This is the Best Sugar-Free Vanilla Buttercream Frosting that is so simple to make with only 4 ingredients! It's keto, low carb and absolutely delicious with no aftertaste from low carb sweeteners!
SUGAR FREE KETO BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
With just 4 simple ingredients you can have a sugar free, low carb, gluten free vanilla frosting for any dessert. Whether you need to frost a cake or cookie, this recipe is so simple a child could make it successfully!
You can easily make this sugar free frosting ahead and have it ready to frost your keto cupcakes or cakes or cookies!
This recipe was first published in December of 2014. I'm re-sharing it today because I felt it needed a video to show how easy it is to make.
This weekend was a perfect Saturday with nothing to do but stay home and bake and that's exactly what we did! I was so grateful to have a Saturday at home for the first time in a really long time after what seemed to be an endless streak of busy weekends.
BEST SWEETENER FOR LOW CARB BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
My youngest two kiddies and I made two kinds of cookies! The first that you see in these pics today with the frosting is a recipe I originally made with whole wheat flour, my Sugar Free Sugar Cookies and the second recipe is for Gingerbread Men!
I've been finding that Swerve Confectioners sweetener is a perfect cooking baking ingredient as it perfectly adds the bulk the sugar would have provided. Although it isn't as sweet as sugar would be, so adding additional sweetener from liquid stevia or Monk fruit liquid helps to create the perfect balance of sweetness and doesn't leave an aftertaste!
I've made a few delicious frostings that will provide you some variety for all your baking endeavors: Chocolate Buttercream, Cannoli Frosting, Peanut Butter Buttercream, and here's a collection of 16 fantastic frostings!
BEST NATURAL FOOD COLORING
I'm sure you're wondering about the food coloring in the cookies right? In October when I made my green Halloween Witches finger cookies I tried using a less expensive brand of natural food coloring I found at Whole Foods instead of purchasing the brand you see above in the picture because it was about $16.00!
We experimented with cookies using the cheaper brand and the taste was not kid approved. This brand, while expensive, is worth every cent because there was absolutely not aftertaste or funny taste at all and the kids loved it.
The red color did not come out as red as I would have liked, it's more pink but my daughter was thrilled with the pink so we kept it. I think If I continued to add red coloring it would have been closer to a red color.
I used to get deeply frustrated with myself when a recipe didn't come out perfect on the first try. How silly now that I look back over the last 3 years of this blog.
Trial and error is how I have perfected my skills and testing recipes and having fails, while I hate wasting ingredients, it is all part of the deal when it comes to making sugar free desserts.
So when you see a dessert recipe on this blog you can know for certain that it's been made more than once and it's as good as it gets for sugar free baking.
My daughter is just 11 but she is taller than me and looks like a 13 years old and my little man is 8. They love to help in the kitchen and the pretty decorated cookies you see on the plate is ALL them!
They found that using a knife to spread the frosting was difficult so they washed their hands and used their fingers, almost like finger painting on a cookie. Made for a much more smoother look.
HOW LONG CAN KETO BUTTERCREAM FROSTING SIT OUT?
Once you frost your sugar free cupcakes or cake or cookies, they can sit out on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
HOW MANY DAYS AHEAD CAN YOU MAKE IT?
You can make this frosting up to 3 days ahead. STORE in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
REWHIP THE FROSTING when you are ready to use it again for frosting. Simply allow it to come to room temperature for about 2-3 hours on the counter then add back to your stand mixer and mix until nice and smooth.
HOW LONG CAN YOU STORE SUGAR FREE BUTTERCREAM?
This sugar free frosting will last for up to two weeks in the fridge.
CAN YOU FREEZE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING?
YES YOU CAN FREEZE THIS SUGAR FREE FROSTING!
I'm super happy how pretty these turned out and once the frosting set a bit on top of the cookies were were able to freeze them between parchment paper in an airtight container to be ready for our cookie tray assembling on Christmas Eve.
SUGAR FREE BUTTERCREAM INGREDIENTS
You need just 4 ingredients to make sugar free buttercream frosting.
Butter- you can use salted or unsalted. If you use unsalted I would add a pinch of sea salt to the mixture when mixing.
Swerve Confectioners Sweetener- You need 1 cup but you can mix this frosting up and use more if you feel it's needed.
Vanilla extract is a must for this delicious vanilla buttercream frosting.
Heavy cream or unsweetened coconut or almond milk.
Optional to balance out the low carb sweeteners so no aftertaste occurs, I highly recommend adding the optional vanilla liquid stevia.
HOW TO MAKE SUGAR FREE BUTTERCREAM
Add all ingredients into a stand mixer and blend on high until smooth.
Continue to add additional cream for desired consistency. Taste and decide if you need more sweetener.
Makes 1 ¼ cup or 10 ounces.
Sugar Free Buttercream frosting does not need refrigeration once on cookies.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS FROSTING DAIRY FREE?
YES YOU CAN MAKE SUGAR FREE BUTTERCREAM DAIRY FREE!
To make this dairy free, the butter could be switched to softened coconut oil and the milk, a non dairy alternative like almond milk.
CAN I SWAP THE LOW CARB SWEETENER USED?
If you prefer to use another low carb sweetener, instead of Swerve for this recipe, you could do that.
You still need a powdered sweetener that would add bulk to create the texture.
Here is my Sweetener Guide & Conversion Chart to help you figure out how much to use for this frosting recipe.
Sugar Free Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Sugar-Free Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup Swerve confectioners
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a stand mixer and blend on high until smooth.
- Continue to add additional cream for desired consistency. Makes 1 ¼ cup or 10 ounces.
- Does not need refrigeration once on cookies.
- Unused frosting can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Carol Hayden
Tried this recipe with Splenda, since I was unable to locate Swerve in my local stores. Ended up a little goopy, so I added a third more Splenda at a time and mixed until the frosting was satisfyingly firm. (2/3 extra Splenda total) It tasted GREAT! I dribbled some food coloring and squished it all into a ziplock bag that I cut the tip off of, before decorating some premade sugar-free cookies. I love guilt free snacking!
Renae
I’m so glad I came across your site on Instagram. I’m on Low Carb and my problem is sweets! Now, i’m going to be fixing all your recipes to try. Thank you, for sharing. I will for sure be ordering your cookbook.
Mary Sauls
My daughter will be decorating a cake for her grandparent's 65th. Will this recipe work for cake decorating?
Thanks.
Ali
For those who need to be dairy-free, coconut oil is not a great butter substitute in icings. It is very oily and gives a greasy mouth feel. It also melts on contact with little hands, resulting in greater mess everywhere. Vegetable shortening is neutral in flavor and has a higher melting point (meaning that it stays firmer at room temperature - like butter does). Some shortenings like Nutiva even have butter flavoring if that's important to your recipe flavor. Shortening (as opposed to coconut oil) is also a more equivalent butter sub in most baked goods as well. Most recipes calling for butter will have a more similar texture after baking if you sub in shortening rather than coconut oil.
Jose
Is the serving size correct? 1 gram ?
Brenda
No the recipe plug in had a glitch with all serving sizes converting to 1 gram.It's 1 ounce.
Carrie
I made this frosting with stevia tonight and it literally tastes like earwax. So disappointing! I really need to track down some erythritol. I ruined my cupcakes. Sigh.
Susan
Can you use the 1 lb container of this ( https://www.nowfoods.com/products/natural-foods/betterstevia-extract-powder-organic )?
Brenda
No, that is a pure extract and not the same as the confectioners sweetener used for this recipe.
Susie
What is a serving? It says 34 calories. Is that for a tablespoon?
Soubds great.
I. Simms
This is the best SF buttercream I have ever made...and sooo easy. I mean, this is wanting to lick the mixer bowl good. Thank you so much.
Brenda
Thank you so much!
Sheila
Will this work on cupcakes? I tried a similar recipe and it was a bit too runny for my cupcakes.
Brenda
It worked for me!https://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/low-carb-sugar-free-sparkling-champagne-cupcakes/
Nicole
This icing is amazing! I used it to put on the red velvet mini cake recipe of yours. I don't feel like I'm missing anything.
Chris
I normally make a regular buttercream frosting. The sugar is measured by weight instead of cups. Can I make it the same way and just replace the regular confectioners with Swerve?
Brenda
You sure can
Chris
Thanks. My diabetic friends will love this. They can now enjoy the cakes I make instead of being too concerned with their numbers. Glad I found your page
Anne Marsaw
You mentioned coconut oil as a sub for dairy free, have you worked w/Blue Bonnets lactose free stick margarine as a butter sub?
Brenda
No I've not tried it.
Kim
I found your recipe while searching for frosting recipes for my birthday cake, and I'm so excited. It looks really easy, and the ingredients are common low carb/sugar free ones.
sue
Hi, I added the milk to make it spread better, but when I went to add another T. it wouldn't mix in, just got liquidy around the frosting and wouldn't blend in. What is the explanation? thanks
Debbie
My frosting was gritty from the Swerve, did i do something wrong?
Brenda
Did you use the confectioners? Next time put the Swerve in a blender to make it finer.
Viki
how would this recipe work for cupcakes that will be out in the heat. Will it melt or get to soft? Looking at using this for my sons birthday party but its so hot outside.
Brenda
I would keep it refrigerated for as long as you can, it still has butter and with crazy heat, it melts.
Monica
Do you have any tips for softening this icing once it's been in the fridge a few days? This recipe is fantastic!
Brenda
Thanks, glad you liked it! Either let it sit out on the counter for a few hours to soften or place in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water.
Jim
Do you think Cinnamon Vanilla Stevia will work? And for cookies, I don't use milk, correct?
Brenda
That stevia flavor would be fine. Not sure what your asking about the milk?
Vicki
I can't find the powdered swerve, or erythritol. The only erythritol I can find is granulated, and you get the gritty sugar like crunch. What can I do different?
Susan
Your cookies look great! Just as a suggestion, beet juice from fresh cooked beets makes an awesome red color. I have used your suggested coloring but because it's so expensive and you have to use a lot to get at least a bright pink, I opted for the beet juice. Still looking for a natural alternative for the green. Orange and yellow beets work also if you want those colors (Halloween?).
Thanks, great recipe.
Karen A. Stephens
Liquid chlorophyll will work for green 🙂
Madison
How would you make this without butter or margarine??
Brenda
I'm not sure as it is meant to be butter cream frosting. I guess you could try a vegan butter if you need it dairy free.
joanna
this frosting looks great!! i am transitioning into a low carb diet since i have a complete sugar addiction!! i usually use regular powdered sugar and have never used swerve. does it cause any digestive distress like splenda?? that's my only hesitation with using it.
Brenda
I have a sensitive stomach and have no issues with using Swerve.
joanna
thanks brenda! i plan on making your coconut cupcakes and this frosting for easter!! can't wait to see how it turns out.
Kellie+@+The+Suburban+Soapbox
Looks like you had fun! And I have to cut back on sugar...I'm dying about it but the first thing I thought of was your site as must have resource for my journey in a couple weeks. Thanks for the frosting because it's my weakness!
Colleen (Souffle Bombay)
I can never decide whats best...making cookies as a family or eating them! Yours look like they are enjoying themselves!
Laura O |Petite Allergy Treats
I love this Brenda! There are so many recipes out using too much sugar and food dye this time of year. Love how you made this fun, healthier and festive.