• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
I Heart Eating
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
      • Work with Me
    • Rules and Disclosures
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Press
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Cakes » Whipped Buttercream Frosting without Powdered Sugar

    Whipped Buttercream Frosting without Powdered Sugar

    Published: Jul 25, 2016 · Modified: Feb 10, 2022 by Kate · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Whipped Buttercream Frosting is the best frosting ever! This flour frosting (ermine frosting) is made without powdered sugar. It has the rich creaminess of a buttercream & the light, airy texture of a whipped cream frosting without being too sweet!

    Whipped Buttercream Frosting on a chocolate cupcake.

    This Whipped Buttercream Frosting recipe pretty much blew my mind. I'm not a big frosting person; most buttercream frostings are just ok, and I can take them or leave them.

    Well, this buttercream frosting is amazing, and it uses (are you ready for this?) granulated sugar!

    Yep! Regular, old granulated sugar. So, if you've ever wondered how to make frosting without powdered sugar, this is it!

    Don't worry - it's not gritty at all. In fact, this ermine frosting has the texture of a light whipped cream with the flavor of a sweet, vanilla buttercream.

    It's honestly the best frosting (buttercream or otherwise) that I've ever had. It's sweet but isn't overwhelmingly, make-your-teeth-ache sweet.

    I've put answers to a lot of the questions I've received in the recipe notes. Please take a second to read through those notes before making the frosting.

    How to make frosting without powdered sugar

    Cooked milk and flour mixture in a small saucepan.

    Step 1 Whisk the milk and flour together in a small heavy saucepan before beginning to heat.

    Step 2 Once combined, heat the mixture over medium-low heat until it has thickened. At this point, it should be the consistency of a thick paste.

    Step 3 Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.

    Step 4 Let the mixture cool to room temperature before continuing. This step is key. If the mixture is warm, it will cause the butter to warm up, and you'll end up with a thin, runny frosting.

    Creamed butter and sugar in a silver mixing bowl.

    Step 5 In a separate large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together on medium-high to high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides to avoid gritty frosting.

    Whipped buttercream frosting in a silver mixing bowl.

    Step 6 Add the completely cooled milk/flour mixture to the beaten butter/sugar mixture, and beat on medium-high to high for 5 minutes. It may look separated at first, but keep whipping the frosting until it is light and fluffy.

    Whipped Buttercream Frosting on a wire stand mixer beater.

    FAQs

    This recipe has been posted for nearly 10 years. During that time, I've made and re-made this frosting countless times to be able to answer the thousands of questions that I've received. Here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions.

    How much frosting will this recipe make?

    The recipe will make enough to frost a 2 layer 9-inch round cake or 24 cupcakes.

    Do I need to chill the frosting?

    I recommend chilling any unused or leftover frosting because of the high dairy content.

    What can I use instead of powdered sugar to make frosting?

    This recipe uses granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar to make frosting.

    Can I make this with nondairy milk?

    I've used almond milk to make this frosting, and it worked well.

    What type of milk should I use to make this frosting?

    I've tried this recipe with skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk, and nondairy milk. I've successfully made the frosting with all of those types of milk. However, using whole milk will give you a richer, creamier frosting than using skim milk.

    Do I have to use salted butter?

    I've tried the recipe with both salted butter and with unsalted butter + salt. I prefer the version with the salted butter because the unsalted butter + salt version tastes flatter.

    Can I use clear vanilla?

    You can. Clear vanilla doesn't have as much flavor as pure vanilla extract, so you may find that you need to use more clear vanilla for the frosting to have as much flavor.

    Can I use another type of flavoring?

    You can! Feel free to substitute another type of flavoring or extract for the vanilla.

    Can I use food coloring?

    You can! I've used both gel and regular food dye. Both have worked well. If you're going to use a large quantity of food coloring, I would recommend a gel to avoid making the frosting runny.

    Can I double the recipe?

    I've doubled this recipe. It filled my 5 quart stand mixer, so be sure to use a larger mixing bowl.

    What type of white sugar works best?

    I use regular granulated sugar. Using a larger grain (natural) sugar can give you gritty frosting. If you're worried about the frosting ending up gritty, you can give the sugar a couple of zips in a blender or food processor to break it down.

    Can I use vanilla bean paste?

    Yes, you can use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste in place of the vanilla extract to make vanilla bean buttercream.

    Can I freeze the frosting?

    I've frozen cupcakes that were frosted with this frosting. They froze and thawed beautifully.

    White cupcake with white ermine frosting on it.

    What flavors of cake go well with this frosting?

    This frosting has a light, sweet vanilla flavor that works well with a number of cake flavors. Here are a few ideas!

    • Red velvet - This type of frosting with the classic frosting for red velvet cake.
    • Chocolate cake
    • Carrot cake - Cream cheese frosting is the classic carrot cake frosting, but you could get adventurous and try out vanilla for a change.
    • Zucchini cake
    • Spice cake
    • White cake
    Chocolate whipped buttercream frosting on a yellow cupcake.

    Can I make this frosting in other flavors?

    You can! Here are some of the different flavors of this frosting that I've made.

    • Chocolate frosting
    • Oreo frosting
    • Brown sugar frosting
    • Peppermint frosting
    • Cinnamon frosting
    • Cream Cheese Frosting
    White cupcake topped with frosting made without powdered sugar.

    Troubleshooting tips

    • First, not cooking the milk mixture long enough. The mixture should be a thick paste. If it’s too wet, the frosting will be too loose.
    • Second, the cooked milk mixture needs to cool completely. If it’s too warm, it will melt the butter, and you’ll end up with loose frosting that doesn’t come together.
    • Third, using butter that’s too warm. The butter should be at cool room temperature. It should dent if pushed, but it shouldn’t be too warm and certainly not beginning to melt.
    • Fourth, using other types of sugars. This frosting needs to be made with granulated sugar, not powdered sugar.
    • Fifth, not whipped the frosting long enough. The frosting needs to be whipped to get the right light and airy texture. Cutting the time short could leave you with a grainy frosting or a frosting that separates.
    • If your frosting is still a little gritty after beating it for 5 minutes, go ahead and add the cooled milk/flour mixture. That will usually smooth out any remaining sugar.
    • A couple people have reported that a film has formed on their milk/flour mixture. I haven't had this happen, but another person said that she's had good luck with blending the milk/flour mixture with a blender before cooking it. She said that it removed any lumps and helped prevent a skin from forming.

    If you’ve tried this whipped buttercream 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.

    Whipped Buttercream Frosting

    Whipped Buttercream Frosting

    Light and fluffy buttercream frosting made without powdered sugar.
    4.95 from 376 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 24 servings
    Calories: 169kcal
    Author: Kate @ I Heart Eating

    Ingredients

    • 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cups milk
    • 1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups salted butter at cool room temperature1
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
    • Pinch of salt
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk together over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It will be the consistency of a thick paste2. Make sure that you whisk the flour and milk together well before you begin cooking it to avoid lumps. 
    • Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. This step is key. If your mixture is warm, it will melt your butter, and you'll end up with runny frosting. 
    • Stir in vanilla.
    • While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy on medium high-high3, about 5 minutes4. Make sure that you scrape down the sides and really incorporate the butter and sugar to avoid gritty frosting.
    • Then add the completely cooled milk mixture.
    • Beat it for about 5 more minutes on medium-high to high until it looks like whipped cream. It may look separated at first, so keep beating it until it comes together and looks like a whipped cream.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Make sure that your butter isn't too warm! The butter should be at cool room temperature. You want it to dent if you press it, but you don't want it to be so warm that it's near melting.
    2. When cooking the milk/flour mixture, you don't want it to look wet. It should be like a thick paste. If it's wet and runny, your frosting will be too loose.
    3. If you're using a hand mixer, beat it on high. This recipe work well with a stand mixer because it has the power to really whip the frosting.
    4. Please don't cut the mixing time short! I know it's tempting, but it's important to beat the butter and sugar together for the time the recipe calls for to keep it from being gritty. If you cut the mixing times short, you won't end up with the right texture of frosting.
    5. To get the best flavor, you'll want to use real butter and pure vanilla extract.
    6. Want to try a buttercream made with powdered sugar instead? Here is my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting that's made with powdered sugar. 
    7. I recommend chilling any leftover frosted cake or cupcakes. 
    8. Nutrition values are estimates. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 25mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe? Rate it below. Mention @i_heart_eating on Instagram & tag #ihearteating!

    More frosting recipes that are made without powdered sugar!

    • Chocolate Whipped Buttercream Frosting
    • Whipped Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
    • Oreo Frosting
    • Cream Cheese Frosting without Powdered Sugar

    This recipe was originally published on 12/22/12. It was updated with new pictures on 7/25/16. Updated again on 2/10/22 with additional information and tips.

     

    « Peach Cobbler Loaf Cake
    Bakery Style M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies »
    41.1K shares
    • Facebook
    • Email

    About Kate

    Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lynn

      May 17, 2022 at 10:21 pm

      Is this frosting stiff enough to make flowers to decorate a cake? Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Kate

        May 18, 2022 at 9:42 am

        Hi! I've used it to pipe rosettes, but I haven't used it for more intricate piping.

        Reply
        • Lynn

          May 18, 2022 at 9:53 am

          Thank you! I’m making it right now for my daughters birthday cake. I am creaming the butter and sugar and I just can’t get rid of all the grittiness! Will that go away when I add the flour mixture do you think?? I’m panicking!!

          Reply
          • Kate

            May 18, 2022 at 9:59 am

            Hi! Yes, I have a section that addresses this in the post. If you've used granulated sugar and beaten it for 5 minutes with a stand mixer or 10 minutes with a hand mixer, then go ahead and add the milk/flour mixture. That should smooth out any remaining grittiness. Hope that helps!

    2. Marilyn

      May 13, 2022 at 2:39 pm

      This was the best frosting I have ever made. ❤ thanks

      Reply
      • Kate

        May 13, 2022 at 4:02 pm

        Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

        Reply
    3. Marina

      May 12, 2022 at 1:10 am

      5 stars
      Hello, I'm wondering if this frosting would work adding fruit puree, like strawberry. Do you think it would be too runny adding puree?

      Reply
      • Kate

        May 12, 2022 at 8:32 am

        Hi! I haven't tried using fruit puree, but I would think it would leave you with runny frosting. If you want to make a fruit-flavored version, I know people have added freeze-dried fruit, jam, and different fruit-flavored extracts.

        Reply
    4. Patty Shoua

      April 23, 2022 at 3:25 pm

      I have been baking ever since I can remember and like to do everything from scratch, including frosting. I make a lot of cakes and this is by far the best frosting ever. Everyone loves.
      Thank you so much for putting all your recipes out there for the rest of us to use.

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 23, 2022 at 6:12 pm

        Thank you so much! That's such a nice compliment!

        Reply
    5. Patricia Geisenburg

      April 19, 2022 at 12:16 pm

      I made this frosting for a strawberry cake because it was not so sweet and it was amazing. Is there a chocolate version of this frosting?

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 19, 2022 at 1:24 pm

        Thank you! Yes, I have a few other versions. I have a chocolate frosting, cinnamon frosting, brown sugar frosting, and Oreo frosting.

        Reply
    6. Rose

      April 18, 2022 at 9:57 am

      Can you use brown sugar with this recipe?

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 18, 2022 at 11:33 am

        Hi! You here you'll find the brown sugar version.

        Reply
    7. Jojo

      April 15, 2022 at 11:42 am

      5 stars
      All I can say is WOW!!!
      Went looking for a frosting recipe with no powdered sugar because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to go to the store.
      This is by far the best icing I've ever had. Went perfectly on the homemade cinnamon rolls but I can easily see me using it for many other recipes from here on out. This is my new favorite frosting!

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 18, 2022 at 11:34 am

        Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!

        Reply
    8. El

      April 10, 2022 at 12:46 am

      5 stars
      okay, so I NEVER leave replies for online recipes I've tried. Partly, because they always FAIL. lol. (I am a horrible cook so that might be the problem!) But this recipe is SO amazing. Honestly, I can't believe that the ingredients listed resulted in this fluffy, buttery, whipped cream-like icing. Like others have said - follow the instructions carefully and the results will astound you. Thank you so much for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 12, 2022 at 12:32 pm

        Yay!! I'm so glad that it worked out well for you!

        Reply
    9. Laurel A Polinske

      April 05, 2022 at 6:45 am

      How many cupcakes can I frost with this recipe?

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 07, 2022 at 9:36 pm

        The recipe will frost 24 cupcakes.

        Reply
    10. Loralai

      April 03, 2022 at 8:08 am

      I was really scared to try this recipe but I was out of powdered sugar and didn’t have time to go to the store. I was patient with the recipe and followed it exactly as it was written and it came out amazing!!! Everyone said it was the best frosting they’d had. Great recipe!

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 04, 2022 at 10:39 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
      • Jacqueline

        April 19, 2022 at 10:59 pm

        Hi there, I just attempted to make this recipe. My good mixer stoped working so I had to use a not good one.
        I had a question so after mixing the sugar and butter I had to mix it for more then the 5 min because my mixer isn't the best. Does the sugar need to melt away? I mixed it for a good 15 min. To get to where I got it fluffy but still feels little gritty is that ok?

        Reply
        • Kate

          April 20, 2022 at 9:47 am

          Hi! If it stills feels a little gritty at that point, go ahead and add the milk mixture. That should smooth out any remaining grittiness.

          Reply
    11. Amber

      March 23, 2022 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      Follow the directions and the frosting will turn out just right!

      Reply
      • Kate

        March 23, 2022 at 9:55 pm

        I'm glad that it turned out well for you!!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this recipe:




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    I’m Kate Dean- mom to five young kids, recipe developer, and photographer. Here at I Heart Eating®, I share my family’s favorite tried-and-true recipes.

    More about me →

    Summer Favorites

    • Zucchini Bread
    • Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
    • Pasta Salad Recipe
    • Homemade Funnel Cake
    • Golden Graham S'mores
    • Broccoli Salad

    Popular Posts

    • Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
    • Brownie Cookie Recipe
    • Whipped Buttercream Frosting without Powdered Sugar
    • Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins

    Subscribe via email

    to stay in the loop on new posts!

    Footer

    As Featured In

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Legal
    • Rules and Disclosures

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Press

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 I Heart Eating

    41.1K shares