Peanut Butter Frosting

Name: Peanut Butter Frosting
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons butter (at cool room temperature); 1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter (at room temperature); 2 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar; 2-4 tablespoons milk or heavy whipping cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Easy peanut butter frosting recipe that makes rich and creamy buttercream frosting. This fluffy peanut butter frosting is made with just 5 simple ingredients and takes just 5 minutes to make!

Peanut butter frosting on rows of chocolate cupcakes.

Peanut butter is great on sandwiches and in peanut butter cookies, and it’s also fantastic in frosting!

This peanut butter frosting is about as easy as it gets. It’s a simple buttercream frosting that is sweet and has a nice creamy peanut butter flavor.

This fluffy frosting is perfect for peanut butter lovers and pairs well with chocolate cupcakes, fudge brownies, chocolate sheet cake, and chocolate cookies.

Ingredients for peanut butter frosting in dishes.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Butter: I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the frosting.
Peanut butter: Use a regular peanut butter, like Skippy or Jif, that you like the flavor of. If you use peanut butter that doesn’t have much flavor, like many store brands, then the frosting won’t have has much wonderful peanut butter flavor.
Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is also known as confectioners’ sugar. If your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it before using.
Milk or cream: Using heavy cream will give you lighter, fluffier frosting.

How to make peanut butter frosting

This is a really easy frosting recipe! Here you’ll find the step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe with ingredients is given below.

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.

Peanut butter and butter beaten together in a silver mixing bowl.

Step 2: Add the peanut butter and beat until well-combined.

Peanut butter frosting in a silver mixing bowl.

Step 3: Add in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, and beat until combined. It’s that simple!

A spoon scooping up peanut butter frosting in a white dish.

Recipe Tips!

Cool room temperature butter: It’s important that your butter be at cool room temperature (about 68F). The butter should dent when pressed, but the stick shouldn’t lose shape or be melty. If the butter is too warm, you could end up with runny frosting.
Pan sizes: The recipe as-written will frost an 8 or 9-inch one layer round cakes (or 8×8 or 9×9-inch if using a square baking pan) or 12 cupcakes.

Peanut butter frosted chocolate cupcakes next to a dish of peanut butter.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use natural peanut butter?

I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter in this recipe. The oil in regular peanut butter helps the frosting to whip up nicely.
If you would like more of the natural peanut butter flavor, you can add a couple of pinches of sea salt to the frosting.

Does this frosting crust?

Yes, this frosting crusts.

A chocolate cupcake topped with peanut butter frosting with a big bite missing.

Storage

Any leftover peanut butter frosting should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The frosting will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.

More frosting recipes!

If you’ve tried this peanut butter frosting recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!

You can subscribe to receive my latest recipe newsletters or follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for even more delicious food.

5 from 10 votes