Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (2024)

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More commonly known in my bakery as the adult buttercream

Aquafaba Swiss Meringue Buttercream is so silky and smooth with just the right amount of sweetness!

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (1)

Made from the whipped up water from a can of chickpeas also known as aquafaba

You can magically mimic the egg white meringue from our past lives!

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (2)

Due to it’s composition of carbohydrates and a good amount of protein that has leached from the beans into the water during cooking

Aquafaba is a magical ingredient that makes a beautiful silky smooth Swiss meringue buttercream!

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (3)

Notes for Success:

I rarely use shortening anymore and simply replace that quantity listed below with more vegan butter

My preference for vegan butter is Earth Balance since it has the lowest moisture content of all the vegan butters. *not sponsored

Low moisture content in your vegan butter is the key to success in any buttercream recipe

If you have ever experienced a curdled “broken” buttercream this is from the off balance of moisture in the recipe causing the emulsion to become over-saturated and thus curdled.

Be sure to click through to see how to save a failed buttercream!

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (4)

If you are boiling your own beans instead of using canned, first rinse them well, then soak 2 cups of beans in 4-5 cups of filtered water for at least 12 hours preferably overnight.

Then the next day you will drain the soaking water, rinse the beans well and replace with clean fresh water for the boiling process.

Another 4 cups of fresh filtered water to the rehydrated beans gets cooked through to fork tender (about 35-45 minutes)

You will get about 2-3 cups of magical bean water that we used to throw down the sink!

Reserve that golden aquafaba and cool it to room temperature, then store it for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer.

If the chick pea water seems too thin just keep boiling it and it will reduce down and thicken more.

The more concentrated the AF is to start the firmer and stronger your meringue will be.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (5)

Let’s Talk About Vegan Butter

Low moisture content is the key to success in any buttercream recipe!

I am partial to Earth Balance vegan butter *not sponsored

Although It is quite pricey at close to $5 per pound, it is the most stable in buttercream recipes since it has the lowest moisture content of all the vegan butters

Earth Balance will also firm up upon refrigeration which is the one thing that other vegan butters typically will not do!

That said I do use cheaper vegan butter when I cannot find or afford the Earth Balance brand.

So just be sure to do some trials and errors until you find the vegan butter that has the lowest moisture content, unfortunately this is not something that is listed on a label!

The addition of butter flavor is optional but because vegan butter is usually tasteless, I find the addition to be essential!

If you do use it, do so sparingly as it can give an off taste if you use too much.

I find the Olive Nation brand to be the best, and they offer a 20% discount on anything you order!

Use Discount Code GVB20 at checkout

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (6)

Since the development of this recipe back in 2015 I have now been leaving out the shortening altogether

Simply by replacing it with more vegan butter!

Shortening does nothing more than stabilize the buttercream for cakes that are to be displayed in hot climates or transporting long distances

And since I do not do this anymore, I find the all vegan butter version to be just great!

If you do need to use shortening be sure to use a Hi Ratio Cake Shortening like Sweetex brand is the best

For more vegan buttercream recipes click the links below!

Chocolate Buttercream
Mocha Buttercream
Italian Meringue Buttercream

Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

Vegan Buttercream Recipe ~ Mocha Buttercream

Aquafaba Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipe

Yield: 6 cups

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (10)

All canned chickpeas vary from brand to brand but I find that most canned will give about 3/4 cup of liquid aquafaba See notes above for cooking your own chickpeas

Prep Time30 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • Aquafaba Liquid 1 ½ cup (360ml)
  • Granulated Sugar ½ cup (100g)
  • Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
  • Butter Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)
  • Confectioners Sugar 2 cups (240g)
  • Cream of Tartar ½ teaspoon *optional
  • Vegan Butter 4 sticks (2 cups) (454g)

Instructions

  1. First reduce the aquafaba in a sauce pot by bringing to a full boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15-30 minutes until reduced to 3/4 cup or 1 cup
  2. Add the sugar to dissolve then cool to about 100°F
  3. Transfer to a stand mixer bowl with the balloon whip attachment and add the cream of tartar
  4. A hand beater will work but it will take a very long time and some have reported burning out their hand mixer motor!
  5. Whip on high speed until it is thick and glossy and has firm peaks
  6. A the sifted confectioners sugar and whip until it is all incorporated
  7. Add the softened vegan butter about ¼ cup at a time and continue whipping on high speed to a smooth emulsion
  8. Add the butter extract and the vanilla bean paste or extract last

Notes

Buttercream can be stored for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Bring it to room temperature for several hours then re whip back to smooth consistency

Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (2024)

FAQs

What are the disadvantages of Swiss meringue buttercream? ›

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
  • Pros: Velvety smooth, great for piping and frosting cakes, egg whites are safe to eat, easy to flavor, mild sweetness.
  • Cons: Moderate to difficult to make, requires more time and equipment.
May 1, 2019

Why is my vegan buttercream grainy? ›

It's essential to sieve your icing sugar (aka confectioners sugar) before adding to the softened butter, so do this first. Then you're going to add little by little to the vegan buttercream frosting, beating between additions. This again stops the buttercream from splitting or becoming grainy.

Can you use liquid egg white for Swiss Meringue Buttercream? ›

Ingredients for the Swiss meringue buttercream

Here's the ingredients you are going to need to make this buttercream: Egg whites – you could use fresh egg whites or the ones from a carton.

Why does my Swiss Meringue Buttercream taste weird? ›

Maybe the meringue whipped too long, cooling to well below 75°F (24°C). Maybe the butter came straight from the fridge. Maybe your buttercream was even frozen in advance, but didn't fully thaw. Doesn't matter why—if your Swiss meringue buttercream looks dense and greasy (or even tastes that way), it's simply too cold.

Which buttercream do professionals use? ›

Swiss Meringue

Also more simply known as Swiss Buttercream, this buttercream is popular amongst the professionals. It is more difficult and time-consuming to create than American Buttercream, but it's silky smooth and light texture makes it worth the extra effort.

Which is better Italian meringue buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream frosting is very similar to Italian meringue buttercream in that they both use egg whites. Swiss is preferred by many bakers because it doesn't use the hot sugar syrup and the egg whites are heated to 160 F in a double boiler to remove any salmonella risk.

Which vegan butter is best for frosting? ›

Vegan Butter: I like to use Country Crock Plant Butter, it needs to be room temperature. Vegetable Shortening: This is very necessary. While normal buttercream is just made with butter, vegan butter doesn't hold up and needs this extra ingredient. Powdered Sugar: Most organic powdered sugar is vegan.

How do you keep vegan buttercream from splitting? ›

How to stop it splitting. If your buttercream starts looking soft and floppy, just stick it in the fridge (or freezer if it will fit) for 15 minutes. You'll see it stiffen up and be able to work with it again.

Why does my Swiss meringue buttercream taste eggy? ›

One thing to note is that Swiss meringue is commonly made with too little sugar and not enough heat, producing something that's eggy, fragile, and raw. From there, adding butter only makes it greasy and dense, a frequent gripe among detractors of SMBC (as it's called online).

Why won t my Swiss meringue buttercream stiffen? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is either soupy or curdled due to the temperature of the butter; it is either too warm or too cold. Both issues can be fixed either chilling or gently heating the buttercream.

Can I leave Swiss meringue buttercream out overnight? ›

Make Ahead: Swiss meringue buttercream can be left out at room temperature for up to 2 days, so it's great for making ahead. To store Swiss meringue buttercream, transfer it to an airtight container. If refrigerating or freezing, let it come to room temperature and then whip it again until it's smooth and creamy.

Why does my Swiss meringue buttercream look like cottage cheese? ›

If the buttercream splits and looks curdled, like cottage cheese, it means the mixture didn't emulsify because the temperature of the butter was either too cold or the meringue was still too warm. There's a few different ways to fix this: Remove a few spoonfuls of the buttercream and place it in a heat safe bowl.

Can I add powdered sugar to my Swiss meringue buttercream? ›

Powdered sugar: Classic Swiss Meringue Buttercream calls for granulated sugar. Since we are eliminating the cooking in this recipe, we need to use sugar the will easily dissolve. Powdered sugar is perfect for this! Salt: Salt enhances the flavor of the buttercream.

What are the pros and cons of Swiss meringue? ›

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Pros – It is soft, smooth and not too sweet. SM buttercream is arguably the best frosting in terms of cake decorating because it is the easiest way to get those smooth clean lines. Cons – It is SUPER annoying to make.

Is Swiss Meringue Buttercream too buttery? ›

SMBC does taste more buttery than American buttercream, but it shouldn't taste like you're eating butter! Firstly, check the quantities you have used carefully. Secondly, make sure you're whipping your SMBC long enough after adding in the butter.

What type of frosting do professional bakers use? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is a favorite among many cake decorators because of its smooth finish on the outside cakes and its ability to hold piping detail.

Does Swiss Meringue Buttercream get hard in the fridge? ›

The egg whites are cooked, and the buttercream contains a fair amount of butter and sugar, which is generally safe to store at room temperature. If you are uncomfortable with that, feel free to pop your frosted cake in the fridge. The buttercream will get super firm in the fridge (after all, it is mostly butter).

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