This Lemon Buttercream Frosting whips together quickly and is absolutely irresistible. This is perfect for all of your cakes and cupcakes.
Frosting is one of my biggest weaknesses. Like give me a quiet room, a bowl of frosting, and a spoon, and I’m a happy girl. And homemade frosting could not be easier to make! Which is both good and bad considering how much I love it.
This lemon frosting is no exception. With just butter, powdered sugar, milk, and lemon extract, you get a delightful frosting. It is easy to pipe but gets a gentle hardness to it, making it perfect for decorating.
How to Make Lemon Buttercream Frosting
This homemade frosting comes together with just five ingredients and in a few simple steps. Here is a brief overview how just how easy this buttercream frosting recipe is to make. For the full recipe and the ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Beat the butter. Make sure your butter is at room temperature. Using an electric mixer, or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. This is important, so don’t rush it.
- Add the sugar. Mix in one cup of powdered sugar at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Beat in the lemon extract, milk, and salt.
- Adjust as needed. Taste the frosting and add more milk, sugar, or salt as needed (see more below on this), and then use your lemon frosting right away on Lemon Cupcakes or store it in the fridge for later.
Lemon Cupcakes
Lemon Extract vs Lemon Juice
For this lemon frosting recipe, the source of the lemon flavor matters. By using lemon extract, the frosting gets a stronger lemon flavor and less acidity than lemon juice would provide. You can find lemon extract in the baking aisle of your grocery store. Lemon juice is just juice from a lemon, which has a place in many recipes, but is not concentrated enough to get the job done for this simple buttercream frosting.
Tips for the Best Buttercream Frosting
This lemon frosting is not tricky to make, but these tips will help it be the best buttercream frosting you’ve ever tasted!
- Use room-temperature butter. This will make your job so much easier when you beat the butter to get that whipped, fluffy texture we are going for. If your butter is too soft, you won’t be able to pipe it. If it is too cold, you won’t be able to mix it. Butter at room temperature will still feel cold to the touch, but you can make a dent in it with your finger without pushing all the way through. A good rule of thumb is that butter cut into one inch pieces will take 30 minutes to come to the room temperature.
- Use unsalted butter. I use unsalted butter to really control the salt in this recipe. If your frosting is too sweet at the end, you can add a pinch of salt. However, it is easier to add a pinch at the end than to use salted butter and not like the end result.
- Measure your powdered sugar correctly. Spoon the powdered sugar into your measuring cup, or softly pour it into it, so that it doesn’t get packed and result in too much.
- Tweak the taste as needed at the end. One of the best parts of this recipe, other than how delicious it is, is how simple it is to adjust the flavor. If your lemon buttercream frosting is too thick, add a splash of milk. If it’s too thin, sprinkle in some powdered sugar. And finally, if it’s too sweet, add a pinch of salt.
Storing Frosting
If you aren’t using this frosting right away or have leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. You may need to give it a good whip before using it on cupcakes, cookies, or cake to give it that fluffy consistency again. If you are making this lemon frosting recipe ahead of time, store the frosting separately, and then frost your cupcakes or cookies just before serving them so that you don’t have to keep everything in the refrigerator.
FAQ
Since this whipped buttercream frosting is made with butter and milk, you will want to refrigerate it. I recommend storing the frosting in the refrigerator and frosting your cupcakes just before serving so you don’t have to keep them in the refrigerator.
I do not recommend freezing this frosting. It will lose its fluffy texture when thawed.
I highly recommend getting lemon extract for this recipe, but you could consider using a splash of lemon juice and two teaspoons of lemon zest instead.
Piping Lemon Frosting
I love piping frosting onto my cupcakes for easy application, great presentation, and convenient cleanup. In addition to lemon or vanilla cupcakes, it would also be delicious on sugar cookies and sugar cookie bars. To pipe this lemon buttercream frosting on cupcakes or cakes, I love this set!
More Frosting Recipes
Looking for other homemade frosting recipes? I have you covered!
If you whip up this homemade lemon buttercream frosting recipe, leave a comment and let me know how you and your family like it!
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature (113 grams)
- 5 cups powdered sugar (567.5 grams)
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1/4 cup milk (59 ml or 56.75 grams)
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy.1/2 cup unsalted butter
- Add in the powdered sugar gradually, one cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.5 cups powdered sugar
- Beat in the lemon extract, milk, and salt.2 teaspoons lemon extract, 1/4 cup milk, 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- If the frosting is too thick, add a dash of milk. If it is too thin, add in a bit more powdered sugar. If it is too sweet, add another 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
Sam Cady says
Hi Lisa. I absolutely LOVE your recipes! I’ve probably made over 90% of the recipes you’ve posted! Have NEVER been disappointed! Family and friends always look forward to your recipes as well. Our 14 year old grandson, when they come to dinner, always asks if it’s one of your recipes and if so, can he bring a friend! I’ve dropped all the other recipe sites I had. Yours is the only one I need! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sam, you absolutely made my day. Thank you!!