Homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is a simple frosting recipe when you need to elevate your dessert!

^{As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This site contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links at no extra cost to you.} 

Making homemade vanilla buttercream frosting at home is really easy. Regardless of what homemade frosting it is there is typically only a few ingredients and it tastes way better than store bought! Spending the extra 10-15 minutes will be worth it in the end.

The best reason to make Homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Store bought vanilla buttercream frostings contain all sorts of preservatives and additives to be able to keep in on the shelves. So unnecessary for your body! Especially if you have the ingredients on hand. For this recipe, you most likely already have them.

Store bought frostings can include:

Canola oil: Canola oil can cause oxidative stress by causing an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals.

Artificial flavor: Can cause health issues that include nutrient deficiencies because the flavor mimics nature without the benefit. Artificial flavor also can cause cravings, loss of taste and behavioral issues.

Artificial color: These can cause behavioral issues, neurological effects, allergic reactions and even cancer. Frosting is mainly targeted at a younger generation and we are seeing the effects of this every day.

Polysorbate 60: Its mainly associated with gastrointestinal issues. If you eat a lot of processed foods and have stomach issues, you might want to look at some of the labels of things that you are eating.

Soy lecithin: Can cause gastrointestinal issues, hormonal imbalances, blurred vision or dizziness and more!

There are many other harmful ingredients that can be in these frostings, I just listed the most popular ones. This post is more about the frosting itself so I will move on.

The frosting itself

Frosting is simple. One thing over the years I’ve been so thankful my husband bought me is my kitchen aid mixer. It makes this so simple it’s a dream. It whips the frosting so smooth and is delectable in the end. You can use this for cakes, cupcakes, and anything else that needs to be frosted!

The steps:

1. Place softened butter in your mixer.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix on low speed for about 20 seconds.
3. Pour in Vanilla slowly and continue mixing.
4. Slowly pour in milk. One ounce at a time. That way once it gets to the consistency you want you can stop.
5. Mix on low-medium speed until well combined.

That’s literally it! You can use it right away but I normally put it into a container and put it into the fridge for a couple hours.

Here’s a trick:

If you want your frosting to be a brighter white, whip on high for 3-5 minutes!