They say you are supposed to save the best for last, so here it is!
The best Aquafaba Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipe you will ever meet.
I have to admit I surprised myself with this one. I guess I was skeptical how the hot sugar syrup would work in that whipping aquafaba since aquafaba is notorious for being sensitive to high temperatures.
But not here! It was a dream!
You may have heard that Italian Meringue Buttercream really is the best in terms of strength, stability and of course overall taste.
The cooking of a sugar solution to 240°F and then pouring that hit syrup into the whipping meringue makes the most beautiful, glossy, stiff peaked meringue you will ever see.
So I already knew this to be true from my earlier days before I transitioned to vegan.
But since then I have been using my Aquafaba Swiss Meringue Buttercream and my newest AquaFLAXA Swiss Meringue Buttercream (for those sensitive to chickpeas) and when I am feeling super lazy I make my best vegan American Buttercream recipe. All with wonderful results!
I’m not sure what took me so long to get to making this recipe for Italian Buttercream in vegan form though, but I am so glad I finally did!
Introducing the silkiest, smoothest, most pipeable, most stable recipe for buttercream, the Aquafaba Italian Meringue Buttercream will fast become your new favorite!
The sweetness of this one is right on the money, not too sweet but definitely not bland either. I use earth balance buttery sticks and a mix of shortening for added stability and the buttery taste comes right through.
I find that this recipe compared to all the rest has the highest yield too.
Coming in at 6 cups versus the scant 5 cups that the other recipes yield.
This recipe also has less tendency to “break” during mixing due to the ultra stable meringue from that sugar syrup.
So I apologize for waiting so long to show you this one, but once you try it, let me just say in advance, you’re very welcome 🙂
And by the way, if all this buttercream talk has you confused as to which one is best for you and your projects? Click here to read about Choosing the Best Buttercream Recipe
- Aquafaba or Aquaflaxa 1½ cups (355ml)
- Granulated Sugar 2 cups (400g)
- Water ¾ cup (180ml)
- Cream of Tartar ¼ teaspoon
- Softened Vegan Butter 3 sticks (339g)
- Solid Vegetable Shortening ¾ cup (170g)
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- First reduce the 1½ cups of aquafaba by bringing it to a boil then simmering for about 20 minutes until it is to 1 cup volume
- Refrigerate until cold
- Once the AF is cold you will start whipping it with the cream of tartar on medium to high speed while you cook the sugar syrup at the same time
- Combine the water and sugar together in a heavy bottom sauce pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Attach a candy thermometer and cook to 240°F
- It should take about 10 minutes to reach temperature which is approximately the same time it takes to get the AF to stiff peaks.
- Slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the whipping meringue as shown in the video.
- Once all the sugar syrup is added continue whipping to cool down the meringue and you can help it cool faster by placing a bowl of ice water under the mixer bowl.
- Add the vegan butter and shortening only once the meringue has cooled to below 100°F
- Whip smooth then add the vanilla extract
For longer storage keep refrigerated CLICKHERE for how to rewhip a cold buttercream
For Chocolate Buttercream: Add 4ounces of melted cooled chocolate at the last stage of mixing OR 8 Tbs of Cocoa powder dissolved in 7 Tablespoons of boiling water, be sure to cool the coco paste before adding to the buttercream
For Mocha Buttercream: Half the amounts listed for chocolate buttercream above, but also add 2 Tbs of Instant Coffee Powder dissolved in 3 Tbs boiling water. Cool before adding to the buttercream
Hi Gretchen thank you soo soo much for this recipe. Iam from Germany and we dont have cream of tatar what can I use instead of that?
You can leave it out, it won’t make or break the recipe, it just helps to make a stronger more stable meringue
We also don’t have cream of tartar where I live and I always substitute it with a little bit of white vinegar, also great for meringue!
From Germany, too, I think you can get Cream of Tartar (Weinstein) at a pharmacy!
Gretchen, another question – could I make a Mango buttercream by adding Mango puree and if so, what would I have to change?
I just got your book and love it – except more pics would have been great (on the other hand, my husband said “great book, real info, no pics 😉 so I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder 😉 )
Hi thank you! I agree with yo u100% about the pics, what a big disappointment to me as well – we eat with our eyes first…. but thankyou anyway!
Yes to mango puree, HOWEVER anything you add to an already soft buttercream will just make it softer, so the less moisture the better. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I do prefer flavor compounds if possible, although they are hard to get for home bakers CLICK HERE for what I am talking about
Thank you SO SO much for your ever so patient answers! I’m a huge fan 🙂
Hi! I used this recipe last year and thought the texture was a great comparison to my standard non-vegan merengue buttercream. However, the salt from the Earth Balance butter I used was very off putting to me and I cannot seem to find unsalted vegan “butter” anywhere. What should I do?
Yes I understand, I thought the same thing when using EB- I wish they would make an unsalted one, knowing that people are baking with it. At the end of the day, vegan butter is essentially shortening, so you can always change the ratio of butter: shortening and go heavier on the shortening side.
Hi Gretchen, love your recipes and looking forward to your new book. How can i make the chocolate version of this recipe please?
Hi Thank you! yes you can! I have an updated post at the bottom of the recipe here for how to make chocolate buttercream
1) would this work with a stand mixer that only has regular style beaters, not a balloon whip?
2) I find the buttery sticks to be rather salty, how is this recipe’s ratio for saltiness?
thanks.
I agree that the Earth Balance is a bit salty and why I dont add salt to my recipes when Im using it (or at least I cut back on it.. I need to remember to add that as a note for those who dont use the EB)
As for hte beaters, it is really a bonus to have the balloon whip, that being said it is not impossible to do it with the regular beaters, but it will take considerably longer 🙁 Like really long……
so then regarding the saltiness, the recipe is okay as is?
yes I do not add salt at all so it is good (in my opinion)
I made this recipe during my holiday break. Great great recipe I am not a vegan but have a baking business I am offering vanilla and chocolate vegan cupcakes. This icing is amazing
awesome! thankyou!!
Hi 😃
I’m going to attempt my first vegan cupcakes for a friend’s wedding. But I was wondering,can this vegan buttercream take colour well?
Thanks 😃
Great! good luck! I have a great cupcakes recipe here
and yes this will color just fine
Wonderful, thank you 😃
If I want to use GF Flour – what it the exchange with Cake Flour??
Im not sure what recipe you are talking about since we are commenting on Italian Buttercream, but first off, I am not a gluten free baker, however I know that gluten free + vegan throws another layer of chaos into the equation.
For a better gluten free advisor CLICK HERE my friend Deborah is AMAZING with GF+ vegan
Good one. I am a cottage baker and starting to add vegen to my baking list. Looking forward to more great recipes from you.
excellent! thank you! You may be interested in my course coming out early Spring CLICK HERE
Hi, I live in France. I am really interested in your recipes that look enchanting ! Could you explain what “shortening” is as I am not sure where I can find that item here (Crisco maybe ?). Also, when you speak of vegan butter, all we can find here is rather soft whereas your vegan butter seems to have the same consistency as traditional butter. Mine is more like margarine. Will it be ok to do the recipe properly ? Thank you for your great blog and for your help.
HI! Thank you ! Yes CLICK HERE for more info
Yes my vegan butter (the Earth Balance brand) is similar to butter, it is the best, however many use margarine (which may have slightly more water content that the EB) but you can use it for sure!
Hi! This is such an amazing recipe and Ii can’t wait to try it! However I don’t really want to use shortening and I don’t have cream of tartar. I saw earlier that the cream of tartar wasn’t required, but can I use more butter instead of shortening? Also I am vegetarian, but not vegan, so can I use regular butter? Thank you so much!
Yes you can use all butter in place of the shortning
Can I make cupcakes with this buttercream to be eaten bout 35 hours later. Will they still be ok ?
The cupcakes may be slightly stale but the buttercream will be fine
Hi! I live in Ireland and am making a vegan wedding cake for my cousin this summer.. Do you think cocoa butter would work in place of vegetable shortening? The only similar thing we have here would be shredded vegetable suet which I don’t think would work..or taste very nice!!
the problem with cocoa butter or any oil – is that is is OIL, it wont work because the solid shortening is when gives stability to the buttercream
Click here for more SUBSTITUTIONS
Stephanie, can you get Trex where you are? That’s 100% vegetable shortening 🙂
Hi Gretchen- thank you for this recipe.
I am trying to get ahead for my first three tier cake I will be constructing in a months time. Two questions:
Can this recipe be frozen? I will be using room temperature (softened not melted) copha as that seems to be the most natural shortening I can find here in Australia, in combination with nuttelex (the one made from coconut oil not palm oil).
Also I want to turn it into a lemon buttercream. Can I just add zest or limoncello at the end?
Thank you
Naddie
Hi Naddie, since the Vegan Buttercreams are softer to begin with it is best to add extracts rather than alcohols since you would need much more alcohol than extract to achieve a lemon flavor. I have frozen the buttercream before, just be sure to rewhip it before using again to bring it back to a workable consistency CLICK HERE
Gretchen thank you so much. I have made it today and it’s such a beautiful smooth light but strong buttercream. Shame not to use it straight away. It’s in the freezer now and I will use your method to bring it back to consistency after defrosting. Thanks again.
For anyone from Australia reading this in the future, if you are considering using Copha, I would give it a trial run prior to the big event, as Copha has a peculiar mouth-feel. In this instance, you may get all the required stability from the coconut Nutelex, as coconut oil (unless fully refined) is much more solid at room temperature. Either way, it may be worth the investment of time, to experiment with various combinations until you hit upon the magic ratios, and if all else fails just use ordinary shortening that you can purchase from a cake shop or online if required. Good luck.
I had trouble 😢 lost the beautiful meringue mixture, went half the size. I grated the Copha and used the coconut Nuttlex brand but I think it just melted away, my mixture was to warm 😤 just beat for half an hour and it was basically whipped butter as it set. Looked at wrong side of thermometer. Needs to be below 30 degrees Celsius
Hi Gretchen. I tried this recipe today however when I added the shortening at the end it turned into tiny little lumps that I just could not whip out. The shortening was definetly at room temp. Do you know why this might have happened or how to fix it? Thanks
Hmm, that’s a problem, since it would be hard to whip it out now. You can try to sieve it out, but next time to avoid that I would suggest to whip your shortening first to make sure there are no hidden hard spots (usually shortening is smooth and you dont have to worry about that, but the quality varies by brand and I have experiences hard spots in shortening before, unfortunately you don’t always know it until the end!)
Hi there!
Flavor is great and everything seemed fine until I added the vegan butter and vegetable shortening. the consistancy just seems a bit thin and does not hold shape. Is it too late? Can it be saved?
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
Hi Gretchen – love this so much! But wanted to ask which buttercream is best for a wedding cake that’s going to be in a marquee for several hours – it could be warm and sunny (hopefully!) but it could be damp or humid???
Thanks very much
Jessica
Hi! Thanks, I would say this one is the most stable! CLICK HERE
This worked out perfectly for me the first time I made it, but today it failed completely. The Aquafaba deflated when I added the hot sugar and never recovered. I added some homemade vegan butter, but decided not to continue when the mixture got more and more liquid. What did I do wrong? My sugar was the right temperature.
Sounds like the AF was not whipped to really stiff glossy peaks? that could be why, also adding the sugar syrup too fast is also a culprit
Have you ever used xanthum gum in any of your aquafaba recipes? It’s supposed to stabilize the meringue really well—I just used it for a lemon meringue pie and it’s kept it set all day.
awesome tip!
I actually cannot eat cane sugar. Any thoughts on using maple sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup heated to the proper temperature instead of cane sugar?
Yes to Maple syrup. I have not tried the others
Hi Gretchen,
This worked great until I added the vegan butter and shortening. It just deflated and became soupy. Is it possible that the butter was too warm? Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Sal
Hi I’m sorry that happened to you I do have a blog post on here called how to save a failed buttercream if you search in the search bar exactly that title you will find it I would link it for you but I’m using my phone to moderate these comments and it is proving to be very difficult thank you and I’m sorry
Hi there,was wondering what is the best and most white buttercream to use on a textured finish wedding cake..🤔🤔
Hi I would suggest searching for best vegan butter cream recipe here on this blog in the search bar I would link it for you but I’m using my phone and I’m having a hard time moderating these comments from my phone sorry
I reduced for 20 minutes and ended up with only 3/4c. Do I reduce down more to add to it? Do I redo it? This is my first time working with aquafaba so any help is greatly appreciated!
Im assuming you made your own aquafaba from dried chickpeas? In which case it would be the liquid after you have cooked the peas and then may need to reduce it down again to get it nice and thick. If I am hearing you correctly it sounds as if you did it right.
If you have used the canned liquid I have used it straight out of the can with no trouble, it whips up really great.
Hi, am wondering how I could make a peanut butter version of this italian meringue buttercream? I’ve tried it once before by just adding peanut butter to it but it made it waaay softer and wasn’t the best for piping or anything. Would I need to replace some of the vegan butter in the recipe for peanut butter instead? Thanks 🙂
yes anything you add to buttercream often just makes it softer CLICK HERE FOR MORE
In my NON vegan days I found that Peanut butter & chocolate additions would help stabilize it MORE but for vegan buttercreams it seems that anything you add just makes it softer, so yes to replace some of the butter would be a great idea,
However I do find my American Buttercream recipe the BEST for most applications
Hi. I love this butter cream… I have read all the comments & watch the how not to flop it video.
I have made it 5 times, 2 times it worked & 3 times it did not work & flopped & was not able to be recovered. So I had some questions as I thought I went exactly to the recipe every time. I am using a Bosch bread machine mixer with the egg beater attachments. The first time I made it, I beat the aquafaba on the highest speed for 10 minutes like recipe says & I thought they were stiff & shiny enough…. it flopped when I added the sugar water & yes I added the sugar water VERY slowly… So time number 2, I beat the AF for about 20 min …. it worked like a charm & was amazing… number 3, beat the AF for 20 min & it worked like a charm.. & now the last 2x it has flopped when I added the oils. I am using spectrum palm oil vegetable shortening & vegan butter. I have used the exact same ingredients every time. When I add the oil I read that some added it too fast, so I add the butters/shortening 1/2 -1 tsp at a time on the highest speed & each little gloop is added 10 seconds apart. I am very careful to add room temperature oils & the temp of the AF was 99F the 2nd flop & 96F the 3rd flop. … I am a wee bit frustrated as all those ingredients can be $$$$… don’t worry I didn’t throw flops out… added stuff & made cakes from the liquid…. but I do not know what I am doing wrong!!! Today, when it flopped again.. I whipped the AF for 20 min, extra glossy & stiff… VERY slowly added the sugar water, & yes it loses a bit of volume, ( is that normal???) … & then whip till cool with cold packs on outside of bowl….. & it was lovely & glossy & light… I added the soft palm oil shortening.. & by the 5th or 6th little 1/2 tsp glops added 10-15 seconds apart, whamo , it flops & becomes water & I have tried to whip & whip & whip, heating it up, cooling it down… nothing… I am just whipping like water… Do you have any pointers for me???
Hi Emma, I think more frustrating than a recipe NEVER working for you is when it works great and then DOESN’T! with no explanation! LOL
It sounds as though you are very aware of the pitfalls, and you are doing everything RIGHT to make this work out.
I know the AF can be touchy, but so can regular egg whites with this recipe, Many times the meringue will deflate as soon as you add the fat and you said you also watched the how to save the failed BC…..
It is normal that the meringue will deflate slightly when adding the sugar, but only slightly. because AF is more sensitive to heat than egg whites, it is going to be more noticeable
I would suspect the Spectrum shortening, except that you said you did it before with great results, so I would then have to look to the actual AF for the culprit, since from can to can or even if you are making it yourself, there an be subtle differences in strength. I would reccommend to reduce your liquid AF to a higherconcentration next time and also use ½ tsp cream of tartar before whipping
I tried this three times tonight. I’ve made regular IMBC a lot, and i know what to look for/wait for. I know how to fix it… I just respectfully gotta say a few things for any other people who read every comment looking to see if a recipe is worth spending $20 on vegan butter for a vegan wedding cake due SOON, like tomorrow:
1.) This is not a stable buttercream, and it doesn’t taste good. It will not hold a tiered cake, and i’d honestly be surprised if it held layers.
That being said, i think it’s a valiant effort at something that should just be left to egg whites and butter. It’s a good mock, but ultimately so unreliable for paying customers. Maybe on cupcakes it’d be fine.
I think it would be a good final coat buttercream, for looks and a light mouth feel (vs american buttercream on an entire cake). It’s less sweet, but tastes in the end, basically like a saltier version of the fake butter it’s made from.
The aqua faba whips up beautifully, and takes the hot syrup… but the additional emulsion of vegan butter and shortening combo just kinda sucks.
Thanks for the recipe though! I enjoyed trying it (theee times)
Hi!!
If I have already aquaflaxa in my fridge, I just need to measure 1 cup for whipping it?
Thank youu
yes correct (sorry for the late reply, I was at a wedding this weekend!)
Hi Gretchen!11
I want to know if I have already aquaflaxa in the fridge, i must only measure the 1 cup needed? Because you mentionned to reduce it to 1 cup.. 🙂
Also, I want to try the aquafaba recipe and when I measure the can juice, I have already 1 cup of liquid. So I not need to reduce it?
Thank you so much
Carolanne
HI yes, that’s right. to both questions (some people like to reduce their AF from the can, I think it works fine just as is..it is your option
Hi
I wanted to ask if you were to use aquafaba direct from chickpea cans do you still need to boil it to reduce the volume?
I do not reduce straight from the cans, no. If I boil my own, yes I do
This recipe completely failed for me. I used a candy thermometer. I used a stand mixer. I weighed all of the ingredients. The ingredients were at the right temperature. I followed every step precisely. I’ve made Italian meringue buttercream with egg white and butter with no problem in the past. Still, for some reason, the meringue broke and became running. It’s a shame. I LOVE Italian meringue buttercream and wanted to make this for a vegan friend. I wouldn’t make this again because it was a waste of expensive ingredients.
Oh no! That’s so unfortunate. I really hope you’ll give it another shot. This recipe is so delicious and beautiful.
Hey Gretchen! I’m making a chart of baking conversions for my kitchen and I noticed that your gram measurements are not correct:( 1 Stick of Vegan Butter is 113g so 3 would be 339g? And Vegetable Shortening measures at 145g for 3/4 cup.
Hi Thanks! I used 12 Tbs (which is ¾ cup) for the shortening at 14g per Tbs= 168 (I rounded up to 170g)
hey gretchen, I tried this recipe today and after adding the margarina, it became really runny and meringue and the butter seperated. I tried to whip it 10 more minutes but it didn’t work, they just won’t stick together and the consistency is really off. will probably chuck this batch out because I can’t really think of any way to save it.
Hi Irem, I’m sorry this happened to you (it has also happened to me in the past)
Before you chuck it, if you have a blender, put in in the blender with some xantham gum (if you have it) or even soy lecithin. (about 1 tsp)
This will help to re-emulsify it since it is broken. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT EMMUSIFICATION although the video is about ganache, it explains the concept of emulsification in general
The biggest problem with this method of buttercream is that vegan butter (margarine) is higher in moisture and all brands are different. Not to mention AF is a tricky bugger to work with already.
But I have found that putting the borken mixture in the blender works, then I re-whip it (or paddle it out) on the mixer again and even adding a few tablespoons more butter will help rebalance the ratios.
Thank you Gretchen! This is an amazing recipe.
I’ve made it twice now, first time with spectrum shortening and second with KitchenKrafts Hi-ratio. First time was no Saturday enough to frost with and second time is looking much much better! This has been my biggest challenge with vegan buttercream, making something sturdy enough. Now I get why hi ratio is so important! Thank you!
The recipe came together easily and beautifully! I love the consistency of this icing. The mouthfeel is like whipped cream and it’s so silky smooth and easy to get a perfect finish on a cake. I love that it is less sweet than American buttercream, but the flavor is strange.It’s like having a mouthful of whipped shortening. I even added almond extract in addition to the vanilla, but the flavor just isn’t there for me. I do love this recipe and it held up well in a two layer 8″ cake for two days on my counter at room temperature with no melting or sagging. I’m going to try again and increase the vegan butter and decrease the shortening.
Hi, I tried to make this recipe 2X , but when I add trex shortening (I live in the UK), it becomes “curd” and I need to bin it. Any idea please what I can use instead! (I have just bought your book!)
Thank you
Hi Thank you!! I am not familiar with working with Trex here in the USA, but those who have, have told me to try to whip the trex first? then add it to the buttercream
Also if I am not understanding correctly CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Hi Gretchen,
I absolutely ADORE your recipe, it works every time for me and I get so many compliments on my buttercreams!
I saw another asking about whether it would work with maple or coconut sugar. If using maple syrup, please could you advise the quantities needed to use in this recipe in place of the granulated sugar?
Additionally, if I were to use coconut sugar, would you say that I should use the same measurement of granulated sugar?
Thank you!
Hi Thanks! Maple syrup has a slightly higher “sweet” measure in terms of taste, and overall sweetness it imparts, so you can go slightly less on the quantity as listed here. By maybe 1/4 cup?
I have not tried it with coconut sugar (or maple for that matter) but both will also make it slightly “off” in color as they are both darker sugars. I find coconut sugar to be less sweet tasting than granulated, so the same quantity there would be fine. Let me know if it works!
Hi, thanks a lot for the recipe. I checked your table, and the shortening is not available in my country at all. Can I substitute it with vegan butter?
yes!