Finally! A Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting recipe that actually tastes good and pipes well! This light and fluffy vegan, vanilla buttercream is made from scratch with just four ingredients in less than 5 minutes. It pipes like a dream, perfect for frosting cake, dairy free cupcakes, or even dairy free brownies!

A cupcake frosted with dairy free frosting and sprinkles.

Ready for a dairy free frosting that actually tastes good? As a trained pastry chef and someone who keeps a kosher home, I have made A TON of dairy free desserts- good ones and bad ones!

According to kosher rules, we don’t mix meat and milk together in the same dish, or even at the same meal. If we have a meat meal, we don’t have dairy dessert. Which means I have made lots and lots of dairy free desserts (umm you need to make these dairy free chocolate chip cookies) and this one is a keeper!

This icing recipe is made exactly like my 5 star rated regular vanilla frosting, except the butter and the milk are swapped out for plant based or dairy free versions.

Its fluffy, thick, and holds it’s shaped when piped. It’s super delicious on top of my dairy free cupcakes!

If youre craving a chocolate version, don’t worry, I gotchu! Try my dairy free chocolate frosting!

You’ll love this recipe because

  • You only need four ingredients and 5 minutes of your time.
  • This frosting pipes really well!
  • You can easily color this frosting using food coloring to make any colored frosting you want.

Ingredients you need

  • Vegan butter – I love using Earth Balance Buttery Spread in dairy-free buttercream and my vegan baked goods. Country Crock, Califia Farms, and Miyoko’s also make spreadable plant butter that mimics the flavor and texture of regular butter.
  • Confectioners’ sugar – AKA powdered sugar is regular sugar pulverized into a very fine powder. It contains cornstarch which helps turn vegan butter into a fluffy vegan frosting.
  • Vanilla extract – A good quality vanilla extract elevates the sweet, cream-like flavors.
  • Dairy-free milk – This is the creamy element. I like using unsweetened oat milk or coconut cream because they are super creamy but you can use any kind of plant based milk like soy, almond, or rice milk.

Best dairy free butter and milk to use

Dairy Free butter- Personally I love using the Earth Balance baking sticks. You can also buy the tub of Earth balance but its harder to measure out and I find that it melts quicker than the sticks. You can get them at any grocery store.

Dairy free milk– I don’t love drinking oat milk but I LOVE using it in baking recipes because it has a creamier consistency than soy or rice milk. I also like using coconut cream.

How to make it

Cream butter: Add the plant based butter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on low-medium speed for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer.

Mix in sugar: Add the powdered sugar, and set the dial on your mixer to the slowest speed setting (or else the powdered sugar will puff up all over you and your kitchen). Increase to high speed once the powdered sugar is better incorporated, and continue mixing for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer.

Mix in vanilla and milk: Add the vanilla extract and vegan milk and continue mixing on high speed for 1 minute, and that’s it! You can use it immediately to frost cupcakes or a cake or store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS

  • Dairy free butter melts quicker than dairy butter so you only need to leave it out to soften for a few minutes. 5-10 is great.
  • If the frosting is too thick, mix in one tablespoon of dairy-free milk at a time until it’s soft and silky.
  • Be sure the dessert you’re frosting is cooled completely to room temperature. Otherwise, the frosting will melt and slide right off.

Decorating tips

This icing pipes well onto both cupcakes and cakes and will hold its shape for a while at room temperature but will soften a bit if left out for a long time (3 hours+).

It will crust like a regular dairy frosting will and does not need to be refrigerated once it is frosted on a cake. Again it will be softer than a dairy frosting but it wont melt off the cake or anything!

Storing and freezing

Storing: Use immediately or refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 1 week. The frosting may separate a little bit because it is made from oil. To bring it back together, whip it in the mixer for 30 seconds on medium-high speed.

Freezing: To extend the shelf-life, you can store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before using it, and re-whip it if necessary.

Yield

This makes enough buttercream to frost 12-15 cupcakes or fill and frost two 9″ round cakes.

A cupcake frosted with dairy free frosting and sprinkles.
4.95 stars (18 ratings)

5 Minute Dairy Free Buttercream Frosting

Finally! A Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting recipe that actually tastes good and pipes well! This light and fluffy vegan vanilla buttercream is made from scratch with just four ingredients in less than 5 minutes. It pipes like a dream, perfect for frosting cake, dairy free cupcakes, or even dairy free brownies!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vegan butter, such as Earth Balance (227g)
  • 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, 415g
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, can add 1/2 a vanilla bean too
  • 2 teaspoons oat milk, Sub soy or coconut milk

Instructions
 

  • Add the vegan butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  • Mix on low-medium speed for 30 seconds.
  • Stop the mixer, add in the 3 1/2 cups sugar, and turn the dial to the lowest mixing setting so powdered sugar spill out of the sides.
  • Move to a higher speed when the sugar is more incorporated.
  • Move to high speed for 2 minutes, then stop the mixer and add in 1 tsp vanilla and 2 tsp dairy free milk.
  • Mix again on high for 1 minute.
  • Frost on the cupcakes or refrigerate right away.
  • Keep the cupcakes in the fridge before serving, the frosting can soften at room temperature.

Notes

This recipe makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes or fill and frost a 2 layer 8-9″ cake. 
Serving: 1cupcake, Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 0.04g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 3g, Sodium: 117mg, Potassium: 5mg, Fiber: 0.01g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 2IU, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 0.05mg
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