Top your favorite desserts with this three-ingredient vegan cream cheese frosting! You can skip the store-bought kind because this recipe is incredibly easy, so delicious, and has endless flavoring possibilities!
This sweet, decadent dairy-free cream cheese frosting is perfect for your favorite cakes, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, fruit pizza... you name it!
You can firm it up by chilling it for a few minutes before piping it onto desserts like with my Carrot Cake Cupcakes, or keep it soft for drizzling it onto your warm cinnamon rolls.
This frosting recipe is so tasty as it is, but it’s also a perfect base for other flavors you might want to add. I add almond extract to my carrot cake frosting, while maple syrup or vanilla extract go very well with cinnamon rolls.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Vegan Cream Cheese - Use your favorite brand of regular vegan cream cheese. You’ll want one that will cream well and that doesn’t have too much of an enhanced cheesy flavor. Some good options include Kite Hill, Trader Joe’s, Simple Truth (Kroger,) or Miyokos.
Vegan Butter (Salted) - Even though we soften the butter before mixing it with the cream cheese, you want to use butter that’s pretty firm when cold. The kind that comes in sticks are blocks is best. Avoid buttery spreads because they are typically softer. I like Miyokos or Earth Balance. Miyokos salted butter is perfect for this frosting because it doesn’t have too much of a yellow tint to it. If your butter isn’t salted, add ⅛th of a teaspoon of salt when mixing the frosting.
Powdered Sugar - To keep this delicious frosting vegan, choose powdered sugar that either says “vegan” or “organic” on the packaging. Here is one that you can order from Amazon: Organic Powdered Sugar.
Optional Add-Ins - Just a splash of other flavors can add an interesting dynamic to your frosting. Some ideas include vanilla extract, almond extract, maple syrup, orange extract, lemon juice, fruit preserves, or warm spices.
How to Make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Here are some quick visual steps. The full recipe with exact measurements can be found within the recipe card below.
Prepare the Ingredients - Take the vegan butter out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before you plan to make the frosting so it can start to soften. Press the vegan cream cheese with a napkin to squeeze out any excess liquid.
Combine Butter and Cream Cheese - In a large bowl, mix the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter together until fully incorporated. You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or even just mix them together with a fork!
Add the Powdered Sugar - Mix in the powdered sugar. I like to add a little bit at a time to prevent a dusty cloud of powdered sugar from getting everywhere. I suggest shaking it through a sifter to work out any clumps in the sugar before it joins the other ingredients.
Flavor and Set - The frosting is done once it’s smooth and lump-free. You can either use it as is or add optional flavoring. You can also spread it now or chill it for a little while to firm up. Chill it by placing the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. The frosting will soften at room temperature and firm up when cold.
Related Sweet Vegan Recipes
I hope you loved this Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting! Please leave a star rating and comment below.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, salted, softened
- 4 ounces vegan cream cheese (half of a standard-sized container)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, organic
Instructions
- Soften the vegan butter by taking it out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before you plan to make the frosting. Press the vegan cream cheese with a napkin to absorb any excess liquid.
- Mix the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter together in a large bowl. Use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or simply cream them together with a fork!
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time. I suggest shaking it through a sifter to work out any clumps before adding it to the other ingredients.
- Mix the frosting until it's smooth and lump-free. Keep the flavor as is or mix in optional flavoring such as maply syrup or lemon juice at this point.
- Either spread the frosting now or make it firm by chilling it. Chill it by covering the bowl and placing it in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Select a firm vegan butter so that the frosting holds its shape when chilled.
- Add ⅛th of a teaspoon of salt to the frosting if your butter isn’t salted.
- Use a sifter when adding powdered sugar to help decrease clumps.
- Before piping the chilled frosting on any dessert, make sure the dessert has fully cooled down.
Storage
Store the vegan cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for 5 days. It will stay firm when cold and soften as it comes to room temperature.Flavor Add-In Ideas
Start mixing in a small amount until you've reached your desired flavor.- Lemon Juice
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
- Orange Extract
- Fruit Preserves
- Almond Extract
- Ground Cinnamon
- Concentrated Fruit Juice
Nutrition
The nutrition information is estimated and can vary depending on brands and measurements used.
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