A silky smooth but perfectly pipeable peanut butter frosting that’s the perfect complement to any cake or cupcake. Also great for just eating by the spoonful!
Maybe you guys haven’t noticed, but I’ve been working on bulking up my “Frostings” section on the blog.
In the past, I would share cake or cupcake recipes and tag on my preferred complementary frosting, but I’m a big believer in choices. Maybe you’d rather frost your funfetti cake with chocolate frosting (or even peanut butter frosting) instead of buttercream, right? Well I wanted to have a good variety of options for you to choose from.
So far I’ve shared my favorites of the following:
- Cream cheese frosting (<—- possibly my favorite frosting of all-time)
- Chocolate frosting
- Vanilla buttercream frosting
And today I’m adding peanut butter frosting to the list.
This recipe is super easy to make, and on Monday I’ll be sharing a very complementary and very dark chocolate cupcake recipe with you, but of course you can put it on whatever you want. You can even just eat it by the spoonful, I know I did.
And yet it remains a mystery to me why my cardio sessions aren’t paying off 😭
Anyway, Peanut Butter Frosting requires just 6 ingredients to make. It’s smooth, creamy, and is great for piping on top of cupcakes or decorating a cake.
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Frosting
- While chunky or creamy peanut butter can work in this peanut butter frosting recipe, I don’t recommend using chunky unless you don’t intend to pipe the frosting. The little peanut pieces will clog up your frosting tips in a second.
- I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter (the kind that separates, you know the one that you usually need to stir before using). I haven’t tried it myself but I’m pretty certain that it wouldn’t work too nicely work with this recipe (it would be too oily).
- This peanut butter frosting pipes very nicely as written. However, for a stiffer frosting, you can add an additional ½-1 cup (65-125g) of powdered sugar.
How Many Cupcakes/How Much Cake Will this Peanut Butter Frosting Cover?
- If you’re generously frosting your cupcakes (as seen in my cupcake photo below), then this frosting will handily cover 12-15 cupcakes. If you’re being a bit more modest, it will cover 24 (I covered 24 cupcakes with peanut butter frosting rosettes using the 1M tip).
- This frosting will also cover a 9×13 sheet cake or a round 2-layer 8″ or 9″ cake. Now I’m just thinking about how I want to make a cake with this frosting and then cover it with ganache… Yum!
Enjoy!
Oh, and do you have any requests for other frosting recipes you’d like to see? I’m currently working on caramel but would love any suggestions that you have!
How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting
Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (245 g) creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Combine butter and peanut butter in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy and well-combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (245 g) creamy peanut butter
- Gradually (about ⅓ cup at a time), with mixer on low speed add powdered sugar until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so all ingredients are well-combined.3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low-speed, add milk and stir until well-combined. Gradually increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds.2 Tablespoons milk
- Spread or pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes or cake.
Notes
Natural Peanut Butter
Since first sharing the recipe I have now tested this recipe with natural peanut butter and it worked just fine, though was a bit gritty.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Sue
All I have is honey peanut butter. Will that work?
Sam
Hi Sue! That should work as long as it’s not a natural peanut butter where the oil separates. 🙂
Sandy Vaught
This frosting is amazing!! Light and fluffy and moist and creamy!!! I didn’t have unsalted butter so I used regular margarine and excluded the salt and it tasted perfect!! Thanks so much!! We will definitely be making it again. And I used it on just a plain yellow cake.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Sandy! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! 🙂
Katherine
Could I add a little cocoa powder to make a chocolate peanut butter frosting?
Sam
Hi Katherine! That should work. 🙂
Katrina
This recipe is wonderful!!!
Sam
I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed it, Katrina. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Ashley
Just made this (it’s still in my mixer) and it tastes great but appears to be separating or something. It doesn’t look smooth like in your picture. Any tips? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Ashley! Did you use natural peanut butter?
Sam
Hi! I creamed by butter until white and fluffy for 10 minutes first, then added the peanut butter and mixed for 5-10 minutes until it looked completely incorporated. Then I began adding my sugar and other ingredients. I didn’t need to add any milk.
Brenda Oden
Mine was crumbling and awful!! Couldn’t ice cake.
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened, Brenda! It sounds like you may have added too much powdered sugar. You can always thin it out with more milk. 🙂
maricelia
hi! i’m making this frosting for my moms upcoming birthday, I was wondering how long they can sit out at room temp? or if they have to be stored in the fridge? thanks!
Sam
Hi Maricelia! The frosting will hold up for several days at room temperature. 🙂
Jane
Delicious recipe! Adding this to my favourites!
Karen
This is the perfect recipe! Not too sweet, not too bitter. Worked well with a moist chocolate cake. Highly recommended!!!!!!!!!!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Karen! 🙂
Jonny
Hey just wondering does this work on banana cupcake, as icing?
Sam
Absolutely!
Rhonda
Would this work with a fudge cake?
Sam
Hi Rhonda! That sounds delicious. 🙂
Maia
Could this be mixed by hand? I don’t have an electric mixer or the means to get one
Sam
Hi Maia! It could be, but it’s going to be quite the arm workout. 🙂
Jen O’Neill
I made this and frosted a light chocolate cake and it was DELICIOUS!!!
Excellent recipe; very simple to make
Marsha Frost
Can you color it yellow?
Sam
I don’t think that will work too well due to the brown from the peanut butter. 🙁
Summer
How do you recommend storing this frosting? Can it be frozen?
Sam
Hi Summer! I haven’t frozen it myself, but it should hold up nicely in the freezer. 🙂
Njeri Bell
I made it with Butter Cookie peanut butter and my cake was beautiful!
Sam
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Njeri! 🙂
Anne Marie
Just fyi, I can’t eat anything but the natural peanut butter because I can’t eat corn and creamy and chunky both have corn starch in them. I have made peanut butter frosting numerous times with no issue. If you want a frosting that pipes beautifully MAYBE you would want to add a tablespoon or two of starch (arrowroot flour subs for corn starch most directly 1 for 1 in both behaviour and neutrality of taste). I can’t say because I usually use peanut butter frosting when I just want an easy and indulgent cake or cup cake. It is amazing with chocolate cake and no it does not taste greasy.
Elizabeth Levesque
Hi Sam,
I have made cakes and iced them with peanut butter frosting and then placed them in the freezer for a few days or more… It worked fine and still tasted good.
Sam
Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Nathan
Sam can I use it with vanilla cake or will something terrible happen to my family ?!!
Sam
So long as no one has any peanut allergies, I think everyone will be fine, Nathan 😉 I love this frosting on peanut butter cake myself.
Kara
Hello!
I’ve made this recipe before and LOVED it!! I want to make it again for my dad’s bday but want to try out my new cake piping tools. If I add food coloring to a small amount of this frosting, will it work to write Happy Birthday with on my cake?
Or other suggestions? I Just don’t want to have to make a whole new batch of frosting just to write with.
Thanks in advance! Your website is always my go to for yummy recipes!
Sam
Hi Kara! If you are just doing a little bit it will probably work. Your best bet would probably be a red color. You’ll end up needing a good bit of color because of the brown color of the frosting, but it will work. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything so much. 🙂
Kara
Perfect! Thanks so much!
Lori Steele
Can you make this using heavy cream instead of milk? I have heavy whipping cream on hand and don’t usually by milk.
Sam
Hi Lori! That should work but the amount may not be the exact same here. 🙂
Lori
Thanks for the quick reply. I can’t wait to try this!
Amy
I LOVE this recipe! Have made it several times and it came out great every time. Best part is that it is not too sweet! Thank you
Shannon
This frosting is DELICIOUS! Not too sweet and very fluffy and spreadable!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Shannon! 🙂
Helen
What peanut butter you recommend
Sam
Hi Helen! I use just about any peanut butter. I’ve used generic, jif, Skippy, really whatever is available as long as it’s creamy. 🙂
Sarah
This looks AMAZING. I was looking up an icing for peanut butter cupcakes, and I think this would work great! Happy Easter and Jesus loves you! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” — Isaiah 26:3– Romans 3:23
Sam
I hope you love it, Sarah! 🙂