Perfect Italian Meringue Buttercream: Your Complete Guide
Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC) has a unique texture that differentiates it from other buttercreams. It is made by combining whipped egg whites with hot sugar syrup, which is then mixed with butter. This process results in a denser frosting but remains delightfully light, creamy, and velvety. The sugar syrup enhances the texture and improves stability, making IMBC one of the most reliable frostings for high-pressure and temperature conditions.
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Welcome to my ultimate Italian Meringue Buttercream guide!
We'll explore texture, aeration, and ingredient chemistry and learn how this frosting differs from others. Additionally, if you’re worried about potentially consuming raw egg whites, my Italian Meringue Buttercream recipe is versatile in that you can use either raw or pasteurized (carton) egg whites based on your preferences.
What is Italian Meringue Buttercream?
My Italian Meringue Buttercream is a type of True Buttercream, which is a large family of butter-based frostings made by creating stable emulsions.
True Buttercreams are a family of stable emulsion frostings, where fat and water-based ingredients are mixed to create a thick, creamy texture. I’ll often also refer to these as “emulsion-based buttercreams.”
Generally, True Buttercreams:
- moderate sweetness,
- low aeration,
- a creamy and buttery texture,
- the ability to create intricate piped designs and smooth cake sides,
- excellent stability at room temperature and under pressure, and
- are easily dyed and flavored.
So, what sets Italian Meringue Buttercream apart from other Frostings?
Let’s get into the specifics of this buttercream:
Italian Meringue Buttercream is a classic and used widely for several reasons. It’s one to learn if you hope to improve your cake’s look and taste, especially if you have only tasted or decorated with Simple Buttercreams. There are cooking steps required, and I’ve offered some modifications for beginners, so this frosting is of medium to hard difficulty, depending on which route you choose.
What is the texture of Italian Meringue Buttercream?
In comparison to other buttercreams, Italian Meringue Buttercream stands out for its creamy, velvety texture and refined mouthfeel. A huge reason for this is the sugar syrup, which is cooked to the hard ball temperature. This creates a very sticky, syrupy, and thick solution and, when emulsified with butter, creates the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth texture. The butterfat is interlaced with this thick syrup and breaks up large pockets of butterfat. Both emulsion components, the butterfat, and the thick, viscous syrup, melt in your mouth.
I measure the aeration of my frostings, which is the percentage of volume occupied by air. Generally, my European buttercreams have low aeration, with Italian Meringue Buttercream at around 11%. This means that for any given volume of frosting, 11% is air, while the rest is made up of ingredients like butter, sugar, and water. For comparison, a highly aerated frosting like whipped cream can have up to 50% air.
Interestingly, the meringue offers minimal aeration, which I cover more in detail in my Swiss Meringue Buttercream guide.
Aeration is critical in understanding texture, as it affects mouthfeel, greasiness, and spreadability. Although most of my emulsion-based frostings have low aeration, don’t let that deter you. Air isn’t the only factor influencing texture. In emulsion-based frostings, the high ratio of silky or creamy syrups interlaced with butterfat creates the luxurious, melt-in-your-mouth creaminess of the final buttercream.
What is the taste and flavor of Italian Meringue Buttercream?
Italian Meringue Buttercream has a light, subtly sweet buttery flavor with a delicate hint of vanilla. At 34% sugar, the sweetness is well-balanced and not overly cloying. The butter contributes a smooth, buttery note, while the sugar syrup adds a refined sweetness that makes the buttercream both sophisticated and versatile. In general, though, the meringue itself doesn’t offer too much in terms of flavor. And this makes sense if you think about the flavor of the top of a lemon meringue pie. There is a hint of egginess, but for the most part, there is an overwhelming sweetness, and people tend to pay more attention to the texture.
What ingredients do you need for Italian Meringue Buttercream?
(Please note that ingredient amounts may look different here and in the step-by-step tutorial photos. Although I might be demonstrating a different final yield here, the method remains the same regardless of your quantity. Always follow the amounts specified in the recipe card.)
1 | WHITE GRANULATED SUGAR
There are two areas where we add sugar in this frosting recipe. This first amount here is used to make the sugar syrup and is the primary source of sugar for the frosting. I use granulated sugar because it’s pure sugar (unlike powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch) and will create a pure syrup with the right consistency.
2 | WATER
Water is used to dissolve the sugar and create the syrup.
3 | EGG WHITES
Egg whites are the translucent, viscous fluid surrounding the egg yolk. In this frosting, they provide proteins and water. The proteins provide bulk and a bit of structure for the buttercream, whereas the water helps dissolve the sugar, yielding a creamier, smoother buttercream.
You can use raw or pasteurized (carton) egg whites for my recipe. I’ll outline the differences in the protocol below, but the final buttercream will be nearly identical regardless of which type you choose. In this tutorial, I'm using pasteurized egg whites, which have been heat-treated to eliminate any pathogenic bacteria. I prefer pasteurized egg whites because they are reliably safe if the sugar syrup method doesn’t thoroughly cook them. Although pasteurized egg whites don’t foam as well as raw egg whites, this does not impact the final texture of the buttercream. You can skip the whipping steps in all of my “meringue” buttercreams if you prefer.
4 | UNSALTED BUTTER
Butter provides fat, stability, flavor, and emulsifiers for this frosting. The unique combination of milkfats (around 80-84%) gives butter its wonderful creamy and spreadable texture. Butter is integral for True Buttercreams because it also contains various emulsifiers, which hold water-based and fat-based ingredients together. I always use unsalted butter in all my frostings and add salt based on taste.
5 | POWDERED SUGAR
This recipe's second type of sugar is powdered (or confectioners or icing) sugar, which helps aerate and sweeten the butter. This is done prior to the larger emulsification step with the meringue mixture and ensures a silky smooth texture that is not overly buttery.
6 | VANILLA EXTRACT
Vanilla extract is a general flavor enhancer for baked goods, and here it is the primary flavoring element for this frosting. Extracts are generally interchangeable to make easy flavor modifications, but be sure to google it. (For instance, almond extract is potent, and you’d likely want to start with 25% vanilla.) Also, vanilla bean paste is lovely here as it adds little vanilla bean specks throughout the frosting.
Real vanilla extract tends to be dark brown, which can make the final frosting a bit cream-colored, so if you’re trying to minimize this, consider a clear vanilla extract. These extracts are artificially flavored, but I really like them in cakes and frostings.
7 | FINELY GRANULATED SALT
A pinch of salt enhances the flavor and balances the overall sweetness of this frosting. I typically use flaky kosher salt in my baking, but crispy salt bits are not appealing in frostings, so I exclusively use finely granulated salt. This allows the salt to dissolve more readily.
What’s the difference between pasteurized and fresh egg whites? Does it matter which one to use in Italian Meringue Buttercream?
Pasteurized and fresh egg whites differ primarily in their treatment and safety, which is highly dependent on your country’s egg manufacturing practices. I live in the US, where pasteurized egg whites are heated to a temperature that kills pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, without cooking the egg whites. They are sold in cartons and provide a reliable alternative for those concerned about consuming raw eggs, such as in this recipe. It's possible that the Italian meringue is not heated thoroughly enough to kill off the bacteria. On the other hand, fresh egg whites come directly from raw eggs and have not undergone any heat treatment.
Fresh egg whites offer better foaming capabilities. The egg white proteins needed to build the scaffolding of the foam are not heat-treated as with pasteurized egg whites, which can alter the shape and function of proteins.
Typically, a good rule of thumb is that with recipes with high-volume foaming and aeration, such as macarons, cakes, and mousses, you want to choose the right type of egg product to create the meringue. This choice is usually a balance between food safety and functionality. For instance, since cakes are fully baked, using raw egg products is never a problem. I bake quite a bit for the elderly and small children, so I feel more comfortable not taking any risks when it comes to my baking.
For my Italian meringue buttercream, since aeration of the meringue plays a minimal role in the final texture of the frosting, I almost always reach for pasteurized egg whites.
Step by step:
How to make my Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting
STEP 1 | PREPARE YOUR INGREDIENTS AND SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE.
WHY:
Italian meringue buttercream is one of my more advanced recipes because it multitasks two complex processes. The first is heating a sugar syrup to a specific temperature while whipping a meringue. There are more than a few places for failure, so I want to ensure that you get it right the first time by setting up your workspace properly to ensure success.
HOW:
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan (1a). Stir the mixture to evenly distribute the sugar throughout the water. It will look like very wet sand (1b). Add the egg whites to the bowl of your stand mixer (1c).
Get your workspace set up and familiarize yourself a bit with what’s going to happen. This is especially important if you are trying to make a traditional aerated Italian meringue with raw egg whites. You will need to keep an eye on the meringue as it’s forming while simultaneously watching the temperature of your sugar syrup.
I’m using pasteurized egg whites, which makes this process much easier. This is because pasteurized egg whites usually can’t whip up to the same volume as raw egg whites, so I won’t put much effort into trying to reach those stiff peaks necessary for traditional Italian meringue.
This goes in line with the fact that the aeration of the meringue contributes very little to the final texture of the buttercream. So even if you go the traditional fluffy peaks route, you don’t have to get a super aerated meringue. Or if something fails along the way and you get fat in your bowl, which can deflate a meringue, you can still use it.
For either route, you should have your saucepan atop your heat source and your stand mixer somewhat close to each other (1d). My stuff is super close together in the picture above. You don’t need it that close, but just be aware that if you’re going to try the traditional method, you’re going to get that syrup going to a high temp while the mixer is going, which you’ll have to keep an eye on to make sure it reaches soft peaks, and then immediately pour the sugar syrup in. Safety-wise, just keep this in mind, as you don’t want to be rushing across your kitchen with bubbling hot syrup to accomplish this.
STEP 2 | SIMULTANEOUSLY HEAT THE SUGAR SYRUP AND START WHISKING THE MERINGUE.
WHY:
For traditional Italian meringues made with raw egg whites, whipping the meringue while cooking the sugar syrup ensures that both components are at the correct consistency and temperature when combined. This ensures a stable, smooth, and glossy Italian meringue.
This doesn't matter as much for my pasteurized egg white method, and I’ll note the differences in the protocol below.
If you’re using my pasteurized egg whites method, you only need to concentrate on getting that syrup up to temperature. You can start whisking the egg whites at the beginning of your sugar syrup cooking process and just let it go.
HOW:
For Traditional Italian Meringue with raw egg whites:
For this route, you will have to bring in some inside knowledge about your equipment. For instance, my mom’s electric range transfers heat less quickly than my sister’s gas range, and my induction portable cooktop heats things very quickly. You’ll want to time this so that your meringue reaches soft peaks around the same time your sugar syrup reaches 245-248 °F (118-120 °C).
For my gas and induction range, I usually start whisking the raw egg whites on low (2a) to break up the egg whites and then place the sugar syrup on medium-high heat (2b). Once I reach around 220 °F (104 °C) with my syrup, I turn the stand mixer up to medium-high speed. Keep cooking the syrup until it reaches between 245-248 °F (118-120 °C), and remove it from the heat source.
If, by chance, my meringue reaches soft peaks (which forms a droopy point on the end of the whisk attachment) before my syrup reaches 245-248 °F (118-120 °C), I will turn the stand mixer to low speed until the syrup is ready.
For pasteurized (carton) egg whites:
Start the mixer at medium speed (2a) and cook sugar syrup at medium-high heat(2b).
Heat the syrup until it reaches 245-248 °F (118-120 °C). As I’m using pasteurized egg whites, you’ll see I’m not even near soft peaks in the stand mixer to the left (2c). It doesn’t matter in my case, and since my syrup has reached its final temperature, I will move on to the next step.
STEP 3 | POUR THE SUGAR SYRUP INTO THE WHIPPING MERINGUE.
WHY:
You might wonder why whipping the meringue is necessary despite the previous discussion on how aeration here is not important for the final buttercream. Whipping helps effectively mix the hot sugar syrup with the liquid egg whites. Dumping the syrup directly into the bowl without vigorously mixing can cause it to clump and harden prematurely. The syrup, cooked to the "hard ball" stage, has a chewy candy-like consistency when cooled, making blending smoothly with the egg whites challenging. I usually restart the process if I notice lots of taffy-like sugar pieces in the meringue due to improper mixing or overheating. So, the whipping step is crucial for aeration and properly incorporating the sugar syrup with the egg whites.
HOW:
Check to make sure your stand mixer is moving at medium speed. Once your syrup has reached its temperature, immediately and slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites. You want to aim for where the edge of the mixing meringue meets the bowl (3a). Depending on the quantity of meringue I’m making, this may take up to 30 seconds or more.
POTENTIAL PITFALLS:
Avoid pouring directly on the whisk when adding syrup to the meringue to prevent it from spraying droplets along the bowl's sides. Also, ensure you don't pour it solely on the bowl's side, as it can harden into clumps. As shown in my photo, I struggled to find the right angle and ended up with sugar droplets on the side. Mix vigorously—ideally at medium speed or higher—which is crucial to integrating the hot sugar properly. Mixing too slowly can cause the syrup to settle and harden at the bottom of the bowl. While this step doesn’t have to be perfect, aiming for the correct pouring area greatly increases the amount of sugar incorporated into the meringue.
Once all the syrup has been added (3b), turn the whisk onto high speed (3c).
Mix until you either get a soft, runny foam (pasteurized egg whites, 3d) or stiff peaks (traditional Italian meringue, 3d: inset). Pour the meringue into a bowl (3de).
STEP 4 | MAKE THE FROSTING BUTTER.
WHY:
A common complaint about True Buttercreams is their overly buttery taste and feel. To address this, I've developed a pre-conditioning method for the butter called "Frosting Butter." This technique aerates, pre-sweetens, and flavors the butterfat, ensuring an optimal creamy texture and temperature for emulsification, which is crucial for all True Buttercreams. The final buttercream is silky smooth and doesn't taste overly buttery. Additionally, frostings made with Frosting Butter are easier to re-whip without curdling after refrigeration or freezing. To learn more about the science of Frosting Butter, ready my guide here.
HOW:
For proper aeration, ensure the butter temperature is around 60-70 °F (15-21 °C) (4a). You don’t need a thermometer, but when the butter is at this temperature, you should be able to slide the whisk attachment into it with moderate pressure (4a, inset).
Add the butter to your mixing bowl and whisk on high speed for about 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides at least once (4b). Aerated butter will still be paler, more voluminous, and ball up inside the whisk (4c).
Add the powdered sugar, along with the vanilla extract and a small pinch of salt (4d, e). Mix on high speed for another 2-3 minutes. You’ll notice that the butter is slightly glossier (that’s the sugar) but still has a good fluffy, voluminous texture that balls inside the whisk (4f).
STEP 5 | ADD THE MERINGUE TO THE FROSTING BUTTER.
WHY:
In True Buttercreams, such as this one, emulsification is the core underlying process, primarily in this step. It allows us to create stable mixtures with an ideal thick and creamy buttercream texture that will not separate. It’s awesome because it allows us to combine ingredients that usually don’t go together, such as oil (or fat) and water. In this step, we’re emulsifying the aerated butter and meringue. It’s stabilized with emulsifiers contained in the butter, which are components that link fat and water-based ingredients. Adding the meringue incrementally allows us to build the emulsion a little at a time, which yields a creamy final texture.
HOW:
Ensure that your meringue is at room temperature (5a) and add it to the Frosting Butter in 2 to 3 additions, whipping for about 1 minute after every addition (5b).
STEP 6 | SMOOTH AND ADJUST FOR FLAVORINGS.
WHY:
With all its wires, the whisk is much more efficient at emulsifying than a paddle with a thick singular wire. However, during the mixing process with a whisk attachment, we’ll inevitably be also mixing in tons of air, which can further collect into larger air pockets. Switch the paddle attachment (one with a silicone edge, if you can), which smooths the frosting against the bowl and greatly reduces the amount of large air gaps in your final frosting.
HOW:
Switch over to the paddle attachment (6a) and smooth on the lowest speed for a few minutes. Taste the buttercream and adjust for salt and vanilla. The final buttercream will be silky soft with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, ready to frost your cakes (6b, c).
Storage Tips
Leftover buttercream stores well in the fridge or freezer. Additionally, this buttercream can be made ahead of time for larger cake projects.
For a detailed tutorial, check out my How to Store Buttercream Guide.
Video
Read this before you begin
Measure by weight, if possible.
Measuring by weight is the best way for you to replicate my recipes. I develop recipes using ingredients (even liquids) measured in grams, which is why you see them listed first in the recipe cards. For measurements under 5 grams, I will typically only list the volumetric measurements (teaspoons, etc.), as most home scales are not precise for such small weights.
In most cases, I have converted grams to volumetric measurements (aka US customary units) for bakers who prefer this method. However, the measurements are not as precise and may have awkward proportions. The recipes should still work, but for the ultimate precision, try to use weight.
This is the OXO scale I use daily. I also purchased this budget version of a good scale, which I keep at my Mom’s house for baking. If you’re interested in other tools I use for my baking, I’ve compiled a list here.
Use room temperature ingredients.
All my ingredients should be used at room temperature, or 65-75 °F/18-24 °C. I will always indicate if you need something outside this range. If no details are given, room temperature is the default.
Pay attention to the ingredient descriptions.
I try not to be brand-specific, but I will always note an interesting result from a type of ingredient, be it negative or positive.
A specific note regarding salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for everything on this site except for frostings. In frostings, you want the salt to dissolve more easily, and kosher salt tends to leave granules behind. If you substitute table salt (more finely granulated) for recipes that list kosher salt, you must use half the volume indicated in my recipes.
Substitutions are hard.
That’s not to say they’re impossible, though. For instance, in many cases, substituting reduced fat for whole milk (and thus reducing fat by less than 2%) will probably be fine. Using applesauce for oil or even Greek yogurt when sour cream is listed will definitely alter the fat content and adversely affect the crumb texture and density of the cake.
I experiment for hours to get these recipes to work for us. First, try to make them as written or use one of my tested substitutions, which I often dedicate a section to. Then, if necessary, you can make modifications afterward. Even then I would be pretty cautious, as substitutions are one of the hardest things to investigate in recipe development.
Read all the recipe instructions before beginning.
I’m in the “Pre-read the Chapter before Class Lecture” club... and I invite you to join! Baking new recipes can be intimidating, so let’s set you up for success. I want you to think about timeframes. Most fillings and frostings can be made ahead of time, and give you an extra day for mental space. Also, as you become a more proficient baker, you can anticipate and recognize steps. (“Oh, this has a meringue step, so I’ll need an extra clean bowl…” etc.) Ensure you go down the ingredient list and have everything at the right temperature.
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Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 100 g (½ cup) white granulated sugar
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) water
- 60 g (¼ cup) fresh or pasteurized (carton) egg whites**
- 142 g (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 12 g (1 ½ tablespoons) powdered sugar, unsifted
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- smallest pinch of fine salt
For larger quantities or to pair with a cake recipe, go to my Cakeculator and choose “Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream.
- 100 g (½ cup) white granulated sugar
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) water
- 60 g (¼ cup) fresh or pasteurized (carton) egg whites**
- 142 g (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 12 g (1 ½ tablespoons) powdered sugar, unsifted
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- smallest pinch of fine salt
For larger quantities or to pair with a cake recipe, go to my Cakeculator and choose “Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream.
- 200 g (1 cup) white granulated sugar
- 60 g (¼ cup) water
- 120 g (½ cup) fresh or pasteurized (carton) egg whites**
- 283 g (1 ¼ cup) unsalted butter
- 24 g (3 tablespoons) powdered sugar, unsifted
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- small pinch of fine salt
For larger quantities or to pair with a cake recipe, go to my Cakeculator and choose “Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream.
- Prepare your ingredients and workspace. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place egg whites in the stand mixer bowl. Set up your workstation to monitor both the sugar syrup and the meringue.
- Simultaneously heat the sugar syrup and start whisking the meringue.
For traditional Italian Meringue/raw egg whites:
Start whisking egg whites on low. Heat sugar syrup on medium-high. When the syrup reaches 220°F (104°C), increase the mixer speed to medium-high until soft peaks form. Continue heating syrup to 245-248°F (118-120°C). If your meringue reaches soft peaks before the syrup is ready, turn the mixer to low speed.
For pasteurized (carton) egg whites:
Whisk egg whites at medium speed. Heat syrup to 245-248°F (118-120°C). The meringue might not foam yet, which is fine; just immediately move on to Step 3. - Pour the sugar syrup into the whipping meringue. Check to make sure your stand mixer is moving at medium speed. Once your syrup has reached its temperature, immediately and slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites. You want to aim for where the edge of the mixing meringue meets the bowl (see my pictures above). Depending on the quantity of meringue I’m making, this may take up to 30 seconds or more.
Mix until you get a soft, runny foam (this will take a few minutes with pasteurized egg whites) or stiff peaks (up to 5-10 minutes or more for a traditional Italian meringue). Pour the slightly warm meringue into a bowl—no need to clean the stand mixer bowl or whisk for the next step. - Make the Frosting Butter. In the stand mixer bowl, beat slightly softened butter on high speed for 2 minutes until light, smooth, and creamy. Scrape down the sides as needed. After mixing, the butter will be lighter in color, silky, soft, and ball inside the whisk.
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a small pinch of salt to the butter and whisk again at medium-high speed for another 1-2 minutes. - Add the meringue to the frosting butter. Ensure that your meringue is at room temperature and add it to the Frosting Butter in 2 to 3 additions, whipping for about 1 minute after every addition. Once all the meringue has been added, mix for an additional minute at high speed.
- Smooth and adjust for flavorings. Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for a few minutes to smooth. Taste and adjust salt and vanilla as needed.
Recipe Card - Adriana's Notes
*Usually, I do 1 cup of frosting for testing, but it’s really difficult to make the sugar syrup and meringue with such a small quantity of ingredients, hence the 2 cup recipe for testing.
**This recipe can use fresh or pasteurized (carton) egg whites. No other ingredient modifications are required to make this swap, although there will be slight variations in the protocol, which I’ll explain. I typically use pasteurized egg whites for this recipe. This is an easier option and great for your first attempt at this recipe.
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