Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe for Cakes and Cupcakes

This peanut butter frosting is thick, creamy and full of peanut-flavored goodness. It’s an easy American-style buttercream that’s ideal for cupcakes, brownies, birthday cakes or cookies. It pipes smoothly and has a balanced salty-sweet flavor.

This recipe was updated February 27, 2026 with adjusted ingredient amounts, new photos and updated tips.

This peanut butter buttercream makes a delicious topping for brownies, cakes and cupcakes. It’s creamy and rich with real peanut butter flavor, but not overly sweet. The texture is light and fluffy rather than dense — some describe it like peanut butter soft-serve. It’s quick to make and elevates any dessert that pairs with peanut butter.

It’s straightforward to prepare and works well for piping or spreading.

Ingredients

After testing ratios, the best balance was 1 cup unsalted butter to 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter. That ratio gives a pronounced peanut butter taste while keeping the frosting light and smooth. You’ll need:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (226 g), softened
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (190 g)
• 2–3 cups powdered sugar (220–330 g), plus more if needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2–4 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter powder (optional)

Baking Tips & Questions

• Can I use salted butter? Yes — omit the added salt in the recipe if you use salted butter.
• Can I use natural peanut butter? No. Natural peanut butter separates and can make the frosting oily or lumpy.
• How far ahead can I make this frosting? Make it a day or two in advance and store it airtight in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature for 1–2 hours before using. If it’s still a bit firm, rewhip with an electric mixer to restore the texture.

How Much Frosting Does It Make?

• Enough to pipe 12–16 cupcakes
• Enough to spread on 18–24 cupcakes with a knife
• Enough for one single-layer 9×13-inch cake
• Halve the recipe for an 8×8 or 9×9 pan of brownies
• Double the recipe for an 8-inch, three-layer cake (you may have extra)

What Does This Frosting Taste Great With?

This buttercream pairs excellently with chocolate cupcakes, brownies and layer cakes. It also works well with many other desserts that benefit from a peanut butter finish.

Ideas to try it on:

• Chocolate cupcakes
• Chocolate sheet cake
• Double chocolate layer cake
• Peanut butter brownies

If you enjoy frosting variations, try other flavors such as chocolate buttercream, raspberry or strawberry buttercream, or an Oreo-style frosting.

5 from 2 votes

Peanut Butter Buttercream

By: Fiona Dowling

Fluffy, creamy peanut butter buttercream. This easy frosting recipe is perfect for cupcakes, brownies, birthday cake or anything that goes with peanut butter.

Prep: 10 mins

Total: 10 mins

Servings: 18 cupcakes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), softened
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (190 grams)
• 2–3 cups powdered sugar (220–330 grams), plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter powder, optional
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2–4 tablespoons cream or milk (30–60 ml)

Instructions

• Beat the softened butter until light and fluffy.
• Add the creamy peanut butter and beat until combined.
• Sift in 2 cups of powdered sugar and the optional peanut butter powder. Add the vanilla and salt. Mix starting on low speed to avoid a sugar cloud, then increase speed to fully incorporate.
• Add milk or cream one tablespoon at a time, and add a little extra powdered sugar as needed, until you reach the desired sweetness and pipeable consistency.

Notes

1. Peanut Butter: Avoid natural, homemade or whipped peanut butters — their oils can separate and ruin the frosting texture.
2. Storage: Store frosted cakes and cupcakes covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerated up to 4 days.
3. Yield: Makes enough to pipe 12–16 cupcakes or frost 18–24 with a knife. It will cover a single-layer 9×13-inch cake or a pan of brownies. Halve for an 8×8 pan; double for an 8-inch layered cake.
4. Smaller Batch: To halve the recipe, use:
   1. 1/2 cup butter
   2. 6 tablespoons peanut butter
   3. 1–1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
   4. Pinch of salt
   5. 1–2 tablespoons milk or cream
5. Nutrition: Nutrition values are estimated for the full recipe divided into 18 cupcake servings and do not include the cupcake itself.

Nutrition

Calories: 214 kcal, Carbohydrates: 16 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 16 g

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