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5.0 from 24 votes

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Swiss meringue buttercream is silky smooth, versatile, and perfect for people who find American buttercream to be too sweet. This recipe takes a bit of effort and patience, but it's so worth it! Yields enough frosting to generously cover 24 cupcakes, an 8" or 9” two layer cake, or a 9x13” cake. This recipe works well under fondant and may be colored using food coloring.Recipe includes a how-to video. If this is your first time making Swiss meringue buttercream, I recommend watching this before beginning!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 788 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Swiss

Ingredients

  • 6 large egg whites¹ make sure there is not even so much as a tiny bit of yolk mixed in with the egg whites or they won’t whip properly. (7.5 oz/210ml)²
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cant teaspoon salt just ever so slightly less than ¼ teaspoon
  • 2 cups unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces. Butter should be room temperature but not melt-y/oily, still solid enough to cut, but softened
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. You will need a double boiler or makeshift double boiler for this recipe. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer and a medium-sized saucepan that the bowl fits snugly into without touching the bottom of the pot.
  2. In clean, dry mixer bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt and whisk until combined.
  3. Heat about 1 ½ inches of water over medium-low heat in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  4. Rest the bowl of your mixer in the pot over the simmering water (should not be touching the water).
  5. Whisk egg white/sugar/salt mixture constantly until the sugar is dissolved and mixture is no longer grainy (if you rub a small bit between your fingers it should feel smooth and not at all gritty) and the mixture reaches 160F (70C). This will take several minutes.
  6. Remove mixing bowl from heat and dry the bottom of your bowl. Fit bowl into your stand mixer.
  7. Using a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium/medium-high speed until meringue is thick and glossy and you have achieved stiff peaks (see photo in post or see video for visual). This will take about 10 minutes or so.
  8. Once you have achieved stiff peaks, stop beating and allow bowl to cool down completely. The bowl must no longer be warm to the touch before proceeding.
  9. Once bowl is no longer warm to the touch (make sure you are feeling near the bottom of the bowl), switch out whisk attachment for paddle attachment. Turn mixer to medium speed and add butter one Tablespoon at a time. Don’t add the next tablespoon of butter until the previous one is incorporated into the meringue. If you notice that your buttercream starts to break down or look curdled, just keep mixing and it will come together. If it still doesn’t come together (it could take some time), place the mixer bowl in the fridge for about 10 minutes and then try mixing again.
  10. Once all butter has been beaten into the meringue, scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir again. Beat on medium/high until smooth and thick.
  11. Stir in vanilla extract or other flavoring and any food coloring, if using.
  12. Spread or pipe over cupcakes or cake or use under fondant! I used an Ateco 848 for the cupcakes shown in this post.

Notes

  • I do not recommend using pasteurized egg whites (the kind that you buy from the store in a carton) for this recipe.
  • If using a liquid measuring cup, you would fill to directly between the ¾ and 1 cup line
  • Swiss Meringue Buttercream may be made several days in advance of using it. Store refrigerated in an airtight container and then allow frosting to come to room temperature and stir well before using. If the buttercream seems to have lost some of its volume/lightness, use an electric mixer to whip it until it returns to its original texture.
  • Pound Cake
  • Creme Brulee
  • Pastry Cream
  • Cream Puffs
  • Chocolate Pie

Nutrition Information

Serving 0.5cup Calories 788kcal (39%) Carbohydrates 59g (20%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 61g (94%) Saturated Fat 39g (195%) Trans Fat 2g Cholesterol 163mg (54%) Sodium 80mg (3%) Potassium 75mg (2%) Sugar 59g (118%) Vitamin A 1891IU (38%) Calcium 21mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6cups

Amount Per Serving

Calories 788

% Daily Value*

Serving 0.5cup
Calories 788kcal 39%
Carbohydrates 59g 20%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 61g 94%
Saturated Fat 39g 195%
Trans Fat 2g 100%
Cholesterol 163mg 54%
Sodium 80mg 3%
Potassium 75mg 2%
Sugar 59g 118%
Vitamin A 1891IU 38%
Calcium 21mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.