Professional Baker Reveals Most Popular Frosting Made With Only Two Ingredients

This easy 7-minute frosting is the perfect solution when you’re short on time and need a quick yet delicious topping for your favorite desserts! Using only egg whites and sugar as its two main ingredients, this old-fashioned frosting recipe boasts a light flavor and a fluffy, creamy texture that elevates your pies, cakes, and cupcakes to the next level.

What Is 7-Minute Frosting?

Also known as a “Swiss meringue in disguise,” 7-minute frosting is basically Swiss meringue buttercream without the butter. It is a simple recipe made by combining and cooking egg whites and sugar and then whipping them into a light, fluffy frosting.

However, while it is called a 7-minute frosting, the entire process takes a little more than seven minutes to make. The seven minutes refers to the time it takes to whip all the ingredients together after the sugar dissolves into the egg whites.

Best 7-Minute Frosting Recipe

This old-fashioned seven-minute frosting recipe is probably one of the easiest recipes you will ever make. It requires only two essential ingredients, two pieces of equipment, and a few simple steps that even the most inexperienced bakers can follow.

I also provide some flavor alternatives to customize and enhance your frosting, as well as Expert Tips to ensure you get the best results on the first try.

Unlike some other recipes, I do not use light corn syrup, and cream of tartar is not a must-have ingredient. My recipe also uses freshly squeezed lemon juice as an alternative, providing an easy-to-find option that won't alter the results. This frosting stays quite firm, even if you leave it unrefrigerated overnight!

Ingredients

You will need only two core ingredients to make this recipe: egg whites and sugar.

For a printable recipe card, visit the original 7-minute frosting recipe at Spatula Desserts.

Melt The Sugar With The Egg White

Start by preparing your stand mixer. First, thoroughly clean your mixing bowl and whisk attachment. You can do so by wiping them down with vinegar. Then, attach your whisk to the stand mixer. If you do not have a stand mixer, no worries—you can use an electric hand mixer!

Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks (any egg yolk can prevent the mixture from properly whipping together). Avoid using egg whites from the carton, as they do not give the same fluffy result. Next, create a “double boiler” by placing a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water.

Then, using the bowl you used to make the double boiler, whisk the egg whites and the plain, granulated sugar together over the simmering water for approximately five minutes until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture reaches 160°F / 71 °C.

Whip Up

To make the meringue, first, add the egg white and sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Then, whip the mixture on medium-high speed for one minute before adding the cream of tartar. You can also use freshly squeezed lemon juice, which serves a similar purpose to stabilizing the egg whites. No worries, it won’t give the frosting a lemony flavor!

7 minute frosting in a stand mixer bowl.

Continue whipping the mixture until it forms shiny, stiff peaks. This part of the process will take approximately 6-7 minutes, and the bowl should no longer be hot.

Last but not least, add your vanilla extract and salt and continue whipping for a few more seconds. Now, it should have the perfect pipeable and fluffy texture!

For the best flavor, use the highest-quality vanilla extract that you can find. You can also make your own at home with my homemade vanilla extract recipe!

How To Use It

This frosting recipe is perfect for making lemon meringue pies or other meringue desserts, such as my mini lemon meringue tarts or lemon meringue loaf cake. It is also commonly used to top coconut cakes. You can also use it to frost cupcakes, fill a layer cake, or in any other recipe where you would typically use Swiss meringue buttercream.

Storing & Freezing

This 7-minute frosting has the best fluffy texture when freshly whipped. However, if you can’t immediately make it or need to make it in advance, you can store it in a piping bag at room temperature for up to a few hours or refrigerate it for 2-3 days.

Flavor Variations

To kick up the flavor of your frosting, you can experiment with different flavored extracts instead of vanilla extract. Try it with peppermint extract for a minty flavor that is perfect for the holidays, or for a tropical flavor, you can use coconut extract.

Lemon or orange extract will give you a delightful citrus-flavored frosting! Espresso powder or cinnamon powder also tastes super delicious with this frosting.

To make your frosting chocolate, simply fold cooled, melted chocolate chips into the finished frosting. You can also swap the white sugar with brown sugar to give the frosting a bit of molasses flavor.

Expert Tips To Make The 7-Minute Frosting

To avoid any unfortunate mishaps when separating the egg yolks from the whites, I recommend separating them in a separate bowl before adding them to the recipe. That way, if one of the yolks accidentally breaks, you won’t ruin the entire mixture. An egg-white separator is a handy tool for this step!
When whisking the egg whites and sugar together in the double boiler, focus on the temperature of the mixture rather than the time. You want it to reach 160F / 71C, but no more, as it can cook the egg. A digital thermometer is very helpful in this step.
If you do not have a digital thermometer, you can get a good idea of the temperature by checking whether the sugar is fully dissolved (the mixture will feel completely smooth between your fingertips).
If the frosting is too thin and doesn’t have a fluffy, pipeable texture, you can whip it for a little longer or place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.

If you liked this easy-peasy 7-minute frosting, you will also love my other creamy frosting recipes:

Also, be sure to check out my guide of 25+ Different Types Of Frosting For Cakes and Cupcakes for even more delicious options to decorate your favorite desserts!