How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (2024)

by Lauren Hartmann 3 Comments

*This post may contain affiliate links in the recipe card*

People asking me often how to make the best vegan buttercream frosting. I have heard it won’t get thick enough, it won’t stand up to decorating. I have made this vegan buttercream recipe thousands of times. So much so that I have it memorized, no matter what flavor I want. I thought it would be great to share with you guys, this back pocket frosting recipe. That way you always know how to frost a cake whenever you are in need! This recipe starts with a base that is the perfect vanilla buttercream. Then with a few additions to that base recipe, you can make peanut butter, strawberry or chocolate frosting!

How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (2)

What You Need For This Fluffy Vegan Frosting:

  • Vegan Butter: I like to use Country Crock Plant Butter, it needs to be room temperature.
  • Vegetable Shortening: This is very necessary. While normal buttercream is just made with butter, vegan butter doesn’t hold up and needs this extra ingredient.
  • Powdered Sugar: Most organic powdered sugar is vegan. I usually get mine from Trader Joe’s.
  • Non-dairy Milk: I like to use oat milk, this is just as needed to thin out the frosting.
  • Vanilla: I add this no matter what flavor I am making.
  • Salt: A pinch of salt makes this recipe so much more amazing.
  • Peanut Butter, Freeze Dried Strawberries, Cocoa Powder: These are the optional add ins for different flavors.
How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (3)

I have been teaching kid’s cooking classes recently! A few weeks ago, we made mini berry cakes and I showed them how to make this vegan buttercream frosting. Just in a large bowl by hand. It was so simple, they even remembered how to do it when I was done and one of them was 5. I suppose that is all to say, this is fool-proof.

How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (4)

Step 1:

You want to whip the vegan butter and vegetable shortening together. I recommend doing it with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Using a whisk attachment. Whip together until smooth.

Step 2:

Start to add the powdered sugar, a little at a time. Continuing to whip together.

Step 3:

When the frosting starts to get thick, begin adding the non-dairy milk. Then continue to whip, adding the rest of the powdered sugar until it is fully incorporated.

Step 4:

Add the vanilla and salt. Whip for another minute until the frosting is totally smooth and fluffy!

Step 5:

If you’re making vanilla frosting, you’re done. For making peanut butter frosting, you add that in with the vegan butter and shortening. If you are making chocolate or strawberry, at this point you can whip in the cocoa powder or a freeze dried strawberry powder. Then you’re done!
How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (5)

This vegan buttercream is balanced in flavor, so fluffy and creamy. You’ll never need another frosting recipe again. You can honestly use this base recipe to make any flavor you want. Add different extracts and powders, you can replace the vanilla with other extracts or the cocoa or strawberry powder with other fruit powders!

How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (6)

How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting

Print Recipe

The easiest, creamiest and fluffiest vegan buttercream frosting recipe that can made vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or peanut butter.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 12

Calories 199

Author Lauren Boehme

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Vegan butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 Cup Vegetable shortening
  • 3 Cups Powdered sugar, vegan
  • 3-4 Tablespoons Non-dairy milk, unsweetened I used oat milk
  • 3 teaspoons Vanilla
  • Pinch of Salt

Optional Flavors

  • 1/2 Cup Cocoa powder
  • 1/2 Cup Freeze dried strawberry powder*
  • 1 Cup Peanut butter, creamy

Instructions

  • Put the vegan butter and vegetable shortening into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Begin to whip together either with a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of the stand mixer.

  • Once they are smooth, start adding the powdered sugar, a little at a time. Continuing to beat together.

  • When it starts to get thick, add the non-dairy milk, continuing to whip together.

  • Then add the remaining powdered sugar.

  • Once the frosting is very smooth and fluffy, add the vanilla and salt. Whip again until fully combined, very thick and fluffy. If you are making vanilla frosting, you're done!

  • If you are making chocolate or strawberry, now is the time to add either the cocoa powder or freeze dried strawberry powder! Whip again until fully combined.

  • If you are making peanut butter frosting, you want to add the peanut butter in step number one, with the vegan butter and vegetable shortening. Whip that to combine. Then proceed with steps 2-5!

Video

Notes

*To make the freeze dried strawberry powder, I just put freeze dried strawberries in my food processor and pulse until they turn into a powder.

I recommend frosting my Easy One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake with any combination of these flavors!

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 367IU | Vitamin C: 120mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 3mg

How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (7)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (8)laurie

    What is your preferred Vegan Butter for the frosting?

    Reply

    • How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (9)Lauren Hartmann

      I usually use Country Crock Plant Butter!

      Reply

  2. How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (10)Penelope

    How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (11)
    I made chocolate and strawberry frosting and they were the best I’ve ever made! Highly recommend this recipe.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

How To Make The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting (2024)

FAQs

What is the best vegan butter for buttercream frosting? ›

Vegan buttercream frosting ingredients

I recommend Miyoko's vegan butter for the best all around vegan butter. for a nut-free vegan butter option. Other great options include Flora Plant Butter, and Earth Balance. More on which butter brand to use below!

Why is my vegan buttercream grainy? ›

That's right - you NEED the vegan butter to be room temperature before you start working with it. If you've ever made vegan buttercream and it's split or gone grainy, this is most likely the reason why.

What is the trick to buttercream frosting? ›

6 Secrets for Perfect Buttercream
  1. Use the right powdered sugar the right way. ...
  2. Beat, beat, beat the butter! ...
  3. You can use cream OR milk, just use the right amount. ...
  4. Adjust the sugar to your preference. ...
  5. Never add too much liquid to your buttercream. ...
  6. Prevent your buttercream from melting on a hot or humid day.
Jan 15, 2018

What is the secret ingredient that will improve your frosting? ›

By mixing in some vinegar, it will give another layer of flavor and also help hold the icing together better. (In general, you'll need a quarter of a teaspoon of vinegar for every three egg whites you use.)

Why is my vegan frosting runny? ›

If the frosting is too thin and runny, simply add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Does vegan buttercream need to be refrigerated? ›

You may store in the fridge for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up to 3 days. If stored in the fridge bring to room temperature before using again. The Vegan buttercream will thicken up. You may re whip in a mixer or with a metal spoon.

What buttercream do professional bakers use? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the most standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is incredibly smooth, making it an extremely popular choice for icing cakes. Compared to American buttercream, it has a much stronger butter flavor, but is considerably less sweet.

What is the best non-dairy substitute for butter? ›

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

How to stop vegan buttercream splitting? ›

How to stop it splitting. If your buttercream starts looking soft and floppy, just stick it in the fridge (or freezer if it will fit) for 15 minutes. You'll see it stiffen up and be able to work with it again.

Why is vegan buttercream so soft? ›

Now, for this to be the “Easiest Vegan Buttercream Ever” you need a good quality, high fat butter. Most vegan butters are actually mostly water – so when they're room temperature, they are EXTREMELY soft. The tell tale sign of this is if it calls itself a “spread”.

Does vegan buttercream melt? ›

The first thing that could be going wrong if your vegan buttercream is falling apart is that you might be using a butter substitute that has a lower melting point, meaning it will start melting at a lower temperature. Different brands have different melting points and you need to find the one that works for you.

What is the hardest buttercream to make? ›

Italian Meringue Buttercream

This is considered one of the very difficult methods for making buttercream because the sugar syrup must be cooked to a specific temperature and then, while piping hot, poured into the whipped egg whites.

How do you enhance buttercream frosting? ›

Smooth Additions
  1. Cream cheese. Beat in 8 ounces of room temperature plain or flavored cream cheese. ...
  2. Whipped cream. Mix equal parts freshly whipped cream and frosting. ...
  3. Butter. This makes a buttercream more buttery. ...
  4. Peanut butter or other nut butter. ...
  5. Nutella. ...
  6. Cookie butter. ...
  7. Jam, preserves, or marmalade. ...
  8. Lemon curd.
Feb 14, 2024

Can you overbeat buttercream? ›

Yes, this is absolutely correct. The longer you beat, the more air you incorporate in your buttercream, thus, it will have lots of holes or air-pockets, it will also make the colour lighter. If you will use your buttercream primarily for filling or maybe as simple swirls, then this is ok.

Why add vinegar to buttercream? ›

Another way to balance out the sweetness in buttercream frosting is to add a tangy ingredient. Tangy ingredients can help cut through the sweetness and add depth to the flavour of the frosting. Some good options for tangy ingredients include lemon juice, vinegar, or cream cheese.

What is the most important ingredient in frosting? ›

Sugar is the most important ingredient in all types of frostings, providing sweetness, flavor, bulk and structure.

Why add flour to frosting? ›

If you are making warm frosting on your stovetop, flour can be a good thickener.

Which vegan butter is best for frosting? ›

Vegan Butter: I like to use Country Crock Plant Butter, it needs to be room temperature. Vegetable Shortening: This is very necessary. While normal buttercream is just made with butter, vegan butter doesn't hold up and needs this extra ingredient. Powdered Sugar: Most organic powdered sugar is vegan.

How to thicken up vegan frosting? ›

To thicken vegan icing, you can use a combination of maple syrup, coconut cream and cornstarch. Start by adding 1/4 cup of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of maple syrup in a small pot on medium heat. Stir until it becomes a thick paste and then add in 1/2 cup of coconut cream.

What is vegan buttercream made of? ›

The two main differences between traditional and dairy-free buttercream frosting are: The dairy butter is replaced with vegan butter. The whipping cream or milk is replaced with non-dairy milk.

Is Flora plant butter good for buttercream? ›

Brings a luxurious touch to Pancakes, Banana bread, Buttercream frosting, Flapjack and Shortbread.

Is Duncan Hines frosting vegan? ›

Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines

All of them contain milk and/or eggs. Duncan Hines, on the other hand, is surprisingly vegan friendly. Many of their cake frostings are vegan.

Can you leave a cake with buttercream frosting out at room temperature? ›

How long can cake sit out unrefrigerated? If your cake is frosted with buttercream, it will last covered at room temperature for up to four days. However, it is best to refrigerate cakes with other frostings such as cream cheese or ganache. A fully covered unfrosted cake will last for up to 2 days at room temperature.

What is a good substitute for butter in buttercream frosting? ›

Shortening or coconut oil (for vegan option) are often used in frostings instead of butter when the result desired is a very white frosting (since butter has a yellow tint) and both can also be used as a substitute in cake.

What do vegan bakers use instead of butter? ›

Coconut oil is a delicious vegan alternative to butter as it behaves similarly to butter compared to other oils. It solidifies when cool and melts at room temperature, making it very versatile. If you use unrefined coconut oil, you can expect a more distinctive taste, but refined coconut oil is basically flavourless.

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