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Frosting & Fettuccine

Home » Recipe Search » Frosting

Jan 26, 2023

5 Minute Dairy Free Buttercream Frosting

BySam Adler
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Finally! A Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting recipe for all of your vegan dessert decorating needs! This light and fluffy vegan buttercream is made from scratch with just four ingredients in less than 5 minutes. It pipes like a dream, perfect for frosting vegan cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more!

A cupcake frosted with dairy free frosting and sprinkles.

Buttercream is made by creaming butter, confectioners’ sugar, milk, and flavorings into a sweet and silky frosting. Usually it’s made with dairy ingredients but with the amazing vegan butter and milk options we have, it’s relatively easy to make a dairy free frosting.

For this vegan buttercream, butter and milk are swapped with plant butter and your choice of creamy non-dairy milk to create the perfect texture. Apart from those substitutions, this crowd-pleasing frosting is made precisely like classic buttercream.

As a pastry chef, I’ve created dozens of homemade frosting recipes, so I can confidently say that this dairy-free buttercream tastes exactly like the real deal! It’s delicious on top of my dairy free cupcakes!

This recipe is a dairy free vanilla frosting which makes it easy to turn into other flavors like caramel frosting, coffee buttercream frosting, or even a mint frosting!

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE

  • 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 NEEDED

  • 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 because its 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. Any brand of oat milk would be great!

HOW TO MAKE DAIRY FREE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Cream butter: Add the vegan 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.

Butter and powdered sugar creamed in a mixing bowl.
Cream butter and powdered sugar in a bowl.
Vegan frosting and a spatula in a mixing bowl.
Cream the frosting until fluffy.

TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS

  • Vegan butter melts quicker than dairy butter so you only need to leave it out to soften for about 20-30 minutes.
  • 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 dairy free 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!

STORAGE 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.

FAQ

How much frosting does this recipe make?

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

How do you stiffen vegan frosting?

To thicken the icing mix in 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time until the density is silky smooth.

Why is my dairy-free frosting grainy?

Unsifted confectioners’ sugar can result in frosting with a gritty mouth feel. Mix in more milk to smooth out the grainy texture to fix it. Next time, for the smoothest buttercream, the vegan butter must be soft (not melted), the sugar can be sifted, and they must be whipped for a few minutes (patience is key!).

WAYS TO ENJOY

Pair this heavenly dairy-free vanilla buttercream with all your favorite vegan sweet treats.

  • Dairy free brownies
  • Chocolate Cake – Sub the dairy for plant based.
  • Vanilla cupcakes with oil – Sub the milk for oat milk.
A cupcake frosted with dairy free frosting and sprinkles.

5 Minute Dairy Free Buttercream Frosting

This Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting recipe is for all of your vegan dessert decorating needs! This light and fluffy vegan buttercream is made from scratch with just four ingredients in less than 5 minutes. It pipes like a dream, perfect for frosting vegan cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, cake pops, and more!
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Course: Dessert, Frosting
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Keyword: dairy free buttercream, vegan buttercream, vegan buttercream frosting, vegan frosting
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 264kcal
Author: Sam Adler

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.
    Butter and powdered sugar creamed in a mixing bowl.
  • 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.
    Vegan frosting and a spatula in a mixing bowl.
  • Frost on the cupcakes or refrigerate right away.
    A cupcake frosted with dairy free frosting and sprinkles.
  • Keep the cupcakes in the fridge before serving, the frosting can soften heavily at room temperature.

Notes

This recipe makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes or fill and frost a 2 layer 8″ cake. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
5 Minute Dairy Free Buttercream Frosting
Amount Per Serving (1 cupcake)
Calories 264 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Sodium 117mg5%
Potassium 5mg0%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 0.01g0%
Sugar 34g38%
Protein 0.04g0%
Vitamin A 2IU0%
Calcium 2mg0%
Iron 0.05mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Frosting Tagged With: Vanilla

About Sam Adler

Sam Adler is a Le Cordon Bleu professionally trained pastry chef, Saveur Blog Award winner, food photographer, and food blogger over on FrostingandFettuccine.com. She has been featured in numerous online and in-print publications including Taste of Home Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Feed Feed, and Food Blogger Pro. Sam lives in Hollywood florida with her husband, two young kids, and french bulldog. When she’s not baking and dancing in her kitchen you can find her at her favorite yoga spot.

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Hi! Im Sam Adler,

I'm a professionally trained pastry chef and food photographer.
This is a place where you will find easy yet impressive looking desserts. I also share a ton of food photography resources too! What can I say, I love pretty & delicious baked goods! Learn more about me!

As Featured In:

Logo images of media places Sam Adler has been featured in
Saveur Blog award winner for best food Instagram

samadlerphotography

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#ad This year for Chanukah we’re switching it up #ad This year for Chanukah we’re switching it up from classic sufganiyot to make these fun donut fries! Puffy, golden, and delicious, dip your “fries” into melted chocolate or raspberry jelly and celebrate all week long! @aldiusa makes it super easy with their amazing selection of high quality products at seriously unimaginable prices. Run to your nearest @aldiusa to find all the ingredients you need to make these and have a Happy Chanukah!
Find the recipe below!

#ALDILove
Prep time: 1 hr 45 mins
Cook time: 1 min
Yield: 40 donut fries
2 pack Baker’s Corner Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Simply Nature Grade A Organic Cage Free Brown Eggs
2 tbsp Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Carlini Pure Vegetable Oil
5-6 cups Baker’s Corner All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ cup Baker’s Corner Powdered Sugar
For Dipping:
1 cup Baker’s Corner Dark or Milk Chocolate Morsels
Simply Nature Organic Raspberry Preserves
Method:
•Mix the yeast with water in a mixer bowl and let stand for 10 mins until frothy. Add the
sugar, eggs, vanilla, and oil to the bowl and mix until well combined.
•Start adding only 5 cups of flour and salt, and knead/mix on medium speed in a stand mixer
fitted with the dough attachment for 5 minutes until a soft, non-sticky dough forms. If the
dough seems sticky, add ¼ cup flour to the dough until it no longer sticks to the bowl when
mixing.
•Let the dough rest in the bowl for an hour to double in size. 
•Punch down the dough and remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a
lightly floured rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle. About 18”x 15” and 1/2 of an inch in
thickness. 
•Using a pizza cutter, cut in half vertically. Then slice thin strips horizontally. You want them
thin as they will puff up while frying.
•Let the fries rest for another 15 mins. 
•Meanwhile, using a deep fryer or a large pot, heat your oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the donut
fries 30 seconds per side, then drain on a paper towel.
•Dust the donut fries with powdered sugar and set aside.
•Microwave 1 cup of dark or milk chocolate for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Scoop
jelly into another bowl. Dip the fries in the chocolate or jelly!
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