If you’ve ever wondered how to make dairy-free buttercream frosting, you’re in the right place! This step-by-step tutorial will demonstrate how easy it is to make perfect dairy-free buttercream frosting every time! Plus, we share our favorite dairy-free butter brands, tips for success, and recipes to put it to good use!
Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting vs. Buttercream Frosting
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.
As for preparation, the basic rules still apply:
- Use softened vegan (or dairy-free) butter, which blends better (and don’t microwave chilled butter to speed softening time – it will make your buttercream runny)
- Use quality powdered sugar and sift it before adding to the butter or it can form clumps
- If your buttercream gets too thick, simply thin with a little dairy-free milk of choice (ours being creamy coconut)
How to use it?
On cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more, including:
- Apple Gingerbread Cake
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
- Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Cake
- Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
- French Toast Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
That’s it!
We hope you LOVE this vegan frosting recipe! If you give it a try let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
How to Make Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting
Fluffy Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting made with 4 simple ingredients and 1 bowl! Perfect for decorating cupcakes, cakes, and more!
Servings 14 (2-Tbsp servings)
Ingredients
- 1 stick vegan butter (1 stick = 1/2 cup // our current preferred brand is Miyokos, but Earth Balance also works)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ – 3 cups sifted organic powdered sugar (ensure vegan-friendly as needed)
- 3-4 Tbsp full fat coconut milk or other dairy-free milk (optional // we prefer coconut)
Instructions
- Add softened vegan butter to a large mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer to cream butter until light and fluffy – about 1 minute. Then add vanilla and mix once more to combine.
- Add sifted powdered sugar in 1/2 cup measurements and continue mixing until well combined and fluffy, scraping down sides as needed.
- If too thick, add 1 Tbsp at a time of dairy-free milk until desired consistency is achieved (optional).
- Use immediately or store frosting in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Frosting will melt and spoil if kept at room temperature for too long. We recommend frosting immediately before enjoying or storing cupcakes in the refrigerator after decorating.
*Recipe as written makes ~1 ¾ cup frosting
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with Miyokos dairy-free butter and with lesser amounts of ingredient ranges.
*Recipe as written makes ~1 ¾ cup frosting
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with Miyokos dairy-free butter and with lesser amounts of ingredient ranges.
Nutrition (1 of 14 servings)
Serving: 1 two-tablespoon servings Calories: 141 Carbohydrates: 21.5 g Protein: 0 g Fat: 6.3 g Saturated Fat: 5 g Sodium: 38 mg Potassium: 4.2 mg Fiber: 0 g Sugar: 21 g Calcium: 0.2 mg
Betty says
Can you freeze this frosting?
Yes!
Amanda says
Will this frosting harden? I’m looking for a frosting for cookies that I’ll be wrapping to mail, so the frosting needs to harden enough to be wrapped, like buttercream.
Hi Amanda, we wonder if you might be looking for an icing recipe? This frosting wouldn’t be a good fit for mailing.
Amanda says
I usually use regular homemade buttercream, which ships fine. For years I’ve shipped hundreds of cookies every Christmas/Hanukah, and I use buttercream to decorate my special giant butterscotch snowmen. But I have one niece who is allergic to dairy, so she never gets to have a snowman in her cookie box. I’m hoping to find a way to let her have a snowman cookie, too, this year. I don’t know if icing would work because the snowmen are a layered cookie, with his hat cookie and nose cookie layered over the round cookie face, “glued” on with buttercream. I don’t think icing would be thick enough to hold the cookie layers together.
Tracy says
Hi Amanda– fellow baker here. I recommend looking up a Vegan Royal Icing recipe if you are looking to decorate cookies that will ship in the mail.
Elle says
I made this recipe as is and it has a nice consistency. My only issue was that I could taste the salt from the vegan butter. Is there some way to cut down on the saltiness? Finding unsalted plant based butter is a challenge. It’s not at the local grocery store and the store that does carry it doesn’t carry it consistently.
Hi Elle, sorry to hear you didn’t love the saltiness! Adding more powdered sugar should help dilute the flavor of it.
Donna says
With no vegan(optional) butter, can margarine? Also, can this vanilla cake be used for a fresh frozen cranberries as a upside down cake recipe?
Hey Donna! That should work! We haven’t tried the cake with added ingredients, but let us know if you do some experimenting!
Kim says
Was wondering if this recipe would work for decorating with russian tips? (Floral decorating) It sounds like a crowd favorite, but with ingredients being so hard to find; id hate to mix up a batch and not be able to use it. If it would work, Ill be sure to report back on how it came out. Thanks!
Hi Kim, it should work, but we’d recommend using Earth Balance vs. Miyoko’s (which melts more easily) for the vegan butter and you’ll definitely want the greater amount of powdered sugar. Hope that helps!
Lena says
I made the recipe, as directed, using Miyokos dairy free butter. It was delicious. It was just enough to frost a six inch 2 layer cake and I used another filling between the layers. I appreciate the recipe. Thank you.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lena! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Mary S says
This recipe was great! Thank you so much! Not sure if it was because of the DF butter, or because I used Country Crock Plant Whipping Cream to thin the frosting out (in lieu of coconut milk), but this was the most velvety-smooth American buttercream I have ever tasted. It almost tasted like an Italian or French buttercream! I blitzed freeze-dried strawberries in the food processor and added those for color and flavor. It was divine!!
We’re so glad you loved it, Mary! Thanks so much for sharing! xoxo
Debbie says
Of you freeze this icing, how long should you defrost it and does it stay the same consistancy or do you need to whip it again?
Hi Debbie, we haven’t tried freezing it, but it should freeze well. We’d recommend defrosting it overnight in the fridge and whipping, if needed (we don’t think it will need it though!).
Terri Anne D'Aristotile says
It was delicious, so thick, absolutely perfecg! i also didnt have a wisk or machine thing so i used fork still super good consistency!!! Reccomend following their reccomendations and using full fat coconut milk (canned 9-15% fat) and I used earth balance butter (make sure to keep it cold and smooth as much as possible) used 3 cups of powdered sugar, and 3 T of coconut milk (Goya brand)
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Terri! Thank you for sharing! xo
Veronica says
Since I wanted chocolate icing (everyone’s favorite in the family), I added ~2 heaping T of Hershey Cocoa to the powdered sugar while sifting into the mixing bowl. Also reduced the powdered sugar just a little bit. The amount is really based on preference!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Veronica!
Alexis V says
I want the frosting to be black. Would you recommend using black gel food coloring or regular black liquid food dye?
Hi Alexis, we’d say either, but the gel will probably add less liquid, meaning it will hold together better!
Courtney Ream says
If I use gel food coloring will it make it runny? My son is turning 2 and im trying to make his cake at home. Making a 9×13 1 layer cake for his trains on top. How many servings should I put in to adjust the quanity. I tried the 28 servings. Just jeep enough to cover the top and sides completely. Thanks.
It shouldn’t make it runny! If it does, you can add more powdered sugar. This recipe makes ~1 ¾ cup frosting as written. We think adjusting to 28 servings will be plenty!
Courtney Ream says
Can I use the Ripple Kids non dairy milk or will the taste be off? My son only likes this milk and his bday is coming up. Thanks.
Hi Courtney, we haven’t tried that milk, but it’s such a small amount that we don’t think it would impact the flavor unless the milk has a very strong flavor. Happy birthday to your son! xo
Coralyn says
I tried making this and for some reason it turned out runny even before adding the coconut milk! Any ideas why it turned out more runny than a thick consistency? Where did I mess up?
Thanks!
Hi Coralyn, is it possible you microwaved the butter to soften it? That will make your buttercream runny!
Courtney Ream says
Which butter sub did you use?? Im in Colorado and plan to try Safeways brand Open Nature non dairy butter sticks. Thanks.
Scott says
Vegan butter is a wee bit expensive for my budget at the moment… Can I sub in margarine sticks at a 1-to-1 ratio? Or would that offset the flavor/consistency?
Hi Scott, we haven’t tested with margarine, but another reader reported it works!
Gabby says
Hello! If I’m making cupcakes for an event the next day, would it be best to refrigerate the buttercream overnight and frost the cupcakes the next day? Or refrigerate the cupcakes with the frosting already added? Thank you!
Hi Gabby! We suggest refrigerating the the cupcakes and buttercream separately and letting them both come closer to room temp the next day before frosting them. We hope you enjoy! xo
Silvia Sharpe says
I really enjoyed making this. It was easy and it tasted excellent! I’m not much of a baker but I wanted to make my own frosting for some cupcakes to avoid some ingredients that I avoid in my eating lifestyle. I used much less sugar than the recipe called for, tasting it after 1 cup of powdered sugar was the perfect sweetness for me so I’m glad that I opted to taste before adding all of the sugar the recipe called for. I used grassfed butter and organic coconut milk. I will certainly use this again.
Thanks so much for sharing, Silvia!
Alissa says
This was amazing! I made it first as is and it was delicious. This time I needed a cream cheese frosting so instead of any non dairy milk I added 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and it was perfect!
Yum, love that! Thank you for sharing, Alissa! xo
Marina says
Hello :) I was wondering, did you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk for this recipe?
Hi Marina, we used unsweetened, but either would be fine!
Janine says
Hi when you say coconut milk you mean a like a plant based milk drink, like soya, oat, not a tin or carton of full fat coconut milk? Thanks
Hi Janine! You could use either, if using canned milk, just make sure it is well shaken.
Alana says
I use miyokos dairy free butter too! I have found that the dairy free milk which gives the best texture and flavor is the Elmhurst unsweetened cashew milk because it’s thicker than other nut milks but without a strong flavor or the oiliness of coconut milk/cream!
Thank you for sharing, Alana! So glad you enjoy it!
Allanah Mullenbach says
I used the second butter you recommended and for some reason my buttercream turned out just slightly grainy. Any way to fix this?
Hi Allanah, it sounds like it might need to be mixed longer! If that doesn’t do the trick, you can find some other troubleshooting tips here.
Kailah says
This is our go- icing recipe. We always use almond milk and it tastes delicious.
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kailah! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Natalie Arrieta-Preston says
Will this recipe cover a 8” round cake – 4 layers?
Hi Natalie, this recipe makes ~1 ¾ cup frosting. You’ll probably want to double the recipe for a cake of that size!
DOREEN MELLOR says
Can’t wait to try this recipe – it looks much better than my own attempts to create a non-dairy buttercream.
Have noticed some people wanting a less sweet version, and have just read about ‘ermine frosting’ using a flour and milk roux to start the process. This means less icing sugar. I haven’t tried it yet, but I would be using an alternative milk, and if making for a gluten free taster, would try making the roux with cornflour – this would make a finer silkier base than with wheat flour. What do you think?
Interesting! Thanks for sharing, Doreen. We haven’t tried that method and aren’t sure what would happen! Let us know if you try it out!
DOREEN MELLOR says
I’ll let you know!
Cat says
Could I frost a cake he morning of the party and refrigerate it then bring it out for display? It would probably be out for an hour? Or should I bring it right out of the fridge at serving time?
Hi Cat, it will depend on how melty your dairy-free butter is and the room temperature, but it should be fine! If it starts to look droopy, you can refrigerate it again before serving. Hope that helps!
Jade says
Can you make this using a food processor or a blender rather than an electric hand mixer?
Hi Jade, we haven’t tested that, but maybe in a blender? It probably won’t be as fluffy.
Madeline says
Am I using coconut milk from the can or the one that’s refrigerated? Sorry if this is a dumb question lol. And will I be able to pipe roses with this icing? Thank you!
Hi Madeline, all questions are welcome! You can use either type of milk. We think piping roses would work, but you’ll definitely want the greater amount of powdered sugar. Hope that helps!
Ariel B says
Hi there! I love your work. I have seen in other recipes that both the milk and butter should be at room temp, would you suggest that the coconut milk should be at room temp for this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Ariel, it wouldn’t hurt, but we don’t find it essential to let the coconut milk come to room temperature. Hope that helps!
Gail says
I’m looking for a dairy free frosting that will pipe well. Do you find using full fat coconut milk helps with consistency? I’ve made a very similar dairy free frosting in the past that using almond milk that was good but started to look a bit melted after sitting for a bit. I thought perhaps the full fat coconut milk helps to give a stiffer frosting.
Thank you!
Hi Gail, full-fat coconut milk should help it be a bit thicker. We would also suggest starting with a lesser amount of milk and/or adding more powdered sugar if the buttercream seems to get too soft. Keeping it cool will help it from melting as well! Hope this helps. xo
Karen says
How do I measure out earth balance from a tub. I don’t have the sticks! I want to make frosting for 24 cupcakes.
Hi Karen, you can use a 1/2 cup measuring cup. In a pinch the kind from the tub can work, but just know it might be more greasy and not firm up as well.
Carla says
Delicious!,! Now I can have cake with frosting! Thank you!,
If you add a sprinkling of salt it doesn’t taste over sweet. Very delicious!!
Carla
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Carla! xo
Janet says
Do you think you could add some cocoa powder to the recipe to make chocolate icing — my husband’s favorite. If so, how much would you suggest?
Hi Janet, we have a chocolate buttercream in this recipe that we’d recommend using if wanting to add cocoa powder. Hope that helps!
Li says
I followed the directions to a T and the taste was absolutely amazing. Better than traditional buttercream in my opinion. Only thing I had a problem with was achieving that bright white color. Any suggestions?
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Hmm, perhaps the brand of vegan butter or dairy-free milk used were darker in color?
Tracy says
My guess is the vanilla extract is what colored it. Try using clear vanilla extract
Debbie says
Clear vanilla is a thing? It is pure vanilla extract? Where do you find it?
Mama D says
Clear Vanilla is imitation and is not nearly as good as Pure Vanilla.
Allanah says
A little bit of purple dye helps candle out that yellow color. Just be sure to add tiny amounts at a time to avoid adding too much!
Steph says
Do you use the salted or unsalted Miyoko’s? I have traditionally used Earth Balance soy free but can’t find the sticks. The Miyoko’s I can find is salted. With dairy butter I use unsalted and then add a pinch so I’m thinking this will be okay, but I’ve never used Miyoko’s before. Otherwise dairy/soy free suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
Hi Steph, we prefer salted vegan butter in this recipe, so that’s perfect!
Sarah Malloy says
Do you think using Ghee would work in replace of the vegan butter?
Hi Sarah, we haven’t experimented with that and aren’t sure! Let us know if you try it.
céline says
Tried this with tapioca flour as substitute to icing sugar to make frosting less sweet, didn’t work. Using stand mixer, they batter crumbly and not smooth. Like cheese curds. :'(
Hi Céline, did you sift it first?
Céline says
@Minimalist Baker: Yes, I did sift the tapioca flour well.
Bummer! Sorry it didn’t work out.
Dani Dick says
This happened to me too 😢. Sifted the tapioca starch well and the frosting came out super grainy…
Sorry that happened, Dani. We haven’t tried it ourselves and have only heard of it working for others! Perhaps do a search in the comments to see if you can get feedback from a reader who has had success with it?
Hans Ruch says
FYI… I used half icing sugar and half corn starch with Vegan Margarine and it turned out perfect.
Hadley says
I made this recipe for my sisters 7th birthday cake, and she LOVED it!!! I added almond extract. It is delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Hadley. We are so glad she enjoyed it! xoxo
Céline says
I followed the instructions except that I didn’t use 3 to 4 tbsp of coconut milk because I used unsweetened almond milk and only used 1/4 of the milk. For powdered sugar. I used Organic Icing Sugar by Wholesome brand. It was my first time to ever make buttercream frosting in my life so the sifting of powdered sugar while using an electric hand mixer was the most difficult task. I used Plochman’s Neon Food Colours as food colouring and the frosting looked like the colour of Grimace mascot from McDonald’s because I put too much pink and purple colour. Taste-wise, I find it too sweet for my taste and didn’t achieve the subtle and balanced sweetness I was expecting to achieve.
Hi Céline, buttercream does tend to be pretty sweet, but if you prefer a less sweet frosting, you could play around with replacing some of the powdered sugar with tapioca starch. We haven’t tested it that way, but some other readers who prefer a less sweet frosting have mentioned doing so with success!
céline says
Can I use food colouring in these? Thanks.
Yes!
Michaela says
This frosting came out amazingly well. I used Trader Joe’s “Vegan Buttery Spread” which came in the paper wrapper. The ingredients in that are mostly coconut, sunflower, and canola oil, as well as fava bean protein. I found that my frosting was able to sit out at room temp for longer than I expected, and maybe that is due to the oil blend and protein. I made my birthday cake with this frosting and my friends (none of whom are vegan) absolutely loved it.
Woohoo! Happy belated birthday, Michaela! We’re so glad you and your friends enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Jenika Turner says
Hi. I was wondering how this holds up if I frost a cake and the freeze it? I want the firsting to hold up for a long photo shoot.
Hi Jenika, we’d recommend using Earth Balance vs. Miyoko’s vegan butter, which should help it hold up better!
mahek says
if im making this for my baby’s smash cake, can i keep the cake out for display until the end of the party? will the frosting spoil or get soaked up at all?
Hi Mahek, we wouldn’t recommend storing it at room temperature for more than a few hours because it will spoil.
Mahek Wazirali says
What’s the best method to prep it for an event?
We recommend frosting right before enjoying or storing cupcakes in the refrigerator after decorating.
Lauren says
Can you store frosting in fridge and then frost cupcakes later?
Definitely!
Allie says
If one uses (a lot) less sugar, will this recipe work? I have a baking client who asks me to make offerings that are vegan, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free often. It is tough to substitute everything! Attempts with cashew milk and chia seeds etc have not been successful, or the least bit satisfying on my end.
Hi Allie, definitely tough subbing all of those! It would be runny with less sugar, but some readers have reported using cornstarch or tapioca starch in place of some of the powdered sugar to thicken. Hope that helps!
Hush says
You have to use something in place of the sugar. Vegan and dairy free are simple— just vegan buttery spread and dairy free milk. The powdered sugar can be replaced with confectioners (powdered) sugar style sweetener. It’s usually something like Truvia, Swerve, or Spenda which has been ground ultra fine and mixed with cornstarch. You should be able to replace the powdered sugar 1:1 with one of those products. When I’ve used these in the past, I thought Truvia had a very clean “sugar like” taste.
Naomi Vasquez says
This was amazing! I thought I had to double the recipe but it really fluffs up nicely once you blend all the ingredients, the key was mix it on low, then medium, then high for 2-3 minutes and it whipped up beautifully! I added a teaspoon of vanilla and it was perfect, no one believe it was dairy free. Thank you!
We’re so glad to hear it, Naomi! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Crystal Seay says
I made this recipe for a dairy free cake, and it turned out great!! I used the earth balance butter sticks. Everyone was obsessed with the flavor of the frosting.
Note about using food coloring: I used some blue food coloring to make a gradient effect on the cake, and when I added it the frosting split. I probably should have used a powder or gel, which would have soothed my panic in hindsight. But I just added more powdered sugar and the frosting came back together!
Woohoo! Thanks for the great review and for sharing your experience, Crystal!
Marianne says
Can I use water in place of dairy free milk? Someone is allergic to soy. Thanks.
Hi Marianne, we’d suggest leaving it out instead!
Debbie says
For the future, what about almond milk?
Almond would work
Julia says
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
Hi Julia, we haven’t tried this recipe with margarine so we cannot guarantee results, but we think it should work. Let us know how it goes!
Valerie says
I made this, thank goodness my brain was working! I used 1 cup (nowhere near the amount the recipe calls for) of powdered sugar, and it is still way too sweet. It’s fluffy and vegan, but I would recommend far less sugar.
Hi Valerie, sorry it was too sweet for you! We find the consistency is too thin with less powdered sugar, but if that doesn’t bother you, feel free to cut it back. If it needs more thickening, but is already sweet enough, you could add a little cornstarch or tapioca starch.
Prudence says
I don’t have a hand mixer so i did this by hand but is was so worth it! This was too good.
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Prudence.
Lori McClure says
question, could I frost a 13×9 cake with 1 recipe of this frosting? 14 servings of 2 tbsp doesn’t compute for me, I think I might need to make the recipe x 2? :) thank you!
Hi Lori, this should make just enough frosting! It makes about 1 3/4 cups of frosting. We find a 9×13 usually needs 1 1/2-2 cups of frosting!
Jennifer Garcia says
Such an amazing delicious recipe! And so easy/simple/fun to make. I read the comments and used only 1/2 tsp of salt. Came out divine. Also used the Bob’s Red Mill all purposes gluten free flour that has potato starch already in it. Made with the vegan buttercream frosting using the Miyokos brand the author of this recipe recommended. We are having a birthday party for my 7-year-old girl tomorrow and those are so wonderful! Thank you for making amazing and easy gluten free and vegan recipes that I can always trust!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Jennifer!
Jasmyne says
First attempt at vegan buttercream, so please excuse my silly question. Can this recipe be colored using gel food coloring?
Hi Jasmyne, we haven’t tried this recipe with gel food coloring, but we think it should work!
Cathy Holt says
Instead of vegan butter, could I use coconut oil
Hi Cathy! We don’t think that will work in this recipe! However, we do have a cashew based frosting that doesn’t use vegan butter here! Hope this helps!
Lauren Gonsalves says
This is my go-to frosting recipe! It’s so easy, and absolutely delicious. All anyone who’s tried it can do is rave about it. I’m wondering how I can make this into chocolate frosting. What should the ratio of cocoa powder be?
Hi Lauren, we’re so glad you enjoy it! We actually have a chocolate frosting recipe here!
Anshel says
How do I make this recipe into Lemon flavor recipe?
Hi Anshel! We haven’t tried this recipe with lemon, but we think you could add some lemon zest to it! We suspect that lemon juice might make the vegan butter split… Let us know if you try it!
Gabriella says
can i substitute the powdered sugar? making this for my son’s smash cake and we want to minimize his sugar intake!
Hi Gabriella, we’d suggest using our other buttercream recipe instead. Hope that helps!
M Sommerville says
You could look at making your topping more of a sweetened whipped topping instead of a frosting. Frosting, by nature, has a fair bit of icing (confectioners) sugar in it. However, coconut cream whips up beautifully and is delicious … my kids actually preferred it to dairy shipped cream. Using that whipped coconut cream as your base, you could add a bit of icing sugar for additional stiffening, although it wouldn’t really be necessary unless you’re adding some vanilla or other liquid that needs to be compensated for.
If you want to try it, get a can of full fat coconut milk and drain out the liquid part (the cream usually separates out). Using just the at cream part, beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Don’t over beat it.
Suzanne Hall says
I made this and it was delicious but not nearly fluffy enough. Was my butter too melt? Add more powdered sugar? Beat it on a higher speed?
Thanks!
Hi Suzanne! We’re sorry it wasn’t fluffy enough, we think all of those things would help you in the future!
Becca says
Thank you! This came out perfectly! Exactly what I was hoping for. Your recipes always deliver beautiful results. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful creations!!!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Becca!
Ryanna McMinn says
I substituted the butter with solid coconut cream… seriously tastes like store bought Heaven!! Thank u!!
Whoop! Thank you for sharing, Ryanna! xo
Tina says
Does it taste like coconut?
Rania says
Hello, I like the way you made the buttercream, it looks perfect, but I did it it was very watery, even though I didn’t put more then 1Tbspand half of full fat dairy free milk. So it didn’t look like like the picture when you were piping. I followed the recipe, What did I do wrong?
Hi Rania, sorry to hear the texture wasn’t right! How much powdered sugar did you use? It sounds like it may have needed more. Another idea would be if your vegan butter was melted instead of just softened. Hope that helps for next time!
Bailey Pritchard says
Are you using the canned coconut milk? Or canned coconut cream? Watching your video it looks thicker than refrigerated coconut milk.
I am making Christmas cutout cookies and need a Royal type icing.
Thank you!
Hi Bailey, we used canned coconut milk for this recipe.
Jess says
This looks yummy! But I need to decorate our layer cake in advance, and cover it with fondant (which will crack if stored in the fridge). Will this last for internal layers overnight at room temp? (I know it may not look the same, but will it be tasty and safe?!
Hi Jess, we wouldn’t recommend storing it at room temperature for more than a few hours because it will spoil.
Shelaki says
Great recipe! I’ve made this many times and always a success! Many thanks : )
Recently tried a new orange variation that was really good on a chocolate cake – I replaced the vanilla extract with orange extract and replaced the non-dairy milk with 2Tbsp of undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed)
Yum! That sounds incredible, Shelaki! We’re so glad you enjoy it! Thank you for sharing. xo
Amber says
My family loves this icing! You can’t even tell it’s not made with dairy ingredients. Seriously, it’s that good. I use Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil (sticks) and Planet Oat Extra Creamy Oat Milk for my butter and milk options.
Whoop! We’re so glad you’re enjoying it, Amber. Thank you for sharing! xo
Amanda says
When I make non-vegan buttercream, I usually use heavy cream as the liquid dairy. I was wondering if you thought using a dairy free heavy whipping cream might work here?
Hi Amanda, we haven’t tested it that way, but it might work! Let us know if you try it!
Julie says
Does it matter if you use salted Earth Balance butter? That’s all my grocery store had and it came out a little salty.
Hi Julie, we prefer salted vegan butter in this recipe but if you would like a less salty version definitely try unsalted vegan butter next time!
Gloria says
Thank you; this buttercream frosting was so easy and was a hit with the whole family!
We’re so glad to hear it, Gloria! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Sami says
How do you recommend thawing if frozen?! Thank you!
Hi Sami, ideally thawing in a refrigerator for ~24 hours or more, but a few hours at room temperature might work. We do not recommend heating it. Hope this helps!
Rocio says
How long would you say too long is for the frosting to be left out? 1 hour? 2 hours?
Hi Rocio, we find Earth Balance is preferable for keeping it stable at room temperature for a few hours.
Monica says
Excellent frosting! I used some vanilla bean too and it gave it some speckles of brown. I used it to fill my vanilla macarons. This website is my go-to for vegan recipes. Always a success!
Yum! We’re so glad you’re enjoying it, Monica. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Jessica says
Delicious and simple
xoxo!