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.
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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.
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
Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting
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
*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.
*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
Nancy Hilderbrand
My favorite icing is Buttercream. I can start making cakes again and will be using the Buttercream recipe.
Jodi Hunter
I hope this is delicious, we could really use a healthier icing at our house,
Ann
Butter cream is my most favorite icing. I have not ever made it this way so Im going to try it like this. Thanks for the recipe
Janie McGaugh
It's nice to know there's a sugar-free way to make buttercream frosting.
Camila Sugui
The icing it's the best part of any dessert for me!!!
Jerry Marquardt
This really looks great for a lower calorie option. Thanks for a great idea.
Bee Gianni
I recently made cookies for my nephew who has dietary limitations. I swapped out Splenda sugar replacement, which I often do. They were delicious!
natalie nichols
This looks amazing! I want to try it for my sons bday!
Camila Sugui
What a nice recipe!!!
Laura Farmer
Can't wait to give this a try, butter cream is one of my faves, but I try to avoid sugar
Edna Williams
This looks nice! Thanks for sharing!
Bee Gianni
Who would have thought that we would have sugar free buttercream❓My mother would have eaten it right out of the mixing bowl.
Kathy
Can you sub the butter with shortening?
Joan Fry
I have and it makes lighter, smoother frosting.
Diana
Hi,
I'm newly diagnosed diabetic and just ran onto your recipe for sugar free buttercream.
I'm wondering...am I supposed to make powdered sugar out of the sugar substitute and cornstarch first, using the blender--- Or just dump it all in with the butter and mix?
Also, have you ever added cocoa powder to this recipe? Thinking of using some cold coffee in place of the vanilla if I can add cocoa.
thanks!
Ms Posh
Hi
I am not an expert on diabetic eating. I would make the sugar free powdered sugar first. I actually make extra so that I have some available for my next project. I am thinking about making a cocoa version of this/. That cold coffee may be a good one to try too. Thanks!!
Laura Fiss
you actually can get a sugar free powder sugar now it works great i have used it already this year called swerve i think...
SFD
I have purchased it too. I like having the ingredients on hand to make my own for large recipes. Thanks
Georgenia Arthur
What is AP flour? In your cake recipes you call for AP flour. Don't know what this is. So glad to find your recipes. I am on low carb diet.
SFD
All Purpose Flour. Thanks!!
Georgenia Arthur
Do you ever use any of the low carb flours.in any of your recipes? If so what kind?
SFD
I am a huge proponent of using Carbalose as a flour alternative. The folks who make Carbalose say that it has 80% less carbs than regular flour. Carbalose is made mostly from wheat, however it lacks most non-fiber carbohydrates.
GG
this looks SO good' but i cant find cornstarch can i use cornflour or cornmeal instead
SFD
Alternatives to corn starch include arrowroot, tapioca and potato starch because they are similar in the their composition and how they act. Cornflour or cornmeal probably will not work well in this recipe. thanks!
Lisa
I believe cornflour is the same as cornstarch. If it's white and powdery it is the same. Cornmeal is yellowish and grainy so that won't work.
SFD
Hi- Cornstarch and cornmeal are indeed two different items.
Thanks!
Jay
This recipe did not work out well at all. I'm sorry to say it was lumpy, and sticks to teeth.
So gross.
SFD
Hi
I am wondering if you used the Yogurt or Whipping Cream. thanks for the feedback!
melva
I agree, I made it and it was very lumpy. Couldn't get the lumps out and had to throw it away.
SFD
Hi- Butter cream can do that. Try one of my othersugar free frosting recipes such as this easy one.
Lauri
Hi! Would this work as an icing for donuts? I'm looking for a white icing recipe that sets up to the touch and not runny or sticky. I've used the powdered erythritol and Splenda with butter and milk but it doesn't set well. Can you help??
SFD
Hi. I would try a glaze. You can adjust the recipe on a glaze to make it more moist or harder depending on the amount of liquid that you add. thanks!!
Anne
Could this be turned into a strawberry buttercream? My birthday is in a few days and I'm trying to help my husband make me the strawberry cake that I really want. They are so plentiful this year. I imagine we would need a little less wet ingredients.
SFD
I'm wondering if some sugar free (dry- not prepared) strawberry jello subbed in would do it.
Thanks
Angelena Alfonso
What is the Nutrition Facts Per Serving and the Diabetic Exchanges?
Sugar Free Diva
Hi- I am in the process of adding nutritional values to recipes. You can go here to find values until this one gets updated. Thanks
Kim Mathes
I was wondering when you are making the sugar free powdered sugar are you using the Splenda that is a sugar blend for baking? I was concerned because that Splenda you use 1/2 the amount of regular sugar so I didn't know if I should use half of the sugar amount in your recipe.
SFD
Hi. that is a good question. I would go by total volume.I use a granular (usually Splenda) that is 1:1 equivalent to sugar in volume. Hope this helps. thanks!!