This homemade Nutella frosting is unbelievably creamy and made from 6 simple ingredients. It holds its shape when piped and tastes fantastic on chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin cake, vanilla cake, and so much more.
Not in the mood for chocolate buttercream, but still crave something totally rich and indulgent? Let me take care of that for you. This Nutella frosting has a lighter chocolate taste from the Nutella, plus irresistible hazelnut and vanilla flavors. It pairs perfectly with chocolate, vanilla, mocha, pumpkin, banana, and basically any other flavor cake flavor.
As far as texture goes, it reminds me of the filling from my dark chocolate mousse cake. Creamy and airy, but decadently rich. One spoonful and you’ll lose all self control. Trust me, I know from experience!
Nutella Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- 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 greasy.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Confectioner’s sugar is the bulk of this frosting, sweetening it and binding the ingredients together.
- Nutella: Chocolate hazelnut spread is the star of the show today. Tip: if you’re not using a fresh jar, the Nutella can get a little thick and clumpy. Make sure you give it a good stir before measuring and using in this recipe.
- Heavy Cream or Milk: Liquid thins out and adds creaminess to the frosting. You can use heavy cream or milk, dairy or nondairy.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds incredible flavor.
- Salt: A pinch of salt offsets all the sweetness.
What Tastes Best with Nutella Frosting?
- Mocha Cupcakes (pictured)
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
- Banana Cupcakes & Banana Cake
- Pumpkin Cake
- Vanilla Cake (make 1.5x frosting)
- Zebra Cake (make 1.5x frosting)
- Valentine’s Day Cupcakes (swirling this Nutella frosting with strawberry buttercream frosting!)
Browse my cake recipes and cupcake recipes for more flavor inspiration. The frosting recipe below is enough for 12-16 cupcakes, a 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.
If you’re into fun frosting flavors, be sure to try my chai spice buttercream frosting next!
Use Leftover Nutella For:
- Nutella Brownies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Truffles
- Nutella Babka
- Lace Cookies
- Nutella Tart
- Nutella Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Nutella Crinkle Cookies
Nutella Frosting
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Description
This homemade Nutella frosting is unbelievably creamy and made from 6 simple ingredients. It holds its shape when piped and tastes fantastic on chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin cake, vanilla cake, and so much more.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup (225g) Nutella
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add confectioners’ sugar, Nutella, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I always add 1/8 teaspoon salt.)
- 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)
- Optional Piping Tips (affiliate links): Two of my favorite piping tips are the Wilton 1M tip and the Wilton #12 round tip. Both are used in the photos above. If piping the frosting, you’ll also need a piping bag (reusable or disposable).
- 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
Delicious frosting! I was worried it wouldn’t be firm enough to pipe but was able to make some rosettes no problem. I would recommend serving the cake/cupcakes with the frosting at room temperature for the creamy texture, felt a bit too much like biting into butter when we refrigerated it (although that is what we’re doing, I’d rather not be reminded LOL).
Thank you very much! I would definitely try to make it. Since i am a rookie, may i ask why we need to add the butter in? Can it be without butter since the Nutella is thick enough?
Hi Ladda, the butter is essential here for both the structure/texture of the frosting and the taste. Together with the confectioners’ sugar, it helps hold everything together. Hope you enjoy this frosting!
Thank you so much!
I love this recipe! I use it as a filling to make sandwich cookies with chocolate sugar cookies. They’re a favorite with everyone I’ve made them for! I use less powdered sugar to tone down the sweetness just a bit (about 400g), increase the Nutella to 300g, and use less cream since I’ve made those changes. It stays a great consistency that way, with more bold flavor and not such an overpowering sweetness. (But it’s also wonderful as is — just depends how sweet you want it!) This is my go to American buttercream!
Can this frosting be used to cover the outside of a 3-layer cake like buttercream? Will it harden if put in the fridge?
Hi Karen! Yes, it can definitely be used to frost a cake. It won’t harden more than your typical frosting would in the fridge.
Thanks Trina!
can I use salted butter? will it make a big difference ? we don’t have options like this where I come from hence the ask?
Hi Ali! Yes, you can use salted butter if necessary – simply leave out the pinch of salt.
Thank you Trina 🙂
Hello!
So. I made this recipe and the flavor was delicious, however the consistency was pretty gritty. And I’ve actually found that a lot of my frosting recipes are gritty. Am I missing a step or trick?
Hi Tiana! We’re so glad you enjoyed this Nutella frosting. The grittiness is most likely coming from your confectioner’s sugar – sifting the sugar should help get rid of the grittiness in the future!
Awesome, thank you for your promptness and advice! I will sift my sugar in the future!
Hi I really liked the recipe is there any way that it would taste the same if I were to use a sugar free substitute for the confectioners sugar because my brother has diabetes but really loves Nutella
Hi Desyre! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Would this recipe be suitable to use as filling for macarons? TIA!
Definitely!
I bake a lot and always make my own buttercream. This recipe was easy and OMG one of the best I’ve ever tasted. TRY IT!
Absolutely delicious! Didn’t need to make any changes and it was the perfect consistency. Thanks for the great recipe.
How can I decrease the amount of sugar to lower the “sweetness factor?“ Should I add another ingredient altogether, or change the amount of one of the existing ingredients? I find most things with Nutella are too sweet… Even though I absolutely love the flavor of it! Thank you
PS – Sally, we’ve become BFF’s – I tell my sister I always ask Sally for a recipe first, before looking at other sites….I’m never disappointed!!
Thx for all the tips too!
Hi JoJo, You can use less sugar but keep in mind the frosting will be thinner. Also, try adding an extra pinch of salt to help cut the sweetness a bit. Enjoy!
The Frosting is good. However, I found it way to sweet. I added another 1/2 cup of butter a little more cream to tone down the 2 cups of powdered sugar. The result was perfect.
Hellooo!
So i made this last night and ate with your chocolate cake recipe and wow. it was divine! My only grip was that no matter how i whipped the frosting it still was a little gritty. Any thoughts? But a stellar recipe and fantastic with chocolate cake!
Hi Tiana, Sometimes it depends on the brand of confectioners sugar you are using. If you find yours is gritty try sifting the sugar after measuring it next time. That should help!
Hi Sally,
First of all, thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
I didn’t read all of the comments, so I apologize if this has already been asked.
I made this recipe from one of you cookbooks and we loved it! My wife said it was the best frosting that she has ever had!
The recipe in the book has 240g of sugar and 3 tbls of cream, which has a lot less of the sugar. I used about 2 tbls of 1% milk in mine and it was perfect!
Page 136 of Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Hope you and your little ones are doing well!
Way too much sugar, it was so grainy. I had to throw it out. Very dissapointed.
Hi Amanda, are you using confectioners’ sugar (powdered)? Was your sugar granulated? It should be powdery.
Hi. Can we pipe this mixture or do we need to do something else to it in order for it to hold shape? Thanks
Hi Suf, You should be able to pipe with this frosting – see the photo above with it piped onto a cupcake with a raspberry on top.
Any changes for high altitude? Thanks.
Hi Logan, I wish I could help, but I have no experience baking at high altitude. I know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I have a question – is this frosting thick enough to use as a filling between shortbread cookies? I’ve been trying to find away to thicken nutella so it makes a better sandwich cookie filling.
Hi Cecelia, Yes you can use this between cookies. It’s a buttercream so it may squish out a bit as you bite the cookie sandwich, but it’s definitely thicker than using Nutella from the jar.
Hi Sally,
Could I use Cadbury Caramel Spread instead of Nutella here?
Thank you
Hi Christanella, I’m not familiar with this exact product so I can’t be sure. A quick online search leads me to believe it should be OK to use instead, but let me know if you try it.
Hey!
I had a quick question. If i wanted to up the amount of Nutella say 1 cup altogether, for a very strong Nutella flavor, would that drastically alter the consistency? Thanks so much!
Hi Tiana, the frosting will be a little thinner. Feel free to add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken it up, if desired.
Thank you for you promptness! I will try that then. Thanks again! 🙂
I did this to fill cookie cups – heaven!!!
I also did the same with Biscoff Spread which was also fantastic! X
This was the absolute best! Even my son, who didn’t like frosting, loved it. It’s requested at every birthday.
I am trying to make a cookie butter (speculoos) frosting. I love your vanilla frosting and was going to try to just add the speculoos to it but was wondering if I could use this recipe and just use the speculoos instead of nutella. What do you think? It’s to frost a vanilla birthday cake.
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. Let us know if you try it!
I did end up making it! I 1.5x the recipe and reduced the confectioners’ sugar a bit (about a cup) to control the sweetness and it was unbelievably delicious. I used a crunchy cookie butter so it had a little texture. It may be my go-to buttercream now until I grow sick of it! Subtle gingerbread-ish/sweet/salty flavour.
I love your recipes! this recipe is amazing. I love it, I would make these again.
Tastes amazing!!! I use more nutella, less sugar and some seasalt. I use it on your To Die For Banana Cake 😀
Highly recommened!!!
AMAZING! Put this on your chocolate cake an added some toasted chopped hazelnuts in the middle and on top. HEAVEN
This frosting is delicioussssss. I used chocolate almond milk instead of whole milk.
Oh. My. Goodness. New favorite frosting!!!!! How do you keep yourself from eating the whole batch at once?? It is SO good!!!
I put 1 cup of Nutella for more flavor. I used it for cupcakes and brazo gitano!! It was a hit
I made this frosting with Olivani and a little soy milk as needed DF. It was amazing. Will definitely make again. It does make a large quantity though, which was fine as I needed to ice 3 cakes – will halve the ingredients for only one cake. Thank you for your recipe.
This Nutella frosting looks like a piece of heaven! So creamy and rich ♥