How to Make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
3-ingredient Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting perfect for cakes, cupcakes, quick breads, cookies, and more!
Servings 8 (1/4-cup servings)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (softened to room temperature // such as Earth Balance // butter sticks are best, not the spreadable tub // 1 stick yields 1/2 cup)
- 1 8-ounce container vegan cream cheese (slightly softened // such as Tofutti or Trader Joe’s brand // out of the fridge for 1 hour)
- 3 – 5 cups sifted organic powdered sugar
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and beat or whisk vigorously to combine. Then add vegan cream cheese and mix again until creamy and smooth.
- Add sifted powdered sugar in 1 cup (100 g // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) increments until thick and spreadable and to desired sweetness.
- You want this frosting to be pretty thick so it won’t slide around, so keep adding powdered sugar until it reaches the right consistency.
Notes
*Recipe makes ~2 cups frosting.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)
Serving: 1 quarter-cup servings Calories: 280 Carbohydrates: 41 g Protein: 0.3 g Fat: 13 g Saturated Fat: 4.6 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 163 mg Fiber: 0 g Sugar: 37.3 g
Annie says
This is absolutely delicious and 100% fool proof. I used Tofutti and real, European butter (aka higher fat content). It was really good consistency around the three or 4 cup mark, but I wanted to see if I could use the rest of the bag of powdered sugar so I didn’t have a small amount of powdered sugar left (hate that). I ended up using probably six or seven cups of powdered sugar, but it worked fine! I threw in an extra tablespoon of butter and turned up the handmixer a little bit. A super simple, yummy recipe!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Annie! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
A. says
This was great! I added a bit of lemon juice to replicate the tang of regular cream cheese and highly recommend doing that. I also only ended up using <2 cups of powdered sugar and found it to be plenty sweet. Thanks so much!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the review, A!
Aliyah says
Really great no vanilla extract needed
We’re so glad you enjoy it! Thank you for sharing, Aliyah! xo
Yoli says
Delicious and so easy to make! I kept adding powdered sugar till it was a thicker consistency. I used miyokos milk plants not cows cream cheese. It has that tang already! No need to add lemon to the mix.
Thanks for the easy recipe!
Woohoo! Thanks so much, Yoli. So glad you enjoyed!
Rebecca says
I’m sorry to say, but this is hands down some of the worst frosting I’ve ever eaten, let alone made. Not only is the flavor just plain gross, but the consistency was very odd. I used Tofutti brand and will continue experimenting, but so far have not been successful in finding a vegan cream cheese recipe that works.
Oh no! We hate hearing it didn’t turn out well, Rebecca! Other readers have enjoyed it, so we wonder if something could have gone wrong? What brand of vegan butter were you using? Is it possible one of your ingredients was spoiled/old?
Theresa says
This is a great option for non-dairy needs. I did add a tsp of Mexican Vanilla to add depth and 2tsp of summer ripe peach balsamic vinegar to create the piquant flavor that is missing. Very good and super smooth.
Yum! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Theresa!
tiffany says
i used toffuti and can’t remember which butter. i couldn’t get it to stiffen. ran out of sugar… i guess i just need to add more. :(
Kells says
Made this for someone who wanted a dairy-free cream cheese. Used only about a cup of sugar or so and a dash of vanilla, butter rum, lemon, and a cream cheese emulsion to give more of a cream cheese taste. I got some bits that wouldn’t mix no matter how much I beat it but I imagine it’s something like when I make regular cream cheese frosting and the butter or the cream cheese is too cold. But, zapping it with the tiniest bit of heat helped. It fluffed up nicely. Very airy, delicious frosting! Thinking of doing this from now on instead of real cream cheese. Planning to pipe with it. Thanks!
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing your trick and modifications, Kells! xo
Felecia says
It’s too loose, I tried using more powdered sugar as well as cornstarch is there anything else I can try?
Hi Felecia! If it’s too loose it probably just needs more dry ingredients (often more than you think). Hope this helps!
Amanda Walma says
Wondering if any one has had success in freezing the frosting? We had so much leftover! Very good recipe.
Hi Amanda, we haven’t tried freezing it, but it might work!
CC says
Freezing the frosting works great the next time you want to use it. Mines held up for 2 months wrapped very tightly.
Cathy says
I froze my vegan cream cheese for over a week. I just took it out of the fridge and it’s just as delicious as when I made it.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Cathy!
B. Maurene White says
I’m a little concerned about the amount of regular powdered sugar in the recipe to and think I may try date sugar run through the coffee mill to make it finer, I suppose little arrowroot, amaranth, or even agar flakes added to the sugar as it’s in the coffee grinder culd thicken it a bit. I plan t make a poppy seed cake with lemon cream cheese frosting ( juice and zest of a lemon, and see how that goes down. Orange and chocolate cake, other citrus and spice cake, Key West Lime cake etc all could fare well with this vegan frosting. I have t do gluten free tooso, added subbing and hacking…. so much to bake so little time!!
Yum! Let us know how your experimenting goes!
Rizalina Penaflor says
Hi, is the recipe enough for 2 layer of 9 inch carrot cake sponge?
Thanks
Yes, it should be!
Angela says
Big hit for family BDs
Woohoo! xoxo
Amanda says
Yes we had a lot left over on a one layer cake.
Bree says
This frosting is incredible and I’m not even a frosting lover. When we make this frosting we usually make the cinnamon rolls AND the carrot cake so we can use it all LOL Her carrot cake recipe is amazing and easy as well!! But I am also curious about freezing – have you tried it?? Please update us if so ;)
Jennifer says
I just tried this recipe yesterday for my sister’s birthday – she doesn’t eat any dairy. Delicious! Even my husband, who can tell the difference between different brands of milk, did not ask “what I did differently”, so that tells me he didn’t notice that the recipe was vegan. Like some others, I used Kite Hill plain cream cheese and added 1 tsp of vanilla extract. I also took someone else’s advise and put the frosting in the refrigerator for about an hour or so right after making it and before frosting my cupcakes. The recipe as written should frost about 20+ cupcakes.
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Jennifer!
tracy says
Just made this and it turned out great, I added a little vanilla. I’m going to try it next time with homemade cashew cream cheese instead of the ‘fake’ cream cheese (not very impressed with it) Do you have any tips for making it all homemade?
Thanks for sharing, Tracy! Check out this recipe for a cashew-based cream cheese frosting recipe. Hope that helps!
Maria Vaz says
On the recipe is it one 8 oz container of vegan cream cheese or 18 oz of vegan cream cheese?
Hi Maria, sorry for the confusion! That’s one 8-ounce container. Hope you love it!
Sandra Mull says
I used Country Crock vegan margarine, tofutti cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. I halved the recipe for pumpkin cupcakes. It is delicious and creamy.
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thanks for sharing, Sandra!
Rose says
Would it work to use arrowroot powder instead of corn starch to thicken? 4 cups powdered sugar sounds dreadfully sweet, and I’m making it for someone who avoids corn. Thank you!
We haven’t tried that, but maybe? Let us know if you try it!
Vesna says
Hi, Rose. Just to let you know, I, too, hate the amount of powdered sugar that goes into a “buttercream” or “cream cheese” frosting, and I’ve actually tried replacing some of the powdered sugar with arrowroot powder before. It doesn’t work well because unfortunately the arrowroot powder doesn’t truly dissolve in there and actually makes the whole mixture chalky (it looks fine but has a terrible chalky texture when you eat it and makes you feel like you just ate powder, lol). And I should say, I didn’t add a lot … just a 1/4 cup … and I would not recommend it :(
That said, I haven’t found a solution. I’ve usually cut down the amount of sugar and compromised on the texture a bit. I’ve also used the powdered Swerve brand stevia-based sugar, and it’s ok as long as you don’t use a ton.
Maria Vaz says
I used lakanto sugar free powdered monk fruit sweetener with erythritol since I don’t want any sugar in my diet and it’s keto friendly zero glycemic zero calorie. Give it a try it came out great!!!
Great! Thank you for sharing, Maria!
Cami says
I made this to top Star Wars cupcakes for my 8 year old’s birthday. He asked for blueberry vanilla cake which I added a little lemon to. I also added a bit of lemon and vanilla extracts to the frosting. Delicious! The pairing was great! Husband said (when it’s chilled) it’s his favorite frosting so far and with celebrating birthdays for 5 children, I’ve made many frostings. I used Kite Hill non dairy cream cheese and Earth Balance sticks. I still had trouble with it melting in my kitchen at room temp but that’s a common difficulty sometimes helped if I use some palm shortening (which I didn’t in this recipe). I piped it on cupcakes but after a few minutes it was more of a soft puddle on the cupcake, running down. A bit melty for us but very tasty! Might do better in non-summer months. Delicious enough that it’s worth a try!
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thanks so much for sharing, Cami! xo
Vesna says
Hi, Cami. Just to let you know, I, too, hate the amount of powdered sugar that goes into a “buttercream” or “cream cheese” frosting, and I’ve actually tried replacing some of the powdered sugar with arrowroot powder before. It doesn’t work well because unfortunately the arrowroot powder doesn’t truly dissolve in there and actually makes the whole mixture chalky (it looks fine but has a terrible chalky texture when you eat it and makes you feel like you just ate powder, lol). And I should say, I didn’t add a lot … just a 1/4 cup … and I would not recommend it :(
That said, I haven’t found a solution. I’ve usually cut down the amount of sugar and compromised on the texture a bit. I’ve also used the powdered Swerve brand stevia-based sugar, and it’s ok as long as you don’t use a ton.
Helen says
I tried this but when I beat the butter and the cream cheese, it split. Could they have been too cold?
Perhaps. They should both be room temperature or softened. It may have been that they were too melty? Or too cold. I’m not sure without knowing which brands you used?
Helen says
Thanks. I used Naturli vegan block butter and Violife cream cheese. I beat the butter until it was soft but it was still cold, as was the cream cheese. I’ve had trouble getting a cream cheese frosting stiff enough so I kept them both cold to see if that would help…it didn’t!
Hmm, I haven’t used those brands. Perhaps they’re more oily? I remember using tofutti cream cheese and earth balance for best results.
Rhea Nagpal says
Thanks Dana.
I don’t get either of these brands here in uk. If u have UK standard product recommendations pls share.
Hi Rhea, unfortunately we aren’t familiar with UK brands. Perhaps another reader here will be able to help!
Rhea Nagpal says
I got the same result with these products. What a shame. Please can u recommend easily available vegan cream cheese? As this one I can’t seem to find in local stores.
Thank you
Hi Rhea, we’ve used Miyoko’s and Kite Hill with success in other recipes (like our cheesecake), but have only used Tofutti in this specific recipe. They have a similar texture though, so we suspect they would work well!
NinNin says
I made this with your vegan cinnamon buns recipe and both recipes were amazing! I liked this cream cheese frosting even better than regular cream cheese frosting! Have you tried freezing the extra frosting? Thanks for the great vegan recipes!
We’re so glad you enjoy both recipes! We haven’t tried freezing it so we’re not sure. Let us know if you try it!
Kathleen arcin says
Has any one frosted the cake and froze it? I made a carrot cake and I want to send it so I want to freeze it so it holds.
I don’t think this one would “send” well, but you could freeze it!
Sherrie says
I couldn’t find an 18 oz tub of Tofutti so I purchased three 8 oz containers instead for roughly $15. I want to confirm that I’m supposed to use 18 oz and not 8 oz. Since I couldn’t find the 18 oz that you mentioned, I just want to check to be sure before I make my cream cheese icing. Thanks!
Oh, it’s ONE 8-ounce container. We’ll clarify!
Tun says
Bomb frosting that pairs perfectly with the 1-bowl carrot cake!
Easy to make, used 1 cup of powdered sugar and that was the right amount for us :)
Quyana for sharing!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Tun!
Laura S says
Love this recipe. We’ve used it for 4 birthdays and 2 baking donation events. I throw everything in the cuisinart and let it do the mixing. I’ve also added food coloring to this recipe. Strangely, green works the best and black (dark gray) is very runny. Tastes great!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Laura! Thanks so much for sharing!
Ari says
I made this added a teaspoon of vanilla. So far so good .
chrissy londono says
Hi, hope all is well with your family and you! My name is Chrissy and I just wanted to ask if it is possible to add guava paste to your vegan cream cheese frosting and if so how much can I put in or would this mess-up the recipe? If you could be so kind as to help out I would really appreciate it! Thank you very much for your time! Take care and be safe!!!
Chrissy
Hi Chrissy, we have never tried that, but sounds fascinating! Maybe try starting with a tablespoon or two? Let us know if you try it!
Fisha says
I used only 1 cup of powdered sugar because I don’t like very sweet. It was perfect for me.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Fisha!
Shamani says
Hi is powdered sugar the same ad icing sugar? And I am not sure if I can get vegan butter here in Australia. What can I use instead? Thanks.
It should be yes! I’m not sure about vegan butter alternatives. Maybe try this recipe instead?
Robyn says
Hi Shamani – I always just use Nuttelex when a recipe asks for butter.
Ashley McCarron says
The consistency of this was great, but I only used 1.25c of powdered sugar. I truly can’t imagine how overly sweet this would taste with all 4 cups! I also added 2 tbsps of vanilla extract.
Lizzie says
How did the consistency of yours turn out?
Ashley McCarron says
The consistency wasn’t as thick as maybe a bakery frosting, where it could be piled high, but it still had the thickness that one would expect from a frosting. I actually liked it that way, where it was almost like a thick glaze vs a gloopy bite of frosting.
Caroline says
Is there anyway to make our own vegan cream cheese?
Hmm, we haven’t tried it, but maybe! We’d say cashews, water, lemon, and salt might be worth experimenting with!
Monique says
I’ve made a vegan cream cheese frosting by following a recipe that called for powdered sugar, vegan butter, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, non-dairy milk, and a dash of salt. You can add vanilla extract if desired. However, you have to use a lot of powdered sugar to make up for the cream cheese, so it’s a very sweet frosting. I am excited to try this version, where one just adds already-made cream cheese and therefore uses far less sugar!
Anna says
I agree. I used less than 2 cups and it was way too sweet for me. Dana, would love it if you could post or suggest a more sour, less sweet version! 😊 I added one lemon to give it a sour kick, but that made the frosting distinctly lemon-flavored, which was not quite right for my pumpkin bread, ha!
So you could add apple cider vinegar instead of more lemon juice, and decrease the maple!
Madeline says
Made this last night to go with my vegan carrot cake recipe! So good! I used Kite Hill almond cream cheese and Earth Balance vegan butter sticks and I added about a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract. I only used about 2.5 cups of powdered sugar, but that was more of personal preference so it wasn’t so sweet! I also refrigerated it for about 30 minutes before icing the cake, and it made it nice and thick! Highly recommend.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Madeline! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Marie says
Hey Dana!
I should’ve asked this with my other question, but do you think Kite Hill’s almond cream cheese would work?
Hi Marie, we haven’t tried it, but we think it would work!
Marie says
Hey Dana!
Have you ever used Miyoko’s cultured vegan butter in this recipe? I’d hate to waste it if it doesn’t work, but I really don’t like buying other vegan butters. I find them to be super unhealthy. I’m thinking the coconut oil in it would whip up well. What do you think?
Hi Marie, we haven’t tried it in this recipe, but we did try it in our buttercream with success, so we think it would work. Let us know how it goes!
Cat says
Yum! I made the frosting with earth balance vegan butter, four cups of sifted organic powdered sugar and two teaspoons of cornstarch. After refrigerating the frosting was perfection.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Cat! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
KD says
Amazing texture and flavor! I made half the recipe, using only 1.25 cups of icing sugar and added 1 teaspoon of vanilla!!
Thanks so much for the lovely review. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Emily says
I made this frosting for the Vegan GF Carrot Cake recipe (that I made into cupcakes). I used Kite Hill vegan cream cheese and Earth Balance vegan butter with I would say ~2 cups of powdered sugar maybe a little less. I put the frosting in the fridge for 2-3 hours and the thickness was great and definitely not too sweet. I thought it came out perfect. No corn starch needed, at least for me. Great recipe!
Lauren says
This was AMAZING! I used tofutti vegan cream cheese, earth balance buttery sticks(which help keep the frosting thick), and ONLY 1 cup of powdered sugar. It was the perfect level of sweet. I also added a tsp of Apple cider vinegar. Next time I will definitely be adding a tsp of vanilla extract to try that out! Ps. I made it to top the gluten free carrot cake, which was delicious.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lauren! Thanks so much for sharing!
K Roberson says
Loved this on your carrot cake recipe…which I did in cupcakes. I added a tsp of vanilla and used Myokos brand cream cheese and butter. Delicious!
Brenden says
Delicious, but chill on the powder sugar.
John says
This tasted great on a carrot cake I made. I like the idea of adding some vanilla to it though, I’m going to try that next time. I will be making this again, but after some learnings.
My experience:
I could NOT get this to thicken enough to properly apply it to a cake. I tried adding in 1-cup increments, but at some point the threshold of sweetness overtook any chance of thickening. This was used on a 9-inch, 2-layer gluten-free carrot cake. As much as I tried to thicken this (I even added cornstarch), it was nowhere close to a proper application. The weight of the top layer (yes, it was gluten-free, so it was a bit more dense and heavy) made the middle frosting layer ooze out the sides, and the top layer slid around while I applied the icing on top of the cake. Getting icing on the side was almost pointless.
I placed the leftover icing in the fridge, and about 12 hours layer, and it’s a now really thick consistency. My advice would be to make this icing in advance, and let it sit in the fridge for 4-6 hours before application.
I also doubled this recipe just to be safe, as I didn’t want to run out. This wasn’t necessary at all. Following the non-adjusting ingredient list for a double layer 9-inch cake should be plenty. I wonder if doubling the ingredients caused the thickening issue?
Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, softened vegan cream cheese can be a little difficult to thicken up. But refrigeration should help!
Carin Kennard says
I used 2 cups sugar and 1 cup cornstarch, it was perfect!
Alyssa Beller says
Do you know if this is enough to do a small 9inch round double layer cake? Or double it?
Will depend on how thick you want it! This recipe makes about 2 cups. For a thicker coating, we would recommend doubling it to be on the safe side! Let us know how it goes!
Stephanie says
I made this for a ginger cake. This icing turned out so delicious! I used 3 cups of sugar, but would have used more if I was aiming for a stiffer consistency. I had some leftover icing, so I put some vanilla almond yogurt in it and made a fruit dip for berries as part of dessert. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and for all you do!
xoxo! Thanks, Stephanie. Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers! xo
Krissy says
I made this yesterday to cover my spiced chocolate & orange birthday cake. It was ahhhhmazing! Really, the frosting was fantastic. I used a mix of 1/2 Kite Hill’s 8oz almond cream cheese tub and 1/2 the 8oz Tofutti cream cheese tub (because I couldn’t decide which). Earth Balance vegan butter sticks. Sifted and beat around 3 cups of powdered sugar in, one cup at a time and then for the 4th I used corn starch as suggested in one of the comments. I also added a very light squeeze of a lemon half to help bring out the tang again. The frosting held up beautifully and had no trouble filling in some gappy side-action on the cake. NOBODY at my party realized it was vegan. I’m totally saving this recipe to use again later!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Krissy! xo
BRIGITTE HALL says
Very good HOWEVER I strongly suggest starting with 1 cup of powdered sugar. Just the thought of 3-5 makes me cringe. We used a little less than 1cup, tasted it and it was beyond sweet enough. I can’t even imagine had he added 3, 4 or god forbid 5.
Zuzana says
Way too sweet even with the minimal amount of sugar based on the instructions (300g) :( I feel it kind of ruined the whole cake. I would put 100-150g of sugar at most and figure out a different way to thicken it. Otherwise it would be nice.
Thanks for the feedback! We’ll see about making some improvements.
Stephanie says
Do you have an option for making it thicker so as to pipe it on Cupcakes?
Thanks!
Add a bit more powdered sugar and chill for 24 hours – that should do the trick!
Moire jewell says
I’ve baked/decorated cakes for years. When someone wants a less-sweet frosting, I substitute corn starch for some of the powdered sugar. Start with 2 tablespoons. Powdered sugar generally has corn starch in it anyway…it prevents caking.
Danielle says
Made this frosting for a carrot cake using tofutti cream cheese and a cashew butter. It turned out delicious for the cake and you could not tell AT ALL that it was dairy free. Here is how I tweaked this recipe to turn out Amazing for carrot cake: 1. Only add 2 cups of powdered sugar, anymore than that and the frosting will thin. The frosting is nice and sweet without being yucky sweet at this ratio. 2. I added a tsp of vanilla. 3. I added approx 1/4 c drained finely chopped pineapple to add some brightness to the frosting. This worked so well on the carrot cake. 3. Put the frosting in the fridge for 30 min to an hr before frosting the cake so it will thicken up a bit, this also seemed to help the “cheese” flavor come through. When I first tasted it all I could taste was powdered sugar but after some rest time it was much better. In the end I was very happy with the results!
Thanks so much for sharing, Danielle!
Debbie says
This is my go to cream cheese frosting made as directedvwith Eart Balance Stick, Trader Joes Cream cheese and 2 1/2 cups – 3 cups of organic powdered sugar…the taste is amazing and the frosting firms up on the cake sitting in the fridge after a little awhile. This and your carrot cake are our family’s favorite cake!!! Thank you so much for sharing all your recipes….I just heard a rumor though that you are no longer doing vegan recipes…you are huge in the vegan community and am broken hearted by this if this is true!!!
Chloe says
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?
We think that should work! We haven’t done so with this frosting, but have used our DIY Natural Food Dye in buttercream frosting successfully. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Chris says
I made this to go with the pumpkin cake. I substituted the following: earth balance soy free buttery spread in the tub and daiya spreadable cream cheese. I was skeptical this would work, and pleasantly surprised that it did. The daiya smelt of coconut somewhat but didn’t taste of it. I used 3 cups of powered sugar and it was spreadable. Good flavor, had the mouth feel like cream cheese frosting, and tasted like it also.
Kirsta and Ruhee says
This was so good we ate the left-overs with a spoon!
Kurt Schlichting says
I wish I read all the comments before I put this frosting on a birthday carrot cake. We used vegan Miyoko’s butter & vegan Kite Hill cream cheese (plain) with extra sugar and taste great but much too soft and the cake slid apart. The frosting seemed firm enough when I started frosting. I think the frosting needed to be chilled before putting the cake together. Its in the fridge now and I will hopefully be able to piece something back together in a few hours.
Kurt says
As a followup. The frosting oozed out of the cake and hardened on the sides in the refrigeration. It tasted great. Will make again. Next time with more sugar and chill the frosting.
Sherry Liptan says
I made half of this recipe to go on your gluten free cinnamon rolls that are baking in the oven as I write. I used 2 oz. coconut butter and 2 oz. Miyoko’s cultured vegan butter (I didn’t have enough of the butter) and 4oz. Kite Hill vegan cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, a pinch of pink salt and a splash of vanilla. It is so good I could eat it out of the bowl, but am trying to control myself from having another spoonful.
Britt J says
Made this today for my vegan + GF carrot cake using Go Veggie brand vegan cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, the zest of one lemon, and a bit of vanilla extract. I sifted the powdered sugar and it was a bit “clumpy,” but not enough to matter. Tough not to eat the whole bowl. Thanks!
Saler says
Mine is clumpier than I would prefer. Did you figure out how to get them out?
Alicia Perkins says
In my experience (several years on a cake decorating team) clumpy cream cheese frosting can come from a couple different things… the butter not being whipped smooth before adding the cream cheese or the cream cheese and butter not bring combine before adding the sugar or the sugar having a tiny bit of moisture while being stored. I’ve never found a way to get clumps out other than beating the heck out of the frosting until it basically breaks down. The frosting then had to be chilled before it can be used at all. I honestly start over most of the time. Good luck!
Alana says
Has anyone tried malong it with Miyoko’s vegan European style butter? Thoughts on if this be a good idea
David S says
I used a stick of earth balance, 8 oz vegan cream cheese (used Tofutti) and sifted organic powdered sugar (used Bob’s Red Mill)
I combined the butter and cream cheese (both at room temperature) with a paddle blade on my stand mixer. I then added 1 cup at a time of the powdered sugar. After the 2nd added cup, I did a little taste and it was starting to get pretty sweet. I added the 3rd cup of powdered sugar, and it was TOO sweet, so I stopped there. It looked pretty thick so I put it in the fridge until the cake layers cooled down.
When I took it out of the fridge, it had become a bit more liquidy than before, and didn’t look very good when I put it on the cake. Also, the layers didn’t stick well together.
What could I have done at this point? Adding a 4th cup of sugar would have been sweeter that I wanted it to be. Any suggestions for next time?
Lilly says
love it, one of my favorite cake frosting. I dot always use butter. I make it cream cheeses and powder sugar only.
It tastes better next day and with in 1-3 days loose is cheese and powder sugar taste. not sure if I had explained properly
when you make this kind frosting or even with powder sugar and butter only, you will taste sugar only, but next day it’s so much better
thank you
Georgia says
I made this cake at the request of a local restaurant that I do business with. It turned out beautiful and tasted fabulous. Their customers wanted vegan , but they just list it on their nightly menu as carrot cake and people can’t distinguish it from regular carrot cake.
I tried to use your gluten-free flour mix but found the cake much drier than the mix I bought (Domata).
I want to try your chocolate vegan cake. I see that it is not gluten-free, however. Could I use gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose?
Thank you. Your recipes are fabulous
Alyssa Suto says
Made the cake and it was delicious! Didn’t have a way to weigh the flour so I started with 1 1/2 cups and it was perfect. Also added pineapple and raisins per my dad’s request and was happy that they didn’t mess with the consistency. For the icing, I just found a basic cream cheese icing recipe and subbed in vegan cream cheese. Everyone said they had no idea the cake or icing was vegan.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Alyssa!
Teri says
Why is the title 4 ingredient when I only see three listed?
Good eye! We’ll fix!
Melissa says
Hello! I have a couple of questions – hoping you can help me!!
1) Is it possible to pipe this frosting on to cupcakes? Will it hold its shape?
2) I want to make carrot cake cupcakes for my upcoming wedding reception, which is an outdoor picnic, so I need a frosting that will stand up to the heat for an hour or so. Do you think this frosting will be okay?
Thank you!
Hi! 1. I think it’s too soft!
2. I would recommend keeping them in a cool place if possible!
Melissa says
Hi, is that 3 to 5 cups of powdered sugar a typo? Thanks!
Hi Melissa! That is the correct measurement. Powdered sugar shrinks down a lot when added to liquid ingredients!
melissa says
OK thank you! After checking out other recipes, I realized that indeed it was not a typo! I make your recipes almost every day. The best!!!!
Alisa says
Hi
Could i replace cream cheese for something else as i don’t eat cream cheese?
Would cheddar cheese taste weird in it?
I wouldn’t recommend using chedder cheese for this one, Alisa! You could try using cashew cream!
Rebekkah says
Pretty disappointed in this frosting recipe. I normally make a vegan frosting with Earth Balance, powdered sugar, a splash of non-dairy milk, and vanilla or another flavoring, so I was immediately skeptical that adding more powdered sugar would make this come together after adding a whole tub of vegan cream cheese. I decided to make it anyway, but it was really soft, even after adding five cups of powdered sugar. I also couldn’t taste any cream cheese flavor (I used tofutti cream cheese). I added some lemon and vanilla to salvage it, as I am baking a cake for tonight and don’t have time to go get more ingredients to make another frosting. Would not recommend.
Christen M. says
I made this using Daiya cream cheese, vegan butter and only 2 1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar as I don’t like extremely sweet frosting. It still was a tad sweet and started losing the tartness so I added about 2 TBS of lemon juice, dash of vanilla, and about 3 TBS of all-purpose flour to thicken it up again a little (not thick enough for piping though). Tastes delicious and I can’t wait to put it on the vegan carrot cake from your recipe.
I will try a different vegan cream cheese next time if comments mention one that is tangier, hopefully the lemon won’t be needed then.
For anyone looking to use coconut oil, please be aware that 100 studies were just consolidated and published about the unhealthiness of coconut oil – it has more saturated fat than almost all other fats and should be avoided if you’re eating vegan for your health. So sorry to be the bearer of bad news for everyone who jumped onto that train, but it’s true.
Heather says
Vegan cream cheese is as bout a refined man made product as you can get….extremely processed and definetly Not a healthy food…I used to eat it and I have read the ingredient list. I will stick with all natural coconut oil….not to mention the processed vegan margarine! Studies have time and time again shown that processed foods are over consumed and really bad for everyone….just a thought
Matthew Gray Brush says
By the way, flour in frosting can literally kill you if you’re eating it raw. Coconut oil in moderation is fine. This is a great recipe! Thanks
Taylor Lidster says
This recipe is simple and tastes absolutely delicious. I’ve recently had to cut out dairy completely and I made a carrot cake and needed a cream cheese dressing. I was worried it wasn’t going to actually taste “cream cheesy” but it does and it’s so good!
Hannah says
I really want to make this to go with carrot cake but 3-5 cups of sugar and 37g per serving seems obscene! Seeing as I am making this with coconut oil instead of butter i really need something to thicken it… Any suggestions? I’m happy to use some sugar but I couldn’t bring myself to ad more than 2 cups
Connie Mehler says
I make my cream cheese frosting with cream cheese and a little Swerve confectioners, Cocoa powder if I need chocolate. No butter needed. Sometimes a little cream, milk, or 1/2 and 1/2 if needed for thinning. Super easy. I always make while cake is baking, put frosting covered in fridge, Frost cake when cool. Careful using electric mixer on frosting. Start slow or you need will be wearing it!
Liz A says
I followed these instructions exactly, including leaving the cream cheese out of the fridge for an hour prior to mixing, but unfortunately I never got the smal chunks out of the frosting even after mixing with an electric hand mixer for over 30minutes. The frosting did taste wonderful though!! Did not taste fake to me at all.
Carl Munoz says
The vegan carrot cake this frosting is for came out very good. This was advertised as a “4 ingredient frosting but only 3 (vegan butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar”. Did you forget vanilla?
Hi Carl! You can totally add vanilla!
Sara Bingham says
Dana, I just want to say: your website and recipes have been a HUGE help on my vegan pathway. You are just so generous to provide all of these great recipes, in a really pleasing format that is easy to use as well as just beautiful. Thank you so much!!
Sam says
@shopgirl224
Maybe try the powdered stevia blend if you don’t mind the taste of stevia.
ShopGirl224 says
Is there a low sugar option for the frosting that doesn’t call for powdered sugar?
Renee says
Omg! I just made this cake! It’s seriously the best carrot cake I’ve ever had!! I did the cream cheese frosting. One thing I did add was toasted unsweetened coconut flakes. Delish!
Lesley says
This has become our family’s go to frosting recipe for cakes & cupcakes for the past year. I sometimes add a drop of orange or lemon flavoring to the mix & always get asked for the recipe. Thank you for your delicious recipes! I send others to your site.
Tina Willis says
The worst part about vegan desserts is that making them both tasty and low fat is almost impossible. For example, there is a light non–vegan cream cheese. Not available with the vegan cream cheese. This is so frustrating that I’m considering making non vegan desserts, just so I can make them might again. If you have any suggestions for low fat desserts that still taste good, especially for this recipe, I’d greatly appreciate them!
Frances Murphy says
Can you freeze this after putting thr frosting on?
Hi! If you are referring to the apple gingerbread cake, you can freeze it! As for the frosting it is best kept in the fridge up to 5 days!
Vicki says
So glad I found this in a search, and why didn’t I think to come here first, because I love your recipes. You saved the day, er, um, the weekend as I’m making vegan cupcakes for an Ecstatic Dance Day Retreat potluck. Thanks so much and I was going to make the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World Chocolate Cupcakes, but I may check your link, above, first. P. S. Are all these recipes in your cookbook, as I’m a new follower since 2016 and I notice this post is from 2014.
Kahley says
Whenever I make this recipe I always add a little splash of vanilla for a little bit of extra flavor. That tiny addition makes a world of difference!
Elie says
Hello,
I was wondering about how many cupcakes this recipe would frost, can someone let me know?
Thanks
Hi Elie! One dozen for sure, maybe a couple more!
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Megan says
I was wondering if I can make the frosting ahead of time and keep it refrigerated overnight to use the next day? I’m planning to make vegan cinnamon rolls for my boyfriend haha and I want it to be perfect :)
Hi Megan! Yes, definitely!
Andrea says
The most amazing cream cheese frosting if you are a sweet tooth. So thick and creamy perfect for a carrot cake frosting. The tofutti cream cheeese is amazing if you’re vegan or not.
Latrelle Copeland says
OMG this was sooo good! I modified the directions and didn’t use as much sugar, but it tasted great!!! Husband loved it too. I’ll be making this again
Kira says
I made this for a friend who needed dairy- and gluten-free red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for a birthday. The frosting as written really didn’t taste much like cream cheese (more the fault of the vegan cream cheese itself than any shortcoming of the recipe). To remedy that, I added about a teaspoon of lemon juice and a bit (1/2-1 tsp?) of vanilla extract. It had that perfectly slight sour twang.
I also found that simply using the 3 cups of sugar without the flour was just about perfect.
Thanks for sharing your recipe tweaks, Kira! Glad to hear it worked out for you :D
Lorie Iannitelli says
this was delish I used zucchini since my daughter doesn’t like eggplant I made my own red curry paste since the brand at the store wasn’t vegan I added broccoli and partially cooked chopped potatoes and made my own curry spice mix and added it as well. I love curry and I will definitely make this again
Lorie Iannitelli says
sorry wrong recipe oops I made the coconut red curry with chickpeas and veggies
bibi says
To thicken I think I will use unsweetend cocoa powder and sub some of the vega margarine with vegetable shortening. Hopefully that works and can keep it stable at room temp. My son has allergies to nuts, eggs, dairy and gluten.
AJ Hernandez says
Best vegan icing recipe EVER! I switched the vegan butter with coconut oil (thanks to reading previous comments) and added a few more tablespoons of cream cheese and I loved it! I used it for some vegan banana cupcakes and my kids went crazy over them. Thanks for this. I’m totally keeping this recipe for future use.
Bailie says
This was relish! I used Kite Hill’s “cream cheese” and 3 cups of powdered sugar. I actually didn’t need the flour as it was too thick, so threw in a splash of almond milk. I kept it in the fridge until serving because it started drooping a bit at room temp.
Bailie says
delish :)
Rosi says
For those of us who don’t have access to vegan cream cheese and vegan butter, do you have any recommendations on what we can substitute those with?
Hmm, cashew cream?
Alissa says
This looks amazing! Would it be suitable on cinnamon rolls?
Totally!
Msg/nyc says
Made the frosting and all I tasted was soy and sugar-and I only added two vupd of sugar (didn’t need more) so I added vanilla and a little cinnamon and it added depth of flavor that made a delicious frosting appropriate to the recipe as well. Soy cream cheese doesn’t taste close to real cream cheese but the texture of it makes for a nice frosting.
neta says
do you think ill be able to pipe this frosting?
I think it’s too soft!
Kira says
I was able to pipe this. I just had to refrigerate it before hand and keep the cupcakes refrigerated until shortly before serving. They’re beautiful!
Note: I used Earth Balance butter and Better Than Cream Cheese brands. I also only used 3 C of sugar and no flour, plus about a teaspoon each of lemon juice and vanilla extract.
mark littman says
the recipe bills it as having 4 ingredients but I only see 3….since I’m a rookie baker, can you tell me what I’m missing???
Melissa says
Can I use brown rice flour for the flour called for? What flour do you recommend for best taste? Thank you!!
Jill says
What a great idea to use flour to thicken! All sugar ends up way too sweet. Thanks!
Natalie says
My boyfriend made me the carrot cake with this frosting for my birthday since it was my favorite kind of cake before going vegan. Thank you for having the recipes for him! It was an amazing birthday.
Becky says
I know this post is a couple years old, but I’ve been saving it until I could find a decent vegan cream cheese! (Tofutti is revolting and I don’t have a Trader Joe’s.) And it’s finally happened!! Kite Hill makes an almond-based cream cheese that tastes just like the dairy version to me. It’s only in Whole Foods and Earth Fare here in NC. But I bet it will expand like crazy. They also make yogurt and cheeses and most of it is amazing. (I’m not overly impressed with the ricotta.) Anyway, thought I’d share for those who also suffer from a lack of cream cheese frosting in their lives, but can’t stand that processed Tofutti garbage. (No, I don’t work for Kite Hill, but they really should pay me because I’m telling everyone I know :)
I’ll look for the Kite Hill brand!
Paula says
I agree with Becky!
My son has many food allergies, we use Kite Hill products and we all love it, the taste is great in all their products and the closest to dairy I found so far, believe me, I tried almost everything.
I’m planning to use their cream cheese for this recipe :) can’t wait for him to have frosting! So happy I found your website, thanks so much for such a great recipes.
The Fit Baker Mom says
WOW!! Thank you so much for the Kate Hill info.
Kat says
Follow My Heart is even better unless you are soy sensitive. Kite hill is good though just not as thick. It can be found at Whole Foods.
haley says
Could I use potato starch or coconut flour for the flour? I’m gluten sensitive but don’t want the frosting to be super sugary.
Justin says
I bet cocoa butter would be a good sub, for those that don’t want to use earth balance or coconut oil (perhaps a bit less though)
Charlotte says
I think you just saved my very first red velvet cake – or the frosting. I used a different recipe and it turned out SUPER runny. After putting the crumb coat on the cake it basically slid down. Then I found your recipe and thought I’d try to mix the remaining frosting with flour, scape the runny frosting from the cake and reassemble again. So far it looks like a win :-) Thank you :-)
Bobie Donahoe says
can I use a Gluten Free Bread mix to make Cinnamon Rolls?
Not sure! But if you give it a try, let me know!
Hannah says
Am I being stupid or wouldn’t adding flour make your frosting floury and nasty? I’ve always been told raw flour would give me stomach ache too. I’m confused haha
Leah says
I’m a pastry chef and I gotta agree with this, it just sounds awful. Add more sugar or make an old fashioned style buttercream where you make a sort of thick custard to cook out the flour then beat it with butter.
Pam says
I think she was talking about the cake when she said that. I would add more confectioners sugar to frosting to make it thicker
Meg Amarasiriwardena says
Hi there! I love love your work! And especially your how-to’s. It’s satisfying to learn how to make some of the “staples” we can take for granted. I wondered if you’ve come across any vegan cream cheese recipes? I’m interested to learn if it can be done and taste better than store-bought options? Thanks for all you do!
Kelley says
Hello, I am loomaking a 2 tier vegan baby shower cake for a friend an would like to know the best frosting to use. It would need to hold up to some heat. THanks
Michele says
I just make a straight buttercream frosting. I sub the butter with earth balance buttery sticks and use soy or almond milk. It is always delicious. Make sure the buttery sticks are cold when you make it.
Angie says
Hi, I was wondering if I can make this frosting the night before and use it the next day for frosting cupcakes? Or do I have to make it right before the party? Thank you:)
Karen says
Incredible! Used it on a boxed allergy free/vegan carrot cake. First time my nephew was able to eat either and the whole family was very impressed. “I can eat this?!!” Perfect!
phillis says
tasted okay but i might try using 3/4 cup cream cheese 1/4 cup butter because it was a little too buttery. And remember to use unsalted butter!
Jen says
This turned out great. Smooth and creamy and delicious. I adding a few dashes of vanilla extract and the flavor was perfect.
Maja says
Can I use nuttelex sunflower/canola butter? Can I use gluten free flour?
Sandra Meraz says
Needed to double recipe but ABSOLUTELY delicious!
roxy says
I am wondering how long this frosting is able to sit out on frosted cupcakes? May I frost them in the morning for an event and have them out all day?? Also, may i make the night before and refrigerate?
Rupeet says
Hi Patty,
Great recipe. Wondering if I can substitute flour with coconut flour or something of that kind. Any suggestions?
Chloe says
I taught my partner how to make carrot cake and now he makes one every week for his lunches (I’m not even joking… EVERY WEEK). I’m also not vegan but do like to try a vegetarian or vegan recipe once a week or so just to break things up a bit. Aaand I usually don’t eat the cake because I can’t justify it every day (who could?!) But I may have to show him this and allow myself a slice or two from now on haha thank-you!!
Sadie says
I will make this with Tofutti cream cheese and coconut oil. To thicken, I will use old fashioned oats ground into flour instead of using wheat flour.Sadie
Destanny says
First I must say I’m a huge fan and can not wait for your cookbook it can’t come quick enough for me. This frosting knocked the socks off my family and myself I followed the recipe exactly and it was thick just the right amount of sweetness and very creamy thank you!
SweetyPie says
Did you add flour inbordrr to thicken the texture? Or did you add more sugar instead?
Kahley says
Definitely use more powdered sugar to thicken if it’s not thick enough!
Jamie says
Hi, how many cups of the sugar did you end up using?
– Thank you
danni says
Oops I skipped the comments lol sorry
danni says
Hi I’m wondering if I can use coconut oil instead of vegan butter?
Carolyn says
What can I use instead o the vegan butter?
Maybe try softened coconut oil? Or double up on the cream cheese?
Carolyn says
Thank you. I try not to use processed oil .
Linda says
All oil is processed
Samantha says
I second the recommendation for coconut oil. The only trick is that your frosting will be more temperature-sensitive (coconut oil melts at a lower temperature than butters do), so you may want to refrigerate your frosting before using it to help it firm up and again until serving to keep it from melting off.
Thanks for the tip!
Patti B says
Yes, keep in mind, coconut oil starts to melt at 72 degrees. This makes it tricky to use in icing.
sherri pena says
I tried double cream cheese and it was delicious. If was a little runny but I think if you refrigerate it 30 minutes before spreading it will work out better.
arlene says
I like to sub coconut oil for butter and though I have not tried it yet with this recipe I have subbed it in many others and always turns out great!
Sally says
You could use “spectra” vegetable shortening. It’s 100% vegetable based, non-gmo and organic.
Ally says
And full of palm oil!
Make your own palm oil free shortening:
Coconut Oil Based
http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/fats/vegan-shortenings/how-to-make-vegan-shortening
Cocoa Butter Based
http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/fats/vegan-shortenings/vegan-shortening-cocoa-butter-base
Patti says
I am putting together my Christmas Eve and Day menu’s and will definitely be incorporating this frosting onto one of your cake recipes! Actually, a lot of your recipes are on my menu- thank you for all you do!
So kind! Thanks Patti!