• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Homebody Eats
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dish
  • Entertaining
  • Kitchen Essentials
  • About
  • Start a Food Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Healthy Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Homebody Eats » Recipes » Dessert » Macarons » Vanilla Macaron Buttercream Filling (5 Ingredients)

    Vanilla Macaron Buttercream Filling (5 Ingredients)

    Published: Dec 5, 2022 by Jessica Mode · This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase through the link, at no extra cost to you. Please see full disclosure for more details.

    • Share
    • Email
    • Print
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    vanilla macaron buttercream filling Pinterest pin.

    This five-ingredient vanilla buttercream is the perfect macaron filling everyone will love. It's a versatile filling for macarons that can be eaten alone or paired with jam or curd, and it's made in just 30 minutes.

    bowl of buttercream next to purple macarons.

    I love making macarons at home. These light and delicate cookies are made from meringue and then stuffed with a macaron filling of choice.

    With all of the work that goes into making macarons, I often want a simple macaron filling that I can quickly whip up. This five-ingredient vanilla buttercream is the perfect and easy solution.

    In under 30 minutes, you'll have the best buttercream for macarons ready to pipe. Don't forget to check out my five ingredient chocolate ganache filling if you're looking for other easy filling ideas.

    Jump to:
    • What You'll Learn In This Recipe
    • What Is Buttercream?
    • Ingredients You Need
    • How To Make This Recipe
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Macaron Recipes
    • Vanilla Macaron Buttercream Filling

    What You'll Learn In This Recipe

    • How to make your macaron buttercream filling light and fluffy.
    • The secret ingredient to use in order to have vanilla bean seeds throughout the buttercream.
    • Storage instructions for making the buttercream ahead of time.

    Sign up for my free macaron template for more tips and tricks on perfecting your macarons. You'll receive a piping template, plus an email series with helpful ways to improve your macaron skills.

    What Is Buttercream?

    Buttercream is a type of frosting that's a mixture of sugar and fat. Traditionally, buttercream is known for having a light and smooth texture.

    A good buttercream, like this macaron filling, is not too sweet. It has the perfect balance of butter and sugar.

    This recipe is an American-style buttercream that's made with butter as the fat source as well as confectioners' sugar.

    fluffy vanilla buttercream in a mixing bowl.

    Ingredients You Need

    Here are the ingredients you'll need to make vanilla macaron buttercream:

    buttercream ingredients with labels.
    • Unsalted butter: Before making the vanilla buttercream, allow the butter to soften to room temperature. If you're using salted butter, be sure to adjust the amount of added salt.
    • Confectioners' sugar: Sifting the confectioners' sugar will help you achieve a light and smooth buttercream. First measure the confectioners' sugar, then sift.
    • Heavy cream: This ingredient helps thin out the buttercream. Make sure your heavy cream is as fresh as possible so your buttercream will last up to 1 month after preparing it.
    • Vanilla bean paste: This is my secret ingredient for the buttercream filling. Since vanilla beans can be very pricey, we're opting for vanilla bean paste. The paste is cheaper and still gives us beautiful vanilla seed specks throughout the buttercream.
    • Fine sea salt: Salt is an important ingredient that helps balance out the sweetness of the buttercream.

    Check out the recipe card below for the full details on the ingredient quantities.

    How To Make This Recipe

    1. The first step is the beat the butter until it's light and fluffy, which usually takes about 2 - 3 minutes. Remember to scrape down the side of the mixer bowl as needed so all of the butter is evenly creamed.

    numbered photos showing properly creamed butter.

    2. Slowly add confectioners' sugar to the butter, ½ cup at a time. Allow the sugar to incorporate with the butter. During this step, I like to leave the mixer on medium-low speed so the confectioners' sugar doesn't explode everywhere.

    numbered photo showing confectioners' sugar in a mixer with creamed butter.

    3. Next, it's time to thin out the buttercream with some heavy cream, as well as add in flavoring with vanilla bean paste and fine sea salt.

    numbered photo pouring vanilla bean paste into buttercream.

    4. Beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for a full 5 minutes. This will give the buttercream a light and fluffy texture.

    numbered photo showing fluffy buttercream.

    5. In order to smoothly pipe the buttercream, it's important to deflate it using a silicone spatula. Press the buttercream around the side of the mixer bowl until most of the air bubbles have been pushed out.

    numbered photo showing how to deflate buttercream.

    6. Finally, pipe the buttercream on one side of the macaron shell using your favorite piping tip. If you need an easy macaron shell recipe, check out my French method macarons or Italian-style macarons.

    numbered photo showing hand piping buttercream onto a macaron shell.

    Expert Tips

    • Vanilla buttercream filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, as long as your heavy cream is fresh. Allow the buttercream to come to room temperature before piping on the macarons.
    • In order to achieve a light and pillowy buttercream, beat for a full 5 minutes after all of the ingredients have been incorporated. Don't be tempted to cut this time short if you want an airy texture. 
    • Don't forget to mature the macarons with the buttercream filling in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor. The macarons will last for 7 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
    • Filled macarons can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 - 2 months. Learn more about how to properly store macarons.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I store the buttercream filled macarons at room temperature?

    No. Unfortunately, because this recipe uses heavy cream, the macarons cannot be stored at room temperature. It's best practice to store filled macarons in the fridge so they will last up to 7 days.

    What type of buttercream is best for macarons?

    There are many types of buttercream that will work as a macaron filling. This vanilla buttercream is an American-style frosting. However, a swiss meringue buttercream would also work!

    Can I use this buttercream with other macaron fillings?

    Yes, you can use this buttercream filling along with jam or curd in the middle. The buttercream acts as a barrier to keep the jam and curd from leaking out of the macaron.

    purple macarons filled with vanilla buttercream filling.

    More Macaron Recipes

    If you enjoyed this recipe, don't forget to check out my other favorite macarons, including over 30+ of the best macaron recipes:

    • French Method Macarons (Complete Recipe Guide)
    • 53 Filling Recipes For Macarons
    • Chocolate Ganache Macaron Filling (5 Ingredients)
    • Cookie Macarons

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below. Don't forget to follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest for more recipes.

    bowl of buttercream next to purple macarons.

    Vanilla Macaron Buttercream Filling

    This five-ingredient vanilla buttercream is the perfect macaron filling everyone will love. It's a versatile filling for macarons that can be eaten alone or paired with jam or curd, and it's made in just 30 minutes.
    Author: Jessica Mode
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Active Time 30 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 48 macarons (Yields 3 cups)
    Calories 106 kcal

    Equipment

    • stand mixer or electric mixer
    • silicone spatula
    • piping bag
    • piping tip

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
    • 3 ½ cups (400 grams) confectioners' sugar measured then sifted
    • 2 tablespoons (28 grams) heavy cream
    • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) vanilla bean paste
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

    Instructions
     

    • Add butter to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 - 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer as needed.
    • Add confectioners' sugar ½ cup at a time to the mixer running on medium-low speed. Allow the confectioners' sugar to fully incorporate before adding in another ½ cup. Repeat until no confectioners' sugar remains. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
    • Add the heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, and fine sea salt to the mixer and beat until combined. Set the mixer to medium-high speed and allow the buttercream to beat for an additional 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
    • Deflate the buttercream by hand using a silicone spatula. Press the buttercream around the side of the mixer bowl until the frosting has smoothed and large air bubbles have been pushed out. This helps the buttercream pipe smoothly.
    • Match up macaron sides so they are paired with a similar size and shaped macaron. Pipe buttercream on one side of the macaron shell using your favorite piping tip. Gently place the matching side on top of the buttercream.
    • Mature the macarons with the buttercream filling in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor. Macarons will last for 7 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

    Notes

    Vanilla buttercream filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, as long as your heavy cream is fresh. Allow the buttercream to come to room temperature before piping on the macarons.
    In order to achieve a light and pillowy buttercream, beat for a full 5 minutes after all of the ingredients have been incorporated. Don't be tempted to cut this time short. 
    Filled macarons can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 - 2 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1macaron (buttercream filling only)Calories: 106kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 0.1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 13mgPotassium: 2mgSugar: 17gVitamin A: 132IUVitamin C: 0.004mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.01mg
    Have you tried this recipe?Tag @homebody.eats on Instagram so we can see your creations!
    « Printable Macaron Template Guide (Free PDF)
    Ingredients For Macarons »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Jessica! Here, you'll find delicious & fresh recipes that will help you learn to master a new skill in the kitchen!

    More about me →

    Healthy Side Dishes

    • Sweet Maple Pan Roasted Carrots
    • Brussel Sprouts With Balsamic Glaze (4 Ingredients)
    • Fall Cobb Salad
    • Stuffed Butternut Squash Boats (5 Ingredients)

    Sweet Treats

    • Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
    • Loaded Gooey Chocolate Brownies
    • Mini Sweet Potato Pocket Pies With Premade Pie Crust

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Learn About Us
    Privacy Policy
    Accessibility Statement

    Disclaimer
    Terms of Use

    Newsletter

    Sign Up for weekly emails and updates

    Contact

    Contact Us
    Work With Us

    As an LTK & Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Homebody Eats

    30 shares