With more than 225K page views since 2021 and still counting, this peanut butter frosting is the most popular frosting on my site. It uses just 3 ingredients to get a creamy light and fluffy frosting you will be making again and again!
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Easy Peanut Butter Frosting
Making peanut butter frosting doesn’t have to be hard. I’ve created a recipe that uses just 3 simple ingredients to get a smooth, creamy, and fluffy frosting. They are ingredients are probably sitting in your pantry right now!
And, here’s a tip about making homemade frosting – just use normal store bought creamy peanut butter! Using a natural peanut butter where the oil separates on top can cause the frosting to become grainy and separated as it sits.
This recipe just uses the good old Jif or Skippy peanut butter! But be careful, it’s so addicting that my friends and family ask for this frosting on every birthday and holiday along with a nice big chocolate cake!
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.
You will love this Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- 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
Let’s dive in and learn about fluffiness, texture, and the ideal ingredients that make this yummy topping a staple recipe you’ll want to make time and again.
Love easy desserts? Try out these 35 Easy Cookie Recipes Made With Few Ingredients!
Peanut Butter Buttercream Ingredients
- Peanut Butter – Use traditional store-bought peanut butter like Skippy or Jif
- Powdered Sugar
- Butter – unsalted and softened
What kind of peanut butter should I use for this 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Frosting?
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.
It’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.
Easy Peanut Butter Frosting additions
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, here’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.
How to make 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.
STEP THREE: Spread evenly or use piping to decorate your baked goods.
I used a Wilton 1M cake tip to frost the cupcakes.
Peanut Butter Frosting piping tips
- I used a Wilton 1M tip for the cupcakes shown!
- 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
How to use this Peanut Butter Buttercream
You can use this frosting recipe to top 18-24 cupcakes, a 13 by 9-inch sheet cake, or a full 2 layer 8-inch round cake or one of these fun ideas
- As a fun addition to chocolatey brownies
- As a frosting on air fryer chocolate cake
- On top of cookies, like these peanut butter cookies or soft cut out cookies
How to store Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
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.
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting FAQs
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.
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 they’ve already started to form.
Softening the butter to room temperature helps your frosting to whip up more smoothly, so don’t neglect this step!
Peanut butter frosting can become oily if you use natural peanut butter. If the oil separates in the jar, it will separate on the frosting as it sits. Use a peanut butter like Jif or Skippy that doesn’t need to be mixed prior to using.
Your peanut butter buttercream can become grainy if you didn’t mix it enough, or the butter isn’t softened through. Make sure to soften it before you get started and mix thoroughly to get rid of any sugar grains.
If you’re still unhappy with the consistency, try sifting the powdered sugar before adding it to the butter and peanut butter. This helps prevent clumps too!
More like this Peanut Butter Frosting
It’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:
- Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter
- Cool Whip Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake
- 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms
- 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
- Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa Balls with Marshmallows
- 3 Ingredient Banana Pudding
- Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
- Iced Thumbprint Cookies
- 4-Ingredient Oreo Balls
- Snickerdoodle Cookies With No Cream of Tartar
MORE from Everyday Family Cooking
Peanut Butter Buttercream
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
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter for 60-90 seconds, until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, mixing for 1-2 minutes, and adding more to suit your desired sweetness level.
- 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.
- Pipe or use as intended on cupcakes, cake, and more.
I made the frosting, but it is very thin… 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.
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.
How much does this make? Enough for a two layer cake? Unsure if I should double the recipe.
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.
I made this in less than 5 minutes. Only difference is I used vanilla flavored coffee creamer for the smoothness of the frosting. People that had problems didn’t soft their sugar, let butter get to room temperature or didn’t beat till smooth light consistency. This is THE BEST