Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe (2024)

Created By:Heather on February 13, 2017 | Updated: October 20, 2022

The Best Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe- with step by step photos and video! Learn how to troubleshoot this swiss meringue buttercream and ways to flavor it!

Probably the last thing I should tell you is that the first time I tried making a swiss meringue buttercream recipe I failed miserably. Like curse words thrown around my kitchen and it all ending with me dumping the whole batch in the trash. That would be a bad idea right?

But stick with me on this. My failure with this frosting is your gain. Because since that first time and every time since then I have picked up some tips and tricks to nail this frosting. I’m like a swiss meringue buttercream ninja now. Ok that’s a stretch but I’m come a long way baby. And that all works in your favor. Because when you have success at this frosting, your life will be forever changed. That’s not a stretch.

Seriously it’s that good.I friggin’ love this stuff. It’s like American Buttercream lighter and creamier cousin. Like a cloud. It should be called cloud frosting instead.

What Is Swiss Meringue Buttercream?

First off let’s breakdown buttercream a bit. There are really two types of buttercreams out there. A creamed butter method and cubed butter method.

Creamed butter methods are your traditional American style made with powdered sugar, flour (or ermine buttercream), and a German custard buttercream.

Swiss Meringue falls into the cubed butter method, as does Italian Meringue and French Buttercream.

n this buttercream, egg whites and sugar get heated over a double boiler. Then once the sugar has dissolved, the butter gets added to the mixture in a stand mixer. Swiss Meringue Buttercream is very easy to pipe with but can be a bit trickier to make than American buttercream.

I’ll give you some tips and tricks so you can master this buttercream!

Is This Buttercream Sweet?

Swiss Meringue Buttercream is definitely less sweet than your traditional American buttercream that relies on powdered sugar. It is richer, and has a more butter flavor. Basically it’s delicious.

Here is a break down of the characteristics:

Taste: A more pronounced butter flavor, not as sweet
Texture: Silky and smooth on the tongue.
Difficulty: Medium to Difficult. Can curdle and separate when the butter is added to the
meringue.
Pros: Great flavor and texture. Great base under fondant and holds up well to piping.
Cons: Requires more time and equipment to make then the beaten butter methods.

How Do You Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream?

Here is a step by step photo tutorial on how to make swiss meringue buttercream

Step 1: You want to cube your butter up and bring to room temperature before you start. If you need a few ways to soften your butter quickly (because you forgot to take it out ahead of time like I do all the time) then you can read this post.

Step 2: In a metal heat-proof bowl, whisk your room temperature egg whites and granulated sugar together. Think of this step as a quick arm workout. Heat over a pan of simmering water, being sure the water does not reach the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk the egg whites and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has reached a temperature of 160°F.

Step 3: Remove the bowl from the heat and place in your stand mixer. I use my stand mixer bowl for this whole process. If your stand mixer has a glass bowl you will have to transfer this mixture over. Using your whisk attachment, whisk on high speed until stiff peaks forms. Try to resist licking the beater. I know it’s going to be tough.

Step 4: When the bowl is cool to the touch, add your butter one tablespoon at a time.Be sure the butter isn’t too soft (aka melty spots) or it will deflate the egg whites you just whipped. And you will be sad. Trust me.

Step 5: Continue to add your butter one piece at a time, with the mixer on medium speed. At this point, the buttercream may begin to curdle and separate, but just keep mixing. It will come together, promise! Have faith in the buttercream!

Step 6: Add your flavoring and a little bit of salt! I added 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Now at this point you can stop and call it vanilla buttcream. Or add in some fun. I gave some suggestions in a little bit of how to jazz it up. My favorite? Peanut butter. Dear god, wait until you try the peanut butter version.

Recipe Tips

A Swiss meringue buttercream recipe can be sometimes tricky, so here a few tricks I’ve learned along the way.

• Be sure to clean your bowls, mixers, attachments- all of it.Any grease will prevent the egg whites from whipping up to their full glory.
• Make sure there is no egg yolks present in the egg whites. I recommend separating your eggs one at a time in two small bowls in case one yolk breaks while separating. For more help on how to separate your eggs cleanly, read how to separate eggs (6 ways!).
• Be sure your egg white mixture has been heated enough before removing the from the stovetop. One trick is to make sure the mixture is thin and warm. You can rub the mixture between your fingers to see if you feel any sugar crystals. If you do, it needs to be heated a little bit more. You can also use a candy thermometer to ensure it has reached 160F.
• Before you add your softened butter, be sure your bowl has cooled down. Feel the bottom of the bowl with your hand. If it’s still warm, then give it a few minutes. If you add the butter when the mixture is too warm, you will melt your butter and deflate your egg whites.
• If when you do add the butter, the buttercream begins to separate and curdle. Give it some time. It will come together. If you do find the mixture is still not coming together and you think it was too warm when you first started adding the butter, place the bowl in your refrigerator for a few minutes to chill the bowl. Then try mixing it again, it should come together. I once left the bowl mixing for over 10 minutes, but it did finally come together! So don’t give up on that buttercream!

Recipe FAQ’s

Recipe Variations

Try mixing up your swiss meringue buttercream from vanilla to these flavors! These are of course suggestions- you can always adjust to your liking!

• Vanilla Bean – Instead of vanilla extract try either 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean
• Chocolate – Add 4 ounces melted and cooled quality chocolate
• Almond – Add 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Brown Sugar – Substitute the white granulated sugar with equal amounts of brown sugar
• Peanut Butter – Add 3/4 cup peanut butter
• Nutella – Add 3/4 cup Nutella
• Raspberry/Strawberry – Add 2/3 cup seedless jam that has been pureed in a food processor. Or two tablespoons freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries that have been pulsed into a powder.
• Espresso – Add 4 tablespoons cold espresso. (Make your own: add 1 teaspoon espresso powder to 1 cup boiling water and then measure from there)

More Recipes To Try

• Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
• The Ultimate Guide To Different Types Of Frosting
• Pumpkin Oreo Pie
• Peppermint Meringue Cookies