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!
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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.
- 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
- 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?
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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
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Comments & Reviews
Michelle Diaz says
I made this because I did not want to go to the store for more powdered sugar for decorating cookies! It was fluffy and complemented the cookies very well! I had to make changes because my daughter has a milk protien allergy. I used vegan butter in place of the butter and almond milk in place of the milk it was very good!
Kate says
Thank you! I always appreciate hearing what works (and what doesn’t work) so that other people will know what substitutes they can make. Thanks again! =)
Ckara says
Can I reduce the sugar? I think 295g of sugar is a beat far too sweet.
Kate says
I haven’t tried to reduce the sugar, so I’m not sure. The frosting isn’t super sweet, and so I haven’t needed to reduce it. You can feel free to play with the recipe to suit your tastes, though!
Katherine Ong says
Great recipe! So easy! will use this recipe every time I make icing now. ? Thank you so much!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you liked it and found it easy. Thank you for commenting! =)
Jay81 says
AMAZING! Sooo tasty, easy to work with and nothing like all those horrible heavy buttery frostings. Sooo fluffy! This is going to by my ( and my children’s) number one and only frosting recipe THANK YOU!
Now I am going to explore more of your recipes :) Thank you so much for sharing this one!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you like the frosting! =) Thank you for commenting, and I hope you find more recipes that you enjoy!
Danica says
Does this recipe work well with a hand mixed
Kate says
I have heard from several people who have successfully made this with a hand mixer. I even heard from one person who was able to mix it by hand. Hope that helps!
Shirley says
Hi, wondering if this is any good for piping flowers
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried to pipe flowers with this frosting, but it works well for basic piping.
Madi says
This worked so well and it was so easy i an a 11 yr old and i made this my self
Kate says
Yay!!! I love this! I’m so glad that you loved the frosting and that you found the recipe easy. Thank you so much for commenting! =D
Kerri says
Hi Kate! How much does this make? I need to frost a 3 layer 9″ cake.
Kate says
Hi! This recipe should frost 24 cupcakes or a 2 layer 9-inch round cake. If you’re going to do any piping on top (or like a more generous amount of frosting), you’ll probably want to double the recipe. Hope that helps! =)
Donovan says
Hi Kate! Thanks for Sharing this recipe!! I wanted to know if half & half or heavy cream can be used in place of regular milk? I have these two on hand more than regular milk. Thanks and Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Kate says
Thank you! Happy holidays to you, too! I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard from people who have cream in place of the milk. They said that it worked out well for them. I’ve tried everything from skim to whole milk, and I would guess that half & half would work, too. I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. =)
Janet C. Reese says
I made this frosting for a plain lemon cake. Excellent light frosting
Kate says
Thank you! Lemon cake would be excellent with this frosting. =) Thank you for coming back to comment!
Rachel Teicher says
Just want to make sure I’m reading this correctly !… salted butter ?!
Thanks :)
Kate says
You are! =) I’ve tried salted butter, unsalted butter, and unsalted + salt. My preference is for salted butter + a pinch of salt. Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Pennie Jevnikar says
Have you ever frozen a cake after icing it with this recipe?
Kate says
I haven’t. The next time that I make a batch, I’m going to freeze some, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Kyoko says
Thank you thank you thank you! This recipe saved my gritty frosting. Not just that, this tastes amazing! I am so happy that I found your recipe!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad you found it and that you liked it! =) Thank you for commenting.
Novicebaker says
Thank you for the alternate buttercream recipe. I dislike the overly sweet ones, so I am really interested in trying this one. I have a quick question about using strawberries in this recipe…should I add half milk, and half strawberry puree with the flour to thicken up the liquids?
Kate says
I’m not sure how the strawberry puree will work. I’ve heard from people who have added in jam for flavor. I’m just not sure how the puree will work, and I don’t want to steer you wrong. If you do try it, please let me know how it comes out!
Lora says
I’m wondering if you tried it? I also would like to see if strawberries will work. I was thinking of doing a purée and then reducing it for a thicker liquid. Thank you!
Linda Gray says
I tried this for the first time this morning everyone agrees to lovely and non gritty. I almost feel like I’m a kid nicking the cake mixture from my mums bowl (50+ years ago)
How long does it last and can you use it straight from the refrigerator? Or will it need whipping again as planning to use next week!
Thank you
Kind regards
Linda
Kate says
I’m so glad that you like it! =) It will last for about 3-4 days in the fridge. It firms up once it has been chilled. So, it’s best to set it out and let the temperature come up on it before using. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Karen Kiehn says
I have tried a dozen + buttercream recipes on Pinterest, this by far is my favorite. I have to say I was a bit thrown off with the flour/milk mixture but I gave it a whirl and I am SO GLAD I did. If you are looking for super sweet, this is NOT the recipe for you. The balance was perfect- light & airy and not too sweet- absolutely delicious. Great feedback from party goers and Birthday Gal. Thank You!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m glad that you liked it and that it was a hit! It’s definitely a different way to make frosting, and I’m glad that people are willing to try it out. =) Thanks for coming back to comment!
Michelle Summers says
How long can I make this ahead of time to store in the refrigerator? Will it lose it’s light and fluffiness if I make it aheqd of time?
Kate says
It will keep for about 2-3 days. By the 4th day, I don’t think it tastes as fresh. It won’t be as fluffy once it has been chilled. It will soften back up after being in the fridge, but it isn’t quite as light and fluffy at that point. Hope that helps!
Sue says
I used cool butter and have beaten the heck out of the butter and sugar. It was getting pretty warm so I had to put it back in the fridge. The sugar is still really gritty even while using my Kitchen aid hand mixer at speed 9. What do you think is going on???
Kate says
Have you added the milk/flour mixture? If not, that will usually take care of any remaining grittiness. It can be a hard balance! The butter needs to be cool enough that it won’t get too soft while you beat it, but the cooler it is, the harder it can be to incorporate the sugar. I hope that adding in the milk mixture helps. If not, please let me know, and I’ll help you troubleshoot.
Sue says
Kate, once I added the milk paste it came out smooth and luxurious. Love love love this buttercream!!! Thank you for the quick response and lovely recipe.
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that that took care of the issues and that you liked the frosting! Thanks for coming back! I always wonder what has happened, and it’s nice to hear how things worked out. =)
Catherine says
This is AMAZING! I was hesitant to try it, because of the heating aspect, it I’m glad I did. It was a hit at my party and those who don’t like icing, ate all the icing! Ha e you tried adding flavoring to it? I want to try a strawberry champagne but unsure what ratios to use.
Kate says
I’m so glad! I’ve made chocolate, OREO, cinnamon, and vanilla bean versions of this frosting, but I haven’t tried using champagne in it. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Nalani says
I have long poo-poo’d butter cream frosting. You have completely changed my mind. I think what I haven’t liked about the butter creams I’ve tried is the powdered sugar. They always have a tinny, chemically taste to me. I needed something that could be at a cool room temperature for a while, so my go-to frostings, cream cheese & whipped cream, weren’t going to work!
I also used cornstarch in place of flour. I placed the cornstarch in sauce pan (not over heat) and slowly poured milk, while whisking, to avoid lumps. I forgot to put vanilla in it while it was still warm, so I put it in the creamed butter & sugar.
Thank you so much for this great recipe. I have some leftover, have you ever frozen it?
Kate says
Thank you! And thanks for your notes about the use of cornstarch! I also have a cream cheese frosting that uses granulated sugar if you’re interested. =)