Eggless Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) isn’t as hard as you think! It blew my mind when I found out that you could use the liquid from a can of chickpeas (also known as aquafaba) to replace the eggs used in a traditional SMBC. I had my doubts but when I tried it for myself, it worked out incredibly!
What replaces the eggs in this eggless SMBC?
Believe it or not, the liquid from a can of chickpeas! This liquid is called aquafaba, and works incredibly well for making a meringue.
Does this SMBC taste like chickpeas?!
Nope! I think the key here is balancing out the ingredients so that it has enough aquafaba so that it’s stable, but not too much that your buttercream starts to taste like chickpeas! Whenever I’ve made this recipe, myself and others haven’t been able to taste any chickpea-like flavour. It tastes pretty much like a regular SMBC!
Worst case scenario, if you feel like you can taste the chickpeas, add in some extra vanilla essence/extract and this should do the trick 🙂
Eggless Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups (400 g) unsalted butter - room temp, use metric weight if possible
- ⅔ cup (160 g) aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) - see note 1
- 1¼ cups (317 g) white sugar - castor sugar okay too
- 1¾ tsp vanilla extract/essence
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar - OPTIONAL - see note 2
- 1¼ cups (225 g) 50% dark chocolate - OPTIONAL for chocolate version
Instructions
- If this is your first time making SMBC, I would recommend watching the demonstration video below to understand how things should look at certain stages so you know you're on the right track 🙂
- Begin by straining a can of chickpeas, and reserving ⅔ of a cup of the liquid, also known as aquafaba. The liquid should have a thick consistency to it (see note 1). Add the aquafaba to a microwave safe bowl.
- Add your sugar to your aquafaba and mix it together so that it's well combined. Microwave for about a minute or until the sugar is completely dissolved into the aquafaba. You can test this by rubbing a little of the mixture between your fingers and if you can't feel any sugar granules then its done.
- Transfer the mixture into a stand mixer, and add in the cream of tartar (optional, see note 2). Using the whisk attachment, mix on a medium-high speed (speed 8 on KitchenAid) for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is cool and stiff peaks have formed.
- Turn down your mixer to a medium speed (speed 6 on KitchenAid) and slowly add in the unsalted butter, about a tablespoon at a time. It is important to ensure that the butter is at room temperature (soft enough to make an indent with your finger, but not melted or losing it's shape).
- Once all the butter is mixed in, add in your vanilla and continue to mix your buttercream until it is smooth in consistency. At some stage it may look like the buttercream is curdling, but this is totally normal! Just let your mixer do it's thing and it will come together 🙂
- For a chocolate SMBC, melt your dark chocolate in the microwave (see note 3) or over a double boiler. Let it cool and then pour your chocolate into your buttercream while your mixer is on a medium speed until the chocolate is well incorporated. Your buttercream is now ready to use, but if you find it's a little soft after adding in the chocolate, let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes and then rewhip it and it'll be good to go!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
40 Comments
I used butterbean (lima bean) aquafaba instead of chickpea and it whipped up nice and firmly/stably at room temperature without using any cream of tartar.
Awesome! So glad it turned out great 🙂
I am primarily a home baker but am working on increasing my skills and getting a cottage food license to start selling my goods. I primarily use Swiss Meringue or a mock Swiss Meringue. I was asked to make an egg free cake and didn’t want to use traditional American Buttercream. I remembered hearing about using Aquafaba like this and searched for a recipe. I’m so thankful I found this! It came out perfectly the first try. I was concerned because it smelled like chickpeas up until I added the butter, but by the time it was done I couldn’t tell at all. I had my family taste test it and didn’t tell them it WASN’T my normal SMBC and none of them noticed. Fantastic recipe! Thank you!
Awesome! So happy to hear it was a success Melissa 🙂
Can always be a little scary working with aquafaba for the first time!
Hello MK,
I hope you are well. Your recipes always turn out fabulous. Have you used Dutch process cocoa powder in your buttercream instead of chocolate,? It works fabulously in French buttercream. Wish me luck as I am attempting vegan macarons! 😵💫
Regards from Sydney, Australia 🐨
Hi Romi! Thanks so much 😀
I have tried cocoa powder in American style buttercream but not in Swiss meringue or French buttercream yet! Will need to try it sometime 😀
Ohh wow vegan macarons! All the best with that I am sure you’ll do great 🙂
Much love from NZ to Australia!
I am super impressed by this recipe! I use standard Swiss meringue buttercream all the time but had a request for an eggless creation – this buttercream is perfect! Couldn’t believe how good it tastes! My meringue didn’t quite whip up to stiff peaks but once I added the butter it’s the perfect consistency for stacking and covering a cake – thank you!
Thanks so much Kelly! 😀 The versatility of aquafaba will forever amaze me! So glad the recipe worked well for you 🙂
I was very doubtful when I read the word, “chickpeas” but WOW!!! The icing came out amazing!! Thank you very much!
One question: how long can I keep the icing refrigerated or in the freezer?
Aww yay! So glad you enjoyed the recipe Angela 😀
Yes the idea of chickpeas does seem so strange!
You can keep it refrigerated for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months 🙂
Salaam, MK! If I put the buttercream into the freezer, do I just thaw it in the fridge and then frost my layer cake as usual? The buttercream won’t lose its silky texture? Thank you!
Salaams Susan! 🙂
So if freezing buttercream, I recommend letting it completely thaw to room temp and then re-whip it to get it to a nice and silky texture again. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
the video says 160 grams aquafaba recipe says 120 🤷♀️
Ohh thank you so much for bringing this to my attention Liz! It should be 160g. I will change this now 🙂
So sorry for any confusion!
I loved this icing. it was so easy to make,. I used to make the non-vegan version of this all the time, but have been vegan a long time now and haven’t found a desirable replacement until now. I also love that there is no powdered sugar and such a comparatively small amount of sugar. Thank you! This is a keeper!!!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe Jenny 😀 really appreciate the feedback 🙂
Hi Jenny,
For the vegan version of this what “butter” are you using?
I want to make this for a few friends, but im.not sure what brand would produce the best results.
other than allergies, why wouldn’t you want to use butter?
Hi Monika! This recipe does use butter 🙂 do you mean to say eggs? If so, then apart from allergies, it is also suitable for vegetarians (and vegans if using a plant based butter). Hope that helps 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! It worked exactly like my standard Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I do markets on weekends and now I have a buttercream that I love, tastes great and doesn’t contain eggs.
Thanks so much for your feedback Francesca 😀
So so happy to hear you loved the frosting!