Matcha Buttercream
This matcha buttercream is incredibly easy to make & perfectly sweet! It tastes amazing on cakes and cupcakes and is the perfect consistency.
Choosing The Right Base for This Buttercream
Most people who enjoy matcha-flavored desserts don’t like super-sweet flavors. With that in mind, I knew that my American buttercream wasn’t the right base for this buttercream.
While I love it, I’m the first to admit it is quite sweet. I wanted a fluffy frosting that wasn’t too sweet.
Swiss meringue frosting is a great, less-sweet alternative, but it takes a bit longer to make.
In the end, I decided to use my friend Minette Rushing’s faux Swiss meringue buttercream as the base for this frosting.
I love its texture and flavor, but most of all, I love how easy it is to make. You start by whipping together powdered sugar and pasteurized egg whites (the kind you get in a carton) until they reach stiff peaks.
If you aren’t sure what frosting base is right for you, check out my buttercream frosting guide.
Then you slowly add in the room temperature butter, followed by the matcha powder, vanilla, and salt.
I found I liked it best with a tiny bit less butter than the original recipe calls for, and that’s exactly what I’ve included in the recipe card below.
Tips for Making the Best Matcha Buttercream Frosting
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature to give your frosting the right consistency.
- Use good-quality matcha powder to really pack your matcha buttercream with flavor!
- Mix with the paddle attachment at the end of the process if you plan to add this frosting to a cake! It helps make super-smooth frosting that’s easy to smooth onto a cake.
- If the frosting is too thick, add additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time).
- Don’t worry if your frosting breaks in the beginning when you add the butter! Just keep mixing it, and it should come together in a few minutes.
Making This Matcha Buttercream in Advance and Storage Tips
Make your frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Be sure to give it a good stir in your mixer once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!
If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try my matcha buttercream recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating, and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.
Also, tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!
Matcha Buttercream
Ingredients
Matcha Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup pasteurized egg whites, room temperature from a carton, room temperature (120g)
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 440g
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 339g
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
- 2 Tbsp matcha powder, sifted 12g
- 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
Instructions
Matcha Buttercream Frosting (adapted from Minette Rushing):
- Place 1/2 cup of pasteurized egg whites and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you plan to make with a hand mixer). Mix on a low speed to combine.
- Once incorporated, mix on medium high (8 on a KitchenAid) with a whisk attachment for 5 minutes until stiff peaks form.
- Swap the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment. This will help make your buttercream be smooth once it's fully made.
- Mix in 1 1/2 cups of butter in small chunks on a low speed. Once the butter is incorporated, mix on medium speed for an additional 5 minutes. Mix until the buttercream is fluffy and smooth.
- Add 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp matcha powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix until combined, scraping the side of the bowl as needed.
- If you frosting breaks in the beginning when you add the butter, don’t worry! Just keep mixing it, and it should come together in a few minutes.
- Stir for an additional few minutes by hand with a rubber spatula, to get it silky smooth. Set aside.
Video
Notes
Making This Matcha Frosting in Advance and Storage Tips:
Make your frosting ahead of time, or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again. A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious! If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week. If you are making frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.Nutrition
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What brand of egg whites did you use? 🙂
hi! would this be enough frosting to completely cover and fill an 8 inch cake (from your vanilla layer cake recipe) ? if not, how much should i increase the recipe by?
I made this today. It was easy to make, but I think it has too much butter for me. Next time I will reduce the butter to 1 cup.
Hi Jo,
I hear you! My one word of caution is that the butter in this recipe helps stabilize it, so if you add less butter the frosting will be softer and not hold its shape quite as well.
I’d recommend adding in a bit more matcha powder or salt instead to help offset the taste of the butter. You also can try using a different brand of butter that has a slightly less strong flavor. Hope that helps for the future, happy baking!
Hi…
You mentioned you made Chocolate frosting using thus recipe. I assume it’s the same concept as the Matcha powder. But how much cocoa should I use?
Thanks!
Ps… love your recipes!
Hi Micca,
Great question!! I usually add 1/3 cup of cocoa powder, but you can use slightly more or less depending on the flavor / color you want. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hands down the best frosting I’ve ever made. Used it with a cardamom cake and pistachio butter and apricot jam filling, and it was glorious. It is sweet but not cloying, and the subtle earthy undertone of macha gives a perfect balance to the flavors. Had a bit left over so I frosted double chocolate cookies with it!
Hi Irene,
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe!! And that sounds like an absolutely incredible flavor combination! Both on the cake and with the cookies 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing, happy baking!
Do you think I could use it for macaron filling?
Do you think I could do this with pistachio paste instead of matcha for flavoring ?
Hi Megan,
Yes, you definitely can! Pistachio paste will give the buttercream a lovely nutty flavor and natural color, just keep in mind a couple of things! Pistachio paste is much richer and fattier than matcha powder, so it can slightly loosen the buttercream. I’d recommend adding it a tablespoon at a time until you reach the flavor you want.
Because it has oil in it, you might want to reduce (just slightly) the liquid you add, if any, to keep the consistency stable.
Matcha has a very concentrated flavor, while pistachio paste is milder, so you’ll likely need more paste than the amount of matcha called for.
Let me know how it turns out if you try it 🙂 Happy baking!!
Do you have a full video of this somewhere? When I made this, it kept looking grainy, or it would separate. I had everything at room temperature, and yet it still did that to me. Did I need to beat the egg whites first before adding the sugar, or something else? I tried to make this twice.
Or did I use the wrong egg whites? My grocery store only had 1 option…
Hi Linda!
So sorry to hear that! I have a video showing how the base is made (just without the matcha powder) here that might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOqIh32sBa0
What type of egg whites did you use? Sometimes this can happen if your kitchen is a little cool! This time of year, sometimes room temperature is actually a few degrees colder than it is the rest of the year. It sounds like it broke, but don’t worry, your frosting isn’t ruined! There’s an easy workaround that will bring the frosting back together.
Simply place the bowl over a hot water bath / double boiler until the frosting around the edge of the bowl has melted. Then give it a good mix on a medium speed for about 5 minutes. The melted, warm buttercream around the edge of the bowl will mix with the frosting that’s too cold.
This will bring the overall temperature of the buttercream up to the right temperature and allow it to become smooth again.
You can also scoop about 1/2 cup of frosting into a small bowl and microwave it for about 10 seconds until it is liquid, then pour it bake into the frosting and mix on a medium speed until the frosting comes together.
Either of those should fix it 🙂 Hope that helps for the future, happy baking!
I love all of your recipes, I’m wondering if I decided to try with the american buttercream what would be the ratio for the matcha? Thank you!!!
Hi Veronica,
I’d recommend adding the same amount of matcha! The intensity of the flavor can vary a lot based on the type of matcha you use, so you can always add a touch more if you want a stronger flavor. Hope that helps, happy baking!