Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting Recipe

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This easy brown butter buttercream frosting is rich, silky, and full of nutty flavour. It’s the perfect topping for kapukeke (cupcakes), pihikete (biscuits), and my coffee and walnut blondie recipe. Best of all, it comes together in no time at all — so go on, give it a go! 🙌

Brown butter frosting topped with mars bar and chocolate drops.

Why you will love this brown butter frosting:

If you haven’t tried pani reka pata parauri (brown butter frosting) before, you are in for a real treat. Its rich, nutty flavour with the perfect sweet-and-salty balance adds incredible depth to all kinds of baked goods. It is the best buttercream piped onto kapukeke (cupcakes), spread over cakes or honestly, eaten straight from the spoon … which I may have done once or twice 🙋‍♀️! My favourite way to have it though, is spread on my Coffee Chocolate Chunk Blondies - te reka hoki (so delicious)!

More Brown Butter recipes:

If you love brown butter recipes, try my Brown Butter Chocolate Cookies or their quick and easy cousin, Gooey Cookie Pies. Looking for a way to use up mini Easter eggs? These Chocolate Easter Egg Cookies are always a favourite.

My Chocolate Braided Bread Loaf also pairs perfectly with this sweet whipped brown butter.

Videography and photography by Sarah Henderson.

Ingredients:

A wooden board sits on a brown stone bench. On the board is plate of cubed butter, icing sugar, vanilla and a jug. Spatulas, a blue cake stand, fairy lights, a ceramic bird on a blue plate and a candle burning in the background.

Butter: I always use salted butter in all of my recipes because of the superior flavour but if you enjoy unsalted, go for it.
Icing Sugar: This is used if you are making the sweetened version. Just a few tablespoons is all that is needed.
Vanilla: Wanira (vanilla) adds another layer of delicious flavour so don't leave it out.

How to make brown butter buttercream:

Note: The full recipe card with the full list of ingredients, instructions and step by step video are found at the bottom of this page.

A silver saucepan with a brown handle sits on a black portable stove with melted butter bubbling as it browns. A wooden spoon rests in the pan, with a wooden floor visible in the background.

1. Chop the Butter:

Chop the butter in to cubes.

Add the chopped pata (butter) in to a medium sized pot or pan and then set it over medium heat.

Melt the butter, stirring occasionally.

A silver pan with a born handle sits on a black portable stove with butter that is foaming and is being stirred with a wooden spoon. It is on a wooden table.

2. The Fats will seperate:

As the heat continues the milk fats will start to separate (these are the white, floaty bits).

Stir occasionally here so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Keep it on the heat until the butter starts to foam.

A silver saucepan with a brown handle sits on a black portable stove filled with foaming brown butter and toasted brown bits. A blue spatula with a wooden handle is about to stir the butter.

3. Brown Bits float to the top:

Stir it a little bit until the brown bits float to the top. It should smell nutty. (Use the pictures and video as a guide).

From here, stir it a little for another 30 seconds or so, so the butter browns further. This may smoke a little but a little bit of smoke is ok.

Remove from the heat and then choose one of the cooling options below.

A glass vintage bowl sits on a wooden board. In the bowl is brown butter that is being whipped with a white hand mixer. Flowers are in the background.

4. Option One for Cooling the Butter:

If you want to whip the pata (butter) immediately, fill a large bowl with ice water. Add a smaller bowl in to the ice water and pour the pata parauri (brown butter) in to it.

Using a spatula, stir the pata parauri (brown butter) around the bowl to help it cool down. After a few minutes, it will start to thicken in to a softened butter consistency. It is now it is ready to whip.

Option Two for Cooling the Butter:

If you are not needing to use the pata parauri (brown butter) for 40 minutes or so, allow the pata (butter) to cool to room temperature on the bench. Once it is slightly thick (like softened butter consistency), it is ready to whip.

Whipped brown butter buttercream in a glass vintage bowl, on a wooden table.

5. Whip the Brown Butter Frosting:

Add the puehu huka (icing sugar) and wanira (vanilla) in to the thickened pata (butter).

Whip the softened butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer on high speed for 3 - 4 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

Brown butter buttercream frosting spread on to a coffee blondie with small pieces of mars bar and chocolate drops being added.

Use the Buttercream as you wish:

This simple pani reka (buttercream) is now ready to use as you wish. I use this on my coffee chocolate blondie with walnuts and it turns up the volume on value, ten fold!

Store the Buttercream:

This can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 - 7 days.

If it has been chilled and you are using it for decorating, bring it to room temperature and whip it again to revive the texture back to smooth and fluffy.

There are so many

Topping Recipes

From buttercreams, to caramel to meringues, we have them all.

Browse all Toppings

Naomi Toilalo is at the table laden with baking. There is lamingtons, lemon meringue pie, custard slice and cream buns. She is decorating a cake in front of her and smiling.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE?

It would be so awesome if you could please leave a review/comment by clicking the “leave a comment” section at the top of the page.

I love seeing you all make my creations, so send a whakaahua (photo) or kiriata (video) to my Instagram and show me what you made. Let me know if you have any pātai (questions) too, I would love to help.

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Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting - Pani Reka Pata Parauri

This brown butter buttercream frosting is delicious on so many levels and adds wonderful flavour to any of your favourite baked goods.

Course Baking

Cuisine Frosting

Keyword brown butter buttercream, brown butter buttercream frosting, brown butter frosting, simple brown butter frosting, te reo Māori, whipped brown butter frosting

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Ingredients

110 g pata (butter)
3 tablespoon puehu huka (icing sugar)
1 teaspoon wanira (vanilla)
½ teaspoon hinamona kuoro (ground cinnamon)

Instructions

Chop the Butter:

Chop the butter in to cubes.
Add the chopped pata (butter) in to a medium sized pot or pan and then set it over medium heat.
Melt the butter, stirring occasionally.

The Fats will seperate:

As the heat continues the milk fats will start to separate (these are the white, floaty bits).
Stir occasionally here so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Keep it on the heat until the butter starts to foam.

Brown Bits float to the top:

Stir it a little bit until the brown bits float to the top. It should smell nutty. (Use the pictures and video as a guide).
From here, stir it a little for another 30 seconds or so, so the butter browns further. This may smoke a little but a little bit of smoke is ok.
Remove from the heat and then choose one of the cooling options below.

Option One for Cooling the Butter:

If you want to whip the pata (butter) immediately, fill a large bowl with ice water.
Add a smaller bowl in to the ice water and pour the pata parauri (brown butter) in to it.
Using a spatula, stir the pata parauri (brown butter) around the bowl to help it cool down.
After a few minutes, it will start to thicken in to a softened butter consistency. It is now it is ready to whip.