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4.47 from 41 ratings

Lemon Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Find out why people are calling this lemon buttercream frosting “the most perfect frosting they’ve ever made”! You’ll just need 4 ingredients to make this dessert staple to pair with cake, cupcakes, sugar cookie bars or any dessert you want!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to make lemon frosting, lemon buttercream, lemon buttercream frosting, lemon frosting, lemon frosting curdled, lemon frosting for cake, lemon frosting recipe
Servings: 2 cups
Author: Beth

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter softened (1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 1/2-4 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • optional: zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

  • Place room temperature unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium-low and beat the butter for 1-2 minutes, until whipped and fluffy.
  • Add in the powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice (and lemon zest if desired), beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.
  • If the frosting is too thick, add a splash more lemon juice, beat until creamy.
  • Spread on cake or pipe onto cupcakes.

Notes

  • This recipe makes enough frosting to frost a 9x13 inch cake, a two layer 8 inch cake or 24 cupcakes. 
  • Add a drop of yellow food coloring for a bright lemon colored frosting. 
  • Does your lemon frosting look curdled? See the detailed notes in my post.

    • Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg