A rich and creamy brown butter frosting that’s perfect for covering a cake or piping on cupcakes! Easy to make, I’ll walk you through all the steps and the recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Frosting Recipe. Ever.
Allow me to introduce you to your new favorite frosting. Sister to my popular cream cheese frosting, this recipe takes things to new heights with the toasty flavor of browned butter.
See those beautiful brown flecks throughout the frosting? Flavor goldmines. You’re going to love this one…
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
You’ll love my brown butter frosting because it:
- Is so flavorful! Possibly my new favorite frosting recipe on the blog, the browned butter, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar play perfectly together.
- Is not overly sweet, thanks to cream cheese and a pinch of salt. I felt that a frosting made with just brown butter was too rich and found that cream cheese balanced the flavor perfectly. Seriously. Perfectly.
- Perfect for frosting a cake but also sturdy enough to pipe over cupcakes (see those beautiful swirls on my dark chocolate cupcakes up there?)
- Pairs beautifully with just about any flavor cake or cupcake. It’s wonderful on my chocolate cake or vanilla cupcakes, banana cake, carrot cake, hummingbird cake, and just about anything in between.
- Truly simple to make, but requires just enough effort and technique that you’ll feel like a pro (and anyone you share it with is going to demand to know why you haven’t opened up your own bakery yet).
What You Need
- Unsalted Butter. Of course we will be browning this to toasty perfection and then letting it re-solidify at room temperature before we begin.
- Cream Cheese. Cream cheese adds the perfect depth of flavor to a frosting that would otherwise be too rich. Spreadable cream cheese in the little tubs won’t work here, neither will low-fat. Purchase the kind that comes in the shape of a brick!
- Powdered Sugar. Also known as “confectioner’s sugar” or “10x sugar”.
- Vanilla Extract. Vanilla adds a depth of flavor to the frosting and complements the mellow flavor of the browned butter. Yum!
- Salt. A pinch of salt helps to keep the frosting from being so sweet that it’s cloying. If you’re curious about why I use unsalted butter but then add salt (or if you only have salted butter on hand), see my post on salted vs unsalted butter!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Brown Butter
Your first step is to make the brown butter. To do this:
- Melt your butter in a saucepan, ideally one with a light-colored bottom (that way you can tell once the milk solids begin to brown).
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The butter will sizzle and pop and eventually small bits (the milk solids) will begin to turn brown. Remove your butter from the heat at this point and pour it into a heatproof container. Congratulations, you just made browned butter (now do it again and make a batch of my brown butter chocolate chip cookies)!
How to Make Brown Butter Frosting
- Let that browned butter cool completely! It must re-solidify before you continue, otherwise your frosting will be runny. While you could pop the butter in the fridge to speed up the process, you want it to be at room temperature before you make your frosting, that way it combines smoothly with the other ingredients.
- Once butter has re-solidified, combine it with room temperature cream cheese and mix until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and salt.
- With mixer on low-speed, gradually add powdered sugar until all ingredients are well-combined and the brown butter frosting is smooth (minus those glorious bits of browned butter!).
SAM’S TIP: Make this in a stand mixer without the mess! After creaming together butter and cream cheese, add all remaining ingredients (and yes, all of your sugar!). Then, cover the head of the mixer with a clean towel (make sure all edges of the bowl are covered) and turn the mixer on low. Gradually increase speed to medium. The towel catches any dust from the powdered sugar and keeps your countertop clean!
I have a detailed post on how to brown butter if you need more tips or have any questions!
Frequently Asked Questions
If either the butter or cream cheese was too cold, it could be difficult to make a smooth frosting, even after beating with an electric mixer. While it’s important that the butter is re-solidified, it shouldn’t be cold when you go to make your frosting.
If the cream cheese is too warm or the browned butter is even a bit warm/hasn’t completely re-solidified, your frosting may be runny. This can also happen if you are in a hot kitchen.
Another culprit is if you use cream cheese from a tub or a low-fat variety rather than brick-style cream cheese.
Unfortunately, no frosting really holds up well to heat (which I consider anything above 75F (24C)). Since this frosting is primarily butter and cream cheese, I don’t recommend leaving it out at warm temperatures.
More Recipes You Might Like
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Brown Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 8 oz (226 g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese softened
- 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
To Brown Butter:
- Place one stick of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted, then continue to cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan constantly, as butter sizzles and pops. Once butter bits near the bottom of the pan begin to turn brown, remove skillet from heat and pour browned butter into heatproof bowl.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- Allow butter to completely cool and re-solidify before proceeding. You can place the butter in the refrigerator to speed up the process, but it can’t be cold when you go to make your frosting and must be near room temperature.
For Frosting:
- Once butter has completely re-solidified, combine butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and cream cheese.8 oz (226 g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt until completely combined.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gradually, about ½ cup (65g) at a time, stir in powdered sugar until all has been added, be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
- Use frosting as desired, spread over cake or pipe or spread over cupcakes!
Notes
Making In Advance
Browned butter can be made several days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature before using. Frosting may be made 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the frosting. Bring to room temperature and briefly beat with an electric mixer before using over cake/cupcakes. You may also freeze in an airtight container for several months. When ready to use, thaw overnight in your refrigerator then bring to room temperature. You may need to beat it once more with an electric mixer before piping or spreading as needed.Can I leave this frosting out at room temperature?
Yes, this frosting can sit at room temperature (up to 75F/24C) for up to 48 hours. Any longer than that and I recommend refrigerating.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Trudie
This is great on my butter pecan cupcakes. Using my food processor I grind about 1/3 of butter toasted pecans. They are a big hit at family gatherings. ❤️
Sam
I’m so glad it’s been such a hit, Trudie! The brown butter combination with the butter pecan flavor sounds heavenly! 🙂
Bree
Just made this frosting.. it was so much fluffier than I expected! My experience with cream cheese led me to think this would be thick. What a pleasant surprise! It perfectly compliments the “less sweet” flavor of my spice cake. Thank you for the delicious recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Bree! This is one of my personal favorites. 🙂
L
May I use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese? There’s an ingredient in cream cheese I’m sensitive to.
Sam
I have not personally tried mascarpone so I can’t say for sure. Your frosting likely won’t be as firm since mascarpone is a little softer and a tad bit wetter. It will definitely change the flavor as well.
Val
I was very skeptical but this is GREAT.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you enjoyed it, Val! 😊
Sandy Putnam
I used Marscapone (I didn’t have cream cheese; did have Marscapone). It is SO delicious!! I also used only 2-1/2 c powdered sugar and it was perfect for frosting a butterscotch sheet cake I made. A real winner!
Shannon Burnett
The first time I tried to make this I burnt the butter. The second go of it turned out great though. NOTE…don’t walk away during the process because it can overcook quickly. The frosting turned out really nice…not overly strong but that browned butter added such a nice, gentle nutty flavor. I also added some cinnamon at the end….just sprinkled some in there for a little added autumn goodness. I piped the frosting on pumpkin cupcakes and sprinkled with holiday sprinkles. Made enough to frost 16 cupcakes GENEROUSLY as well as a full leftover 1.25 cup container..
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Shannon! You are correct. You definitely don’t want to walk away. It can burn quickly. 🙂
Doxa
Can’t wait to try! Do you think this frosting will pair well with a red velvet cake? Would this amount be enough for a 3 layer, 9 inch cake? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Doxa! It won’t have a classic red velvet taste, but it will certainly be deliciosu! I would increase the recipe by 50% for a 3 layer cake. 🙂
Dorathy Harrison
this frosting is totally awsome !!
Krista Lynn
This is 🔥- amazing!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Angelina Lagunzad
This recipe was amazing!!!! I was a little skeptical but wow did it blow me away. I paired them with butter pecan cupcakes, did vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract, and topped them off with crushed up biscoff cookies. They are DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That sounds fantastic, Angelina! We’re so happy you enjoyed it 😍
Maggie
I’m almost disappointed I made this because I don’t think there’s any going back. I put this on my carrot cake this year and it was absolute perfection. I’m not sure there’s a world where this isn’t my new go-to frosting if possible.
Krista
Hi! Have you ever paired this with your Funfetti Cake from Scratch? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Krista! I haven’t, but you certainly could. Enjoy!
Erum
Hi!
Should I brown more butter than it´s written in the recipe, or should I just use 113 g? because I´m wondering if the butter will become less once it´s browned. Also, should the cream cheese be at room temp?
Sam
Hi Erum! The butter will become less as it is browned but that is accounted for in the recipe so you do not need to brown more than written. I hope that helps, and that you love the frosting!
Gayle
I want to add maple syrup to give it a maple syrup flavor. How much would you recommend?
Sam
I would recommend a maple extract and adding to-taste. For pure maple syrup you’d probably have to add quite aa bit to get the flavor to be present, and that could result in a thin or even broken/curdled frosting, so I’d recommend extract.
Hadley
Is this frosting stable enough to pipe and decorate with? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Hadley! It is softer than a classic buttercream. The photos on top of the cupcake are how I piped it. You wouldn’t be able to do anything super intricate, but it is pipe-able. 🙂
GGM
Could you add a little bit of maple syrup, like 1 tablespoon?
Sam
Adding maple syrup will work, but honestly I don’t expect much flavor to come through.
Jessica Nack
Hi! I find your recipes VERY reliable, thanks! My question is, with the 1/2 cup butter measurement– is that 1/2 cup of already browned butter, or 1/2 butter, before cooking down? I make large batches of brown butter for my cottage baking business, and you know how when it cooks down it loses volume. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Jessica! This 1/2 cup of butter is before browning. I think I would still use 1/2 cup of already brown butter. It should still turn out great. 🙂
Kristin
This really is amazing. Perfectly well balanced. Even my husband who isn’t a big dessert fan was loving it. Thank you!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit, Kristin! Thanks so much for the review ❤️
Linda
Incredibly good frosting. Great tip on using a towel over the stand mixer, as well.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re glad it was helpful, Linda! Thanks for the review 😊