This is the perfect recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting (2024)

Published: Feb 25, 2022 by thesugarfreediva. · This post may contain affiliate or amazon links.
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This is the perfect recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting that you can use for that next batch of cupcakes or yummy cake. This recipe is low in carbs and keto friendly.

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This is an easy and really delicious recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting .

A lot of folks like this recipe because it is friendly to so many diets as well.

Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting

This is for everyone who wants to have their (sugar free) cake and eat it too!

Also because we all know that cakes taste better with something on top (at least most of the time...).

Have you tried my my Sugar Free Magnolia Style Cupcakes

Those tasty cupcakes are a copycat version of that famous cupcake only, made without adding sugar.
This buttercream frosting would go well on top of those cupcakes.

To make this recipe you will need sugar free powdered sugar. You can find a good selection of sugar free powdered sugar here.

People ask what exactly is buttercream.

You have probably enjoyed buttercream frosting on a cake or cupcake at some point.
It is a popular choice to topping cakes and cupcakes because it goes well with many flavors and textures.

Buttercream is just what it sounds like it is.

It is a mixture of butter and cream along with a bit of flavor added to it.
The texture is a thick and creamy that adds moisture to any baked goodie that it goes on top of.

This recipe is especially for anyone asking what can I use instead of sugar for frosting.

Sugar is added to frosting for two basic reasons.
It adds both flavor and the texture needed for frosting to frost your baked goods.

Instead of sugar we are using a sugar alternative.

Sugar free powdered sugar behaves like regular powdered sugar in this recipe.

However, if the sugar free powdered sugar that you choose to use does not measure 1:1 with regular powdered sugar, you may need to adjust your other ingredients for the taste and consistency that you want.

Here are some tips for making your Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting

Using butter, rather than a butter alternative such as margarine, is essential to making this recipe a success. Also, using sugar free powdered sugar , rather than sugar alternative in another form, is just as essential to this recipe.

Here are some more helpful tips for making frosting.

Using unsalted butter is not a big issue in this recipe. Salt is usually added in order to balance out another flavor, such as sweetness.
If you have added the powdered sugar and you feel as if your frosting is still not thick enough, you can try adding small amounts of a thickener. Examples of thickeners that may help include arrowroot starch, unsweetened gelatin, or tapioca.
Make your frosting more interesting by adding a few drops of food coloring or subtituting a flavored extract for the vanilal extract
For best results, please make sure that your cake has fully cooled before frosting it. You would probably not want your frosting to melt on top of the cake. I have seen this happen and it is not pretty 🙂 . A cake also needs to set enough to not fall apart when a spatula or frosting knife touches it.

You may also be wondering how to store butter cream frosting.

Since buttercream frosting does contain butter and butter is a dairy product, I would also agree that storing it is important. My suggestion is to store the buttercream frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also store your frosting in a the freezer!

Here are some similar recipes that you may also like.

Sugar Free Sponge Cake
Stevia Cream Cheese Frosting
Sugar Free Greek Yogurt Frosting
10 Sugar Free Frozen Ice Cream and Popsicle Recipes
FABULOUS Sugar Free Fudge
No sugar added oatmeal and raisin cookies
Sugar Free Devil's Food Cake.
Also, Sugar Free Red Velvet Cupcakes.
And Sugar Free Yellow Cake.

Keep up to date with my recipes

You can check out my guide on baking with sugar alternatives on Amazon

I have some great tips on which alternatives may work in a recipe such as this one.

Be sure to follow me on facebook and subscribe to my recipes via email to keep up to date as well.

This is the perfect recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting (3)

The recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting

I mentioned above that you will need to use sugar free powdered sugar in this recipe.

You can make this sugar yourself using this recipe or buy sugar free powdered sugar online here.

You can also make your buttercream frosting more interesting.

Make your frosting more interesting by adding a few drops of food coloring or subtituting a flavored extract for the vanilal extract.

Ingredients needed to make this Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting

Sugar Free Powdered Sugar- 3 cups. You can make this sugar yourself using this recipe or buy sugar free powdered sugar online here.
Butter- 2 sticks (1 cup) softened to room temperature.
Milk, Cream, Whipping Cream, or similar dairy- 1 tablespoon (can use up to 2 tablspoons if you want a more fluid frosting to work with). The more 'fat' the better your frosting will turn out.
Vanilla Extract- 2 teaspoons.

This is the perfect recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting (4)

How to make Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting

For best results, I recommend using standing mixer if you have one. Also, fit the mixer with a whisk attachment.
In a large mixing bowl, and your mixer outfitted with a whisk attachment,
cream together the sugar free powdered sugar and the butter by mixing on low for one minute. Once this becomes somewhat blended you can increase the speed to medium to get a more whipped texture. It should take about 2 ½- 3 minutes to get a good texture.
Scrape the sides of the bowl by hand and then add the milk (or alternative)and the vanilla. Start with 1 tablespoon of the milk and add more as needed. Finally, continue to mix on medium for 1- 1 ½ minutes or until you get that desired consistency.
This frosting works great in a decorating tool or with tips! You may need to make a few adjustments in the texture of your frosting.

The Recipe Card for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting

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4.33 from 416 votes

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Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting

This is the perfect recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting that you can use for that next batch of cupcakes or yummy cake. This recipe is low in carbs and keto friendly.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Search Result: buttercream, cake, cupcake, dessert, frosting, keto, sugar free

Servings: 12

Ingredients

3 cups Sugar Free Powdered Sugar
1 cup Butter -softened to room temperature.
1 tbsp Milk can use Cream, Whipping Cream, or similar dairy- 1 tablespoon (can use up to 2 tablespoons if you want a more fluid frosting to work with).
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

I recommend using standing mixer if you have one. Also, fit the mixer with a whisk attachment.
Cream together the sugar free powdered sugar and the butter by mixing on low for one minute. Once these appear to be somewhat blended you can increase the speed to medium to get a more whipped texture. It should take about 2 ½- 3 minutes to get a good texture.
Scrape the sides of the bowl by hand and then add the milk (or alternative)and the vanilla. Start with 1 tablespoon of the milk and add more as needed. Continue to mix on medium for 1- 1 ½ minutes or until you get that desired consistency.

Recipe Notes

I mentioned above that you will need to use sugar free powdered sugar in this recipe.

You can make this sugar yourself using this recipe or buy sugar free powdered sugar online here.

I also mentioned that you can make your buttercream frosting more interesting.

Make your frosting more interesting by adding a few drops of food coloring or subtituting a flavored extract for the vanilal extract.

*Please check the nutritional labels to assure that you are sticking to your diet restrictions for any substitutions used.

- see post for alternatives

Please see recipe post for further details on this recipe.
Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used.

most recently updated:

February 25, 2022

*About Sugar Alternatives

Specific sugar alternatives are not given in the recipes presented on this site. Only suggestions are given as to the 'kind' of alternative to use. It is up to you to select the alternative to use that suits your needs best. If the recipe is heated or cooked, it is best to use an alternative that can be heated or cooked with for best results. This site does not endorse any specific ingredients,

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that the links on this website, and specifically on this post, that lead to other sites may be affiliate links.

Nutrition

Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!

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Happy baking, eating, and enjoying life!

Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used.

This is the perfect recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting. Keto low carb and sugar free diet friendly.

Please see the recipe post for further details on this recipe.

You can see items that have been featured on my Sugar Free Sunday Spotlight here.

updated 2/2020 2/22

This is the perfect recipe for Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for icing sugar in buttercream frosting? ›

It is possible to simply use granulated sugar in a slightly smaller amount, though you'll have to accept that the texture may not be ideal, especially for icing or other recipes that are supposed to be super smooth. Just substitute 1 cup of granulated sugar for every 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar and proceed as directed.

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What happens if you put less sugar in buttercream? ›

My Silky Buttercream has fifty percent less sugar than my regular Smooth Buttercream, which makes it a lot less sweet and hardly gritty in texture. It also pipes beautifully and because of its silky texture it's perfect for frosting a smooth cake.

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What is the formula for buttercream frosting? ›

In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time.

Read On ›

How do you make buttercream thicker without icing sugar? ›

Dry/thick ingredients like cocoa powder, freeze dried fruit (powder,) and peanut butter will help thicken frosting, while vanilla and brown butter should be added sparingly to make sure it's the right texture.

What is a non sugar substitute for icing sugar? ›

Stevia. If you're looking for a substitute for powdered sugar that's lower in calories, you can use stevia or some other type of artificial sweetener. If you're looking for a sugar-free substitute for sugar, this is probably one of the most common ones people use.

Read The Full Story ›

What is a substitute for granulated sugar in frosting? ›

If you've run out of regular sugar, the best substitute is brown sugar. Brown sugar can be substituted for regular sugar on a one-to-one basis, so no fancy math or guesswork is necessary. Be aware, however, that brown sugar has a rich, molasses flavor.

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What is the least sweet buttercream? ›

Swiss Meringue buttercream is silky smooth and light. It's perfect if you're looking for a slightly less sweet buttercream. It is, however, more time consuming to make than American buttercream. Italian Meringue buttercream is the least sweet of the three.

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What can I add to buttercream to make it less sweet? ›

You can sub out any extract you like but add salt, and it balances the sweetness of the sugars and creates a more well-rounded frosting taste.

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Can I use powdered sugar instead of icing sugar in buttercream? ›

Either will make your buttercream grainy if you're making a basic, butter only buttercream. You can try breaking the sugar down in a blender or spice grinder, but it's much easier and faster to use icing sugar (confectioners or powdered sugar).

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What is the difference between buttercream frosting and buttercream icing? ›

Buttercream is a frosting made most often with butter or another fat, powdered sugar OR sugar syrup and flavorings. It has a fluffy, spreadable consistency. Icing is more liquid and most often made without any fats. Powdered sugar, liquid, and flavorings are the usual ingredients.

What is the difference between buttercream and buttercream frosting? ›

The best way to distinguish frosting from buttercream is through the ingredients. While both contain powdered sugar, fat, flavouring and sometimes milk or water, frosting does not contain any butter whatsoever. Instead, frosting is usually made with shortening or cream cheese.

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What is the most common type of buttercream frosting? ›

You may be familiar with one - American Buttercream. You add sifted powdered sugar into softened butter and a bit of liquid to thin it out. I categorize this as a simple buttercream because no emulsifying is taking place. We're just adding bulk to the butter as solid sugar granules.

Learn More Now ›

How do you make frosting stiff without powdered sugar? ›

Add corn starch

If you want to thicken your royal icing without adding additional sugar, you can add a minimal amount of corn starch (less than a teaspoon) to help your icing thicken up.

Read On ›

What's wrong with my buttercream frosting? ›

If your butter is too firm it will be difficult to combine with your icing sugar and you'll end up with lumpy buttercream. Too soft and your buttercream will be runny and oily, unable to hold it's shape particularly if you intend to use it for any kind of piping.

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How do you make buttercream firmer? ›

Use powdered sugar to easily thicken the buttercream frosting. Add the powdered sugar 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) at a time. Mix the powdered sugar into the frosting using an electric mixer or handheld whisk, making sure it's thoroughly integrated.

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Can I use honey instead of icing sugar? ›

For every 1 cup of sugar, replace it with 1/2 to 2/3 cups of honey.

Learn More ›

Can you use sugar instead of icing sugar for icing? ›

Yes! If you have a food processor or high-speed blender, simply process white sugar until finely ground to the texture of flour. You can sift through some cornflour to make icing sugar mixture, about 1tbsp of cornflour to each cup of sugar.