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.
Thank you for the recipe . It is wonderful.
I hope to use this recipe (double) for a 11X15 inch cake. My sister in law is selebrating her 70th. I was wondering…can you use egg whites from a carton?
Hi Sylvia! I have not tested it, but some of my viewers have reported good results using carton egg whites. They may take a little longer to whip. I would double check the ingredient on the carton to make sure that it’s 100% egg whites.
Hi Natasha,
I’m so happy to have come across your recipe, thank you. You say it is a stable frosting, do you think it will hold out in warm weather? We are coming into summer and I would like to take some decorated muffins to the market for sale. Last week I made ermime frosting with half butter and half Kremelta as so help it from melting, but it looked like it curdled, so I didn’t sell any. I really need to find something that is not too sweet and will hold up in the heat of summer. Do you think this frosting will do it? I would be baking a day, possibly 2 days ahead of the market. Would love your thoughts on this. Thank you again, you made it look easy enough to try.
Hi Juanita! SMBC frosting is stable at room temperature for up to 2 days. It can be refrigerated for longer. Because it’s a butter frosting, it can and will still melt if it’s left out in the heat or exposed to direct heat, so I don’t recommend leaving it out too long.
I can’t give you an exact time, that would really depend on your environment, temperature, and how you store them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me.
Unfortunately my fridge is not big enough to store the decorated muffins in a cool place. And we are heading into summer, so it will only get hotter. Is there a frosting/buttercream that is not too sweet that you think might suit warmer temperatures better?
Hi Juanita! Not that I’m aware of. Sorry I can’t be more help. This frosting and American buttercream hold up well at room temperature, but American buttercream
is sweeter.
Look like 2 great recipes. Miss seeing your smiling face and great recipes!!
Hi Natasha, I would like to know if these recipes are printable. Thank you for your time. Your recipes are incredible.
Hi Marilyn. Yes, there is a print option at the top of the recipe card which is located at the very bottom of the post. You can also click on the “jump to recipe” short cut at the top of the page and then click on print.
The recipe doesnt say how much butter to use. Can someone tell me how much?
Hi Jenny, it’s in the recipe card. 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, (3 sticks)
Can I put color on this frosting. Thank you
Hello! If you will try adding color to this recipe, your best option would be gel food coloring as it does not affect the texture.
My new favorite frosting! Is it possible to add other flavors such as Peanut Butter? If so, how much is added and would I use less of anything else (such as butter)? Thank you!
Hi Lynda! I haven’t tested any other flavors are adding any additions to this to advise. I’m sorry I can’t be more help. A couple of readers have commented that they’ve added cocoa powder or dry fruit powder but not sure how much.
I know I’m late to answering your question but yes, you can add peanut butter but only up to 1/2 a cup. Same with Biscoff. I used to use another recipe that called for 4 egg whites, 2 cups of sugar and almost 4 sticks of butter. That recipe allowed for the usage of that amount of Biscoff. So when I came across Natasha’s recipe I loved that it called for more egg whites and less butter and it’s the only SMBC recipe I’ve been using since. I decided to add the Biscoff and it worked so well. Same with peanut butter, fruit reductions and the usage of freeze dried fruits powders. I’ve even added melted chocolate though with that one I started off slowly until I got the taste I wanted without it affecting the buttercream. Hope this helps. Happy baking.
Hey Natasha, I love the recipe but I recently found out about meringue powder. Have you ever tested that out before???
Hi Alexis! I have not.
Hi Natasha, I am making a birthday cake for my five turning six year old sister and am using your vanilla cake recipe! This is my first time using any of your recipes and I am super excited! I am also putting this strawberry filling in the center of the cake layers https://beyondfrosting.com/strawberry-filling/.
I need a frosting that will hold this and not let it seep through, Do you recomend one I see that one the recipe it says to use buttercream. I was going to try it but thought i should ask you about it first. I was looking at all your different frosting and found this one. When I watched the video it looked really easy to mess up and a little complocated for a eleven year old girl like me. Please respond to me as soon as posible. Thank you!!!
Hi Eva. Yes, this frosting will hold. If you want a more simple frosting, I also have a vanilla buttercream that is stable enough to hold filling in. I hope that helps!
Hi there
My last batch was like small holes of air and when piping its was kinda spitting during the piping process it didn’t look nice. I also find I wipe the yokes after and it doesn’t cool
In even 30’mins. Can I just still it in the fridge or let it sit until room temp then add the eggs.
So frustrated with my last batch looking horrible.
Hi Jeannette! I would love to help troubleshoot but I’m not sure I understand fully what the issue was. We do not use yolks in this recipe. If the consistency of the frosting is not right, it can be due to the ways things were done or even the temperature of your ingredients. I recommend looking over the recipe again to see if anything was missed or watch the video to see where things looked different for you. Regarding the air pockets, you may try mixing the frosting a little while by hand using a spatula to push out some of the air bubbles.
Hi, I’m planning on making your vanilla cupcakes and using this frosting. I’ll admit I’m nervous about making this frosting, and hope it turns out. Could I make the cupcakes and put this frosting on top the night before and then put it in the refrigerator? Could I also just keep the frosted cupcakes at room temperature overnight? My concern is that the frosting will make the tops of the cupcakes soggy if I frost the cupcakes the night before. Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Tracy! This frosting holds up well at room temperature for 1-2 days. You can frost them and leave them out or your can refrigerate them. I would just bring them back to room temperature before serving.
Hi Natasha, I just had a question about the frosting for a party.
So I have my party Saturday, so how far in advanced do you think I could decorate the cake with the Swiss meringue?
I have the cake frozen and the buttercream. But Im not sure when to take out the frosting and when to frost the cake. I want it to be like if it was never frozen…
And how long could I keep it out because the party would be at a park.
Please help lol
Btw this buttercream is so delicious! Thank you for this recipe
Hi Alexis! I’m glad you love this frosting. I like to decorate my cake one day ahead so it has time to set in the refrigerator, especially if I’m transporting it.
This frosting is stable at room temperature so it can withstand quite a bit but it will melt in heat or direct sunlight so I don’t recommend keeping it out too long and keep it in the shade. It would be best to keep it in a cooler if you’re in a really warm environment.
Currently making this for 50 cupcakes! You are always my go to person for recipes!! 💜 this is fantastic I was nervous about making this complex of an icing
Can you use egg whites in a carton or do they need to be fresh eggs
Hi Karen. I would read the ingredients on the egg cartons and make sure they are 100% egg whites. Some of my viewers reported cartoon egg whites worked just fine.
I know it been months since you asked. Ut wanted to answer in case someone else wanted to know. I made this frosting twice, both times with egg whited from a carton, mine were 100% egg white with nothing added. It worked perfect both times.
Thanks for leaving a comment about your experience Iris. I’ve tried to use the egg whites in the carton from my local grocery store (their brand). While I never achieved stiff peaks I did get soft ones. Up the comment section 2 fellow bakers gave their experience with using 2 different brands, Trader Joe’s and Targets store brand cartons. Now I know exactly what I need to look for. A carton that says 100% egg whites and nothing else. Thanks again. I’m sure many others will find your comment helpful as well. Happy baking.
Hello- I am still unclear as to whether I can pre-decorate cupcakes (with roses etc) and then freeze for two weeks. It says to thaw frozen icing at room temp and then re-whip. Will this icing separate upon thawing on the cupcakes? Thank you- I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Bonnie. If you freeze this frosting already piped on your cupcakes, you do not have to re-whip it. It will not separate. Only rewhip it to make it soft and fluffy if you’re freezing it whole.
Hi how many grams is in 3 sticks of butter thanks
Hi Tina, that should be about 340 grams of unsalted butter. If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
I want to make this chocolate. If so how much melted chocolate would I add thanks
Hi Kristin! I haven’t personally tested that to provide those instructions. I’m sorry.
One of my viewers shared this, “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 hope that helps.
Fantastic recipe!!! I used this for my 2024 Easter Lamb cake. The batched covered my lamb and I was able to use it for the grass as well. It is firm for decorating and piping but so light and delicate when eating. Just like a wedding cake frosting. I have saved this recipe in 6 different spots so I don’t lose it ever!
I’m so glad you loved it, Jessica! It really is a great frosting. I love it.
Omg the best frosting I have ever made, thank you for the recipe.
The best frosting I have EVER made. And I have made hundreds of batches and types over the years. This is my go-to frosting, especially if you want a buttercream for macarons. I pack the side of my KA bowl with ice packs to help the cooling process. It is such a dreamy frosting. Thank you so much!
You’re so welcome, Sooz! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!