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This maple syrup frosting is unbelievably good and made with just three ingredients. It’s light, fluffy, and full of rich maple flavor without any refined sugar. It’s one of my all-time favorite frostings and pairs perfectly with everything from vanilla cupcakes to moist carrot cake!
Looking for more frosting recipes? Try my chocolate sour cream frosting and Swiss meringue buttercream frosting! Spread this frosting on my mini heart-shaped sugar cookies for a delightful treat.
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Pin ItWhy You’ll Love Maple Syrup Frosting
It’s naturally sweet and full of flavor thanks to real maple syrup—no powdered sugar overload here. Add it to my favorite fluffy pancake recipe or french toast puffs!
Light and airy texture from whipped egg whites makes it feel almost like marshmallow fluff, but better.
Dairy-free and butter-free, so it’s a little lighter and perfect for those avoiding traditional buttercream.
This frosting goes well with any sheet cake or cupcake (like these classic moist vanilla cupcakes), but I love it with carrot cake, pumpkin cake, buttery crumb coffee cake, and gingerbread cake.
Maple Syrup Frosting Ingredients
Egg Whites: These are the structure of the frosting and help create a smooth and fluffy texture. They are beaten until stiff peaks and combined with the hot maple syrup mixture.
Maple Syrup: The star of this recipe, maple syrup adds sweetness and flavor to the frosting. Make sure to use pure, high-grade maple syrup. You can utilize a dark or light variety, depending on your preference.
Salt: A pinch of salt is added to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavor.
How to Make Refined Sugar Free Frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
Bring the maple syrup to a boil over medium heat with salt in a saucepan until it reaches a rolling boil. Make sure you don’t leave it and remove it from the heat immediately to avoid overflowing.
While the mixer is on medium speed, pour the hot maple syrup into the stiff egg whites slowly and steadily.
Continue beating until thick, fluffy, and well combined.
Your delicious maple syrup frosting is now ready to be used.
How to Store Maple Syrup Frosting
This frosting is quick to make and best to use right away. It doesn’t store well in a mixing bowl in the refrigerator as the syrup and eggs separate. Once it’s frosted on a cake, it holds better, but it should be consumed within 1 day.
You can make the cake ahead of time and then quickly whip up the frosting when you’re ready to serve.
Recipe Tips & Variations
Whip to stiff peaks. Beating the egg whites properly is key to getting that fluffy, stable texture. Make sure your bowl and whisk are squeaky clean—any grease can mess with the peaks.
Flavor it up. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon for extra warmth and cozy flavor.
Watch your syrup. Bring the maple syrup to a boil, but keep an eye on it—it can bubble over quickly if you’re not watching.
Too thin? Keep whipping. If the frosting looks runny, it probably just needs more time in the mixer. It thickens up as it whips.
Maple Syrup Frosting FAQs
The key is in the egg whites! By whipping them into stiff peaks, you create structure and volume without needing any confectioners’ sugar. Just make sure your bowl is super clean and grease-free—egg whites are a little picky!
Yes! Once whipped properly, this frosting holds its shape beautifully. It’s light and fluffy like a meringue and perfect for piping simple swirls or spreading on cupcakes and cakes.
You can! Just frost it close to serving time for the best texture. I like to freeze the bottom frosted layer for 10 minutes before stacking the next one—it helps everything stay in place.
Yes. Since it’s made with egg whites, store any frosted desserts in the fridge. Let the cake or cupcakes come to room temperature before serving for the softest texture.
It’s best fresh, but you can make it an hour in advance and keep it covered in the fridge. Give it a quick whip before using if it’s been sitting for a bit and it will seperate.
Use real, pure maple syrup—no pancake syrup here! I prefer darker grades for deeper maple flavor, but lighter syrup works too if you want something more subtle.
Yes, but a hand mixer will take a bit longer. Whipping egg whites by hand is possible… but you’ll definitely earn it. If you’re going old-school, just be patient and whisk with love.
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Let me know if you make this frosting by leaving a comment and star rating below. Tag Sugar and Charm on social media, and let me see what you create!
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Maple Syrup Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
- Bring the maple syrup to a boil over medium heat with salt in a saucepan until it reaches a rolling boil. Make sure you don’t leave it and remove it from the heat immediately to avoid overflowing.
- While the mixer is on medium speed, pour the hot maple syrup into the stiff egg whites slowly and steadily.
- Continue beating until thick, fluffy, and well combined.
- Your delicious maple syrup frosting is now ready to be used.
Video
Notes
Fill your piping bag and twist the top to seal. Start in the center of the cupcake and swirl outward in a circle. For a swirl or rosette, apply steady pressure and lift up gently at the end. It’s easier than it looks—and a little practice goes a long way!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I got the recipe from my grandma but couldn’t find it. I’m so glad you have it on here. I make a cake and use this frosting for my father’s birthday every year.
Hi! I’m going to make this today! Is this frosting good for piping?
You can pipe it! It’s light though so won’t hold designs or anything.
I am going to try this recipe very soon – maybe today! I see so many recipes that call for a stand mixer, which I currently can’t afford, and my hand mixer is no longer powerful. My mom recently gave me her 1980s stand mixer, totally unused, that she put away in storage for decades. I couldn’t believe it! All those thin, unstable, failed frosting attempts could have been avoided. So I am super excited to try baking again. In particular, I am excited to try making frostings that do not have much (preferably no) powdered sugar, as I find it disgusting. I can’t wait to try this!
Just wanted to give an update: I loved this! I was prepared for it to fail, because I am a baking newbie and my frostings are usually unsuccessful due to lack of experience (along with the reasons I mentioned in the earlier comment). I love the taste of the syrup, and have also used lemon/vanilla extracts, cinnamon, etc. to adjust the taste. I have also cut down the amount of syrup used and it still really good. Doesn’t taste eggy or have that weird powdered sugar flavor. I used the left over frosting on pancakes and it was great! Thank you for making this recipe so simple to understand; even I could do it!
Thank you so much! I had a Maple Sugar cake every birthday when growing up and we were in the Adirondack Mountains for July. An old woman in the town made them. Later when she was about 93 she showed me how to make it and I was in my 20s, so the recipe must be from the early 1900s and very hard to find. So tomorrow is my 64th and my son and I will be making the cake together.
I think it is hard to find, but it’s the best frosting ever! It’s so fluffy and delicious; I hope you love it as much as I do, AND happy BIRTHDAY!