Introduction to Keto Frosting
Everyone needs a go-to frosting recipe for all their holiday and birthday baking. Our keto frosting is sweet, creamy, and indulgent, so you can treat yourself without the guilt. We know cream cheese frosting is super popular, but we decided to focus on buttercream instead. If you need a good cream cheese frosting recipe, you can check out our butter and cream cheese frosting recipe.
Keto Buttercream Frosting
With only a handful of ingredients, it really can’t get much easier than this. All you have to do is add them into a bowl and mix with your hand mixer. This is the perfect fail-safe keto frosting you can make any time you need it. Plus, our low-carb frosting can be made with coconut milk as an easy sub if you don’t have or don’t like heavy cream. Per serving, there are zero net carbs and 11 grams of fat in this recipe.
Can You Buy Sugar-Free Frosting?
Traditional cream cheese frosting and even dairy-free buttercream frosting are super easy to find nowadays, so what about keto vanilla buttercream? Frosting lovers will be happy to know there are now lots of keto cream cheese frosting and keto buttercream frosting options out there. It’s always important to check the sweeteners, but some of our favorites are:
- Birch Benders – Right now, it looks like they are selling their frosting alongside their cake mix. Both are keto-friendly and super tasty! Plus, it’s zero net carbs.
- Good Dees – This keto cream cheese frosting is definitely a winner for us. With just 1 net carb per serving, this keto cream cheese frosting tastes like it was homemade minutes before.
- Keto and Co – Keto and Co makes a buttercream frosting unlike most brands, which are making keto cream cheese frosting. This one does require you to bring the softened butter, but all and all, it’s worth it for the delicious flavor.
- Scratch – This chocolate frosting is sweetened with erythritol and would be fantastic on one of our keto cake recipes. It’s gluten-free, sugar-free, and will make the perfect keto chocolate cake.
Is Confectioners Sugar Keto Friendly?
Traditional powdered sugar, also known as confectioners sugar, is NOT keto-friendly. Each 2.5g serving (1 tsp) has 10 calories and 2.4 grams of sugar. That means one batch of frosting can have anywhere from 12-18 grams of sugar in 2 tablespoons, depending on how much you add. Powdered sugar or confectioners sugar is just granular sugar that has been pulverized into a powder. So, it’s the same thing, just a different form.
What Is the Best Keto Friendly Sweetener?
If you’re new to keto and confused about what the best keto-friendly sweeteners are, then we recommend reading our full in-depth blog post. For now, we recommend a powdered sweetener like erythritol, monk fruit, or allulose. They are great replacements for powdered sugar without the carbs or blood sugar spike. Just don’t get tricked and think powdered sugar is better than regular sugar! With any frosting you make, whether it’s low-carb or not, buttercream or cream cheese, it’s essential to use confectioner sugar.
What Butter to Use in Buttercream Frosting
Most people make buttercream complicated. The only thing you need to worry about is that your buttercream has butter! Yes, that does also mean you can use a dairy-free butter! We use grass-fed butter, which is normally salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. In most keto recipes, we use salted butter because it adds a nice contrast to the sweetness, but you can always use unsalted if you prefer and then add a pinch of salt.
Can I Make Dairy-Free Buttercream?
Buttercream frosting is good on everything, including straight on a spoon. So, is it possible to make buttercream without butter? While we don’t recommend it, it is possible. Dairy-free alternatives can be used like vegan or dairy-free butter. Our note to remember would be that it doesn’t have the same flavor, just texture. That means you may want to add a little extra vanilla extract to cover up the flavor. Powdered sweetener will help with texture and flavor, but you might also need coconut milk to thin the frosting. If you don’t have coconut milk, you can also use almond or cashew-based nut milks.
How to Make Keto Buttercream
The keto diet doesn’t have to be hard; you can still enjoy tons of healthy sugar-free keto recipes like this buttercream, thanks to things like powdered monk fruit and erythritol sweeteners.
Ingredients
To make this delicious recipe for buttercream frosting, you will need butter, powdered sweetener, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. You can use almond milk if you don’t have heavy cream or prefer to leave out the added dairy. We used powdered erythritol, but many companies are making really good blends of powdered erythritol and monk fruit. Make sure that the butter you use is softened. Softened butter or room temperature butter will always whip better than cold butter.
Making Keto Buttercream
- Begin by combining the butter, heavy cream, and vanilla in a bowl.
- Next, add the powdered sweetener in two batches, whipping with a hand mixer to ensure everything is well combined.
- Store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can I Freeze Buttercream?
If you have a lot of excess, you can freeze leftover frosting. Regular butter freezes really well, so you shouldn’t expect any big consistency changes. Simply store the frosting in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, remove from the freezer and place into the fridge to defrost overnight. For a quicker defrost, you can place the closed Tupperware on the counter at room temp.
How to Thicken Keto Frosting
The best way to thicken keto frosting is by adding extra powdered sweetener until it stiffens. On the other hand, if you are trying to loosen your frosting, it is best to slowly add heavy cream or nut milk until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.
Keto Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
The greatest part about making vanilla buttercream frosting is that if you have any leftover, all you have to do is add some cocoa powder, and it is instantly transformed. Personally, we are chocolate people, so we always go for a vanilla cake and chocolate frosting. Our favorite duo is this chocolate frosting on our protein cakes. Protein cakes are just as guilt-free as these keto frosting recipes! Less than 1 carb per slice, topped with a buttercream frosting, gives you the perfect balance of fat and protein in dessert form! Could it get any better?
Flavored Buttercream Options
If you’re making a specialty cake or dessert, there’s a chance you are going to want a flavored buttercream frosting. The best way to flavor your buttercream will be using flavor extracts and drops like the ones from OOOFlavors. They have everything from lemon and blueberry to carrot cake, pecan pie, and pound cake. The great part is that all their flavors are low-carb and keto-approved, so you can enjoy your keto carrot cake without any fear of a blood sugar spike.
Try It On Our Best Keto Desserts
If you have a major sweet tooth, you have to try our sugar-free frosting on top of one of our other easy keto recipes. Make the frosting and store it to use on top of low-carb cakes, cookies, donuts, and more. It’s sure to satisfy your sweet craving. Some recipes that this frosting tastes amazing on are:
- Keto Vanilla Cupcakes – Chocolate buttercream on vanilla cupcakes? YES PLEASE! Even if you prefer vanilla all the way, you can spice up this base frosting with vanilla extract or vanilla bean to pair perfectly with the cake.
- Low-Carb Donuts – Our sugar-free keto buttercream is perfect for spreading on keto donuts and donut holes. The keto sweetener keeps this recipe diabetic-friendly, and you could even use a piping tip to fill the inside with this buttercream.
- Coconut Flour Brownies – If you love cosmic brownies, you are going to love these coconut flour brownies with a hefty smearing of chocolate buttercream.
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 106
Calories from Fat 105
% Daily Value*
Fat 11.7g 18%
- Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
