This rich and creamy chocolate peanut butter frosting tastes like a peanut butter cup in frosting form. It’s made from a few simple ingredients and you’ll find any excuse to whip up a batch. Pair with chocolate cake for the ultimate treat!
Adding to my growing list of frosting recipes!
Just when you thought chocolate buttercream couldn’t get any better! This chocolate peanut butter frosting is a combination of my favorite chocolate buttercream and peanut butter frosting. It’s completely over the top, decadent, and creamy—the perfect cake and cupcake garnish when you’re craving chocolate and peanut butter in one.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- Chocolate & peanut butter
- Tastes like a peanut butter cup
- Made with simple ingredients
- Smooth, creamy & mega rich
- Holds its shape beautifully—perfect for piping
- Quick & very easy to make
One reader, JP, commented: “This frosting is wonderful! It ended my 46-year quest for a great chocolate peanut butter frosting for my husband’s chocolate peanut butter cake for his birthday! Thank you! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Austria, commented: “I absolutely LOVE this frosting! It’s the perfect chocolate to peanut butter ratio, and I could have eaten it out of the bowl with a spoon. Definitely a keeper! ★★★★★”
Overview: Ingredients in Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- Unsalted Butter: Start with room temperature butter here. Remember that room temperature butter is cooler than you think. If the butter is too warm, the frosting will taste (and look) greasy.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Confectioners’ sugar is the bulk of this frosting. It’s the workhorse here, sweetening it and binding the ingredients together.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder adds additional bulk as well as flavor. Since there is no leavening occurring, you can use either natural or dutch-process cocoa powder.
- Heavy Cream or Milk: Liquid thins the frosting out and adds creaminess. You can use heavy cream or milk, dairy or nondairy. If using heavy cream, the frosting will be thicker and creamier.
- Peanut Butter: For the best texture, I strongly recommend a processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy creamy. I do not recommend oily or natural style peanut butter in this frosting because it could separate.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds incredible flavor.
- Salt: A pinch of salt offsets all the sweetness.
I love that it looks like basic chocolate buttercream, so when you first taste it, you’re totally surprised. IN THE BEST WAY!
What Tastes Best with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting?
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes (pictured)
- Yellow Cupcakes & Yellow Cake
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Banana Cupcakes & Banana Layer Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake (pictured)
- Chocolate Cake
- Vanilla Sheet Cake
- Sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies
Browse my cake recipes and cupcake recipes for more flavor inspiration.
Quantity
The frosting recipe below is enough for 12-16 cupcakes, a thin layer on a 9×13 inch quarter sheet cake, or a 2 layer cake. For a 3 layer cake, I recommend 1.5x the recipe to ensure you have enough for each layer.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Using a few basic ingredients, you can make this absolutely delicious and creamy chocolate peanut butter frosting. Tastes unbelievable on most cakes and cupcakes– see above for inspiration!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1/3 (80g) cup creamy peanut butter*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and milk. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until combined. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another 1-2 Tablespoons of cream/milk if frosting is too thick. Taste. Add a spoonful of extra peanut butter or a pinch of salt if desired.
- Frost your cake, cupcake, or confection however you’d like. In the pictured cupcakes, I piped a basic tall swirl using (affiliate link) Ateco 849 piping tip.
- Use immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Peanut Butter: For the best texture, I strongly suggest a processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy creamy. I do not recommend oily or natural style peanut butter for this recipe because it could separate.
- Quantity: This recipe is enough for 12-16 cupcakes, a thin layer on a 9×13 inch quarter sheet cake, or a 2 layer cake. For a 3 layer cake, I recommend 1.5x the recipe to ensure you have enough for each layer.
Reader Comments and Reviews
When you recommend “cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator”, would storing in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap do the trick.
Hi Linda, yes, that will work just fine. Enjoy!
Hands down the perfect chocolate/peanut butter frosting. I took your suggestion and added an extra tablespoon of peanut butter and it was soooooooooo YUMMY!!! I love all your recipes but I think this might be my new favorite.
My husband & son-in-law loved this on my chocolate on cake!
This frosting is wonderful! It ended my 46 year quest for a great chocolate peanut butter frosting for my husband’s chocolate peanut butter cake for his birthday! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
SALLY! This frosting is literally the best ever frosting I’ve ever had! I used it to top a cookie cake and it’s absolutely incredible! I love that it’s not super sweet, but that means I could eat the whole bowl, easily. I LOVE this recipe and will definitely have to make it again! Abigail
Remember your sprinkle sugar cookie cake? I need the same amount of frosting for that but this recipe. How would I make the recipe small enough for that?
Hi Kim, half of this recipe should be plenty for frosting the edges of the sugar cookie cake.
Hi there! Do you think this would work with tahini? I’m looking for a milk chocolate tahini frosting recipe. Thank you!
Hi Samantha, we haven’t tested it so we’re unsure. You may need to tinker with the amount of powdered sugar and other ingredients. It may be best to search for a frosting that is specifically formulated for tahini. Let us know if you give anything a try!
Should I want to leave out the cocoa powder, crazy I know. What adjustments would you make to make this just a peanut butter buttercream recipe?
Hi Liss, here’s our peanut butter frosting recipe. Enjoy!
This is delicious! I tried making a chocolate mousse cake but the mousse part went TERRIBLY WRONG so I was looking for a quick alternative, and I’m so glad I made this. I halved the recipe and it was more than enough for an 8in round cake. Thank you!
Hi Sally, I was wondering what you would think about trying this recipe with Nutella? Is the consistency similar enough to peanut butter in order to work?
That shouldn’t be a problem. I do have a Nutella frosting recipe if you want to try that instead.
Love the recipe but any substitutes for no milk or cream ideas?
Hi Tammy, You can use a non-dairy milk if needed.
Oh my goodness, my family loves this so much! I made your cookies and cream cupcakes and my sister said they were just a vessel for this frosting
Hi Sally!
Can I use this with the three layer Funfetti cake?
Thank you!!
Jessica
Absolutely! For a 3 layer cake, we recommend 1.5x this recipe to ensure you have enough for each layer.
Oh my goodness this frosting is incredible! Two things my boyfriend loves. Chocolate and peanut butter! I made this frosting for a birthday cake I was making for him and he loved it. It’s so smooth and creamy and really easy to make! I will be making it again!
Making cupcakes for my daughter’s wedding. Do the frosted cupcakes need to be refrigerated?
Hi Ann! Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months.
Do you think this would work with vegan butter to make non-dairy?
Hi Stephanie, we haven’t tested this recipe with vegan butter, but let us know if you do!
This is the best and easiest chocolate peanut butter frosting I ave made and it tastes delicious. Will make it again for sure. Thanks for sharing it.
Will this work as a layer filling on a chocolate cake if I do vanilla frosting on the outside of the cake? I want to make a colorful cake but love the taste of this frosting
Definitely!
I searched for a chocolate Peanut Butter frosting recipe then I found this one. Oh my it was delightful, not terribly sweet, and comes out so creamy which makes it so easy to spread!
This is the greatest frosting i have ever tasted, ever, or made
use the heavy cream!
this with the ‘new solved’ pb cupcakes. WOW.
Sally, your recipes are awesome! keep it up 🙂
This frosting is ridiculously silky. I can’t get over how good it tasted on the peanut butter cupcakes! I made the peanut butter cake and frosting for a friend, and loved it so much, that I just made another for myself and my family. Huge hit!! Thanks, Sally!!!
Perfect! Used it on cupcakes and had extra, so I froze little dabs on parchment paper and then placed them in a freezer bag for a quick treat to hit the chocolate/peanut butter cravings!
I used this frosting on some vanilla cupcakes from your cookbook and my family loved it! It was a big hit and my husband is not usually a cupcake eater, but he’s commented several times on how good this frosting is. Thanks!
Amazing! Right texture abs great taste. It’s definitely a make again and again
This was great. Thank you for helping me bake. You are reliable, if I want to bake a good anything I go straight to you to find out how.
Hi sally. What adjustment in the recipe do i have to make should i decide to use melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder? Thanks! Love your blog ever since i started baking❤️
Adding real melted (and cooled!) chocolate to this frosting recipe would require a little extra confectioners’ sugar and/or less cream to ensure the frosting holds its shape. Let us know if you try anything!
I absolutely LOVE this frosting!! It’s the perfect chocolate to peanut butter ratio and I could’ve eaten it out of the bowl with a spoon. Definitely a keeper!!
Is this freeze able?
Yes. See step 3.
Hey! Is this a new recipe or updated? I could have sworn you already had a chocolate PB frosting recipe.
Hi Heather! This is a new post specifically dedicated to our chocolate peanut butter frosting. You’ll find this frosting also included in our peanut butter cupcakes recipe and chocolate chip cookie layer cake recipe. Enjoy!
I just saw this and had to let you know that we love your Creamiest Peanut Butter Frosting on our chocolate cake so I can’t wait to try this. We are huge peanut butter and chocolate fans, so I was already was developing a Chocolate Peanut Butter Gananche recipe. I have just been adding up to 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar and 1 cup of creamy peanut butter and 1 tsp of vanilla to your chocolate ganache recipe but if you have something to post on that I would be interested. Thank for helping make our lives even sweeter.
This looks amazing! Does it double easily or should I make separate batches?
Hi Grace, you can certainly double this recipe! Just make sure your mixer is big enough to handle all of the ingredients 🙂