How to Make White Buttercream

TLDR

Buttercream goes yellow because butter is naturally yellow and vanilla extract adds brown pigment. To get white buttercream: whip your butter for at least 5 minutes before adding anything else, swap regular vanilla for a clear or white vanilla flavouring, and use a white food colouring gel to correct any remaining yellow. For a genuine shortcut, Cake Cream Buttercream Whisper White comes pre-flavoured and colour-corrected out of the tub.

Table of Contents

Why Buttercream Goes Yellow

If you've ever followed a buttercream recipe to the letter and still ended up with a cream or pale yellow frosting instead of white, you're not alone. It's one of the most common questions in the cake decorating world — and the answer comes down to chemistry.

Butter is yellow. That's just a fact. The yellow pigment comes from beta-carotene, a natural compound found in grass that dairy cows eat. The more grass-fed the cow, the more beta-carotene in the milk, and the more yellow your butter will be. Australian butters tend to sit on the medium-to-deep yellow end of the spectrum, especially during warmer months when pastures are rich.

When you cream butter into a buttercream, all of that natural yellow colour transfers straight into your frosting. No amount of wishing will change that — but a few simple techniques will.

The Vanilla Problem

Here's the part most baking guides gloss over: your vanilla extract is making things worse.

Standard vanilla extract is dark brown. You only need a teaspoon or two in a batch of buttercream, but that's enough to deepen the yellow-cream colour noticeably. The more you use, the more obvious it becomes.

The fix is straightforward: switch to a clear or white vanilla flavouring instead. Clear vanilla has had the natural colour removed, so it delivers vanilla flavour without the brown pigment. Yes, some bakers insist it tastes slightly less complex than pure extract — but for a truly white result, it makes a real difference.

If you love the flavour of real vanilla, you can use a small amount of clear imitation vanilla alongside a tiny touch of pure extract, which keeps the flavour depth while minimising the colour impact. Or better yet, reach for a dedicated white vanilla buttercream flavouring designed with colour in mind (more on that below).

How to Whip Your Way to Whiter Buttercream

Before you reach for any food colouring, try this first: whip your butter for longer.

When you whip butter at high speed, air incorporates into the fat. This aeration is what turns the butter from a solid yellow block to a fluffy, pale mass. The longer you beat it, the whiter it gets. Most recipes tell you to cream the butter for 2-3 minutes — but for a genuinely white result, whip it for 5 to 7 minutes before you add a single drop of anything else.

The butter should look almost white and very fluffy at this stage. If you're using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment rather than the whisk, and scrape down the sides every couple of minutes.

This one step alone can take your buttercream from cream-coloured to noticeably lighter. Combined with a clear vanilla and white food colouring, the difference is dramatic.

Using White Food Colouring

White food colouring works differently to other colours. It doesn't add colour — it adds opacity. White colouring contains titanium dioxide, which is an opacifying agent that reflects light and effectively masks the yellow beneath.

Two of the most trusted options available in Australia are:

Chefmaster White Liqua-Gel is a water-based gel food colouring that works particularly well in American-style buttercream (the kind made with butter, icing sugar, and a splash of cream). Add it a little at a time — start with 1 teaspoon per cup of buttercream, mix thoroughly, and assess before adding more. It's highly concentrated, so a little really does go a long way. Chefmaster Liqua-Gel mixes cleanly into buttercream without thinning the texture, which is one reason it's a favourite among professional decorators.

Colour Mill White takes a different approach. It's an oil-based colouring, which means it's formulated to work specifically with fat-based mediums like buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, and ganache. Because butter is a fat, oil-based colours integrate seamlessly without any risk of the colouring splitting or creating a gritty texture. Colour Mill also recommends using their White Oil Blend as a base step — adding it before any other colours — to neutralise yellow tones and give yourself a clean, bright canvas to work from.

Both options stock at Baking Pleasures and are popular with home bakers and professionals alike. For guidance on which type of food colouring suits different applications, check out our Colour Mill vs Chefmaster guide.

The Purple Trick

This one sounds counterintuitive, but it works: a tiny touch of purple or violet food colouring can make your buttercream appear whiter.

Colour theory is the reason. Yellow and purple sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, so they cancel each other out. A toothpick-tip amount of purple gel — we're talking the smallest possible smear — neutralises yellow tones and shifts the overall hue toward white.

The key word here is tiny. Add too much and your buttercream will go grey or lavender. Add it gradually, mix thoroughly, and check in natural light before adding any more. This trick works best when the buttercream is already fairly light; if it's quite yellow, use white food colouring first and then use the purple trick to fine-tune.

Tips for Brilliant White Buttercream

Here's a quick checklist to work through every time you want a genuinely white result:

  1. Start with a pale butter. Different brands vary in colour. If you regularly find your buttercream very yellow, try a different butter brand and see if it lightens things up at the source.
  2. Whip the butter first — at least 5 minutes on high speed before adding anything else.
  3. Use clear or white vanilla flavouring instead of regular vanilla extract.
  4. Avoid icing sugar with additives. Some Australian icing sugar blends contain a small amount of cornflour or anti-caking agents that can slightly affect colour. Pure icing sugar tends to be whiter.
  5. Add white food colouring (Chefmaster Liqua-Gel or Colour Mill White) a little at a time and mix fully between each addition.
  6. Fine-tune with purple if needed — a toothpick tip only.
  7. Check colour in natural light, not under kitchen downlights, which can distort the reading.
  8. Let it sit. Sometimes buttercream lightens slightly over 10-15 minutes as it continues to aerate. Check again before adding more colouring.

For tips on how to get a smooth finish once your buttercream is the right colour, read our guide on why your buttercream won't smooth and how to fix it.

The Shortcut: Cake Cream Whisper White

If you'd rather skip the colour-correcting process entirely, Cake Cream Buttercream Whisper White Vanilla is worth having in your kit.

This is a ready-to-use buttercream that comes pre-flavoured with a white vanilla — meaning the flavouring itself is designed not to add any yellow or brown tint. The result is a clean, bright base straight out of the tub, without needing to layer up colour correction techniques.

The 800g size is ideal for covering a standard single-tier cake or a batch of cupcakes. It pipes beautifully and smooths well, making it a genuine time-saver for busy weekends, class projects, or any time you just want brilliant white without the fuss.

It's also a great choice if you're new to buttercream and want to understand what a properly white result should look like before you start experimenting with your own recipes.

FAQ

Can I use regular white food colouring from the supermarket?

You can, but results vary. Supermarket liquid food colouring is typically water-based and less concentrated than professional-grade gel or oil-based colouring. It may take a large amount to achieve a visible result, and adding too much liquid can thin your buttercream. A concentrated gel like Chefmaster Liqua-Gel or an oil-based option like Colour Mill White gives you much more control with far less product.

Does Swiss meringue buttercream go white more easily?

Yes, generally. Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) is made with egg whites as well as butter, and the meringue base lightens the overall colour significantly. Many decorators find SMBC ends up noticeably whiter than American buttercream without any additional steps. That said, the butter still contributes some yellow, so the same techniques — extended whipping, clear vanilla, and white colouring — still apply if you want a truly bright finish.

For more on colouring buttercream of all types, see our full guide on how to colour buttercream with gel, powder, and liquid food colouring.

Why did my white buttercream go grey?

You added too much purple. It's easily done — pull back on the violet colouring next time and add it in smaller increments. Alternatively, adding more white food colouring can help balance it back out.

Does chilling buttercream change its colour?

It can appear slightly more yellow when cold and just out of the fridge, because the fat solidifies and light reflects differently. Bring it back to room temperature and re-whip before assessing the colour — it will usually lighten again once aerated.

Shop White Food Colouring

Ready to get that brilliant white finish? Browse our full range of white food colouring and colour-correcting products — including Chefmaster White Liqua-Gel, Colour Mill White, and a wide range of professional food colours for every shade in between. We stock everything you need, with fast shipping and same-day dispatch on orders placed before 12pm AEST.

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