Learn how to make the best vegan buttercream frosting! It pipes perfectly, needs only 4 ingredients and tastes incredible. Makes 2 1/2 cups or enough for 24 cupcakes or a 8-9 inch layer cake.
A vegan buttercream frosting for all your cupcake and cake decorating needs. Just try not to eat it all by the spoonful; it’s that good! The trick is in the technique and using a quality vegan butter.
I’ve been making a version of this frosting for years but recently perfected it. I’ll teach you everything I know!
Ways to use vegan frosting
There are endless ways to use this frosting, but here are just a few ideas:
- Sandwiched between Oatmeal Cookies or Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Spread onto Sugar Cookies
- Vanilla Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients you need
- Vegan butter – This is probably the most important part! Make sure to use a vegan butter you like the flavor of. I think Miyoko’s is best, but recently I discovered Trader Joe’s vegan butter which is equally amazing. Other brands will work, but just know whatever butter you use will determine the flavor. It needs to be softened to room temperature, NOT melted.
- Powdered sugar
- Non-dairy milk – I prefer to use a creamy milk or even vegan creamer, such as soy milk, full fat oat milk, or cashew milk.
- Vanilla extract – Use clear for a very white frosting. I usually just use pure vanilla extract.
How to make vegan buttercream
In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer with paddle attachment), beat the softened butter until smooth.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, mixing on low then increasing to medium speed.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and the vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes until well combined, fluffy and creamy. To prevent air bubbles, don’t beat on high speed and don’t use the whisk attachment.
Add a little more milk if needed. If the frosting seems runny, add additional powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
Vegan buttercream variations
You may add vegan friendly food coloring to the frosting, or try any of the following flavor variations:
- Peppermint – Add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract, like in this Peppermint Mocha Cake. Yum!
- Lemon – Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest, like in my Lemon Cake recipe. Or change it to orange.
- Chocolate – You can make this chocolate buttercream by adding 1/2 cup of sifted cocoa powder when you add the powdered sugar. Add additional milk as needed.
- Caramel – Add 1/2 cup of vegan caramel (or salted vegan caramel). Omit the milk, only use if needed to thin.
- Strawberry or Blueberry – Add a 1-ounce bag of freeze dried strawberries/blueberries to a blender and blend into a fine powder. Mix into the frosting. Check out my Vegan Strawberry Cake!
How to pipe frosting onto cupcakes perfectly
I used to struggle to pipe frosting into perfectly tall swirls on cupcakes, but I figured out a trick that works!
First, get out a large glass and fit your piping bag with a tip. Place the bag in the glass and fold the edges around the cup. Fill with frosting. This is the easiest way to fill a piping bag with frosting!
Place a circle of frosting in the very center of your cupcake.
Now, start on the edge and swirl frosting in a circular motion on your cupcake. You will get tall swirls that don’t sink or become uneven. Easy peasy!
How to store vegan frosting
Make ahead – You can make the frosting up to 2 days in advance and store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, bring it to room temperature and mix well before frosting.
Freeze – It can also be frozen for up to 3 months on a freezer bag or container.
More vegan frostings to love
Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and mix starting on low speed gradually increasing to medium, until all the powdered sugar is mixed in.
- Add 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until everything is well combined. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- If the frosting seems too thick, you can add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. 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.
- Pipe onto cupcakes, spread on a cake or anywhere else you'd like. Enjoy!
- You can make the frosting up to 2 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, then bring it to room temperature before using. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use a vegan butter that tastes good. I prefer Miyoko’s or Trader Joe’s brand vegan butter. Melt, Earth Balance and others work as well. Use sticks or blocks if you can over the tub butter.
- For best results, use a full fat type plant milk that is creamy. Soy, cashew, coconut or oat milk are all good options.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published Dec. 2018 and has been republished with new photos and a slightly different recipe, because I learned how to perfect it!
i tried this recipe with your vegan vanilla cake and it tasted amazing!
Thank you, Emma! Glad you love it!
Hi Nora! Firstly, all of your recipes are so easy to follow and great. Love it. The question I had was regarding the vegan butter. Can I use your homemade vegan butter recipe in place of Earth balance butter? Please let me know if that would work. Thanks!
Yes, you can, it works quite well. Just make sure it’s fairly cold and not melted when you start, and you will need to keep the frosting refrigerated (or the cake you frost it with), because it’s more likely to melt due to the coconut oil. Thanks!
I wanted to make strawberry frosting how much strawberry puree would you suggest?
Cake is sooo moist btw
Thanks! I would make the frosting from my strawberry cake recipe. It’s amazing!
Hi! I’m going to try this recipe. I don’t get vegan butter where I live. Can I substitute it with Vegan spread?
Thanks
Some sort of vegan margarine or butter like product is best, or vegetable shortening works.
Uk vegetable fats…
Vitalite
Non dairy flora
Trex
All work well…
Metric for the vegan butter please?
I think it should be 225 grams, hope that helps!
Thank you for the tips. I tried glancing at it to do a quick icing and I did the very thing you said not to do. I melted the butter ?♀️. Though it tasted good, it was indeed runny. I put it in the fridge for ten minutes and then whipped it with the mixer and it helped make it a bit thicker but once it get warm it’ll start melting. Next time I’ll be sure to follow the instructions.
I live in England, and vegan butter is as rare as hen’s teeth! Can you please tell me whether solidified coconut oil would be a good substitute?
I’ve searched high and low for a good butter alternative as, unfortunately, butter makes me very sick.
I do hope you can help.
Thank you:-)
That is a bit of a problem, I’m sorry to hear you don’t have access to any sort of vegan butter. I’m not familiar with what is available in England, but unfortunately coconut oil will just melt here, it won’t stay firm enough to work. The other option would be vegetable shortening. Hope that helps!
Hi Alison. I live in London UK and there are loads of alternatives to butter. Most of the the flora butters are now vegan, check the tube to double check. Stork block not the one in the tub is vegan, you can also get pure brand – available in most supermarkets like sainsburys and vitalite dairy free from tesco and sainsbury too.
Hope that helps. X
This frosting is tasty. My daughter who doesn’t care much for frosting really liked it. Ours was soft after we made it, so I’d refrigerate a little before frosting the cake next time.
I’m so glad to hear that it was tasty!!
I am just wondering if this icing freezes and defrosts well?
Absolutely! I often freeze leftovers.
This frosting came out perfect. Mine was a bit soft when first mixed so I left it in the fridge for a bit to stiffen up before frosting the cake. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Glad it ended up coming out perfect!
This is so good and so creamy, thanks for the recipe!!!!
You’re welcome!
Hi Nora! I dint have access to vegan butter. What’s a good substitute for that?
That’s a hard one. Vegetable shortening works well, but I don’t really have another option. You could make your own vegan butter!
I was wondering if I could use the brand Wholesome Organic Sugar. I’m not able to find the brand you suggested.
Or PC organic granulated sugar
Granulated sugar will make the frosting grainy, you need a powdered sugar. You can always make your own powdered sugar by putting regular sugar in the blender and blend it until powdery.
would icing sugar be okay? or are they the same thing but just go by different names..
I believe they are the same thing, powdery white sugar right?
Could you make this without vegan butter (just regular unsalted butter), and without a mixer? Let me know I”m trying to find a suitable cake for my daughter’s birthday this week! 🙂
I’m sure it would work, it’s a little hard without a mixer but not impossible. Use a large spoon and just keep mixing by hand until it comes together. You will get an arm workout for sure!
Excellent vanilla frosting. It was nice and thick, but very easy to frost cupcakes with it. It’s a keeper.
I’m so glad it worked well!
It’s only vanilla frosting, but it’s among the tastiest I’ve ever had. Maestro!
Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe! I love your recipes and make alot of them. I track my foods in MY fitness Pal, would it be possible for you to specify how much a serving size is when you post the nutritional facts? Thank you!!
I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes! I’m sorry, that’s not something I have for the recipes at this time, but I will consider it in the future. Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Nora! I’m planning to make your vanilla cake with your vanilla frosting it just looks so yummy! But I have never frosted a cake before, any tips on how I should go about this? Any recommended old fashioned tools ? I don’t want to run to the store to get a tool that I may not use as much 🙂 Thans for sharing all this wonderful recipes!
I often just use a butter knife! You don’t need anything fancy, unless you want to get creative and use piping bags and tips to make a design on your cake. I usually just spread it with a knife, or a simple frosting spatula that I have. I usually put a pretty good amount on a cake, and spread it gently. The biggest tip is to make sure your cakes are completely cooled before you frost them. If not the frosting will melt almost immediately. Hope that helps and you enjoy the cake!
Will this work well for piping flowers and borders?
Yes, it works well for piping. If you wanted it to be even more stable, you could sub 1/2 vegan shortening, but I have found even using all vegan butter works well for decorating. Thanks!
I don’t have a mixer. Would this recipe still work?
I think you could make it work, yes. Make sure your vegan butter is softened but not melted at all, and use a large wooden spoon. You will get a bit of an arm workout, but I think it will work!
Hi, could you please tell me how much butter I need for this frosting in grams/pounds?
8 oz or 227 grams (1/2 pound). Thank you!
I’m looking to make a birthday cake for myself and my two sisters (all of our birthdays are within two weeks of each other, March is a hectic month for us) next week based on Hagrid’s cake from the Harry Potter books (a chocolate cake with light pink frosting and dark green iced lettering). I went vegan in the beginning of the year and have found a chocolate cake recipe I like, but I have yet to venture into trying frosting. From what I’ve read online so far, my best bet for vegan food dye in pink would be to juice beets, cook them down into a paste, and add it little by little until I get the desired color. Do you think that technique would work for this recipe?
Wow, how fun, 3 sister birthdays in a few weeks! Yes, I think that would work just fine. You can also buy beet powder. I’m sure a little pinch of that would turn it pink, or yeah, make your own from real beets. Happy birthday!
Hey Nora, I just had a little question. How would I change the recipe if I am planning to frost a 9 inch double layer cake instead?
It depends on how much frosting you like on your cake, but usually 1 recipe will be enough for a double layer 8 or 9 inch cake. But if you are planning to pipe any frosting on for decorations, or you want it really thick, I would double the recipe. Thank you!
Ciao Nora, a quick question. Can you please makes me examples of Vegan butter?! any kind of substitutes? Do you think sunflower margarin it’s okey?! homemade flexs eeds butter? I can’t find lots of products where I’m leaving.
Hi there! Earth balance brand is my favorite choice. If you have another brand of vegan butter or margarine that will probably work, though it may change the flavor quite a bit, so just make sure you like how it tastes. The other thing you could do is use coconut oil, but it has to be solid, not melted. I haven’t personally tried it yet, so I’m not positive, but I’ve heard it works quite well and I imagine it would. Hope that helps!
OMG!! This is so simple and amazing!