This peanut butter icing is a no-cook frosting made from 1 cup creamy peanut butter, ½ cup softened unsalted butter, 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla. It comes together in one bowl in about 10 minutes and frosts 12 to 16 cupcakes or one 8 inch layer cake.
The one thing to get right is the liquid. It goes in last, a tablespoon at a time, because a single spoonful is the difference between icing that holds a piped swirl and icing that slumps.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
Try the Recipe Converter →Jif, Skippy or Natural Peanut Butter for Icing?
Use regular creamy peanut butter. Jif and Skippy both work. Those brands contain stabilizers that keep the peanut oil bound into the butter. Natural peanut butter lets the oil seep out as you beat it, and the icing turns slick and can split. Here is what each ingredient does:
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter: the flavor and most of the body. Skip crunchy here; the bits catch in a piping tip.
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened: makes the icing lighter and smoother than peanut butter alone. Unsalted lets you control the salt.
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted: sweetness and structure. Sifting is what keeps tiny sugar specks out of the finished icing.
- 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk: sets the final texture.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract: rounds out the roasted peanut taste.
- Pinch of salt: optional, and often not needed at all.
Put plainly, the ratio is 2 cups powdered sugar to 1 cup peanut butter and ½ cup butter, loosened with 2 to 4 tablespoons of cream.
Beating the Peanut Butter and Butter Until Pale
Both should be at room temperature. The butter is ready when a finger leaves a dent but it still holds its shape. Greasy, half melted butter makes a slick icing, and peanut butter straight from a cold pantry leaves small lumps.
Beat the two together on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Stop once to scrape the bowl. You are looking for a smooth, fluffy base that has turned a shade paler. Any lumps left now only get harder to fix once the sugar goes in.
Adding Powdered Sugar to Peanut Butter Without a Sugar Cloud
Mix in the vanilla first. Then add the sifted powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time with the mixer on low. Once each addition disappears, turn it up to medium high for a few seconds before adding the next.
By the last cup the icing will look thick, almost like cookie dough. That is normal. The cream comes next.
How Much Cream for Piping, Spreading or Filling
Add the cream one tablespoon at a time and beat for about 30 seconds after each. Peanut butter icing changes fast. Go slowly, and stop when it looks right for your bake:
- 2 tablespoons: firm. Holds sharp ridges from an open star tip and stays put between cake layers.
- 3 tablespoons: soft and spreadable. Right for the top of a cake, a sheet cake or a pan of brownies.
- 4 tablespoons: very soft and silky. Good for swooping onto bars. Add a little more and it becomes a drizzle for ice cream or cheesecake.
Heavy cream or whole milk? Heavy cream gives a richer, silkier icing that holds its shape better, so use it for piping and layer cakes. Whole milk works too. It makes a lighter, slightly looser icing that suits brownies and bars.
Then taste. Jif and Skippy are already salted, so most batches need nothing more. If your peanut butter is unsalted or mild, a small pinch of salt makes the peanut flavor brighter.
Fixing Stiff, Runny, Grainy or Oily Peanut Butter Icing
- Too stiff to spread: beat in more cream, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Too soft or droopy: usually a warm kitchen or too much cream. Chill the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes and beat again. If it is still loose, beat in a little more sifted powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
- Grainy: the sugar was not sifted. Add a teaspoon of cream and beat for another minute.
- Oily or split: natural peanut butter or melted butter. Chill for 15 minutes, then beat on low until it comes back together.
- Too salty: salted butter plus salted peanut butter. Beat in another splash of vanilla and a spoonful of powdered sugar.
Using Peanut Butter Icing as a Cake Filling
For a peanut butter filling for cake, make the firm 2 tablespoon version. Spread an even layer about ½ inch thick on the bottom layer, leaving a small border so the weight of the top layer pushes it to the edge, not out of it. Chill the filled cake for 15 minutes before you stack and frost. It is especially good between layers of sour cream chocolate cake.
If you want something lighter between the layers, use this icing on the outside and my peanut butter mousse filling inside.
Cupcakes, Brownies and Holiday Trays
On cupcakes, the firm version pipes tall swirls that hold their ridges. Try it on chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, or on banana cupcakes and a plain vanilla layer cake.
For brownies, spread the soft version over a cooled pan of fudgy brownies, chill until set, and cut into squares. Cut small, those squares hold their shape on a Christmas cookie tray. My brownie frosting roundup has more toppings if you want options. It also spreads well over a peanut butter sheet cake.
For a chocolate and peanut butter pairing, frost one cake with this and another with chocolate frosting, or pipe a little of each on cupcakes. A ring of the firm version also finishes a no bake peanut butter pie.
Storing and Rewhipping Peanut Butter Icing
Covered tightly, the icing keeps at room temperature for up to 24 hours. After that, refrigerate it in an airtight container. Like most buttercreams it keeps about a week in the fridge and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Cold icing turns firm. Almost like fudge. Let it sit at room temperature until soft, about an hour, then beat for a minute to bring back the smooth texture. Add a teaspoon of cream if it still feels stiff.
Peanut Butter Icing Questions
Is this a cooked peanut butter icing?
No. This is a no-cook powdered sugar icing that is ready in 10 minutes. Old fashioned cooked or boiled peanut butter icing simmers sugar and milk on the stove first and sets firmer, closer to a fudge topping, while this one stays creamy and pipeable.
Is peanut butter icing the same as peanut butter frosting?
In most American kitchens the words are used for the same thing. This recipe is a peanut butter buttercream. For a fluffier version, see my easy peanut butter frosting.
Can I use crunchy peanut butter?
Yes, for spreading on brownies or a sheet cake. For piping, stick with creamy, because the peanut pieces clog the tip.
How much peanut butter icing do I need for a cake?
One batch frosts 12 to 16 cupcakes or one 8 inch layer cake. For a two layer cake with a thick filling and piped borders, make a batch and a half.
Pin this peanut butter icing to your frosting board so it is handy for the next birthday cake or holiday tray. If you make it, tell me in the comments what you frosted.
Peanut Butter Icing Recipe
This peanut butter icing is a creamy, no-cook peanut butter frosting made with creamy peanut butter, softened butter, sifted powdered sugar, a little heavy cream or milk, and vanilla. It is ready in about 10 minutes in one bowl and frosts 12 to 16 cupcakes or one 8 inch layer cake. The cream goes in last, one tablespoon at a time: 2 tablespoons for a firm icing that pipes and fills cake layers, 3 for a soft spread. Use it on chocolate cupcakes, as a peanut butter filling for cake, on brownies, a sheet cake, or thinned as a drizzle over ice cream. Use Jif or Skippy, not natural peanut butter, and refrigerate after 24 hours.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural style; use Jif or Skippy)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- CREAM THE BUTTER AND PEANUT BUTTER: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth, fluffy, and fully blended.
- ADD THE VANILLA: Mix in the vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
- INCORPORATE THE POWDERED SUGAR: Add the sifted powdered sugar gradually, about ½ cup at a time. Start on low speed to avoid a sugar cloud, then increase to medium-high as the mixture thickens. Continue beating until the icing is thick and smooth.
- ADJUST CONSISTENCY: Add heavy cream or milk one tablespoon at a time, beating between each addition, until the icing reaches your preferred consistency. Use 3 tablespoons for a spreadable texture or 2 tablespoons for a firmer piping consistency.
- TASTE AND ADD SALT IF NEEDED: Taste the icing. If your peanut butter is unsalted, add a small pinch of salt to enhance the flavor.
- READY TO USE: Use the icing immediately to frost cakes, cupcakes, brownies, or cookies. If not using right away, cover and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours or refrigerate for longer storage.
Notes
Use conventional creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter lets the oil separate and makes an oily, split icing. Have the butter and peanut butter at room temperature so the base beats smooth. Add the cream one tablespoon at a time: 2 tablespoons for piping and filling layer cakes, 3 for spreading. If the icing gets too soft in a warm kitchen, chill it for 10 to 15 minutes and beat again. Taste before adding salt, since most peanut butter is already salted. Covered, it keeps at room temperature for up to 24 hours; after that refrigerate it, then let it soften and beat briefly before using.
