Quick and easy mint frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. This buttercream is rich, creamy, fluffy, silky smooth, stable, holds its shape. Great for spreading, piping, cake decorating. Flavored with mint extract and colored with green gel food coloring.
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Everyone needs to have a collection of icing recipes that they can use on various types of desserts. I have a whole Frosting and Fillings category, which you should check out. Today's green icing is great for the Christmas holiday season just like these Christmas Pinwheel Cookies (Spiral), or even St. Patrick's Day festivities. Be sure to check out my collection of Green Desserts for more inspiration.
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Key ingredients
- Butter- Be sure to use unsalted for the best overall taste.
- Shortening- Creates stability so that you can pipe designs, if desired.
- Mint extract- Brings in that great minty flavor.
- Powdered sugar- This both sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Milk- The higher fat content, the creamier the icing will be.
- Green food coloring- Be sure it is the get kind for best results.
Variations
- Chocolate mint flavor-Add mini chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or chocolate shavings.
- Andes frosting- Chop up Andes chocolate roughly and mix that into the icing at the end.
- Use fresh mint- Finely chop fresh mint leaves and mix that into the icing. However, it will take some time for the mint flavor to deepen. So, chill buttercream in the fridge overnight. You can also use these to make Chocolate Leaves for cake decorations.
- Cream cheese version- Mix in a little cream cheese, which adds tanginess and cuts the sweetness.
How to make easy mint buttercream frosting recipe from scratch?
- Cream together butter and shortening- Mix them together until they are and smooth.
- Add mint extract- Mix until combined.
- Add powdered sugar- Do this gradually and add ½ cup at a time.
- Add milk or heavy cream- Add enough that the icing has the perfect spreadable consistency
- Mix in green coloring- Use gel coloring and you are done.
What goes well with this?
You can use it on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and bars. You can spread it with a spatula or use decorator tips for piping swirls and doing fancy cake decorating. Chocolate and mint is a fantastic flavor combination, followed by vanilla and mint. Keep that in mind when you try these pairings below.
- Cakes: Try Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Brownie Cake, Chocolate Pound Cake or this Best Vanilla Cake.
- Cupcakes- It pairs so well with Brownie Cupcakes, Vanilla Cupcakes and Oreo Cupcakes.
- Cookies- Use a spatula to spread icing on top of the cookie or enjoy as a filling between two cookies like a sandwich. Try these White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Whoopie Pie or these Easy Sugar Cookies.
- Brownies and Bars- This tastes so good on top of Fudgy Oreo Brownies, Cake Mix Cookie Bars and even Cake Mix Brownies.
How much frosting is needed for cakes and cupcakes?
- This will vary greatly on how you are icing them. If you are making tall swirls on cupcakes, you will be able to frost about 15 cupcakes with this recipe.
- If you are simply spreading frosting on cupcakes with a spatula, this recipe is sufficient for 24 cupcakes.
- With regards to cakes, if you are doing a thin filling and thin coating, you can easily ice an 8 inch round cake with two layers but if you want a thicker coating and filling, I suggest doubling this recipe. You will end up with some leftovers that you can use on other desserts.
Tips and techniques
- Use store bought icing- For ease and then just add a bit of mint extract. Vanilla flavored frosting will work the best.
- Use unsalted butter- Because that prevents this icing from becoming too salty.
- Don't replace shortening with butter- Both shortening and butter are used in this recipe because shortening adds stability to the icing. It is firmer than butter.
- Chill frosting prior to piping- I highly recommend doing this because it firms up and holds its shape really well.
- Sift powdered sugar- Because this gets rid of any lumps in the sugar, yielding the smoothest frosting ever.
- All ingredients should be at room temperature- Because they blend together smoothly.
- Adjust mint flavor- This depends on your preference. For a stronger flavor, add more extract. For a milder flavor, add less.
Recipe FAQs
To thicken it, simply mix in some more powdered sugar or a small amount of cornstarch. To thin it out, just mix in more milk or heavy cream to the frosting so that it is still soft but also firm enough to holds its shape and pipe.
Either can be used. Their main purpose is to thin out the icing. Heavy cream obviously has a higher fat content and is richer. If you are using milk, try to use whole milk but 2% will work fine too.
This is achieved through the use of food coloring. Gel colors are best because they are very concentrated and a little amount goes a long way without altering the consistency of the icing. Use green or mix blue and yellow colors to create a green shade. If it becomes too dark, add a little while coloring to lighten it.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week. It must be stored in an airtight container or else it will dry out.
- Freeze- Place in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge.
- Make ahead- This frosting can easily be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge until you are ready to use. You can also freeze it and then let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Whip it again to make it fluffy.
- Room temperature- Because this contains heavy cream/milk, which can go bad if it sits out, this should be put in the fridge after 2-3 hours.
More green desserts
- Key Lime Cookies (Crinkle Cookies)
- Chocolate Mint Truffles (5 Ingredients)
- Pistachio Cake (With Cake Mix)
- Avocado Cookies (With Chocolate Chips)
- Chocolate Mint Brownies (So Fudgy)
Recipe
Easy Mint Frosting (With and Without Chocolate Chips)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- ½ cup Shortening
- 1.5 teaspoon Mint extract
- 5 cups Powdered sugar Sifted
- 2-4 tablespoon Milk Or heavy cream
- Green gel coloring
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and shortening until smooth and creamy.
- Add mint extract and mix until combined.
- Gradually add powdered sugar (½ cup at a time).
- Add a little milk (1 tablespoon at a time) to thin out the frosting until it has the perfect spreadable consistency.
- Mix in some green food coloring until icing is light green.
- Optional- Mix in ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips if you like. Enjoy.
Notes
- For mint chocolate combination, mix in ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips at the end. You can add more or less, based on your liking. Don't use regular sized chocolate chips because they are too big.
- Use unsalted butter because that prevents this icing from becoming too salty.
- You need to use both, shortening and butter, in this recipe for stability.
- If icing is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar.
- If icing is too thick, mix in more milk.
- I highly recommend you sift your powdered sugar to remove lumps and ensure you end up with the smoothest consistency.
- All ingredients should be at room temperature because they blend together better.
- Add more or less mint extract, based on your preference.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Lisa peruzzi
Super yummy creamy with a mild mint flavor