This Lemon Buttercream Frosting is the best balance of sweet and tangy. This recipe uses real lemon juice and zest to deliver the right citrus notes that will complement your cakes, cupcakes, and cookies just right! It’s light, fluffy, and pipes on so beautifully without any artificial flavorings.
I’m finally adding some of my favorite recipes that I’ve been making for years, here to the blog. Including this delicious lemon buttercream frosting. We have to be careful not to add too much fresh lemon juice to the frosting because we want to avoid our frosting curdling with the mix of lemon juice + heavy cream. But we still want that super fresh real lemon flavor!
I use a half batch of this recipe in my lemon cream wafer cookies, because this frosting is smooth, creamy, and so tasty you’ll want it on all the desserts. Pair it on top of our vanilla cupcake, coconut cake with cake mix, or sugar cookies this frosting will be a little sunshine on top of all your desserts!
Why you’ll love this Frosting
- Fresh Lemon Flavor: With fresh squeezed lemon juice, and lemon zest the frosting has the best flavor.
- Smooth and Creamy Texture: Smooth, fluffy, and easy to pipe onto cupcakes, or spread on cake.
- Ready in 10 minutes: This frosting beats up with only 7 ingredients in just a few minutes.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Lemon Buttercream Frosting recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter – Soften the butter at room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can also use Salted Butter and skip adding the salt.
- Powdered Sugar – Can also be called confectioners sugar
- Lemons – Zest the lemons first, then squeeze out the juice.
- Heavy Cream – This will give you a creamy and thick frosting, I don’t recommend subbing it for milk.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds a little extra flavor
- Salt – Just a little to balance the sweetness, and enhance the flavors
- Yellow Food Coloring – This is optional, just a couple drops to brighten the yellow color
How to make Lemon Buttercream
Step 1: Beat the butter. Add the softened butter to a large bowl with a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for a couple minutes, until it is soft and creamy.
Step 2: Add the powdered sugar. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time until it is totally mixed into the butter.
Step 3: Mix until Fluffy. Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix until combined. Increase the speed to high and keep beating for a few minutes until the frosting is nice and fluffy. Add in more powdered sugar, or more cream as needed until the texture is a nice thick, pipeable frosting.
Step 4: Use. Add the frosting to a piping back and pipe on your cookies, cupcakes, or cake, or use an offset spatula to spread onto your choice of desserts.
Tips and Tricks:
- Softened Butter: Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature, this will help it cream into the frosting easier, for a smooth consistency.
- Sift the Powdered Sugar: Sift the powdered sugar after you measure it, then add it to the frosting to avoid any lumps in the frosting.
- Zest before Juicing: You can easily juice two zested lemon halves, but it is hard to zest a lemon after it’s been cut in half and juiced. Zest the lemon or two, then cut them in half and squeeze out the juice. My favorite tools for this are my lemon zester, and my lemon juicer.
- Quantity: This makes about 2 1/2 cups of frosting. Enough for about 12 to 14 cupcakes, a 9×13 cake, or a light layer on an double layer 8inch cake. Double the recipe, or multiply it by 1.5 to have enough frosting for thicker layers and to pipe extra decorations on your cake.
Storage Instructions
The lemon frosting can be stored in an airtight container and chilled in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it warm back up at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes, then add it back to your mixing bowl and whip it back up to soften if back up. Add a little more cream as needed to thin it out.
The frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature and beat with a mixer until creamy again, adding a couple TBS of heavy cream if its still too stiff.
This Lemon Buttercream Frosting is so light, fluffy, and citrusy. It’s such a nice refreshing twist to elevate your favorite cakes, cupcakes, and cookies! In the pictures the lemon frosting is on top of Drop Sugar Cookies.
More Frosting Recipes
- Cream Cheese Frosting for Cupcakes
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Coconut Pecan Frosting
- Oreo Frosting Recipe
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting
- Peppermint Buttercream Frosting // Best Christmas Desserts
- Buttercream Frosting for Christmas Cookies // Best Christmas Desserts
If you make this Lemon Buttercream Frosting Recipe please leave a comment and 🌟 rating letting me know what you think! If you post the photo on Instagram, please tag me – I’d love to see what you’re making!
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Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, softened to room temperature)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 TBS lemon zest
- 2 TBS heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dash salt
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Add the butter to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer. Beat it for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. 1 cup unsalted butter
- Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until each cup is mixed in completely. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 4 cups powdered sugar
- Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on medium speed until everything is well combined. 2 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 TBS lemon zest, 2 TBS heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 dash salt
- Once combined, raise the speed to high and mix the frosting for another 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add a little more powdered sugar, or heavy cream as needed to get the right consistency.
- Use the frosting to pipe, or spread onto your favorite cake, cupcakes, or other baked goods.
Notes
- Softened Butter: Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature, this will help it cream into the frosting easier, for a smooth consistency.
- Sift the Powdered Sugar: Sift the powdered sugar after you measure it, then add it to the frosting to avoid any lumps in the frosting.
- Zest before Juicing: You can easily juice two zested lemon halves, but it is hard to zest a lemon after it’s been cut in half and juiced. Zest the lemon or two, then cut them in half and squeeze out the juice. My favorite tools for this are my lemon zester, and my lemon juicer.
- Quantity: This makes about 2 1/2 cups of frosting. Enough for about 12 to 14 cupcakes, a 9×13 cake, or a light layer on an double layer 8inch cake. Double the recipe, or multiply it by 1.5 to have enough frosting for thicker layers and to pipe extra decorations on your cake.
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