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    You are here: Home / Frosting / Peanut Butter Frosting

    Peanut Butter Frosting

    May 4, 2018 By Sam 784 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Peanut butter frosting on cupcake

    A silky smooth but perfectly pipeable peanut butter frosting that’s the perfect complement to any cake or cupcake. Also great for just eating by the spoonful!

    Peanut butter frosting on a chocolate cupcake

    Maybe you guys haven’t noticed, but I’ve been working on bulking up my “Frostings” section on the blog.

    In the past, I would share cake or cupcake recipes and tag on my preferred complementary frosting, but I’m a big believer in choices. Maybe you’d rather frost your funfetti cake with chocolate frosting (or even peanut butter frosting) instead of buttercream, right? Well I wanted to have a good variety of options for you to choose from.

    So far I’ve shared my favorites of the following:

    • Cream cheese frosting (<—- possibly my favorite frosting of all-time)
    • Chocolate frosting
    • Vanilla buttercream frosting

    And today I’m adding peanut butter frosting to the list.

    This recipe is super easy to make, and on Monday I’ll be sharing a very complementary and very dark chocolate cupcake recipe with you, but of course you can put it on whatever you want. You can even just eat it by the spoonful, I know I did.

    And yet it remains a mystery to me why my cardio sessions aren’t paying off 😭

    Anyway, Peanut Butter Frosting requires just 6 ingredients to make. It’s smooth, creamy, and is great for piping on top of cupcakes or decorating a cake.

    peanut butter frosting in a piping bag

    Tips for Making Peanut Butter Frosting

    • While chunky or creamy peanut butter can work in this peanut butter frosting recipe, I don’t recommend using chunky unless you don’t intend to pipe the frosting. The little peanut pieces will clog up your frosting tips in a second.
    • I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter (the kind that separates, you know the one that you usually need to stir before using). I haven’t tried it myself but I’m pretty certain that it wouldn’t work too nicely work with this recipe (it would be too oily).
    • This peanut butter frosting pipes very nicely as written. However, for a stiffer frosting, you can add an additional ½-1 cup (65-125g) of powdered sugar.

    How Many Cupcakes/How Much Cake Will this Peanut Butter Frosting Cover?

    • If you’re generously frosting your cupcakes (as seen in my cupcake photo below), then this frosting will handily cover 12-15 cupcakes. If you’re being a bit more modest, it will cover 24 (I covered 24 cupcakes with peanut butter frosting rosettes using the 1M tip).
    • This frosting will also cover a 9×13 sheet cake or a round 2-layer 8″ or 9″ cake. Now I’m just thinking about how I want to make a cake with this frosting and then cover it with ganache… Yum!

    peanut butter frosting on a chocolate cupcake

    Enjoy!

    Oh, and do you have any requests for other frosting recipes you’d like to see? I’m currently working on caramel but would love any suggestions that you have!

    How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting

    Peanut butter frosting on cupcake

    Peanut Butter Frosting

    A silky smooth but perfectly pipeable peanut butter frosting that's the perfect complement to any cake or cupcake. Also great for just eating by the spoonful!
    4.98 from 301 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Frosting
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 12 generously frosted cupcakes or 24 modestly frosted cupcakes
    Calories: 381kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226g)
    • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (245g)
    • 3 cups powdered sugar (375g)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 Tablespoons milk
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Combine butter and peanut butter in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy and well-combined.  
    • Gradually (about ⅓ cup at a time), with mixer on low speed add powdered sugar until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so all ingredients are well-combined. 
    • Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
    • With mixer on low-speed, add milk and stir until well-combined. Gradually increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds.  
    • Spread or pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes or cake.

    Notes

    This cake will frost a 9x13 sheet cake, a 2-layer round 8" or 9" cake, 24 cupcakes, or will generously frost 12 cupcakes (as seen in photos)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/12th batch | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
    « Coffee Cake Muffins
    Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (with Peanut Butter Frosting!) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa

      June 25, 2022 at 3:29 am

      Can this frosting be frozen?

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 27, 2022 at 10:25 am

        Hi Lisa! I think it will do just fine in the freezer. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Marjorie

      June 16, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      This is the BEST peanut utyer I’ve ever tasted. Made it today for the second time. Follow the recipe exactly, and you will get that fluffiness you want. 💝

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        June 16, 2022 at 4:01 pm

        We’re so happy you love it, Marjorie! Thanks for your review ❤

        Reply
    3. Ben

      June 10, 2022 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      Made it with half the sugar, still delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
    4. Millie

      June 08, 2022 at 4:30 pm

      5 stars
      Super tasty and easy for my chocolate and peanut butter loving son who just turned 21. However, I put the cake in the fridge overnight and the frosting is hard! Is this frosting able to be out of the fridge? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        June 09, 2022 at 10:35 am

        Hi Millie! The frosting will soften as it sits out of the fridge and should hold up for several days at room temperature. We hope your son loves the cake! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Ally

      June 01, 2022 at 1:59 pm

      Curious if a vegan butter and almond milk can be used in this recipe? I’ve made vegan buttercream frosting…so I feel like it would work ok? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 01, 2022 at 2:34 pm

        Hi Ally! Honestly, I haven’t tried it. I think it could work here though. Let me know how it goes. 🙂

        Reply
        • Ally

          June 03, 2022 at 8:37 pm

          5 stars
          Happy to report that the vegan butter and almond milk subs worked great! Thanks for a great recipe.

        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          June 06, 2022 at 9:24 am

          Wonderful! Thanks for letting us know, Ally 😊

      • Gerri Wright

        June 02, 2022 at 2:39 pm

        That icing on a chocolate cake with peanut butter cups chuncked on top was delicious.

        Reply
        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          June 02, 2022 at 5:38 pm

          We’re so glad you liked it!

    6. Candy Eddlemon

      May 30, 2022 at 10:10 pm

      My peanut butter frosting was very thick. I added extra milk and it was still thick. What did I do wrong?

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        June 01, 2022 at 11:52 am

        Hi Candy! This is a thicker frosting, but if you see it’s becoming too thick for your liking you can stop adding the powdered sugar at your desired consistency. It sounds like you may have just added a little too much 🙂

        Reply
    7. Jerri

      May 22, 2022 at 1:24 pm

      I made this frosting yesterday to go on my chocolate cake with chocolate ganache top and drizzle. The key to silky frosting is to whip that butter and peanut butter until super soft and smooth and add your sugar 1/2 or 2/3 cup at a time while blending then whip it for another minute. My cake sold for $225.00 at church today. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        May 23, 2022 at 10:06 am

        Wonderful! We’re so glad it turned out so well for you, Jerri!

        Reply
      • Vic

        May 29, 2022 at 4:20 pm

        My family for generations has served a Spice cake with peanut butter frosting at family gatherings, birthdays holidays, pretty much any occasion that someone can use to make it. The recipes are either nonexistent or different between families. I made this today for a Memorial Day picnic our family has had every year for as long as I can remember. It was such a hit!!! Aunts,uncles,cousins and friends raved about it. This is now and forever my go to peanut butter frosting recipe.creamy, not grainy or overpowering. The perfect way to carry on our tradition !🥰

        Reply
        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          June 01, 2022 at 11:53 am

          We’re so happy our recipe enabled you to carry on your family’s tradition, Vic! We’ll have to try that combination sometime 😊

        • Marie

          June 20, 2022 at 11:06 pm

          5 stars
          Made this for Father’s Day and everyone enjoyed it on my chocolate cake that was asked for. Perfect consistency and not too sweet. Delicious.

        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          June 21, 2022 at 9:18 am

          What a great combination, Marie! We’re so happy it was a hit ❤

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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