Dairy Free Frosting
This creamy, dairy free frosting is perfect for your next batch of cupcakes or cake. It’s easy to make and delicious – you’ll want to eat it off the spoon! Don’t forget to add some sprinkles for extra fun.
Why I love this dairy free frosting
Let’s talk about frosting for a minute. I know it seems like it should be full of dairy products, and it can be, but this one thing that’s super easy to make dairy free.
In fact, most store bought frostings are already dairy free because they rely on vegetable or palm shortening for their fats.
But, I wanted to give you a full run down on how to make frosting without butter in case you need it.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Piping bag and tips, optional
Ingredients
When it comes to frosting, you basically need 3 things. Sugar, fat and liquid. Of course, we often add things like vanilla extract or cocoa powder to flavor the frosting, but basically that’s all it is – and that’s why it tastes so good.
- Sugar – Sugar is definitely dairy free – although it might not be vegan – so we just need to replace the fats here. Thankfully it’s super easy.
- Fat – I usually opt for vegetable shortening, but occasionally, I’ll use dairy free butter. You can also substitute coconut oil, but it will never be my first choice because it’s so temperature sensitive.
- Liquid – Typically you will want to use your favorite dairy free milk, but you can also use coconut cream, vegan sour cream, or vegan yogurt. You can even use water.
How to make vegan frosting
Beat the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the shortening, liquid of choice, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy.
Add the dry ingredients. Add a pinch of salt and the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, and mix until each addition has been full incorporated.
Dairy free frosting variations
To make funfetti frosting (like the one pictured here), gently mix in some rainbow sprinkles at the end.
To make chocolate frosting, add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder with the wet ingredients and decrease the powdered sugar amount by the same amount.
To make strawberry frosting, substitute 1/4 cup strawberry puree or strawberry jam for the liquid.
FAQS and tips for making dairy free frosting
What is vegan icing made of?
Vegan icing is typically made from vegetable shortening or vegan butter, mixed with powdered organic sugar and flavorings, like vanilla extract or cocoa powder.
How do you make homemade frosting thicker?
If your frosting is too thin, you can mix in extra powdered sugar until you reach the consistency you are after. Another option is to chill the frosting until it the fats solidify, but this will only be a temporary fix.
Is frosting dairy free?
Not necessarily. While many store bought frosting is dairy free (always check your labels), homemade frostings tend to be made with butter or cream cheese, so they won’t be dairy free.
This recipe would be great with:
More recipes with frosting you’ll love:
- Mexican chocolate cupcakes
- Coffee cupcakes
- Apple cupcakes
- Raspberry cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (or vegan butter)
- 2 – 4 tablespoons liquid of choice*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 – 5 cups powdered sugar
- 3 – 4 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the shortening, dairy free milk or yogurt, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy.
- Add salt and powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, and mix until each addition has been fully incorporated.
Thank you for the link Go Straight to Recipe!
I just close the page when they make you scroll down for ever to find the ingredients!!!
I made a Wacky cake and half of this frosting with sprinkles on top for a lactose intolerant neighbor who turned 85 today. His face just lit up at the door. Thanks
I used this recipe on an egg/dairy free vanilla cake today. I used Country crock avocado butter and coconut milk. I used all 5 cups of powdered sugar and sifted it before adding it. It made a wonderful crumb coat and the piped decorations held up really well. I’ll be using it again.
Genius! I’m a vegan Celiac, and this advice is game changer for me. Thanks for making it so clear: sugar, fat, and liquid! I halved your recipe, and made mine with oat-gurt, sugar/strawberry jam, and coconut oil. I also added some vanilla extract and unsweetened, slightly roasted coconut shreds for a flavour profile. Came out PERFECT! I made it for my “use up every fruit that’s about to go bad in my fridge” cake. It turned into a pineapple-cherry-apple-almond-coconut cake with the dopest icing ever. It was so good, we demolished it in one sitting. Thanks again!
So glad you posted this! The shortening I used had a flavor I don’t love, and the sugar/vanilla weren’t enough to cover it up. Added some jam and it tastes a lot better!
Hello you didnt metion about storing the left over frosting and how to use when neef .. can you explain that please and thank you
It will depend on what you use as your “liquid”. You should store your left over frosting in the fridge, but how long it will last will depend on your choice of liquid. All of the other ingredients are shelf stable, but if you use yogurt as your liquid you will probably want to use the expiration date on the yogurt to see how long it will last. You will probably want to bring the frosting out to room temp before you use it.
I would like to use this and ship to a friend overseas. Will this frosting be safe to eat if it’s not refrigerated for 10 days? What is the limit to how long this frosting can not be refrigerated? Thanks!
Unfortunately, the frosting should be refrigerated.
This was really good! I’m so glad I came across this recipe, since I needed a dairy free frosting for my birthday cake. 🙂 I used vegan butter as my fat, and almond milk as the liquid. I added the cocoa powder to make it chocolate, and it was delicious on top of a vanilla cake! Thanks!
I need to make this frosting for my sisters birthday cake as she can’t have dairy. How much would you recommend I need to make to cover a three layered 8 inch cake? A problem I’ve had with recipes in the past is that they don’t make enough
This recipe will make 5-6 cups of frosting. It should be enough to cover a 3 layer cake, which would typically require about 4 cups of frosting. If you don’t want to worry it would be easy to double the recipe!
Tried it with shortening and almond milk, came out great.
Can you use ghee as the fat?
I’ve never used it. It wouldn’t be dairy free though.
Hi.
Can I use regular table salt instead of coarse salt? If so, how much table salt? Also, for the fat, could I use the spread version of I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter Light? I know 16 tablespoons equals 1 cup so could I just spoon out the 16 tablespoons and use it?
Margarine has too much water content so that substitution would not work the best. If you need to use table salt, only use a pinch.
hi, the recipe says 2 – 4 tablespoons liquid of choice* if using almond milk how much should I use? I am afraid to make it too liquid by putting too much milk, would really appreciate your help.
You should start with 2 tablespoons of liquid, the liquid you chose being almond milk. Add 2 tablespoons of almond milk and see how the texture is, adding another tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Hopefully that helps.
sorry for the dumb question but do you melt your butter or just soft butter?
Just room temperature, softened butter is what you will need.
Hi, is it possible to add erythritol instead of sugar, so it would be sugar free?
I have not personally used erythritol, but I did find this online if you want to try it. https://www.spatuladesserts.com/substitute-for-powdered-sugar/#:~:text=Swerve%20confectioners%20is%20a%20well,level%20of%20sweetness%20and%20taste. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Hi
Just wondering what is 3-4 tablespoons of rainbow ? Wasn’t able to find rainbows in my local grocery store. Unsure how to get the rainbows harvested. Please I need to know
Rainbow sprinkles! Sorry about that. The word sprinkles must have gotten deleted. I will update the recipe to fix that. Thanks!
Hi. I’m vegetarian and am starting to bake more, van you tell me which sugar you use. Most of the sugar I found is so brown it turns everything tan but your icing looks a decent white, what sugar do you use?
I normally use C&H or Domino sugar!
We made this with vegan margarine and almond milk, using 8 cups of icing sugar. The result was perfection! My kids both agreed it tasted better than Betty Crocker premade icing from a can, which I admit I have been known to buy from time to time.