I never thought I’d make sugar free frosting, but here we are! I was inspired by the surprising number of requests I’ve received for a sugar-free or diabetic-friendly frosting recipe over the years.
And I totally get it. Not everyone can eat tons of sugar! Most of these requests came from people who wanted to make a birthday cake or cupcakes for a loved one who is sensitive to sugar.
Some people have a medical reason for watching their sugar intake (i.e. diabetes, liver problems, etc.). Others are choosing to limit their sugar intake for personal reasons (i.e. keto, paleo, or atkins diet).
Whatever the reason, a sugar free lifestyle doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate a big life event with something sweet.
This frosting recipe can be used to frost cupcakes, decorate layer cakes, or even to fill cookie sandwiches.
Picking the Right Frosting Base
While most of my cakes are frosted with American buttercream, it’s the sweetest of all the types of frosting. It felt too strange to try to use that as the base for this sugar free buttercream frosting.
Instead I decided to use my Swiss meringue buttercream frosting recipe as a starting point. It’s much fluffier and isn’t super sweet.
Swiss meringue frosting takes a bit longer to make than American buttercream, but it’s super stable once it’s made and doesn’t crust.
Picking the Right Sugar Substitute
There are a lot of sugar free sweeteners out there these days. With the rise of popular diets like keto and paleo, there’s been an increased demand for alternative sweeteners and zero-calorie sweeteners.
While it’s great to have of lots options, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming.
I tested this recipe with the granulated versions of Allulose, Swerve, and Splenda. I ordered them online from Amazon, but you can also find them at Walmart and health food stores.
All three worked, but the taste and texture of the sugar free frosting were best with Allulose and Swerve. I slightly preferred the taste of the frosting made with Allulose to Swerve.
Sugar Free Sweeteners You Can Use
- If possible use Allulose as your sugar-free sweetener!! I think it works best.
- Swerve can be used in place of Allulose in this recipe cup for cup.
- Granulated baking Splenda can be used in place of the Allulose in this recipe! Use 1/2 the amount the recipe calls for.
Tips For Making Best Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting
- If your frosting breaks / curdles, just keep mixing!! It should come back together with the help of your stand mixer. For more troubleshooting tips, check out this post.
- Traces of grease in your mixing bowl can prevent your meringue from forming stiff peaks. You can wipe down your tools with lemon juice or vinegar to make sure they’re grease-free.
- Eggs are easiest to separate when they’re cold.
- Heat your egg white / Allulose mixture to 160 F / 71 C to make the egg whites safe to eat. I like to use a digital thermometer to track the temperature.
- Use vanilla bean paste and a bit of almond extract to really amp up the flavor of this frosting!
- Make sure your butter is actually at room temp, and add it in gradually (1 stick at a time).
- Mix your finished buttercream on the lowest speed with a paddle attachment for a few minutes to make it smooth.
- 1 batch of frosting is enough to fill and frost a seven or eight inch layer cake, or frost about 3 dozen cupcakes.
- Turn this sugar free frosting recipe into chocolate sugar free frosting by mixing in 1 cup of melted and cooled milk or dark chocolate after the frosting is made.
Making This Sugar Free Frosting in Advance and Storage Tips
Make your sugar free frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting. It can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Give it a good stir once it thaws to room temp 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 in the fridge for up to a week.
Let Me Know What You Think of This Sugar Free Frosting!
If you try this recipe for sugar free frosting, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.
And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Sugar Free Frosting
This sugar free frosting recipe is light, fluffy & delicious! It's made with a natural, sugar free sweetener & can be used to fill cakes and frost cupcakes.
Ingredients
Sugar Free Frosting
- 7 large egg whites (235g)
- 2 cups sugar free sweetener like Allulose or granulated Swerve (350g)
- 1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (339g)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (12g)
- 2 tsp almond extract - optional (8g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (3g)
- gel food coloring (if desired)
Instructions
Sugar Free Frosting
- In a medium sized pot, add about 1-inch of water and bring to a simmer.
- Before making the frosting, be sure to thoroughly clean the mixing bowl. If there’s any grease it can make it difficult to make the meringue.
- Add 7 egg whites and 2 cups of Allulose sweetener into a heat-proof mixing bowl.
- Place the bowl on top of the pot filled with simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of your bowl. The bowl should create a seal over the pot.
- Whisk the mixture constantly for about 3 minutes, until it reaches 160°F / 71°C. You can test the mixture to see if it’s ready by rubbing a tiny bit between your fingertips. The Allulose should be fully dissolved, and it should feel super smooth and hot to the touch.
- Lift your bowl away from the pot, and dry the bottom with a towel.
- Lock the bowl into place on your stand mixer and beat on medium high using a whisk attachment. Mix for about 10 minutes, or until you have stiff and glossy peaks.
- At this point in time, the bowl should be back to room temperature and no longer warm to the touch. If it’s warm, it will melt your butter!!
- Gradually mix in 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter on a medium speed.
- When all butter is mixed in, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue mixing on a low speed for about 3 minutes.
- If the frosting breaks / curdles, just keep mixing!! It should come back together with the help of your stand mixer. For more troubleshooting tips, check out this post.
- Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract, 2 tsp of almond extract (optional), and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix on low for a couple minutes until fully incorporated.
- If you plan to color the frosting, add a few drops of gel food coloring at this point and mix on a low speed until the frosting is evenly colored.
- The frosting should have a thick, whipped consistency at this point. If it looks lumpy or broken, keep mixing until it looks smooth and thick.
Notes
Yield:
1 batch of frosting makes about 6 cups of frosting. This is enough to fill and frost a seven or eight inch layer cake, or frost about 3 dozen cupcakes.
Tips For Making Best Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting:
- Traces of grease in your mixing bowl can prevent your meringue from forming stiff peaks. You can wipe down your tools with lemon juice or vinegar to make sure they’re grease-free.
- Eggs are easiest to separate when they're cold.
- Heat your egg white / sugar free sweetener mixture to 160 degrees F to make the egg whites safe to eat.
- Whip the meringue until your peaks are stiff enough to defy gravity.
- Make sure your butter is actually at room temp, and add it in slowly (1 stick at a time)
- When in doubt (if your frosting breaks / curdles), just keep mixing!! It should come back together with the help of your stand mixer
- Mix your finished buttercream on the lowest speed with a paddle attachment for a few minutes to make it smooth
Making This Sugar Free Frosting in Advance and Storage Tips:
- Make your sugar free frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Give it a good stir once it thaws to room temp 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 in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 695Total Fat 46gSaturated Fat 29gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 121mgSodium 265mgCarbohydrates 68gFiber 0gSugar 67gProtein 5g
Carolyn Thompson
Monday 22nd of July 2024
I'm very excited to find this recipe. I have lots of family and friends who are diabetic and I make Splenda Sugar Blend Chocolate Cupcakes. But I didn't have a frosting for them. Thank you
Drea
Wednesday 26th of June 2024
Hi I’m really confused cause it’s saying sugar free but in the nutritional info it says sugar is 67g.
Chelsweets
Saturday 29th of June 2024
Hi Drea,
The nutritional information is automatically calculated, I don't have any input in what it calculates! I don't think it recognizes the sugar free substances as actually sugar free? I'm not sure why it's saying that, it's definitely an error! I'm so sorry!
Erica
Thursday 29th of February 2024
Would powder stevia work in place of the allulose? I have a friend who can only have stevia, and I'd love to figure out a frosting she can have.
Chelsweets
Tuesday 5th of March 2024
Hi Erica,
This recipe is meringue based, so having a granulated type of sugar substitute would work best! However, I haven't tested it with powdered sugar, so I'm not totally sure! But I don't think it would turn out well with a powdered alternative sugar. So sorry!
Brian
Wednesday 24th of January 2024
I’ve tried this twice. The first time was soup, the 2nd time was a grainy mess that never came together. I make regular Swiss meringue all the time so I know the process and can troubleshoot. I just can’t get this sugar free version to work :(
Chelsweets
Sunday 28th of January 2024
I'm so sorry to hear that Brian! What type of sweetener are you using?? Hopefully we'll be able to figure out what's going on together!
Peggy
Monday 18th of December 2023
It says sugar free but has 67g of sugar in the nutrition information.... what am I missing?
Chelsweets
Friday 22nd of December 2023
Hi Peggy,
The nutritional information is automatically calculated by the recipe card, and I think it doesn't have the proper inputs for alternative sugar. Sadly it's just a glitch in the system, and I'm not able to fix it on my own! I've reached out to the company in charge of it though, and hopefully they'll get it straightened out soon.