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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
The recipe will make enough to frost a 2 layer 9-inch round cake or 24 cupcakes.
I recommend chilling any unused or leftover frosting because of the high dairy content.
This recipe uses granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar to make frosting.
I’ve used almond milk to make this frosting, and it worked well.
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.
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.
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.
You can! Feel free to substitute another type of flavoring or extract for the vanilla.
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.
I’ve doubled this recipe. It filled my 5 quart stand mixer, so be sure to use a larger mixing bowl.
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.
Yes, you can use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste in place of the vanilla extract to make vanilla bean buttercream.
I’ve frozen cupcakes that were frosted with this frosting. They froze and thawed beautifully.
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
Can I make this frosting in other flavors?
You can! Here are some of the different flavors of this frosting that I’ve made.
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
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
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.7 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups milk
- 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.1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 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.1 ½ cups salted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, Pinch of salt
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- To get the best flavor, you’ll want to use real butter and pure vanilla extract.
- Want to try a buttercream made with powdered sugar instead? Here is my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting that’s made with powdered sugar.
- I recommend chilling any leftover frosted cake or cupcakes.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @i_heart_eating and follow on Youtube @katedean and Pinterest @katedean for more!
More frosting recipes that are made 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.
Reader Interactions
Love this recipe?
Share your thoughts below and let’s chat! Make sure to connect with me on your favorite social platform below and show me what you made!
Comments & Reviews
Eh33 says
Definitely my go-to for icing! This last time I made it for a chocolate cake and found that I didn’t have any regular milk, so I used a whole chocolate milk instead and added 1tbs of instant coffee to it while it cooked. Came out perfect; with a beautiful mocha taste and color, and perfect creaminess. No lumps, grittiness, or separation; so it’s obviously a very versatile and reliable recipe to have on hand. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you like it. What a great idea! I’ve never used chocolate milk in this recipe, but that’s a smart way to get chocolate frosting. Thanks for coming back to comment! =)
Priscila says
Hello Kate. Do you ice your cakes with this ermine frosting? I want to frost one cake for my daughter’s birthday and I need to do the watercolor effect.
Kate says
Hi! I do ice my cakes. I’ve never tried a watercolor effect with it, but I’ve used this frosting on many cakes.
Annette says
Can I use in salty Butter instead of Salty? Will this make a difference?
Kate says
You can use unsalted butter. I prefer salted in this recipe because the frosting tastes a little flat without the bit of salt in it. You could also add a bit of salt to taste. Hope that helps!
Monique says
Wow….was extremely sceptic, but I was proved wrong!! Such great texture! I whipped mine for about 12minutes to get it smooth and I’ve added instant coffee powder to the warm milk…less sweet and great coffee aroma! This recipe is a keeper!
Kate says
Thank you! I get it! I was skeptical the first time, too. =) I’m glad that you liked the frosting, and thank you for coming back to comment!
Lunedt says
I’m so ready to give this recipe a try. I’m looking for a fluffy, not too sweet flower piping frosting, and this looks like it. Im decorating a smash cake, and I think a creamy consistency is best, not crusty! Any other suggestion?
Kate says
That sounds like this frosting! Are you looking for other recipe suggestions?
Nina Vue says
I love this recipe!
I still found it to be way to sweet for me. So I cut the amount of sugar in half, and found it to be perfect. Still sweet, but not overwhelming.
I also grinded the sugar the 2nd time before adding it to the butter, and there was no grittiness!
I also used it to pipe flowers, not the best for delicate work. But I’m sure once I get used to the consistency, it won’t be an issue.
Kate says
I’m glad that you were able to make it work for your tastes! =) Thank you for your notes about your changes. That’s always helpful for others who are thinking of making similar changes.
Mary Cameron says
Can this frosting be made into a strawberry whipped buttercream?
Kate says
I think so! Are you thinking of using strawberry flavor or strawberries?
Julie says
So, I was in a hurry reading ingredients and didn’t read about cooking down the flour and just added it in after creaming the butter. No stove at all, just creamed butter and then added wet then dry ingredients. It worked anyway! Maybe because I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk? Anyway it turned out great with no grit if you happen to mess up like I did—don’t worry! Worked great with americolor gel coloring and lorann flavoring too.
Kate says
Great! Thank you for commenting and for your notes.
beth says
I have made this frosting for over 45 years….. but I use superfine sugar … cuts the mixing time in half
Kate says
Great tip! Thank you so much for sharing it! =)
Darla says
Hi, Can you make flowers and pumpkin’s and other decorative thing with this icing? Will it hold the shape? Thank you.
Kate says
Hi! I’m not sure whether it will work for pumpkins, but you should be able to pipe flowers with this frosting. Hope that helps!
Thanks, Cindy says
Hi, Can I use gluten-free flour in this recipe?
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but as long as it will thicken the milk, then it should be ok. Good luck! =)
Cindy says
Hi I thought I would pop back to comment for the people wondering if it freezes well. I made a batch today & piped some decorations. They froze really well and I was able to peel them off greaseproof paper and place on the cake. They kept shape after defrosting and tasted great.
Kate says
Thank you so much!! I’ve gotten several questions about whether or not it freezes well, and I really appreciate you coming back to share this info. =)
Ruth says
Will this icing crust so I can use the viva paper towel technique to get a real smooth finish?
Kate says
No, unfortunately, this frosting doesn’t crust.
Made the flour paste mixture a day before and placed it in the fridge ! I made the icing today! The mixture took at least 15 minutes to lose the gritty taste! I am frosting cupcakes later! Thank you says
Good icing but a long time to mix with my stand mixer ! Wil Frost cupcakes later today!
Kate says
I’m glad to hear that it came out well for you! Just curious – how long did it take? Thanks for coming back to comment!
Amy says
I used this recipe for my son’s birthday cake when I didn’t realize I was out of powdered sugar until AFTER I had already gone to two stores that day. This was amazing! I’m making another cake today and I’m going to use this recipe again! So silky smooth and a great flavor. I let it all whip for a good long time and had no problems getting to come together.
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that you found the recipe and that it worked for you! And happy birthday to your son! =) Thank you for coming back to comment.
Melissa says
Hi. So my mom keeps asking for a whipped frosting that’s not overly sweet but I prefer the buttercream flavour so I was very excited to find this recipe.
I followed the recipe without any trouble but I did find the flour taste slightly noticeable. So on the next try I reduced the flour by using a roux method. By slightly cooking the flour (about 3 tbsp) in 1-2 tbsp of butter first then slowly pouring the milk into the saucepan while whisking vigorously I got the same consistency in less time. I kept all other ingredients in the same amounts but I suppose you could reduce the butter to compensate.
It’s my mom’s new fave. Thank you!
Kate says
You’re welcome! I’m glad that you were able to find a way to make it work for you! Thanks you for coming back to comment. =)
Cindy says
Came acrossin this while trying to find an icing recipe without icing sugar & so glad I gave it a try (only reason I did is because my 4 yr old was desperate to decorate cakes). I’m never using icing sugar again! So.nice not to have a sickly sweet frosting
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you found it and liked it! =) Thank you for coming back to comment!
Hafsa says
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe for my son’s 1st birthday this weekend. I was wondering if you had a cream cheese version for this? Thanks so much in advance!
Hafsa says
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe for my son’s 1st birthday cake this weekend! I was wondering if you by chance had a cream cheese version for it?
Kate says
Happy birthday to your son! =) I do! Here is the link to that version.
Rachel says
OMG this icing is amazing! It is so lovely and smooth and perfect! I have to say I wasn’t convinced at first when I was making the milk and flour paste but just trust me it’s amazing! I used this because I’d run out of icing sugar but I think this will be my go to recipe now! So much nicer than sickly sweet icing made with tons of icing sugar!
I added coffee to make a perfect creamy coffee icing for my cupcakes. Thank you!
Kate says
Yay!! It’s such a different way of making frosting, but I’m so glad that you liked it! Thank you for coming back to comment. =)
Jordan says
WOW! This is a revolutionary frosting for me! I have always thought that powdered sugar frostings were my only option, but I always find them too sweet and they only taste like powdered sugar. This frosting is tasty, creamy, thick, whipped, everything you want in a frosting! I made it to top some homemade cinnamon rolls, so I halved the recipe. Perfect amount for slightly overly frosted cinnamon rolls (; I didn’t have any issues with the recipe at all. I did use a hand mixer so to get the sugar and butter creamy rather than grainy, it took about twenty minutes on high with breaks every few minutes to scrape down the sides. Delicious! I will NEVER use powdered sugar frosting recipes ever again. Thank you!
Kate says
I’m so glad!! I’ve made this frosting so many times, but I’ve never thought to use it on cinnamon rolls! Thank you for your note about the timing using a hand mixer. I know that it takes longer, but it’s really helpful to hear from people who have successfully used one so that other people can get an idea about the time it takes. Thank you for coming back to comment! =)