All you need to make delicious dairy-free cream cheese frosting at home is just 5 minutes and 4 simple ingredients! This vegan frosting is super easy to make and perfect for your favorite cupcakes, cakes and more.
Why you'll love this vegan cream cheese frosting
- It's super simple to make in just 5 minutes with only 4 ingredients.
- This frosting is so creamy, it's hard to believe it's actually dairy-free making it perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike!
- It's the perfect complement for your favorite home baked goods such as these vegan vanilla cupcakes, vegan chocolate cupcakes, chickpea flour brownies or vegan brownie bites as well as carrot cake, pumpkin bread or cookie sandwiches.
- This frosting is also great for jazzing up store-bought cake mixes like this gluten-free red velvet mix which is what I used in the photos (FYI - this brand gives instructions on the package for making the cake/cupcakes vegan using aquafaba and coconut oil).
Ingredients you'll need
- Vegan Butter
- Vegan Cream Cheese
- Organic Powdered Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract
How do you make dairy-free frosting from scratch?
Add vegan butter, vegan cream cheese and vanilla to a mixing bowl.
Beat using an electric hand mixer until just smooth, but do not overbeat.
Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, whipping in between each addition, until smooth and creamy.
Use as desired.
Frequently asked questions
You can use any brand of vegan butter you'd like, but just be sure it is the stick kind rather than the spreadable kind in a tub. The butter sticks tend to hold up to whipping better than the spreads. I used the plant-based Country Crock sticks with avocado oil.
Luckily, there are so many options today for non-dairy alternatives to dairy products including cream cheese. My personal favorite is the Kite Hill brand, but I would also recommend Miyoko's or Violife.
The frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir before using. If it is too firm after refrigeration, allow it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
Tips
- If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate in the mixing bowl for 10-15 minutes and stir before using.
- To make this recipe nut-free, be sure to use a nut-free vegan butter and vegan cream cheese.
- To make this recipe soy-free, ensure you are using a soy-free vegan butter and vegan cream cheese.
More Vegan Sweets
Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter (room temperature)
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese
- 3-4 cups organic powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add vegan butter, vegan cream cheese and vanilla to a mixing bowl. Beat using an electric hand mixer until just smooth, but do not overbeat.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, whipping in between each addition, scraping down the sides as needed and continuing to mix until smooth and creamy. Add ½ to 1 cup more powdered sugar if needed to achieve desired consistency, mixing after adding.
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs for this recipe)
Suggested Equipment/Tools
Notes
Nutrition
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zoe
very yummy frosting with nice flavor - cannot tell it is vegan! 🙂 however the viscosity was a little off (too low of a viscosity)
Also, recipe yields too much frosting. even 6 servings is a ton
5/5
Sherri Hall
Thanks so much, Zoe! Glad you enjoyed the flavor! 🙂 I appreciate your feedback regarding the viscosity and amount of frosting. We tend to go a little overboard here with the amount of frosting we use lol. I know different brands of vegan butter and cream cheese will give different results as far as consistency goes in addition to other factors such as temperature, but I'm thinking perhaps a bit more powdered sugar might help with that aspect. Thank you for sharing your experience as it will be beneficial for others looking to make the frosting. 🙂