Name: 5-Minute Fluffy Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup (170 g) vegan butter (such as Miyoko's), at cool room temperature; ½ cup (113 g) vegan cream cheese (such as Miyoko's), at cool room temperature; 1 cup (100 g) powdered sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste; squeeze of lemon juice, optional

This silky, fluffy, dairy-free vegan cream cheese frosting can be whipped up in no time. It's made with plant butter, dairy-free cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. It's firm enough to swirl or pipe over your favorite cake and cupcake recipes and it keeps well for days. For a classic pairing, try it on this moist dairy-free oat flour carrot cake.

With over a hundred 5-star ratings, my low-sugar cream cheese frosting is a community-favorite. Now here's a dairy-free version that rivals the original! Whether you follow a plant-based diet or have a dairy sensitivity, you can enjoy this easy plant-based icing.

This version tastes so much like classic cream cheese frosting. Dairy-free bakers don't have to feel left out, and omnivores won't know the difference! (But if you're looking for a cake topping that's free of refined sugar, try this maple-sweetened paleo cream cheese frosting made with yogurt and cashews.)

Testing, Testing

For my first trial, I used the same ratios as for my original (dairy-full) cream cheese frosting: 2 parts cream cheese to 1 part butter. But I found that this version was overly tangy with a slightly chalky texture. Instead, using slightly more butter than cream cheese gave the frosting the ideal balance of tanginess, sweetness and richness.

Ingredients

Like classic cream cheese frosting, this recipe uses just 3 main ingredients.

Vegan butter adds richness. I use Miyoko's brand, but any stick variety of DF butter should work. Just avoid the spreadable butters in tubs, which can be too runny here.
Dairy-free cream cheese adds tanginess and body. I use Miyoko's brand, but other brands should work too, such as Kite Hill and Violife.
Powdered sugar adds sweetness and makes the frosting whip up light and floofy. I use a minimal amount for a balanced frosting, but you can add more to your taste if you like a sweeter flavor.
Vanilla and lemon punch up the flavor.

Method

This plant-based icing is super simple to make in about 5 minutes. Just be sure to soften the cream cheese and butter to cool room temperature for 1-2 hours before you get started. It makes about 2 cups, which is enough for a single layer 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake.

Beat the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric beater or a spoon and your strong arms.
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.
Beat until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes on medium speed.
If the frosting is soft, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm.
Swirl or pipe your frosting on anything you like!

a beautiful carrot cake is being placed on a table

Serving Suggestions

Try this dairy-free cream cheese frosting on your favorite desserts. Here are a few that I love:

However you use it, I hope you love it!

Bojon appétit, my sweets! If you make this, I’d love to know. Please leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

4.67 from 6 reviews