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3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting

Creamy and nutty 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting brings spreadable, flavorful goodness to your cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and brownies. Create a delectable, tasty topping for just about any of your oven-baked treats!

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3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting on top of a chocolate cupcake piped on

Super simple and oh-so-delicious, this scrumptious 3 ingredient peanut butter frosting is an irresistible topping for your familyโ€™s next homemade dessert.

Rich peanut flavor combined with a classic buttercream is a perfect pair for a fantastic frosting. You can whip this up in just ten minutes with easy ingredients that you probably already have around the kitchen.

The simplicity of this recipe keeps it quick and affordable. Butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar are all you need! Weโ€™ll also explore optional ingredients of vanilla and heavy cream to help you tailor the fluffiness factor to your preferences.

Youโ€™ll love the versatility of this recipe since it’s a great topping for so many desserts. It also has a nice, creamy consistency that spreads easily.

What actually gives this some thickness? Ever wonder if frosting and icing are the same thing?

You can make this recipe with just ingredients you have on hand and absolutely no heavy cream and no whipping cream involved. It’s completely optional and tastes phenomenal without it!

This easy frosting recipe makes enough to top about 18 to 24 cupcakes, one 13×9 sheet cake, or a full 8-inch round cake.

Peanut butter frosting on top of chocolate cupcakes on a cooling rack and a piping bag next to it

Hereโ€™s what Iโ€™m going to teach you in this post:

  • How to make an amazing 3 ingredient peanut butter frosting
  • What you can do to make your frosting extra fluffy
  • The difference between frosting and icing
  • Answers to other common questions

Letโ€™s dive in and learn about fluffiness, texture, and the ideal ingredients that make this yummy topping a staple recipe youโ€™ll want to make time and again.

Love easy desserts? Try out these 35 Easy Cookie Recipes Made With Few Ingredients!

Ingredients needed to make peanut butter frosting in separate bowls

How to Make 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

STEP ONE: In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter for 60-90 seconds, until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

STEP TWO: Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, mixing for 1-2 minutes and adding more to suit your desired sweetness level.

Peanut Butter Frosting being mixed by a hand mixer in a bowl

STEP THREE: Spread evenly or use piping to decorate your baked goods.

I used a Wilton 1M cake tip to frost the cupcakes.

Whipped peanut butter frosting on a whisk above a bowl of it

Optional Ingredients

You can choose to include vanilla and heavy cream for an extra layer of flavor and a fluffy texture. If you decide to mix these in, hereโ€™s how:

After step two above, add vanilla and mix well. For fluffier frosting, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting being piped onto a chocolate cupcake on top of a wire rack

Whatโ€™s the difference between frosting and icing?

Both icing and frosting are delicious essentials to our beloved baked goods, but there are notable differences between them. A peanut butter icing recipe would give you more of an overall coating than a fluffy spread.

Frosting is generally thicker and fluffier than icing, while icing is thinner and glossy. The butter in this recipe makes it a frosting, as opposed to peanut butter icing.

This means frosting holds its shape better and is great for crowning your cupcakes with lovely piping. Icing tends to be a bit sweeter and acts more like a glaze, adding smoothness and shine. 

Cupcake with bite taken out topped with peanut butter frosting

Why do I have air bubbles in my frosting?

Vigorous whipping can fold in unwanted pockets of air into the frosting, creating bubbles.

To prevent this, use a slower speed on your mixer or whip the ingredients by hand. You can even try these methods to remove some air bubbles if theyโ€™ve already started to form.

Softening the butter to room temperature helps your frosting to whip up more smoothly, so donโ€™t neglect this step!

Chocolate cupcakes frosted and on a wire cooling rack

How long will frosting last in the fridge?

You can store this in a sealed container on the countertop for two days, or in the fridge for about a week. 

Let it warm up to room temp before using it again, so it softens up a bit. This will make it a lot easier to spread.

A quick whip from your electric mixer will fluff it up again.

Piping bag with frosting next to chocolate cupcakes on a cooling rack

What kind of peanut butter should I use?

The traditional store-bought kind is the best choice for this recipe. Avoid any type of crunchy varieties at the grocery store, and keep it smooth with the regular creamy option.

Natural and organic alternatives can be difficult to incorporate because of oil separation or can result in your frosting being grainy.

Itโ€™s recommended that you use peanut butter instead of other nut butters for this reason as well since many substitutes can have a rougher texture.

Chocolate cupcakes topped with piped peanut butter frosting on top of a wire cooling rack

Piping Tips

  • If you don’t have a piping bag on hand, you can use a gallon-sized Ziploc bag (not a freezer bag) by cutting a small piece off the bottom corner and placing the tip inside
  • Twist the end of the pip bag to close it off, but still use one hand to hold it closed

Other Recipes Youโ€™ll Love:

Itโ€™s amazing how many delicious desserts you can make! If you can dream it up, just about anything is possible. Here are some more super tasty sweets for you to try out:

purchase my cookbook here!
Yield: 18 servings

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting on top of a chocolate cupcake piped on

An easy to put together homemade frosting with just 3 ingredients!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter*
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

Optional

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter for 60-90 seconds, until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
  2. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, mixing for 1-2 minutes, and adding more to suit your desired sweetness level.
  3. If using, add vanilla and mix well. For a fluffier frosting, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  4. Pipe or use as intended on cupcakes, cake, and more.

Notes

* use storebought peanut butter -- not organic -- to avoid any oil and peanut separation and graininess in the frosting

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 247Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 0gSugar: 36gProtein: 0g

This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.

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samantha

About Samantha

Iโ€™ve always had a love of cooking and creating new recipes, so it only made sense to create a food blog so I could share those recipes with you. This site is designed to provide easy and flavorful recipes with as little ingredients as possible. That means you still get great flavor combinations without all that extra time and effort. Read more...

15 thoughts on “3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting”

  1. Just made your 3 ingredient Peanut butter frostingโ€ฆ I did put the optional milk and vanilla in itโ€ฆ It was so easy and deliciousโ€ฆ My husband loves it on our chocolate cakeโ€ฆ Thank you so much for this delicious recipe

    Reply
  2. I’ve a question on the peanut butter. Does it call for 3/4 CUPS or is it 3-4 cups? Not sure from looking at recipe

    Reply
    • Hi Debra,
      It is 3/4 cups of peanut butter. Thank you for asking. I see how that can be confusing and we will look at changing it.
      Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. I’m not sure why every peanut butter frosting recipe online says not to use natural peanut butter. Has anyone even tried it? Peanut butter is often stabilized with solid fats like palm oil, so you’re basically making a stabilized peanut butter when you mix it with the butter. And yes, it works just fine. And tastes amazing!!

    Reply
    • Hi Kass,
      I’m glad it worked out for you, but some brands can get a little separated when it comes to making frosting with it when it sits. This is why most recipes recommend not using natural peanut butter.
      Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Hi Jenny,
      You can store this in a sealed container on the countertop for two days, or in the fridge for about a week.
      Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Hi Edie,
      As long as you use a cup of unsalted butter it can be in spread form or stick form.
      Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. I made the frosting, but it is very thinโ€ฆ Kind of wondering why? Are used at the 3/4 cup of Jiff, one cup of Miyokos , vegan butter, and 3 cups of powdered sugar.

    Reply
    • Hi KayCee, it could either be the vegan butter that was used or the powdered sugar wasn’t sifted before measuring — this could cause far less powdered sugar to be used than what shows in the measuring cup.

      In this case, I would add more powdered sugar until it thickens up.

    • Hi Suzie, this makes enough for 18 cupcakes, so it will be very close on a two layer cake. It will work if you like your frosting thinner, but if you like with a thicker coat, I would recommend doubling the recipe.

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