Peanut Butter Frosting: This is the creamiest, fluffiest peanut butter frosting you’ll ever eat! It’s a buttercream recipe that’s heavy on the peanut butter flavor and it’s absolutely perfect for your next chocolate cake.

Peanut Butter Frosting

I’ll come right out and say it: I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER.

Unless you’re allergic and can’t physically eat peanut butter, I just cannot understand people who don’t like it. There ARE people out there who don’t like peanut butter! Can you imagine?!

 

My cousin, Brian, is one of them. He’s been a peanut butter hater for as long as I can remember, which is a really, really long time now.

Peanut Butter Frosting

We went to pre-school together and I remember the day we made peanut butter in our classroom. He wouldn’t eat what we made so I ate his too.

And I suppose this memory totally points to me being an old lady since HELLO! We MADE PEANUT BUTTER in our pre-school classroom. What can I say? It was 1982 and things were different back then.

Anywho! Back to my love for peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Frosting

If it hasn’t already been made evident from the oodles of peanut butter dessert recipes I have in the archives of this site (see: pie, brownies, cookies, ice cream, cupcakes, truffles, and cookie bars (plus multiple version of some of those)), I’m bringing you this creamy peanut butter frosting today.

It’s the frosting I made to go on the fudgy chocolate peanut butter cake that I made for Kyle’s birthday a few years ago. And it’s the only peanut butter frosting recipe I keep coming back to anytime I feel peanut butter frosting is warranted on a cake or cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Frosting

I know I’m a creature of habit in some ways but it’s also true that this really is the best peanut butter frosting ever. So I don’t feel the need to find another frosting recipe to try.

How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting

It might seem pretty obvious that the main ingredient in this frosting is peanut butter. But you also need some butter. This is a peanut butter buttercream frosting and the butter is needed to give the frosting some stability.

And this frosting recipe is so much easier than you would think! You’ll simply beat the peanut butter, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl until it’s thick and creamy.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Then you’ll add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat the frosting up until it’s light and a little airy.

So easy, right? Then you can swirl onto your cakes and brownies or pipe it onto your cupcakes. It’s really easy to work with and it spreads out like a dream.

I also need to tell you something else: hide your spoons.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Seriously, friends! You’re going to want to sit down with a bowl of this frosting and just go to town with it.

But I urge you to have some restraint, too. Because you need this frosting for your next cake! Or batch of cupcakes. Whichever.

Ideas for Using Peanut Butter Frosting

If you want to make cupcakes, this frosting would be outstanding sitting atop these devil’s food cupcakes or these café mocha cupcakes.

For cake, there are just so many options! My first choice is the fudgy chocolate cake I mentioned above.

You could also go with this yellow butter cake for a layer cake or this indescribably delicious chocolate snack cake for a single layer cake.

A more unconventional option might be a peanut butter cannoli cake where you sandwich cannoli filling between the cake layers and smooth this frosting on the outside. Totally different but worth a try nonetheless!

Peanut Butter Frosting

Basically, any chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting is a winner in my book so if you’re a peanut butter cup fan, that would be the way to go!

OR!! Maybe you want to use this peanut butter frosting for brownies? Not a bad idea, right??

My go-to brownie recipe, in all its fudgy and chewy ways, would be just the one for this frosting!

Peanut Butter Frosting

Nevertheless, choosing how to use this peanut butter frosting will be difficult, for sure!

What We Love About this Peanut Butter Frosting

Hands down, this is the best peanut butter frosting we’ve ever tried. I’ve been making it for years and I’ve tweaked it along the way from an Ina Garten recipe into exactly the perfect recipe you see here today.

It’s so incredibly creamy but it’s also sturdy enough to hold a 3-layer cake together. And as you can see from the photos above, it makes beautiful loopy swirls too!

Peanut Butter Frosting

It’s an easy peanut butter frosting to make, too! Mixing everything together and then adding some cream at the end to loosen it up adds to the allure of making a quick frosting for cake or cupcakes.

There’s no BS going on here with this frosting. The peanut butter flavor is right there in your face and because of that, it’s the only peanut butter frosting recipe you’ll ever need for your chocolate cakes and cupcakes. (And heck, for your yellow and white cakes as well!)

Add a few chopped peanut butter cups to the top of the cake and prepare to be absolutely blown away!

More Excellent Frosting Recipes:

Peanut Butter Frosting

Peanut Butter Frosting

Yield: Enough to liberally frost a 9-inch, 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Peanut butter frosting is a necessary recipe for every home baker. It's the creamiest and fluffiest peanut butter frosting you'll ever eat! It's a buttercream recipe that's heavy on the peanut butter flavor and it's absolutely perfect for your next chocolate cake. Reese's peanut butter cup cake, anyone?

Ingredients

  • 2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tbsp plus 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

Instructions

    1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the peanut butter and butter. Sift the sugar into the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and salt. 
    2. Starting on low and gradually increasing (to prevent the sugar from covering your kitchen) the speed to medium-high, beat the ingredients until light and fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the heavy whipping cream until it is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.

    Storage: This frosting can be kept in the an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Bring it to room temperature and stir it up before using. On a cake, cupcakes, or brownies, the frosting is ok and safe to keep at room temperature until your dessert has disappeared (or up to 1 week).

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Leave a Comment

  • Sarah
    November 12, 2019 at 10:34 AM

    This frosting sounds delicious and I will be making this today. The cake won’t be served until tomorrow. Is it really okay for the frosting to be at room temperature for a day or two since it has heavy cream in it? I just want to double check so I don’t ruin the cake (or people’s stomachs 🙂 ).

    • Tara
      November 12, 2019 at 2:54 PM

      Hi Sarah! Yes, you can leave the cake out at room temperature. The sugar in the frosting stabilizes the dairy and prevents it from spoiling right away. The cake will be ok at room temperature for a few days (3-4 days). Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, the frosting may be a little soft so keep that in mind. Happy baking!!

  • Amy
    May 10, 2020 at 12:48 PM

    This frosting is delicious. It tastes like the center of Buckeyes or peanut butter balls, whatever you know them by. Easy to come together and nice texture to pipe and decorate. This has become my top peanut butter frosting recipe. Thank you!

    • Tara
      May 10, 2020 at 1:36 PM

      YAY!! I so love hearing all of this. In my opinion, there’s nothing like have a top peanut butter frosting recipe! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, Amy!

  • Deb
    May 12, 2020 at 5:48 PM

    I made this icing, but only used 1 c sugar and 1/2 tub of cool whip. It was awsome, Not real sweet and fluffy. This will be my #1 PB icing recipe.

    • Tara
      May 23, 2020 at 11:59 PM

      Good to know about how the substitutions worked! So glad you loved how it turned out! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, Deb!

  • Kelly
    May 19, 2020 at 3:39 PM

    Best peanut butter frosting recipe I’ve ever tried! It was so easy to make and light & delicious!
    We covered chocolate cupcakes and got rave reviews!

    • Tara
      May 23, 2020 at 11:55 PM

      YAY!! I love hearing this! Cupcakes are such a great vessel for this frosting. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, Kelly!!

  • Crystal
    July 31, 2020 at 6:02 PM

    I don’t have a stand mixer can i use a hand held?

    • Tara
      August 7, 2020 at 7:42 PM

      Sure, I think a handheld mixer will be fine for this frosting. Enjoy!

  • Kel
    August 13, 2020 at 1:48 PM

    I did like the recipe said, but it seems to be a weird texture and not really like a frosting texture. Any idea how to fix it or what I did wrong?

    • Tara
      September 28, 2020 at 10:43 AM

      Hmmm…I’ve never had this happen before. Were all of your ingredients at room temperature? That’s the only thing I can think of.

  • Kristen
    August 28, 2020 at 8:40 AM

    Hi! Can this recipe be halved or does it need to be adjusted? Thanks and can’t wait to make it this weekend!

    • Tara
      September 28, 2020 at 10:38 AM

      So sorry for the delayed response here. Yes, you can halve this recipe.

  • Charlotte
    September 26, 2020 at 8:10 AM

    Any recommendations on which PB to use? Will it work with the natural PB’s?

    • Tara
      September 28, 2020 at 10:31 AM

      Hi Charlotte! The natural version of Skippy (or other brands like it) will work – I use this one exclusively. I haven’t made this frosting with “true” natural/organic pbs since they tend to be so oily and I just don’t think they would work.

  • Tara
    November 19, 2020 at 8:01 PM

    Can you use salted butter and skip the added salt?

    • Tara
      November 21, 2020 at 6:00 PM

      I wouldn’t skip the salt altogether. Just cut it in half when using salted butter. If you’re really unsure about this, start by skipping it and then adding salt to the frosting as needed after you’ve made it. The salt will mix into the frosting just fine.

  • Tiffany
    January 30, 2021 at 5:44 PM

    My son has a peanut allergy so I supplemented wowbutter for the peanut butter and it is delicious on chocolate cupcakes!

    • Tara
      February 3, 2021 at 10:59 AM

      So great to hear this recipe works with alternative butters! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review and comment!

  • Ana Myre
    April 1, 2021 at 9:43 PM

    Hi, Just made this and is delicious, I used a natural peanut butter, I use the brand Old Home peanut butter, usually you find it on the refrigerated area!! I used two cups of it. I only added two cups of powder sugar!! I was a little scare because it look to soft but once I added the heavy whipping cream worked perfect!!
    Thank you

    • Tara
      April 19, 2021 at 9:12 AM

      Hi Ana! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review and to share your changes! So glad you loved this frosting!

  • Sarah
    July 29, 2021 at 12:07 AM

    How would this recipe do with some coloring? Considering it for a kiddo’s birthday cake and will need to do some decorating 😁

    • Tara
      August 1, 2021 at 11:14 AM

      Hi Sarah, Because it’s peanut butter frosting, it turns out light brown in color naturally so I don’t think coloring it is going to work very well. I haven’t tried it though, so if you do and it works, please let me know!

  • Janet
    February 4, 2022 at 4:42 PM

    This is enough for two cakes! I cut it in half.

  • Alina leake
    February 6, 2022 at 3:35 PM

    Can I just cut out the peanut butter?

    • Tara
      February 6, 2022 at 6:29 PM

      Well, the recipe is for peanut butter frosting, so no you can’t cut out the peanut butter. If you meant to ask if you could swap the peanut butter with another nut butter, I’ll say that I haven’t tried it but it might be worth trying. Hope that helps!

  • Tara
    March 22, 2022 at 4:53 PM

    If you fail to read that all ingredients need to be at room temperature before making, fear not. Add oats to the mixture, enough to create cookie consistency, spread in pan. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Yummy chewy bars.
    Back to the store to get more ingredients to try again. 😊

    • Tara
      October 13, 2022 at 10:36 AM

      lol! Great advice!!

  • Amy
    May 20, 2022 at 11:20 PM

    Best peanut butter frosting I’ve ever made/had! I cut the sugar down a little, to not be as sweet, but even with the full amount it is very peanut buttery. I made vanilla cupcakes w a reeses cup in the middle and topped with this icing for my son’s marching band. The absolutely LOVED them! Thanks for sharing.

    • Tara
      May 25, 2022 at 2:03 PM

      So awesome to hear, Amy! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!

  • Terry Butler
    May 25, 2022 at 8:08 AM

    I have regular whipping cream, can I use it instead of heavy whipping cream? It looks delicious thank you

    • Tara
      May 25, 2022 at 2:02 PM

      Hi Terry! I think the regular whipping cream will work fine in place of heavy whipping cream. Hope you love it!

  • Jennifer Curasco
    June 11, 2022 at 5:25 PM

    Love it! Halved the recipe to use as filling between 2 chocolate cookies. Yum! Thanks for the recipe. Family loves it as is.

    • Tara
      July 5, 2022 at 9:22 AM

      Fantastic to hear, Jennifer! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!

  • Leslie
    August 28, 2022 at 9:15 PM

    I have tried for so many years to find a great Peanut butter icing recipe for my Hershey’s chocolate cake. Well this is THE ONE. Everything about this perfect,flavour texture and spreadability. Thanks for a great recipe.

    • Tara
      October 13, 2022 at 10:15 AM

      I totally agree, Leslie!! You’re so welcome! And thank YOU so much for coming back to leave a review!

  • Constance
    October 28, 2022 at 8:43 AM

    My friend loves chunky peanutbutter. Do you think I could use that. His favorite cake is angelfood. Which i made

    • Tara
      November 20, 2022 at 8:19 PM

      I’m not sure how chunky peanut butter would work but please let me know if you try it!

  • Sheila
    December 19, 2022 at 12:09 PM

    Oh my word! That peanut butter icing is amazing! I put it on a chocolate cake…yum. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    • Tara
      December 20, 2022 at 8:25 AM

      Yay! So happy to hear you loved this frosting! Chocolate cake is the perfect pairing too!

  • Lynn
    October 18, 2023 at 6:29 PM

    Chocolate cake with peanut butter was requested for a special occasion. Used DH cake mix, then brushed cocoa liqueur Each layer before frosting with this recipe decorated with Reese’s thin pieces. It was delicious!

    • Tara
      November 4, 2023 at 9:49 AM

      Love the idea of brushing the cake layers with cocoa liqueur! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, Lynn!

  • Carolyn Alexander
    October 29, 2023 at 11:02 PM

    I use one jar of creamy peanut butter and with any cream cheese chocolate. You buy the frosting from any store sells various frostings already prepared in a plastic container. Mix the 2 items together. Melt peanut butter and then any container of frosting flavors you desire. Easier for me. U can make fude same way just freeze them 2 hours with nuts or not.

    • Tara
      November 5, 2023 at 12:15 PM

      This recipe is for those folks who don’t want to use store-bought frosting for their cakes. Thanks for your suggestion though!