Swiss Meringue Buttercream: The Curdled Stage is Normal

When making Swiss meringue buttercream, the mixture will often look curdled or broken when you start adding butter - this is completely normal and expected. The key is to keep mixing. As you continue beating, the emulsion will come together into smooth, silky buttercream. This happens because the butter needs time to emulsify with the meringue base. If it stays curdled after 5-10 minutes of mixing, the issue is usually temperature: either your meringue was still too warm or your butter was too cold. The fix is simple - briefly warm the outside of the bowl with a culinary torch or place a few spoonfuls of the mixture in the microwave until melted, then beat it back in. Don't panic and throw it out when it looks curdled - just keep mixing and trust the process.