This vegan vanilla frosting is smooth, creamy and delicious! Easy 4-ingredient recipe, ideal for use on cakes, cupcakes and cookies!
This vegan vanilla frosting is smooth, creamy and delicious.
Ideal for use on cakes, cupcakes and cookies!
Just 4 ingredients, this really couldn’t be simpler and you’ll love how rich it is, even while using a minimal amount of vegan butter.
An electric mixer is required but you can whip this up in 10 minutes from start to finish and get on with the important job of enjoying whatever delicious treat you’ve prepared.
I love this frosting on a vanilla sponge cake. This is exactly the frosting (topped with strawberries) we used on the vanilla cake you see below!
Vanilla on vanilla is rather marvellous I must say! Or mix and match a bit and use it on a fabulous vegan chocolate cake!
But there are other uses!
This frosting is perfect to spread on cakes or cookies, but it is also ideal to pipe onto cupcakes.
The cool thing about this recipe is that it’s so simple and easy to throw together.
And it just works out every time.
Not to mention that it contains simple ingredients. I still haven’t figured out what ‘shortening’ even is, let alone putting it into my frosting recipes!
So if you’re similarly a fan of the simple, then this is for you!
So I think you’re really going to love this vegan vanilla frosting, it’s:
- Smooth
- Velvety
- Deliciously Sweet
- Simple
- Perfect on cakes, cupcakes or cookies
It’s super sweet of course, but that’s what you want in a frosting isn’t it?
For more delicious frostings, check out our Vegan Chocolate Frosting and Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting recipes! And of course, see some of our frostings in action on some of our cakes!
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Blue Velvet Cake
- Key Lime Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
Any comments or questions about this vegan vanilla frosting recipe, post them down below.
And if you make this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you.
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How To Make Vegan Vanilla Frosting
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 10
Description
This vegan vanilla frosting is smooth, creamy and delicious! Easy 4-ingredient recipe, ideal for use on cakes, cupcakes and cookies!
Ingredients
- 3 and 3/4 cups (450g) Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tbsp (45g) Vegan Butter
- 4 Tbsp (60ml) Soy Milk*
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Add the powdered sugar, vegan butter, half the soy milk and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl.
- Using your electric mixer, start at low speed, gradually increasing speed. Add the rest of the soy milk in slowly until perfectly smooth and thick.*
- It should be very thick, but still easily spreadable.
Notes
*You can switch soy milk for almond milk or another non-dairy milk if you prefer.
*You might not need to use all the soy milk to achieve the desired consistency. Some vegan butters have a higher water content than others and this can make some end up too runny, so only use as much as needed. If it still ends up too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Category: Vegan, Baking, How To
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serve (of 10)
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 44g
- Sodium: 33mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Protein: 0.2g
Keywords: vegan vanilla frosting
Can I replace vegan butter with coconut oil?
Hi Crystal, it has been done by others! It does work, but in my opinion not as well as vegan butter.
This has saved my cakes! My vegan buttercream used to be sloppy but this amazing recipe has transformed decorating not to mention it’s delicious! Used the lemon one before too… Yum
★★★★★
Awesome, thanks Rachel!
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe. My daughter wanted to know if the cupcakes we put the frosting on need to be refrigerated and I’m not sure. Almond milk spoils if left out, so would the frosting spoil if left at room temp?
Cupcakes and frosting are usually good for around 3 days in an airtight container at room temp. If you want them to last longer (up to a week) then covered in the fridge is best. 🙂
Hello I’m making this for my grandma but can I sub the butter for vegetable shortening?
Hi Liz, I haven’t used shortening so I’m not sure.
This stuff should be called vegan crack! Seriously, make with caution because you might just eat it all before it makes it to the cupcakes.
★★★★★
Hahaha, thanks Paul!
Instead of buying vegan butter out of the store. Can we use your vegan butter recipe on this site in place of the butter.
Hi Janae, yes you can. I do find it gets very soft at room temp though, so it’s better if your frosting/frosted baked goods are kept in the fridge in that case.
We used almond butter instead of vegan butter & it is off the charts-thank you!
Hello! Is there no substitute for vegan butter? Would margarine work? I haven’t found any sort of vegan butter in my country and I want to try this recipe 🙁
Hi Thea, yes dairy free margarine is perfect!
Hi, thank you for the recipe, I made the vanilla frosting with soy butter and with regular (not electric) mixer, and it was super easy! Like 2 min easy. It came really good and delicious 🙂
This recipe is so easy to make ~ but I noticed my frosting was runny. I read Alison’s advice about some vegan butters having a higher water content. I used Earth Balance Soy Free butter. Is that a high-water content butter?
When I first made it, the frosting was on the thinner side, so I added some more powdered sugar to thicken it, but it wouldn’t get thick (like how frosting normally is) and it tasted waaaay too sweet. Any advice? I made some super yummy vegan gingerbread cupcakes ~ I’d love to nail this recipe so I can frost them! lol
★★★
Hi Millie, if it’s already too runny, it can take a fair bit more powdered sugar to fix that, so I would add in quite a lot more powdered sugar. And then if you make it again, use less soy milk so that it doesn’t get too runny to start with. Hope it works out! 🙂
Alison, can you please recommend a vegan butter that’s not too runny? I’ve been using the vegan I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter but it’s still too runny. I’ve added more powdered sugar but it’s just too sweet. Please help!
Hi Jenny, it depends where you are as to what’s available, but the firmer brands do tend to work better, however you can still make it work with a runnier vegan spread but reduce the soy milk to the bare minimum.
This recipe is sooo easy. Happy I found it and found your website! I left my cupcakes on the counter. I’m hoping that is okay. I wasn’t sure how to store them overnight. Now I’m worried I should have put them somewhere else.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! The cupcakes should be okay at room temp provided it’s not swelteringly hot or anything, in which case they might be better in the fridge. 🙂
Can i make it ahead and refrigerate it? How long will it keep? Will i need to stir in the mixer again for the right consistency?
Hi Rebekah, I’d say it would keep a week or even two in the fridge. You would need to stir it well again before using, but usually the mixer isn’t needed. All the best! 🙂
I added crushed freeze dried strawberries to the frosting and it was perfect. Thank you for the allergy friendly recipe!
★★★★★
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing and the wonderful review. 🙂
How many cupcakes do you think this would frost??
Hi Jen, 12-18 depending on how generously you frost them. 🙂
I’d like to use this frosting on an ice cream cake. Can it be frozen or should I frost right before serving?
★★★★★
Hi Bonnie, I have no experience with using it that way but this frosting definitely can be frozen so hope that helps! All the best! 🙂
Delicious and smooth consistency!
★★★★★
Super simple and delicious! Served at my son’s birthday party and loved by everyone!
Hey, I want to use this as finishing frosting for a Unicorn cake. Will this frosting harden up at all?
Hi Barbara, it does get pretty firm on the cake if you put it into the fridge. 🙂
Haven’t tried this as of yet, but I want to know if it’s very sweet? I usually decorate with whipping cream, but Vegan Whipping doesn’t hold up well. I’m decorating a birthday and graduation cake and I really don’t like sweet frosting.
Hi Claudia, it is very sweet yet, so may not be right for you. Maybe a vegan buttercream frosting would be better, though it’s also sweet.
Hi! Will this hold up in the heat for a smash cake? Don’t want it all melting off before the pics. Thanks!
Hi Jessica, I’m not really sure. If you make it as thick as possible then it may be fine.
Thank you for the recipe! About to make it for my son’s birthday. Which vegan butter would you buy to make sure it’s not salty and doesn’t interfere with the taste (in the US). I had some bad luck in the past. Thank you!
Earth Balance sticks in the USA should work great for this! 🙂
Does this recipe make enough for a nine-inch diameter cake or should I double the recipe?
Hi Elizabeth, you probably would want to double the recipe as this comfortably frosts a 7-inch cake. All the best! 🙂
Can I use this frosting recipe through a decorating bag and pipe? Will it hold its shape like standard buttercream.
You can, I have used it for our vegan oreo cupcakes and it worked great for piping. Just make sure that it is very thick though, so go very easy/carefully when adding the non-dairy milk as you want it thick.
Excellent recipe! It’s a staple in our house now. I have a birthday party coming up. Can I make this in advance and freeze it?
★★★★★
So glad to hear that! Yes you can freeze it! 🙂