Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

I am so beyond thrilled with how this ultra fluffy, creamy Peanut Butter Frosting turned out! With just six ingredients and about ten minutes of work you will find yourself piping this onto cakes, swiping it over brownies, and (let’s be honest) eating it straight off the spoon.

Fluffy, creamy, not too sweet, and peanut buttery without being pushy about it. Every photo you see here, I piled it on my Hershey’s chocolate cake. Is there any better match for this frosting? I think not!

This is the peanut butter frosting I put on everything chocolate in my kitchen. It spreads easily, but it also pipes up into proper pillowy piles for a cake. And it all comes together in about ten minutes with a mixer and a bowl.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Good peanut butter frosting is a balancing act. Too sweet and it stops tasting like peanut butter. Too heavy and it overpowers the cake.

I’ve been making this Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting for years now and I’ll admit that it’s pretty awesome. But what I have really been wanting lately is a fluffy, creamy, light peanut butter frosting and I’ve nailed that with this peanut butter frosting recipe. I’m giddy over this, my friends!

This recipe makes enough frosting for a two-layer cake. For a pan of brownies or a 9×13 cake, you will want to halve the recipe. Or, if you’re like my family, you’ll happily make the full recipe and then top graham crackers, cookies, and everything else with the leftover frosting.

A slice of two layer dark chocolate cake frosted with light brown frosting.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Butter – Real salted butter, softened to room temperature. Not melted. Not cold from the fridge. Softened.

Peanut Butter – Creamy, standard grocery-store peanut butter (Jif, Skippy, Peter Pan, whatever you grew up with). Not the drippy natural kind that separates. The scoopable kind is what makes frosting that actually holds its shape.

Powdered Sugar – Three cups. Yes, that’s a lot of sugar. No, it isn’t too much. The peanut butter does the heavy lifting on balancing the sweetness.

Heavy Cream – This is what takes the frosting from “dense” to “fluffy.” Start with two tablespoons. Add more as needed. Whole milk will work in a pinch, but cream whips everything up airier.

Vanilla – A teaspoon. It rounds everything out. Don’t skip it.

Salt – A quarter teaspoon of kosher salt. Peanut butter already has salt in it, but a little bit more wakes the whole thing up. Try it without and then taste it with. You’ll get it.

All the ingredients for the frosting are arrayed around a stand mixer.

Notes on Equipment

Rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
Stand mixer – I’m a big fan of Kitchenaid, but I sure don’t love that price tag. So, learning that I could buy refurbished from Kitchenaid directly for 50% off WITH a warranty? I was thrilled! Not a requirement, but definitely nice to have.
Offset spatula, for spreading

Adding the peanut butter to the stand mixer.

How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting

Softening the Butter: Your butter has to be properly softened before you start, or you’ll end up with little lumps through the finished frosting. I just set mine out half an hour before I plan to mix it.

Whipping the Base: Combine the softened butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl and beat them with an electric mixer (I use the whisk attachment on my stand mixer) on medium-high for a minute or two, until smooth and pale. This is the step everyone rushes. But don’t! This is where the “fluffy” magic actually happens.

The white powdered sugar has been added to the peanut butter base.

Adding the Sugar: I turn the mixer down to low and add the powdered sugar a cup at a time. Don’t skip turning the speed down, or you’ll be wearing a lot of it!

Finishing the Frosting: You’ll pour in the vanilla, 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, and the salt. That’s when I put my mixer back up on medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes. It lightens and fluffs up as I watch.

A close up of the measuring spoon drizzling the vanilla extract into a stand mixer full of soon-to-be frosting.

Adjusting the Texture: We want this frosting thick, creamy, and wonderfully spreadable. If it’s too stiff, I just add another tablespoon (or two) of cream and whisk again. But, trust me, you want to go slow here.

Using It: I don’t think I really need to tell you this. But, spread this over cupcakes, brownies, cakes, or just use a spoon to conduct a few taste tests. I won’t judge.

A blue spatula in a clear mixing bowl full of light brown frosting.

Expert Tip

Here is my top piece of advice: beat the butter and peanut butter together really well before any of the powdered sugar goes into the bowl. A full minute or two on medium-high. This is the step that turns “good” frosting into the kind of amazing, fluffy stuff that I dream about, because it whips air into the mix. If you rush it, what you get will still taste great, but it won’t have the light and airy body that makes this recipe for peanut butter frosting the only one you’ll ever want to make again.

Room Temperature Matters – Cold butter won’t whip up properly. If your butter is too firm when you start, you’ll end up with little lumps that no amount of extra beating will fix. Let it soften on the counter, or cut the stick into small pieces to speed things along.

Use Regular Peanut Butter – Skip the natural stuff that drips with oil. You want the kind that doesn’t separate. Choosy moms choose JIF, especially when it comes to this pb icing recipe.

Cream Not Milk – I know. You have milk. But, trust me. Heavy cream whips everything up so much fluffier, and it has a richness milk can’t quite match. It’s worth a quick stop at the dairy case.

Taste as You Go – Let me tell you, there is only one secret for how to make homemade peanut butter frosting. And, it shouldn’t really be a secret. Make it your way. Want it sweeter? Add another quarter cup of powdered sugar. More peanutty? A couple extra spoons of peanut butter will do it.

Salt is Your Friend – Don’t be afraid to salt this frosting. You’re going to use salted butter and the peanut butter has salt too. You’re also going to add some salt to the recipe. But, in the final stage, if you still think something is missing when you taste the frosting, try adding a pinch more salt. This frosting can handle it. Your peanut butter may have a different amount of salt than mine, so don’t be afraid to adjust things.

Don’t Don’t Don’t Frost a Warm Cake – Frost only fully cooled cakes or brownies. A warm cake will melt the frosting right off the top. Ask me how I know.

What to Frost with This

This peanut butter frosting was made for chocolate. Any chocolate. I piled it on a Hershey’s chocolate cake for the photos, but it’s just as good on an unforgettable chocolate quinoa cake or even my the best gluten free chocolate cake.

For something simpler, it’s great on a chocolate crazy cake, a pan of brownies, or cupcakes. It would also be great on this chocolate mayonnaise cake, you read that right – don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it, friends. And yes, you can just eat it off a spoon. I’m not your boss.

An action shot showing a hand holding the spatula, spreading the frosting over the top of a layer of round cake.

Make Ahead & Storage

Make Ahead: While I don’t really recommend making frosting in advance, because it’s always best immediately after making it, you can make the frosting a day or two ahead if you must. Cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to use it, let it sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Then give it a quick whip with the mixer to bring the fluffy texture back before you spread or pipe it.

How to Store: Leftover frosting keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Already on a cake? That cake is good at room temperature for a day, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Pull it out of the fridge a bit early so it can come back to room temp before serving.

You can freeze it, too, in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then re-whip before using.

More Homemade Frostings

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make peanut butter icing?

Icing is often a bit thinner than frosting, so you’ll following the above directions to whip the softened butter and creamy peanut butter together first, then add powdered sugar gradually. Finish with vanilla, a little salt, and enough heavy cream to get the consistency you want.

Can I use natural peanut butter?

I wouldn’t. Natural peanut butter separates and changes the ratios of oil to solids. The frosting ends up greasy or grainy instead of fluffy. Stick with a standard creamy peanut butter from the grocery store for this one.

Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?

In a pinch, yes. Whole milk will work. But you’ll lose a little of the airy fluffiness that heavy cream gives this frosting. If you have the cream on hand, use it.

How much cake will this frost?

A two-layer cake. For a 9×13 cake, a pan of brownies, or about a dozen cupcakes, halve the recipe. A full batch will frost roughly 24 cupcakes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer (wire whisk attachment if using a stand mixer) on medium-high for 1-2 minutes, until smooth, pale, and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until combined.
Add the vanilla, 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, and salt. Beat on medium-high for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick to spread easily, add another tablespoon or two of cream and beat briefly, adding additional liquid only if necessary.

This recipe will make enough frosting for a two-layer cake or 24 cupcakes. For a pan of brownies or a 9×13 cake, you will want to halve the recipe.