Martha Stewart All-Natural Tinted Buttercream

Martha Stewart all-natural tinted buttercream turns butter, confectioners' sugar and plant-based food colors into a smooth, pipeable frosting in 10 minutes. This simple no-bake frosting recipe fits birthday parties, Easter baking and spring cupcake platters, since one batch splits into seven pastel shades.

Beat the butter alone for a full 2 minutes before any sugar goes in, because that is what makes the frosting pale and fluffy. Skip it and the buttercream turns dense and greasy, and it will also tint with a yellow cast.

Martha swaps artificial dyes for plant-based McCormick Color from Nature, and she builds every shade from just three colors: Berry, Sunflower and Sky Blue. Splitting the batch into seven small bowls gives you red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple from one bowl of vanilla frosting.

Martha Stewart All-Natural Tinted Buttercream

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

200

kcal

The butter is whipped until pale, then the sugar goes in a half cup at a time so the frosting stays silky. A short rest after tinting lets the plant-based colors deepen into soft pastels.

Ingredients

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
  

• 2 tablespoons whole milk
  

• Pinch of kosher salt
  

• McCormick Color from Nature food colors, in Berry, Sunflower, and Sky Blue
  

Directions

• Beat the butter: Beat 3 sticks of room temperature unsalted butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. It's ready when it looks pale and creamy.
• Add the sugar: Reduce the speed to medium and add 1 pound of sifted confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat after each addition so the sugar blends in smoothly.
• Finish the buttercream: Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons whole milk and a pinch of kosher salt. Beat until the buttercream is completely smooth.
• Divide into bowls: For the hues in the photo, spoon 1/2 cup of buttercream into each of seven small bowls. Any extra stays plain, so you can keep it for piping or leave it white.
• Tint the colors: Stir in the Berry, Sunflower and Sky Blue food colors in the small amounts Martha lists for each shade, starting with a tiny measure for pink. Then let each bowl stand until the dyes fully saturate.
• Store or use: Use the tinted buttercream right away, or cover and refrigerate the plain buttercream for up to 3 days. Before using it, bring it to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth.

Tools for this recipe

• KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer, Cuisinart fine mesh strainer set, OXO silicone spatula set, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make this buttercream ahead of time?

Yes, the plain buttercream keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature first, then beat it on low speed until it turns smooth again.

Why do I need to let the tinted buttercream stand for 10 minutes?

The plant-based dyes develop slowly, so the color looks lighter right after stirring. Resting 10 minutes lets them fully saturate and show their true shade.

Can I use regular gel food coloring instead?

You can, though the amounts in the recipe are written for McCormick Color from Nature. Start with a tiny dab of gel, since it is far more concentrated, and let it rest before adding more.

How do I make green, orange and purple from only three colors?

Mix them by hand: green takes 1/8 teaspoon Sky Blue plus 1/8 teaspoon Sunflower, and orange takes 1/4 teaspoon Sunflower plus a pinch of Berry. Purple uses 1/8 teaspoon each of Sky Blue and Berry.

What's the most common mistake with homemade buttercream?

Using butter that is too cold or too soft is the usual problem. Cold butter leaves lumps and very soft butter makes a greasy frosting, so aim for room temperature and sift the sugar to keep it smooth.