Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (2024)

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posted by Jessica Hylton on Mar 22, 2021 28 comments »

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5 (from 22 ratings)

This Vegan Buttercream Frosting is my go-to frosting for cake recipes! It only has 4 ingredients and is super fluffy, creamy and decadent. This vegan frosting is perfect for any cake or cupcake recipe and for all of your special occasions!

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (1)

Vegan Buttercream Frosting

This frosting is heavenly! It truly melts in your mouth and is so simple. It will soon become your favourite frosting recipe. I have been making this frosting recipe for years and can assure you all your friends and family will love it. If you’re in the mood for some chocolate, check out my vegan chocolate frosting recipe!

This buttercream frosting is so versatile – you can add it to any birthday or special occasion cake (like my vegan vanilla cake). Spread it on cupcakes or a sheet cake! The possibilities are truly endless with this delicious vegan buttercream frosting.

Notes on the Ingredients

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (2)
  • Powdered Sugar: You can decide how much you want, depending on how thick you want the frosting. You’ll need between 3 and 3 1/2 cups.
  • Vegan Butter: Let it soften first. If you are using unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
  • Vegan Milk: You should only need about a tablespoon, but you can definitely add more if the frosting is too thick.
  • Vanilla Extract: to make itvanillabuttercream!

How to Make Vegan Buttercream Frosting

This frosting won’t take you more than 10 minutes to put together!

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (3)

Beat the butter and vanilla together for about 2-3 minutes with a handheld or stand mixer, until the mixture is fluffy.

Add in the powdered sugar and vegan milk until it reaches the consistency and thickness you want.

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (4)

Now all that’s left is to let the frosting set, and then decorate your cake or cupcakes with it! Try not to eat it all from the bowl (I know, it’s hard not to). Enjoy the delicious frosting!

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (5)

Expert Tips for Success & FAQ

Let Cakes and Cupcakes Cool Before Frosting: Frosting too quickly might make the cake and cupcakes crumble. If you want a pretty cake, wait to frost until it’s cooled.

Sift Your Powdered Sugar: Make sure to sift your powdered sugar before mixing, so that the frosting is the ultimate creamy consistency.

Soften Your Vegan Butter: Be sure that your vegan butter is soft enough to spread before mixing it. You don’t want it runny though!

If Too Thick, Add Milk: The ideal frosting is not runny, but not too thick either. If yours becomes too thick, add a splash of milk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Whip It: For super fluffy frosting, you’ll want to keep whipping it. I prefer using a stand mixer for my frosting so I can whip it for about 5 minutes.

How to Store Leftover Frosting

You can store this buttercream frosting at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep it longer for future baking, keep it in the fridge for a couple weeks, or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can You Freeze Buttercream Frosting?

You can freeze it! If you do, let it thaw in the fridge overnight beforehand so that it’s back to it’s smooth consistency.

  • Vegan Chocolate Frosting
  • Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Vegan Vanilla Cake
  • Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake

Enjoy friends! If you make thisVegan Chocolate Frosting, please snap a photo and tag#jessicainthekitchenonInstagram! We’d also love if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (7)

Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients)

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 0 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

This Vegan Buttercream Frosting is my go-to frosting for cake recipes! It only has 4 ingredients and is super fluffy, creamy and decadent. This frosting is perfect for all of your special occasions!

5 (from 22 ratings)

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Ingredients

  • 3-3½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup vegan butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon vegan milk, add more if needed
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt, only if using unsalted butter

Equipment

  • Stand mixer

Instructions

  • Beat the butter and vanilla for about 2-3 minutes with a stand mixer or a handheld mixer, until fluffy.

  • Add 1 cup of powdered sugar. Fold it in with a spatula so it doesn’t fly everywhere, then beat for about 1 minute. Add the rest of the frosting in small increments too, until fully incorporated.

  • Add in a ½ tablespoon of vegan milk at a time until it reaches your preferred volume and consistency. Add that last ½ cup powdered sugar if you desire.

  • Then beat for about 5 minutes, using the spatula to mix everything together every other minute, until the frosting is fluffy, white, smooth and creamy.

Notes

Let Cakes and Cupcakes Cool Before Frosting: Frosting too quickly might make the cake and cupcakes crumble. If you want a pretty cake, wait to frost until it’s cooled.

Sift Your Powdered Sugar: Make sure to sift your powdered sugar before mixing, so that the frosting is the ultimate creamy consistency.

Soften Your Vegan Butter: Be sure that your vegan butter is soft enough to spread before mixing it. You don’t want it runny though!

If Too Thick, Add Milk: The ideal frosting is not runny, but not too thick either. If yours becomes too thick, add a splash of milk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Whip It: For super fluffy frosting, you’ll want to keep whipping it. I prefer using a stand mixer for my frosting so I can whip it for about 5 minutes.

Calories: 124kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 86mg, Potassium: 3mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 360IU, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Cuisine: American, Universal

Course: Dessert, spreads

Author: Jessica Hylton

Recipes

published on Mar 22, 2021

28 comments Leave a comment »

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28 comments on “Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients)”

  1. Patti Reply

    Can I replace the vegan butter with hi-ratio shortening?

    Thanks

    • Jessica Hylton Reply

      Hi Patti,

      I’ve never tried hi-ratio shortening specifically but you should be able to sub 1:1, but the textures will be slightly different due to the fat content in shortening. So it wouldn’t be exactly the same! Hope this helps!

  2. Meliss Batchen Reply

    I made this frosting for my dairy allergic grandson. I used an avocado-based vegetable butter substitute. Not only was the frosting, smooth and creamy, but it was so delicious, my entire family ate it on each of their cupcakes. Thank you for this recipe and my ability to now frost my grandson’s cupcakes without fear.

    • Jessica Hylton Reply

      Thanks for sharing Meliss! So happy to hear this! You’re so welcome!

  3. Tina Reply

    Would violife butter work please

    • Jessica Hylton Reply

      Hi Tina,

      yes!

  4. Karen Reply

    Great recipe, simple and easy. My daughter really enjoyed it! Thank you

Leave a comment »
Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Only 4 Ingredients) - Easy Vegan Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best vegan butter for buttercream frosting? ›

For the best flavor, use a vegan butter that tastes good. I prefer Miyoko's or Trader Joe's brand vegan butter. Melt, Earth Balance and others work as well. Use sticks or blocks if you can over the tub butter.

What is the easiest buttercream to work with? ›

American buttercream is deliciously creamy, super sweet, and incredibly fluffy, and by far the easiest buttercream to master. It's just a matter of beating softened butter until it's fluffy, adding powdered sugar, cream, and a little vanilla and whipping it all together. No cooking required!

What is a good substitute for buttercream frosting? ›

In conclusion, there are many alternatives to buttercream frosting that you can use to ice your cake. Ganache, cream cheese frosting, whipped cream frosting, fondant, and meringue frosting are all excellent options that are easy to make and delicious to taste.

What is vegan frosting made of? ›

Vegan Frosting Recipe Ingredients

Vegan butter – Make sure to bring it to room temperature before you start to cook. Powdered sugar – It sweetens and stiffens the frosting. If you want your frosting to be thick and fluffy, use more powdered sugar. If you want to make a softer glaze, use less.

Why is my vegan buttercream grainy? ›

It's essential to sieve your icing sugar (aka confectioners sugar) before adding to the softened butter, so do this first. Then you're going to add little by little to the vegan buttercream frosting, beating between additions. This again stops the buttercream from splitting or becoming grainy.

What is the best vegan substitute for butter? ›

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

How do you harden buttercream without icing sugar? ›

Dry/thick ingredients like cocoa powder, freeze dried fruit (powder,) and peanut butter will help thicken frosting, while vanilla and brown butter should be added sparingly to make sure it's the right texture.

What is a simple buttercream called? ›

American Buttercream is also known as simple buttercream or decorators frosting, if you have ever made a frosting by creaming together butter and icing sugar with vanilla or any other flavourings then you have made American buttercream!

What is the hardest buttercream to make? ›

Italian Meringue Buttercream

This is considered one of the very difficult methods for making buttercream because the sugar syrup must be cooked to a specific temperature and then, while piping hot, poured into the whipped egg whites.

What is the difference between buttercream frosting and buttercream icing? ›

Frosting usually has a thick and fluffy consistency and is used to coat all sections of a cake. Icing features a much thinner consistency and is more commonly used for glazing and decorating baked goods in detail.

What are the 4 types of buttercream? ›

Here are 7 of our favorite types of buttercream:

Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Italian Meringue Buttercream. French Buttercream. German Buttercream.

What kind of buttercream do professionals use? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the most standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is incredibly smooth, making it an extremely popular choice for icing cakes. Compared to American buttercream, it has a much stronger butter flavor, but is considerably less sweet.

What is the best vegan butter for frosting? ›

Two good options for this recipe would be Earth Balance sticks and Country Crock Plant Butter (my personal preference). If you have another butter that's at least 79-80% oil/fat though, it should be fine.

Why is my vegan frosting runny? ›

If you're not adding enough sugar, your buttercream won't be stable enough to hold its shape for long. If you're adding a little plant-based milk to thin the buttercream when frosting a cake, you might be adding too much of it, again, making it too unstable.

What is a vegan substitute for icing sugar? ›

However, there are several vegan alternatives that can be used in place of powdered sugar, including: Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar is a low-glycemic sweetener that can be blended into a fine powder to use as a powdered sugar substitute.

What is the best tasting butter for buttercream frosting? ›

If you want the creamiest tastiest buttercream, then use a good grade AA butter. My favorite is Cabot. You could even use European butter which has a higher butterfat content. Unsalted butter is also important.

Does it matter what butter you use for buttercream? ›

SHOULD I USE SALTED OR UNSALTED BUTTER FOR ICING? Choose unsalted butter for a celebration cake. Salted is good for cupcakes.

Is Flora plant butter good for buttercream? ›

Brings a luxurious touch to Pancakes, Banana bread, Buttercream frosting, Flapjack and Shortbread.

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