Almond Buttercream Frosting

Name: Almond Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 ½ sticks (170 grams) of unsalted butter, room temperature; 5 cups (575 grams) of powdered sugar; 1/3 cup (80 grams) heavy cream; 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract; 2 tsp almond extract; Pinch of salt; Optional: A few drops of lemon or lime juice (or white vinegar) to cut sweetness; add to your preference

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This recipe for almond buttercream frosting uses a hint of vanilla while still letting the flavor of almond shine through. It's really versatile and is perfect for decorating holiday cookies (see these Christmas wreath sugar cookies!), swirling onto chocolate fudge cupcakes, or using with a variety of other cake flavors and desserts.

Vanilla cupcake topped with almond frosting.

This frosting is a great recipe that I've been able to adapt to many other flavors and options.

It's a tried and true American buttercream that I've used as a stepping stone to create my small batch chocolate frosting, basil buttercream, mango buttercream, blueberry cream cheese frosting, and the majority of frosting recipes on my site.

Because it's a great foundation, feel free to tweak and change this recipe over time to your own liking and needs, too!

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📋 Ingredient List
💭 Pro Tip
Why You'll Love this Creamy Frosting Recipe
Best Results: Baking in Grams
📖 Steps for Making Vanilla Almond Buttercream
💡 The Secret to Super Smooth Frosting
Recipe Tips
Flavor Pairings and Uses
Almond Buttercream FAQ and Troubleshooting
More Recipes You'll Love
Almond Buttercream Frosting

📋 Ingredient List

Ingredients for almond buttercream frosting.

The recipe card below includes all the ingredients you'll need, as well as the quick steps for whipping up this delicious frosting recipe. It's an easy American buttercream frosting with a delicious flavor.

Unsalted butter, room temperature - Room temperature butter mixes more easily in your bowl, ensuring a smooth consistency. Also, using unsalted butter gives you more control of the overall saltiness of the frosting.
Powdered sugar - While this ingredient of course adds sweetness, it also contributes to its light and fluffy texture.
Pure almond extract -Almond extract gives a unique and pleasant nutty flavor.
Pure vanilla extract - The aroma of vanilla extract contributes to the overall warmth in taste and appeal of the frosting.
Regular milk, heavy cream, almond milk, or heavy whipping cream - Any one of these ingredients add moisture, contributing to a smooth, spreadable texture of the frosting.
Kosher salt (use half as much for table salt) - Salt enhances the overall flavor profile. This ingredient balances the sweetness.

Vanilla cupcake with a bite missing from it

💭 Pro Tip

Set out your ingredients before diving into the recipe!

Organizing ingredients and setting them all out on the counter before beginning a recipe is a great start and huge help.

This step makes it harder for you to accidentally omit part of the process or a key ingredient. And you won't have to make as many trips back and forth to your pantry!

Why You'll Love this Creamy Frosting Recipe

Simple to make - Whether this is your first time making frosting or you're a pro, this tried and true recipe has a short list of simple ingredients that combine quickly and easily.
Perfect for decorating - This white frosting is great for dying with gel food coloring (AmeriColor, Wilton, and Chefmaster are great brands). Place dyed frosting in a piping bag with your favorite decorating tip. I use a version of it on my Easter bunny cookies as well as tree cookies at Christmastime. It is also creamy, smooth, and holds its shape well when piped.
A traditional frosting for a special occasion - Almond-flavored frosting has been a favorite go-to recipe and classic choice for special occasions.
Versatile frosting - Together, vanilla and pure almond extract create a buttercream that pairs well with so many other flavors and different cakes. It is great for decorating all kinds of layer cakes - from a classic white cake to a birthday cake or even wedding cake.

I made my own wedding cake and used a bit of almond extract in the frosting! Photo above by Whole Heart Studios.

Best Results: Baking in Grams

If you’re not already, use a kitchen scale for accuracy in baking.

While I include cups and grams in my recipe cards, weighing your ingredients and writing or following a recipe using a standard metric like grams ensures consistency.

I highly recommend investing $30 or less in a kitchen scale.

📖 Steps for Making Vanilla Almond Buttercream

As you make your frosting, you will initially stop and start your electric mixer in quick bursts on a low speed to prevent dry ingredients from flying everywhere.

Alternatively, you could cover your mixer with a towel or plastic wrap to prevent splatter. Both options save a lot of time during cleanup!

Mixing bowl of butter and powdered sugar to make almond frosting.

Step 1: With a hand mixer and large bowl or paddle attachment and stand mixer, beat room temperature butter with vanilla and almond extracts, powdered sugar, kosher salt, and heavy cream.

Step 2: Once incorporated, bump mixer to medium-high speed for 5 minutes. This longer mixing time produces a super silky texture.

💡 The Secret to Super Smooth Frosting

Once your stand mixer has fully combined all the ingredients, use a flexible rubber spatula to swipe the frosting around in your bowl

Push frosting with the spatula from the middle to the sides of the bowl, watching as the tears and bubbles in your buttercream disappear.

This creates the perfect consistency of your frosting, making it nice and fluffy as air bubbles pop in the buttercream.

Up-close image of a white rubber spatula used for scraping a mixing bowl of frosting.

Recipe Tips

Buttercream too sweet? Add a few dashes of lemon juice, lime juice, or distilled white vinegar. It cuts the sweetness, so taste test until it’s your desired flavor.
Prefer a tangier frosting? You can also add some cream cheese to this recipe if you prefer a bit of tanginess in your frosting. It will also help offset sweetness if you prefer a less sugary tasting buttercream.
If you need to thin out this frosting, add a few splashes of milk. If you need to make a thicker frosting, add about ¼ cup of powdered sugar at a time. Mix until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

Flavor Pairings and Uses

This classic frosting has so many great uses.

For fruity flavors - This recipe is part of my raspberry almond cupcakes, but it would also be great on top of these blueberry filled cupcakes or strawberry filled vanilla cupcakes.
For a striking color contrast - Frost black velvet cupcakes with this frosting. The pairing of chocolate and almond is a tasty and fun one. Plus, this would be extra fun around Halloween!
For an all-white look - Top this small batch of vanilla cupcakes with this almond frosting.

Almond Buttercream FAQ and Troubleshooting

Where do I find almond flavoring or extract?

The baking aisle of most grocery stores will have this ingredient.

Can you freeze buttercream?

Buttercream freezes very well.

Store this frosting an airtight container in your freezer for up to three months. Before using it, remove it from the freezer at least 12 hours in advance. For best results, rewhip it by hand or by adding it back to your mixing bowl to help achieve the right consistency. This makes it easier to spread.

How can I use this recipe?

This homemade almond buttercream frosting has many uses. It would be great paired with another almond-based dessert, like almond cupcakes or cookies. It tastes great with chocolate cake and other deeper, more intense flavors, too.

Due to its versatility, this thick frosting is great for decorating cakes or stacking between layers.

Because it is white, it is perfect for dying with food gel to color cakes, cupcakes, frosting between cookie sandwiches, and more.

I'm a big fan of using it in my bunny sugar cookies in the spring and pumpkin cookies at Halloween, to name a few of the many options here.

Vanilla cupcake topped with white frosting and confetti sprinkles.

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