do you HAVE to use butter to make frosting?

i dont know since i was little ive been seeing my parents make their frosting by just whipping egg wites and adding sugar and food coloring so i dont know why people elaborate on this so much

It MAY work if the peanut butter is slightly warm and smooth enough. However, the result will be thick, heavy fudge-like product and maybe difficult to spread on a cake.

True frostings, which your recipe creates, require a fat (butter, margarine, or shortening). The fat becomes emulsified (fluffed with air). If you can't use butter, which adds a greater dimensional flavor, substitute shortening or margarine.

Good luck.

You need something with properties similar to butter for the recipe to work right. So if you don't want to use butter, try a shortening like Crisco, but do not omit the ingredient totally.

Technically, yes, you could leave the butter out. But it would not have the same texture. I think It would be ok to leave out the butter in this particular recipe because peanutbutter already has oil in it.

you can also use Crisco or any other shortening available to you .