Name: Peanut Butter Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 24 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened, see notes to make dairy-free); 1 cup creamy peanut butter; 1/8 tsp salt; 1 tsp vanilla; 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (see notes to make dairy-free)

Love peanut butter? Then you'll go crazy for this easy homemade peanut butter frosting! Made with just 6 ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, you can make this fluffy peanut butter frosting that is perfect for topping so many desserts!

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Last Updated on April 17, 2020

Gluten-Free

Love peanut butter? Then you’ll go crazy for this easy homemade peanut butter frosting! Made with just 6 ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, you can make this fluffy peanut butter frosting that is perfect for topping so many desserts!

Sweet, creamy peanut butter frosting is perfect for topping on chocolate cupcakes, sandwiching in between cookies, spreading over gluten-free brownies, or decorating a cake! It’s so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. Plus, it’s naturally gluten-free!

I absolutely adore this peanut butter frosting. It pairs so well with chocolate desserts and makes any chocolate cake taste like a delicious Reese’s flavored cake! Make this recipe for any peanut butter lover and I promise you they’ll LOVE it!

How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting From Scratch

Put that can of frosting away! It is so easy to make your own peanut butter frosting from scratch. All you need to make peanut butter frosting is softened butter, creamy peanut butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk.

You can either use a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to make this frosting. I personally prefer to use my stand mixer because it’s hands off, but either will work.

I do not suggest mixing with a spoon by hand. It will not be smooth and creamy and will be very hard to make it come together into a buttercream.

Can you make peanut butter frosting without butter or milk?

You can definitely make this frosting without butter or milk to make it dairy-free.

Instead of butter, use half palm shortening and half vegan butter, such as Earth Balance buttery spread. I personally do not like the Earth Balance buttery sticks because they have an odd smell that I can’t seem to get over. But, if you like those – go for it!

I find that if you use all vegan butter, the frosting does not hold up as well. So, I prefer to use a 50/50 mix of the shortening and vegan butter, instead.

You will also need to replace the milk or heavy cream with a non-dairy milk, such as almond milk or soy milk. Since non-dairy milks are thinner than whole milk and heavy cream, the resulting frosting will not be as creamy and you may not need as much liquid to get your frosting to the right consistency.

A measuring cup filled with peanut butter with a bowl of powdered sugar and sticks of butter to make peanut butter frosting.

Does Peanut Butter Frosting Have to be Refrigerated?

You can leave this peanut butter icing out at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. There isn’t a lot of butter or milk in this recipe, and it is stable at room temperature due to the amount of sugar in the recipe.

If I’m making this peanut butter frosting ahead of time, I’ll typically leave it in the refrigerator. If I’ve already frosted cake or cupcakes, I’ll leave it at room temperature on the baked goods for a few days.

Can You Make Buttercream Ahead of Time?

Yes! It’s so easy to make buttercream ahead of time. It lasts a long time when stored properly, too!

After you make the buttercream, place it in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. Whenever you’re ready to use the peanut butter frosting, place it back in the mixing bowl and beat with the paddle attachment for a few minutes, until it’s creamy again.

How Long Does Peanut Butter Frosting Keep?

If you plan on storing your peanut butter buttercream in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to 2 weeks. You can store it for a few months in the freezer. Just thaw at room temperature before using and beat with the paddle attachment to make it creamy and spreadable.

How Much Frosting Does This Recipe Make?

this peanut butter frosting recipe makes enough frosting to decorate 12 cupcakes with a 1M piping tip. If you are just spreading buttercream on cupcakes with a knife instead of decorating, you can frost about 24 cupcakes.

You can use this recipe to cover a 9×13-inch sheet cake.

This recipe will also cover a 2-layer 9-inch cake. If you want to decorate the cake with a piping tip, you will want to make a double batch.

Can you pipe with this peanut butter buttercream?

This buttercream is able to be piped with a piping tip. My favorite is a 1M piping tip to decorate cake and cupcakes.

If you find that your frosting is not able to hold a shape when you pipe it, add more powdered sugar to the frosting. If it is too stiff, you can add additional milk to make it easier to decorate with.

An electric mixer attachment with peanut butter frosting and a large mixing bowl.

Tips for Making Easy Peanut Butter Frosting

Make sure your butter is softened at room temperature. If your butter is too hard, your buttercream will not be smooth and creamy.
Do NOT use natural peanut butter. It’s best to use creamy peanut butter. Both JIF and Skippy will work in this recipe. If you use natural peanut butter, the buttercream will end up too oily.
Use creamy peanut butter instead of chunky peanut butter. Chunky peanut butter will still taste good, but since there are bits of peanuts in it, the frosting will not pipe and spread easily on cake or cupcakes.

Love peanut butter? Try these other gluten-free peanut butter recipes!

How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Frosting

Scratch the store-bought peanut butter frosting from the can, because you can make homemade peanut butter frosting from scratch in under 10 minutes! Using pantry staples, you can frost brownies, cake, cupcakes and cookies with this thick and creamy peanut butter frosting that is naturally gluten-free!