Peanut Butter Frosting

Name: Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 cup (270 grams) creamy peanut butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/8 teaspoon fine salt; 2 1/2 cups (313 grams) powdered sugar, sifted

Recipe By Tessa Arias

February 14th, 2019

5 from 17 votes

26 Comments

5 from 17 votes

26 Comments

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Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting is ultra rich, thick, smooth, and creamy with tons of sweet nutty flavor that goes perfect on so many cakes or cupcakes!

Yield: 3 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: Perfect balance of sweet and nutty.
Texture: Ultra rich, smooth, and creamy but thick enough to frost on a cake.
Ease: Super simple and easy. Why would you ever purchase premade frosting?!
Pros: Fun flavor twist that goes with so many cakes or cupcakes.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? I’ve made this many times.

I originally published this Peanut Butter Icing with my Banana Chocolate Chip Cake recipe.

So many of you have made that recipe recently and told me that your favorite part was the peanut butter frosting!!

Since that’s a pretty old cake recipe I knew I had to resurface this peanut butter buttercream so it could have its moment in the spotlight. It truly deserves it.

This recipe basically takes peanut butter – which is already amazing and perfect – and makes it even richer yet lighter with the perfect amount of sweetness. It goes perfectly with chocolate cake or cupcakes. Or banana cake or banana bread. You could even slather it over brownies or cookies!

Really, this frosting knows no bounds. And if you make it you’ll see just how addictively delicious it is!

How to Make Buttercream Ahead of Time:

Transfer the frosting to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature and re-whip in the stand mixer until light and fluffy again. Add a tablespoon or 2 of powdered sugar if it needs to thicken up.

How Much Frosting Does This Make?

This makes enough frosting for a two layer cake or 24 cupcakes OR 12 cupcakes with a generous amount of frosting (think a tall piped swirl). Not sure how much frosting you’ll need? Check out this handy frosting guide from Wilton.

More Buttercream Frosting Recipes & Tips

- How to Make the Best Buttercream (over a million views on this video!)
- 6 Tips for Perfect Buttercream (are you using the *right* powdered sugar?)
- Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my all-time favorite)
- Best Cream Cheese Frosting (with a secret ingredient)

5 from 17 votes

How to make

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 3 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting is ultra rich, thick, smooth, and creamy with tons of sweet nutty flavor that goes perfect on so many cakes or cupcakes!

Ingredients

2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (270 grams) creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
2 1/2 cups (313 grams) powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about another 3 minutes.

STORAGE:

Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature and re-whip in the stand mixer until light and fluffy again. Add a tablespoon or 2 of powdered sugar if it needs to thicken.

Recipe Notes

This makes enough frosting for a two layer cake or 24 cupcakes (or 12 cupcakes with a generous amount of frosting).

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see!

Recipe by Tessa Arias

Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on

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All Comments Questions I Made This

#
sabrina — February 14, 2019 at 7:03 pm

haven’t ever made butter cream but have eaten a lot of peanut butter and can legitimately claim to be an expert peanut butter taster, so anything like this butter cream that’s a lighter and richer flavor than even peanut butter is wonderful!

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  Tessa — February 15, 2019 at 11:57 am
  
  haha! 🙂
  
  Reply
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Julia — February 16, 2019 at 1:40 am

Every time I make a cake I always feel like I should make different frosting but then I don’t know which one. Saving your recipe for my next cake making 🙂

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pat c hawks — February 17, 2019 at 7:40 pm

sounds yummy

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Fiona Manoon — February 17, 2019 at 10:49 pm

Thank you so much for sharing recipes.Great blog!!!

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Jill Linger — April 30, 2019 at 8:30 am

This frosting is perfect blend between buttercream and peanut butter! It was a BIG at work on the brownies I made; they are going to enjoy the frosting on a chocolate cake tomorrow. Thank you, Tessa!

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  Tessa — May 2, 2019 at 2:33 pm
  
  Yay! So pleased to hear that 🙂
  
  Reply
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Chris — May 22, 2019 at 11:54 am

My wife absolutely LOVED this frosting! I made her some devil’s food chocolate cupcakes for Mother’s Day and topped with this peanut butter frosting and a simple semisweet chocolate chip topper. Everyone who tried one praised this frosting. I have a feeling more will be requested very soon. Thank you!

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MAURICE HANIA — June 12, 2019 at 8:41 pm

Bonjour,par quoi remplacer le sucre pour l’épaississement ? de la farine de Coco peut être?, bonne journée

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Chris Haines — June 19, 2019 at 12:40 pm

My kids loved it. Even my daughter who usually doesn’t like frosting.

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Patricia Mapley — June 24, 2019 at 6:51 pm

I made this peanut butter frosting tonight. I made 21 chocolate cupcakes and a single layer heart shaped chocolate cake. I had enough frosting for everything and a bit extra. This is an amazing recipe. It turned out smooth and fluffy and DELICIOUS!

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Claire Venn — July 30, 2019 at 1:46 pm

The taste is out of this world!!! The best buttercream recipe I’ve ever used

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Melody — August 14, 2019 at 10:21 am

I slathered this entire batch of frosting on a 9×13 pan of brownies. WOW. They were the hit of my office potluck and now I need to make another batch for home. SO GOOD!

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Diana — September 14, 2019 at 12:39 pm

I can`t get the recipe.

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Jennifer ONeil — October 16, 2019 at 1:11 am

Does this have to be refrigerated? I saw it said store in the fridge but is it okay for a couple of days, at room temperature?

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TG — November 10, 2019 at 7:06 am

The perfect peanut butter frosting! Perfectly balanced. Love it. Thank you.

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Danielle — November 16, 2019 at 8:17 pm

Oh my gosh, its just so good! Tastes like Reeses pieces. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂

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Sherrill — January 26, 2020 at 9:33 pm

This icing is delicious! I made this for my son’s birthday with a chocolate cake and it was so good. Everyone really liked it.

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Brigid — February 3, 2020 at 1:28 pm

I have been looking for a good recipe for peanut butter buttercream icing. I should have known you would provide the best one! Everyone loved it!

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Jon — April 4, 2020 at 2:42 pm

I made this frosting for some banana bread cupcakes with milk chocolate toffee chips in them. The frosting is perfect. A great way to top these cupcakes. These cupcakes are amazing.

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Kate Luce — April 22, 2020 at 1:04 am

Husband loved it! Chocolate icing on top of chocolate cake with peanut butter cream in the middle…delicious!

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Em — April 24, 2020 at 4:04 am

Amazing! I put this frosting on a store-bought brownie mix. It was really, Really good! I made a 1/2 quantity and it was too much (but no one complained!)

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Melissa G Morris — June 14, 2020 at 9:35 am

SO delicious!!

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Jace C — August 2, 2020 at 8:26 pm

“Damn it!” She exclaimed as she stomped her foot.
“Did I get it?” I asked eagerly, seeking redemption after last weeks muffed up peanut butter butter cream frosting.
She took another finger tip off of the spatula and put it in her mouth, “Damn it! That’s too good.”

Redemption at last!

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Faith — January 18, 2021 at 5:02 am

This PB Frosting is absolutely ah-mazing! It is not overly sweet, and you can certainly pipe it (I added a tablespoon or two of half & half near the end). It went perfectly with a dark chocolate cake that had chocolate mousse between the layers. I used my whisk attachment on my stand mixer, and that helped me to get it super light and fluffy. I had looked at a lot of PB frosting recipes, and I’m so glad I made this one………I do not need to look any further!

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  Handle the Heat — January 18, 2021 at 9:36 am
  
  So glad you enjoyed this frosting!
  
  Reply

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