Use this recipe to make silky smooth Easy Buttercream (Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free). It isn’t too sweet, it’s not grainy at all and it’s incredibly delicious!
It has taken about 10 rounds of testing this recipe to get it right. Definitely has not been easy but it’s been 100% worth it.
I am all about great sugar-free and gluten-free alternatives but for me, if you can tell the difference between sugary products and sugar-free products, the recipe isn’t done yet.
The success of these recipes has a lot to do with the products I choose to use. I have learned that the quality and cleanliness of the products are paramount to how the end product will taste. That is why I use the flour and sugar replacements from Trim Healthy Mama (THM).
At THM they care so much about the products they create and how those products affect your body. Yes, the products cost a bit more than regular flour and sugar but in the end, it’s 100% worth your health. I would rather spend money now on food that actually fuels my body than spend money later on medicine and treatments.
The two products I use the most are Gentle Sweet and Baking Blend. Gentle Sweet is about 2.5x sweeter than sugar with no funky aftertaste. Baking Blend is gluten-free and bakes remarkably close to regular flour.
If you are interested in purchasing any of their products you can click the “Gentle Sweet” link in the ingredients list to be directed to their entire store.
Easy Buttercream (Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free)
Pro-Tips:
- I HIGHLY recommend reading through these instructions before you start. This recipe is insanely easy but you do have the do the steps in order and they happen quickly.
- As soon as you start to add the butter it will seem like all is lost. The beautiful fluffiness you just created will be reduced to a watery curdled mess. Have faith, it will be okay. Just keep mixing.
- I have not tried doing this with a hand mixer. I’m sure it would work but I wouldn’t try it unless I had a second pair of hands to help. It will probably take a little longer as well but I am certain it is possible.
- On step 5 it might be helpful to have a dish towel handy to drape over the mixer because the buttercream catches an attitude when you add the butter and likes to fling itself all over the kitchen.
- I left a batch of this on the counter to see if it would separate at room temp. It was out on the counter for 4 days and never separated. That was a pretty extreme test because you wouldn’t want to leave it out that long and then eat it. 2 days at room temp would be safe but anything more than that would not be safe to eat.
- If you want to make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge you can. Allow it to come to room temp when you’re ready to use it. I tried this as well to make sure it wouldn’t separate and it worked beautifully.
Yield:
4 cups (enough to cover a 2 layer 6-inch cake)
Ingredients:
8 – Egg Whites (cold)
2 dashes – Cream of Tartar
1 1/4 cup – Gentle Sweet
½ cup – Water
2 tsp – Vanilla
1 1/2 cups – Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
Instructions
Step One
Place the egg whites and the cream of tartar in a clean, dry mixing bowl. Make sure your bowl doesn’t have any grease or residual soap. Anything that is left in the bowl will prevent the egg whites from whipping to stiff peaks.
Attach the bowl with the egg whites to the mixer and attach the whip but do not turn the mixer on yet.
Step Two
Combine the Gentle Sweet and the water in a small saucepan. Give it a quick stir to make sure the Gentle Sweet on the bottom of the pan is wet.
Cover the pan with a lid and place on the stove over high heat. Remove the lid when the mixture starts to boil. Let it continue to boil.
Step Three
As soon as the Gentle Sweet and water are boiling, turn your mixer on high and allow the egg whites to whip to stiff peaks.
Step Four
At this point, you should have Gentle Sweet boiling in the pan and stiff peak egg whites in the mixer. Remove the Gentle Sweet from the stove and SLOWLY pour it into the egg whites while they are still mixing on high.
Remember the liquid is super hot and will burn you if you’re not careful. Be patient and pour it slowly. Leave the mixer on high and mix until the bowl is room temperature to the touch. It should not be warm at all.
Step Five
Do not do this step until you are certain that the mixing bowl is room temp all over. Keep in mind that the bottom is usually the last to cool so don’t forget to check there before doing this step.
Turn the mixer down to a medium speed. Add the room temperature butter 1 tbsp at a time then add the vanilla.
Now here’s where it looks like you’ve failed. Approximately 10 seconds after adding the butter, your meringue will fall into a watery, curdled mess. I promise you haven’t failed! I kept stopping right here when I was testing my recipe thinking I had failed.
On one of my tests runs, (I think it was #8) I was so frustrated I walked away without turning the mixer off. I went into the other room and came back about 10 mins later after realizing I forgot to turn the mixer off and to my absolute shock the buttercream came back together and was smooth and beautiful.
Be encouraged!
Once all of the butter is added, turn the mixer back up to high. You might want to drape a towel over the mixer so the buttercream doesn’t end up all over the ceiling and cabinets.
Step Six
KEEP MIXING!! Allow the buttercream to mix until it comes back together. I mixed mine for a few minutes after it came together to add air and stability.
Need something delicious to put this easy buttercream (sugar-free & gluten-free) on? Check out my Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake.
Printable Recipe for Easy Buttercream (Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free):
Easy Buttercream (Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 8 Egg Whites cold
- 2 dashes Cream of Tartar
- 1 1/4 cup Gentle Sweet
- ½ cup Water
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter room temperature
Instructions
- Place the egg whites and the cream of tartar in a clean, dry mixing bowl. Make sure your bowl doesn’t have any grease or residual soap. Anything that is left in the bowl will prevent the egg whites from whipping to stiff peaks. Attach the bowl with the egg whites to the mixer and attach the whip but do not turn the mixer on yet.
- Combine the Gentle Sweet and the water in a small saucepan. Give it a quick stir to make sure the Gentle Sweet on the bottom of the pan is wet. Cover the pan with a lid and place on the stove over high heat. Remove the lid when the mixture starts to boil. Let it continue to boil.
- As soon as the Gentle Sweet and water are boiling, turn your mixer on high and allow the egg whites to whip to stiff peaks.
- At this point, you should have Gentle Sweet boiling in the pan and stiff peak egg whites in the mixer. Remove the Gentle Sweet from the stove and SLOWLY pour it into the egg whites while they are still mixing on high. Remember the liquid is super hot and will burn you if you’re not careful. Be patient and pour it slowly. Leave the mixer on high and mix until the bowl is room temperature to the touch. It should not be warm at all.
- Do not do this step until you are certain that the mixing bowl is room temp all over. Keep in mind that the bottom is usually the last to cool so don’t forget to check there before doing this step. Turn the mixer down to a medium speed. Add the room temperature butter 1 tbsp at a time then add the vanilla. Now here’s where it looks like you’ve failed. Approximately 10 seconds after adding the butter, your meringue will fall into a watery, curdled mess. I promise you haven’t failed! I kept stopping right here when I was testing my recipe thinking I had failed. On one of my tests runs, (I think it was #8) I was so frustrated I walked away without turning the mixer off. I went into the other room and came back about 10 mins later after realizing I forgot to turn the mixer off and to my absolute shock the buttercream came back together and was smooth and beautiful. Be encouraged! Once all of the butter is added, turn the mixer back up to high. You might want to drape a towel over the mixer so the buttercream doesn’t end up all over the ceiling and cabinets.
- KEEP MIXING!! Allow the buttercream to mix until it comes back together. I mixed mine for a few minutes after it came together to add air and stability.
Can you use carton egg whites?
Hello! I haven’t tried that. I find carton egg whites don’t whip up as well as fresh so I usually only use fresh.
Can you use salted butter?
Hi Judy! You can use salted butter, it may make it a little less sweet but you should be fine.
Why 40 grams of carbs?
Hi Judy! This recipe has 0 net carbs because the 40 carbs it shows are all from the sugar alcohol in the gentle sweet which don’t count.