5-Minute Coffee Buttercream Frosting Recipe
This coffee buttercream frosting is fluffy, delicious, and amazingly easy to make at home in just 5 minutes or less. The recipe uses instant coffee, softened butter, powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp of milk- such simple ingredients with spectacular results! Packed with coffee flavor, this icing is perfect to top coffee cupcakes or any chocolate cake for a heavenly combo!

Is it just me or do you love all the coffee flavored things too?
* Cut to me writing this post while I sip my iced coffee *
From coffee cookies to coffee blondies, I cannot stop putting coffee into my desserts. I also cannot stop drinking coffee, whether its my super quick instant iced coffee recipe (theres a life changing hack in there!), my vanilla iced coffee or even caramel iced coffee. Gimme all the coffee things!
This coffee icing is thick, creamy, and has a ton of coffee flavor. The best thing about it (besides for how good it tastes) is that you can make it in just 5 minutes or less just like my chocolate fudge frosting!
It was also the first frosting recipe I made when I was studying in pastry school at Le Cordon Bleu, now I top it on my coffee cupcakes. I know you will love it too!
This recipe uses instant coffee to bring out the flavor. I use it because it melts easily into the frosting without having crunchy granules that might taste weird. You could also make this espresso frosting if you have espresso powder on hand!
Ingredients needed:
- Instant coffee- were using this twice in the recipe. Once in the dissolved form, and then again by throwing some instant coffee ground into the mix! If you don’t have instant you can also use whatever coffee grounds you have.
- Butter– It is essential that you use softened butter. The butter needs to be soft so that it creams well with the powdered sugar. Learn how to soften butter quickly.
- Milk or cream– These are interchangeable in this recipe, you can even use a dairy free milk or even water if you want!
If you don’t have instant coffee you can use brewed coffee. You will need 1 tbsp. You can still use the dry granules as well to throw in the buttercream.
How to make this frosting
- Start by adding butter and sifted powdered sugar to the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. To cream butter and sugar well, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color.
- Add in the dissolved instant coffee and beat again for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl then add the cream and dry instant coffee grounds and mix again for 30 seconds.
How to store and freeze buttercream frosting
Store- Store the frosting in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap lined directly over the frosting. This helps the buttercream from forming a crust.
You can also rip a piece of plastic wrap and dump the frosting on top of it. Wrap it up and store it in the fridge.
Freezing– Yes, you can even freeze it for up to 2 months! Wrap the frosting in plastic wrap and seal well or place in a zip top bag then place in the freezer.
Make Ahead- You can make the buttercream ahead too. Store it in the fridge if it’s a week out, or on the counter top if it’s just a couple of days.
Tips for recipe success
- Sift the confectioners sugar so that the frosting will be smoother and you wont have any clumps. This is not a necessary step but it does help!
- There really is no way to mess up this homemade frosting. If the frosting is too thick, then add 1/2 tbsp milk or cream at a time to loosen it.
- If the frosting is too thin, add a little more confectioners sugar (1/4 cup at a time) until it thickens.
You can adjust the coffee flavor by adding in more or less of the dry instant coffee granules, and remember the flavor will deepen over time!
That’s what I love about DIY frosting recipes, you can really play with the flavors depending on what you like.
You can also leave out the dry granules if you prefer.
Yield
This homemade icing will fill and frost a 2 layer, 8″ cake or 12 cupcakes.
5-Minute Coffee Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules, divided
- 1/2 tsp milk or cream
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the 1 cup softened butter to the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sifted 3 cups of confectioners sugar and beat on low speed working up to medium for 2 minutes.
- Dissolve 1 tsp of the instant coffee granules in 1 tbsp of water. With the mixer on medium speed add the coffee to the bowl. Stop and scrape down the bowl. Add the 1/2 tsp cream and the remaining 1/2 tsp dry instant granules to the frosting and mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute.
- Spread all over cakes and cupcakes!
This frosting is amazing!! Is it ok for it to sit on the counter or should it be refrigerated?
Hi Elaine! It can totally sit on the counter for a few days! If you want to keep it longer than 2-3 days then I would store it in the fridge. You might need to stir it a bit again if you let it sit for a bit!
Delighted! But why it separated??? 😕 I can see some chunks of the butter and it got all liquidity.
Hi Elaine, you may not have softened the butter enough. If you can see chunks of butter then it was too cold when you mixed it together and therefore it wasnt able to mix evenly.
This is the Bomb…. So easy and Delicious. I Doubled it and made a layered cake. OMG, we all couldn’t get enough. I would make it just to eat with a spoon, it’s that good!!! Thank you for the recipe. I put it on a Chocolate Fudge cake, I added some powder chocolate pudding in the cake mix, added butter, instead of oil a s added an extra egg! Delicious. So moist and not overly sweet , PERFECT…. YUM❤️
Ohhhh Chocolate fudge cake with this frosting sounds amazing! I am so glad you liked this recipe, thank you so much for letting me know!!
I love the flavor of the coffee in the frosting,I will use more of her recipes.
Thank you!
This frosting recipe is amazing! I loved how smooth it turned out! I used this on cupcakes, but it would likely work well on cakes as well😀Thanks Sam!
Wohoooo YAY Elayna! Thank you so much! This is one of my favorite frostings on the site, so glad you liked it!
My mom and I love the coffee ☕ cupcakes and the frosting is Delicious 😋! I’m taking 26 of these cupcakes to my Church tomorrow for Coffee call.
Aww thats so nice Donna, thank you so much!! Totally just made my day!
my daughter make this icing for my birthday cake. it was quick,easy, and Delicious
Happy birthday Gerrit! What flavor cake did she bake you? Thank you so, so much for coming back and rating/reviewing too! You just officially made my day!