And yes, this truly is the creamiest peanut butter frosting you’ll ever taste.
This peanut butter frosting delivers BIG flavor. The base of the recipe is just a little bit of butter and a massive amount of peanut butter. Heavy cream adds to its creamy texture. And unlike most frostings, it’s not loaded with confectioners’ sugar. There’s only 1 cup, so don’t expect a cloyingly sweet frosting. All you taste is peanut butter. Pure peanut butter with a creamier, silkier texture.
What Peanut Butter is Best for Frosting?
For the best texture, use processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, the same kind I recommend for peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter eggs. Natural-style peanut butter is wonderful for eating and cooking, but I do not recommend it for this recipe as the oily consistency will cause this frosting to separate and curdle. You can, however, use natural peanut butter in my peanut butter cookies if you have a jar that needs using!
Can you Pipe This Frosting?
Despite the creamy texture, this peanut butter frosting pipes beautifully onto cakes and cupcakes. It won’t keep any super intricate piped designs, but a simple swirl from the Wilton 1M piping tip stays intact!
You’ll LOVE this stuff and find any excuse to whip it up. If you need inspiration, don’t miss this chocolate peanut butter cake or these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.
Need some pairing inspiration? Try this peanut butter frosting with:
Print
Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2.5 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the creamiest peanut butter frosting and tastes unbelievable on chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cake, or fudge brownies!
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (250g) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick.
- Cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Peanut Butter: Use a commercial brand peanut butter such Skippy or Jif. Avoid natural, oily, or homemade peanut butters as the consistency will cause this frosting to separate and curdle.
- Quantity: This recipe is enough to frost 12-16 cupcakes, one 9-inch square or round cake, or one 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake with a thin layer of frosting. Follow the peanut butter frosting recipe from this chocolate sheet cake for any cake larger than that. Just as rich and creamy!
Reader Comments and Reviews
I ended up adding an extra tablespoon or so of powdered sugar and an extra 1/4 tsp of salt. My only complaint is that I do wish Sally’s recipes included information about the type of salt she uses. Since I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, it’s less dense, and I imagine that’s why I needed to add an additional 1/4 tsp. But, in a buttercream that’s a super easy fix! The peanut butter flavor really came out once I made those additions (the salt was probably more helpful than the extra sugar). The texture was perfectly light, and even with the extra 1 tbsp of powdered sugar, it wasn’t too sweet at all.
I used Skippy creamy peanut butter.
Is the chocolate sheet cake frosting recipe the same as this one? I’m looking to frost a 2-layer 9 inch cake and trying to determine which frosting recipe would be best
Hi Paulina! Yes, they’re the same – we would use the recipe from that chocolate sheet cake to frost a cake that size.
Would this work as filling for your chocolate whoopie pie recipe?
Hi Caitlin, absolutely!
Best peanut butter frosting ever! I could just eat it by the spoonful. Add cream a little at a time and mix in between until you get the consistency you like.
I’ve made this before and love it but my question is, can it be halved?
This is the most AMAZING! frosting. It takes like a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Fabulous! Fabulous.
I can’t find the peanut butter yogurt frosting here anymore. I only see this for peanut butter frosting which isn’t the healthy alternative I was searching for…
Hi S, we recently removed that older recipe from the website, but feel free to send us an email at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com and we’d be happy to share a copy with you.
When I was a kid my grandma made Peanut Butter Frosting and I absolutely loved it I have searched for the recipe and at last I have found it. The author of the recipes name is “Sally” believe it or not that was my grandma’s name
For my dad for his birthday and everyone in the family absolutely loved it.
The Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt frosting recipe I had bookmarked now redirects here. Would it be possible to get a copy of that recipe please? Thank you!
Hi EL, absolutely, just send us an email at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com and we’d be happy to share a copy. Thank you!
Can you frost the cupcakes and freeze this ?
Hi Stephanie, yes, you can freeze the leftover frosting for up to 3 months.
This peanut butter icing was PERFECT. Easy to make, buttery, not too sweet. Perfect for a chocolate cake. Thanks!!
To be clear, will this make enough frosting to frost a 8″ two-layer cake?
Hi Deborah, for a cake of that size, we recommend following the frosting ratios from this chocolate sheet cake.
This was excellent but it’s very rich. Can I reduce some of the peanut butter without losing the amazing texture?
Hi Jill, we haven’t tried reducing the peanut butter here, but let us know how it turns out if you do!
I tried reducing it by 1/4 cup, it needs the full 250g or it’s too thin. All good, I’ll just make a slightly less rich cupcake.
I’m a pretty solid home baker but I’ve struggled with peanut butter frosting… until now! This is the perfect balance of ingredients to produce a flawless, creamy and delicious frosting (unlike the grainy mess I’ve gotten using recipes that rely on traditional buttercream ratios). My friends, family and anyone who has tried it absolutely adore it. Thank you!!
This is not a good frosting recipe. The ratios of wet to dry ingredients are WAY off. Sally usually NEVER lets me down, but this one is a dud.
I absolutely loved this recipe. This will now be my.go to when making peanut butter frosting
Simply amazing! Made a 11× 15 cake and a double batch if your frosting! It is so creamy and not over sweet like most other recipes. Only thing I wasn’t sure if was should this frosting on a cake be refrigerated? Thanks for this amazing PB frosting!
Hi Josh, we’re so glad you loved this! 1-2 days at room temperature would be OK. After that, we recommend the refrigerator.
What do you think about using this as filling for a roll cake?
Hi Laura, This would work well in the cake roll, or you can gently fold creamy peanut butter into the whipped cream filling from the cake roll recipe. Enjoy!
Can anyone explain to me what a mixer “paddle” is? I know what a whisk is and I think I know what
a regular beater looks like.
I tried searching images for it but it didn’t come back with anything definitive. I’m just a novice guy
trying to make a cake for my wife’s birthday. A picture would be helpful. Thanks.
PS I made a “test 1/2 batch” of this icing the other day in a bowl with a handheld mixer and whisk.
I’m wanting to use my wife’s tabletop mixer for the real deal. The way I did it was messy. Flakes of
peanut butter icing everywhere. I though the mixer and bowl might be better.
BTW, the icing test turned out light, fluffy and delicious. Can’t wait to put it on my homemade
chocolate mayonnaise cake following my mom’s old recipe. She passed a couple of years ago but
I’m sure she knew what a mixer “paddle” is. Great cook, great mom.
Hi Mike! The paddle is a kitchenmaid attachment – it’s flat and can be used for many things!
So a mixer paddle is the attachment that is flat with a few grooves in between the metal if you have a stand mixer. If you don’t you could use a hand mixer with the whisk attachment.
I liked the taste and light consistency of this icing! I did use
Jif peanut butter. It really started off creamy but after the 3 full minutes it really separated and looked too whipped. I will make it again but not so much whipping or perhaps lower speed. Thanks for recipe!
It started out so creamy and great but the 3 full minutes of whipping is too much for the heavy cream especially it being room temperature it separated and turned grainy and I did not like it. I like the other peanut butter frosting recipe better under the chocolate peanut butter cake.
My daughter has a peanut allergy. Have you tried this with almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Hi Carla, We’ve never tried substituting almond butter for peanut butter in this frosting recipe, but you can certainly try it.
Taste like Nutter Butter filling.
Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream
Hi Lynne, half and half (or even whole milk in a pinch) should do the trick for this frosting, but it may be a bit thinner.
Can I frost bars with this frosting and freeze them?
Hi Pat, absolutely. We generally recommend freezing for up to three months.
Does this frosting need to be refrigerated after icing the cake?
Hi Trish! Frosted desserts are usually fine for about a day, after that we would refrigerate it.
This recipe is easy and delicious!! Thank you for posting!!! Made a cake and mini whoopie pies
Can this frosting be frozen?
Hi Susi! You can cover it tightly and freeze it. 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.
Quick question — making this to spread on your chocolate zucchini cake, but do not have cream or milk in the house. Any chance that buttermilk would suffice?
Hi Lisa, We haven’t tested it, but don’t see why not! Some bakers prefer to use buttermilk since the tang offsets some of the sweetness of the buttercream.
This frosting is outstanding!
So easy so good absolutely delicious