolate to add for flavor.
Thank you for sharing, Pat!
I made 2 batches exactly as written. Great flavor but sooo stiff! Could hardly pipe it. Natasha, what did I do wrong? I can’t figure it out. I know the meringue didn’t deflate. I didn’t overwhip. Love your recipes!
Hi Laurie! It likely needed to be whipped longer. It’s hard to over-beat this. The longer it whips, the more fluffy and silky it gets. If you’re making two batches in the same mixer, make sure there is enough room for it to mix well and keep mixing until you reach the desired consistency.
Hey, Natasha
Can I use wooden spoon unsalted margarine instead of butter?
I normally use wooden spoon margarine in the basic making of buttercream icing which is icing sugar and white unsalted margarine.
Hi Lee Ann, I haven’t tested using that to advise. If you do an experiment, we’d love to know how it goes!
Hello Natasha, I tried your recipe, and it turned out great. However, I found the cream to be a bit too rich and heavy with butter. Personally, I think the cream would be just as delicious without the added butter.
Hi Yelena! This is a “buttercream” frosting so it naturally will have more of a butter taste. Be sure to whip it long enough because that will help lessen the buttery flavor, and you can add vanilla extract or another flavor of your choice to help.
Hi, thank you for your recipe.
I have a question can I also take lesse sugar? like 300g? 400g seems to be too much.
with best regards
Sharme
Hi Sharme, I have not tested it with less sugar to know how it would affect the end result. Let us know if you experiment.
Made this frosting and it was fabulous, it was the perfect consistency for piping, had great stability and very easy to add colour too!
This is will be my go to frosting forever!!!
That’s wonderful to hear, Karen! Thank you for sharing.
Hi! I’ve tried the recipe twice now and both times have has issues I’m hoping you can help me troubleshoot. Both times my frosting was soupy. The first time I believe it was still too warm. The second time it was completely room temperature but it ended up getting grainy because I let it sit. It previously was smooth. But ended up soupy, buttery tasting, and grainy. Any advice?
Hi Kathy! See my “common questions” section above where I go more in depth about these common issues. It’s likely that temperature of your ingredients or something in your process that is not right. 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.
what’s the difference between Swiss meringue buttercream and Italian meringue buttercream?
The process taken to make it is different.
Hi Natasha. Crazy question to ask of you…. I tried your recipe for SMBC last week and we loved it! It was my first time trying this type of BC, but it seemed easy enough, as long as you’re patient. 🙂
But then this past weekend, I had 2 failed attempts! The only thing that makes sense after searching online for some answers was that the temperature went over 160. The egg whites did whip up stiff, but I think too stiff? I did already try the cooling off, and heating up a portion and rewhipping. Tried this more than once that day and even the next. It sometimes looked like it would work out, but then it would lose it’s stiffness and become like a thick cake batter consistency. Don’t know what else to try, but I have it in the freezer now.
So I would like to know if you have any suggestions on how one can put this ‘batter’ to good use? Something to try with all the butter, sugar and egg whites? Just trying not to be wasteful. 🙂
Hi Mary! I’m sorry you had such an issue with it. I really don’t have any idea of what to do with it besides possibly thawing it and trying to whip it again.
Hi Natasha! I’ve been wanting to make SMBC for a while and would like to try this recipe. But can you tell me if I can add a tablespoon or two of raspberry coulis to the mix to give it the flavour and color? Or does that mess with the chemistry of the pattern as written? Thanks!
Hi Eva! To be honest, I haven’t tested that to advise. You may have to experiment with a little amount at a time to see how it holds up.
I hope you love the recipe!
So glad I found & made this recipe! I’ve only tried Swiss Meringue once before from another site & was not totally pleased with the results…your recipe, however, won me over! I admit I was a little nervous throughout the process but, your additional tips helped me bring it all together beautifully. You’re right, trust the process. I did chill my stand mixer bowl with ice packs around the base briefly while whipping the heck out of the heated mixture then added the softened butter. It did get a little “soupy” as you described but, kept whipping until I got the desired results. I doubled the recipe to use on my sons wedding cake this past weekend & everyone raved about it! Also, the Lemon Curd recipe to use up the remaining egg yolks was stellar! Thank you so much!!
Hi Laura! That’s great to hear. I’m so glad it was a hit. Thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe. I appreciate the feedback.
Not a fan of this recipe. Have made it twice and both times had to save it. First time the butter made it lumpy and it didn’t thicken like the recipe said it would. Had to put it back on the stove. Second time it was lumpy and soupy. Did the stove trick and now it’s just soupy. Have been making one batch of icing for an hour because it won’t thicken back up now. Won’t be using this recipe again.
Hi Jacqueline. I’m sorry to hear that. It’s likely something in the process or the temperature of your ingredients. The butter being too cold or too warm will cause this. If the meringue was not cooled enough before adding the butter, it will melt the butter. I would love to help troubleshoot but it sounds like you’ve made up your mind to not try the recipe again. I do hope you find another one you love and have better results with.
Hi Natasha,
Is it possible to double the recipe with a 5qt mixing bowl?
Hi Adriana! I haven’t tested it myself but I think so. I have a 6qt.
Love your recipes! Can’t wait for your cookbook!
This recipe refers to a medium pot of simmering water & a large pot of simmering water. Basically, would it just be whichever I can get a good seal in the bowl?
Hi Lynn! Yes, you can use whatever size pot gives a good seal without your bowl touching the water. I hope you love the recipe!
Hai Natasha, may i reduce sugar to 300gm for this recipe? I tested yesterday, it is too sweet for me.
Hi Rainnie! I have not tested it with less sugar to know how it would affect the end result. Let us know if you experiment.
Hi. If you only have salted butter, do you eliminate adding the 1/4 teaspoon of salt? Thanks!
Hi Missy! Yes that would work. I like to use unsalted so that I can control the salt level to my preference.
Turned out excellent! I was missing 1 T of butter, but added 2 T of cream cheese because I was frosting a carrot cake.
I think my frosting needed to cool longer because it was too soft, but after refrigerating like suggested it was fine! Its rather warm here in NC and my middle frosting layer wanted to slide a bit but otherwise it was just fine!
Great taste!
Hi Jeanie! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
You can add 1 Tbsp Instaclear Gel (available on Amazon). This is a stabilizer and will make your buttercream more stable but still pliable enough to decorate your cake.
Hi Natasha…can you make this with carton egg whites? TY Maria
Hi Maria! I have not tested carton egg whites but based on my research, yes, it’s possible but it may take a while longer to beat them and they may not get as fluffy. Let us know how it turns out.
Yes you most definitely can, and I have done it multiple times.
I was a professional cake decorator for ~10 years and this recipe is my go to for the wedding cake orders I still make on the side. The butter doesn’t turn the icing yellow, like American buttercream, and it’s so easy to get a flawless and smooth finish. It also hardens fast in the freezer so it won’t take very long to move past the crumb coat phase. Wish I could post a picture but my word will have to be enough – that j you for this amazing recipe, Natasha!
Wow, that makes me more inspired. Thank you for sharing and feel free to share some photos of your creation on our facebook page or group!
Is it possible to add cocoa powder to turn this into a chocolate frosting? What would you recommend?
Hi Lucy, I haven’t tested that to advise if that’s okay. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes. I do have a recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting if you’d like to try it instead.
I’ve been using her SMBC recipe for the past 2 yrs. I’ve flavored it chocolate before using cooled melted chocolate. I start off melting about a 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips and go from there due to how chocolatey I want it to taste. I’ve flavored it using Biscoff, freeze dried berry dust and even coconut by using coconut cream. Hope this was helpful…
Hi Natasha. I’m am making a tiered cake, the bottom tier will be roughly 9″ with 4 layers and the second tier will be an 8″ with four layers. I know that you have a slider to help with increasing measurements and that one amount can frost a 9″ cake but could you please give me an idea of how many times I would have to multiply the amount to fill and ice those two cakes mentioned above, I would really appreciate it. TIA!
HI Hanna, I’ve never made a cake at that scale. You might need to do some google searching to see how much frosting is needed for that much cake. I”m assuming you would have to at least double it and maybe triple it. Also keep in mind you would have to make separate frosting batches since it would overwhelm a standard mixer to multiply this frosting.