Our Nutella Frosting is a creamy buttercream frosting infused with everyone’s favorite hazelnut spread. So delicious, so easy to make. If you like Nutella, this frosting is for you!

Closeup on three chocolate cupcakes frosted with Nutella Frosting sitting on a wooden block.

Our Grandma loved Nutella. She’d put it on everything — toast, ice cream, pancakes, sandwiches, fruit — to her, everything tasted better with covered with hazelnut chocolate spread.  She would have especially loved our Nutella Frosting, a creamy homemade buttercream frosting infused with just the right amount of Nutella flavor. If you’re half the Nutella fan she was, we think you will too.  This one is for you Grandma!

Step by Step Instructions

Collage image showing how to blend the Nutella and the butter and vanilla.

Step 1: This frosting will have the best flavor if you start with room-temperature Nutella and slightly softened butter.  By slightly softened, we mean butter that is somewhere in between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature.  We leave ours out of the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes and that seems to do the trick.
Step 2: Add the Nutella, slightly softened butter, and the vanilla into a mixing bowl.
Step 3: Mix the butter and Nutella together until they are fully combined (about 2 minutes on medium speed.)

Collage image showing how to add the powdered sugar to the homemade frosting.

Step 4: We use a food scale to measure the Powdered Sugar, you will need 1 pound.  If you don’t have a food scale, you can measure 4 cups of Powdered Sugar.  Do you need to sift the Powdered Sugar? You can if it is really lumpy but we don’t normally do that. We rely on our mixer to break up any lumps during the mixing process.
Step 5: Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl.  
Step 6: Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Two Sisters Tip: place a clean dishtowel around your mixer to keep the sugar from flying out.  Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Step 7: Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy.

Collage image showing how to add milk to the frosting to get the correct consistency.

Steps 8-9: It is important to taste your frosting at this point in the process. You are trying to determine if the consistency is correct or if it needs more milk. Depending on how it tastes, you will take the next step.  If the frosting has the right taste but is too thick, add some milk and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency.  How much milk? That depends on the state of your frosting. A good rule of thumb is to add the milk a teaspoon at a time. You can check out our FAQ section below to see some other advice on making the perfect batch of frosting.

How to Serve

A decorating bag filled with Nutella Buttercream Frosting laying on a white table surrounded by unfrosted chocolate cupcakes.

How much frosting will you need?  That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough Nutella Buttercream Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake.  If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife.  If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag, you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?

No, the frosting does not need to be refrigerated. For example, brownies frosted with this Nutella Frosting would be fine left out on the counter for 2-3 days if the pan was tightly covered with aluminum foil. That said, we usually refrigerate our frosted desserts to keep the baked good from going stale even if the frosting would be fine. We think frosting tastes best at room temperature so we will then remove the item from the refrigerator a couple of hours before we will serve them.

How do I store any leftover frosting?

Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 mon

What should I do if my frosting is too sweet?

Buttercream is a sweet frosting and the addition of the Nutella also ups the sweetness level. One thing you can do if it seems too sweet for your palette is to add a pinch of salt to the frosting. But please note that a little salt goes a long way. We cannot stress enough that a pinch (10-15 granules of regular table salt) is all you usually need. Even 1/4 a teaspoon of salt would probably ruin the frosting. Add the salt and mix again and see if that has cut down on the sweetness level.

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thick?

Add another teaspoon of milk and mix again. Continue to add the milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thin?

Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.

Is there a substitute for the milk?

Yes. You can use Half n’ Half or Whipping Cream or even almond milk or another milk substitute.

IIf you are looking for dessert ideas, don’t miss these yummy recipes that would taste great frosted with our Nutella: Frosted Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Cookies

Closeup on a chocolate cupcake topped with a swirl of Nutella Frosting.

Other Frosting Recipes You Will Love

The Best Nutella Frosting

Yield 2 1/2 cups
Prep Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Our Nutella Frosting is a creamy buttercream frosting infused with your favorite hazelnut spread. So delicious, so easy to make. If you like Nutella, this frosting is for you!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Nutella (Room Temperature)
  • 1 cup Butter (Softened, we used Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 pound Powdered Sugar (or 4 cups)
  • 2-3 tablespoons Milk

Instructions

  1. Add room temperature Nutella, slightly softened butter, and vanilla to a mixing bowl.
  2. Mix on low until the Nutella, butter and the vanilla are thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.)
  3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. Add the Powdered Sugar to the bowl and mix on low until the butter and the sugar are combined (about 30 seconds.)
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to Medium-High and mix for another 30-45 seconds.
  6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and taste the frosting to see if the flavor is good and if the frosting is the correct consistency. If the frosting is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time and mix, and then test again.

Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!

If you are looking for more tips and tricks for making that perfect batch of homemade frosting we have a few other posts you might want to check out: