Vegan Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Hello, everyone! Are you looking for a delicious and vegan-friendly frosting recipe? If so, you'll love this delicious vegan buttercream frosting made with white chocolate. It's perfect for topping cakes or cupcakes and will surely please even the most discerning palates. Give it a try today!

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We use this vegan buttercream frosting for our carrot loaf cake, vegan banana bread, and muffins.

Most vegan frosting recipes call for vegan cream cheese and lots of powdered sugar. We decided to make many trials to reach a version that did not have a large number of calories per serving.

Our goal was to keep it below 100 kcal without missing any flavor, and yay! We made it! We feel very confident with the result and keep topping our gluten-free and vegan carrot cake with it, keeping the calorie count low.

🧾 Ingredients

This white chocolate buttercream frosting is made in minutes with a few ingredients.

• Cornstarch is used as a thickening agent to give the frosting a creamy and smooth texture.
• Soy milk serves as a non-dairy liquid base for the frosting, providing moisture and helping to achieve the desired consistency.
• Agave nectar or maple syrup: These sweeteners are used to add a natural sweetness to the frosting without using animal-derived ingredients like honey.
• Vegan butter (such as Earth Balance buttery sticks): Vegan butter is the main fat component in the frosting, providing richness and a buttery flavor.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavor of the frosting, giving it a delicious and aromatic taste.
• Lemon zest: Lemon zest adds a refreshing citrus note to the frosting, balancing the sweetness and adding a subtle tangy flavor.

Optional

White chocolate or cacao butter (depending on the recipe variation): White chocolate or cacao butter is used to add richness, creaminess, and a hint of chocolate flavor to the frosting, enhancing its overall taste and texture.

🔪 Instructions

1. Mix the cornstarch and soy milk using an immersion blender.
2. Melt vegan butter in a saucepan and add the agave nectar and vanilla extract.
3. Bring to a boil and slowly pour the cornstarch and plant milk mixture, followed by the white chocolate and the lemon zest.
4. It doesn't matter if it's still warm. Just keep whisking until thick and smooth.

Tip: you can use the vegan buttercream recipe immediately or leave it to cool completely in the fridge before using it on your cakes. You may need to whip the frosting again to soften it before using it.

🍽 Equipment

You could use a stand mixer to make this vegan frosting recipe and just let it run until the desired consistency is met.

We just felt it was unnecessary, but it can definitely give much more air to the dairy-free buttercream frosting. I feel a whisk and an immersion blender (affiliate link) are enough and keep my kitchen super clean.

As we usually pair this frosting with our one-bowl carrot cake, we like to keep the whole dessert-making hassle-free and keep cleaning to a minimum.

🍶 Substitutions and additions

• Dairy-free milk - you can use any non-dairy milk you like, such as almond milk, oat milk, and coconut milk, for this vegan icing recipe. Most of the time, we use homemade soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk.
• Sweetener - you can use maple syrup, agave nectar, or organic powdered sugar instead.
• Vegan butter - we like using earth-balance butter or this easy vegan butter recipe. You can use palm shortening or melted coconut oil instead.
• Lemon - if you plan to use this frosting in a vegan chocolate cake, or any other recipe where you might not see a good fit, you can omit the lemon zest.
• White chocolate - we have made this recipe without white chocolate or cocoa butter, and it also works. The flavor will be a little different but still delicious.
• Vanilla extract - you could make this delicious frosting more like a vanilla frosting add more vanilla extract or use vanilla bean paste and remove the lemon zest.
• Color - you can ideally use organic and natural food coloring for this recipe. I like adding a pinch of turmeric for oranges and squeezing some juice out of beets for a purple frosting.

📚 More Vegan How to's

Check out how to make vegan buttermilk for vegan baking.

Use this extraordinary vegan bechamel white sauce for your savory treats like lasagna and vegan casseroles.

Chocolate lover? Try our chocolate and strawberry smoothie, dark chocolate chia pudding, and chocolate almond milk.

⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe

Vegan Buttercream frosting with White Chocolate | No Sugar

Gus

A scrumptious vegan buttercream frosting that is perfect for cupcakes, cakes, and cookies! You can even mix in some melted white chocolate to make it extra yummy.

4.9 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Basics & Preparations, Sweet

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 98 kcal

Equipment

(affiliate link)

Immersion blender (affiliate link)

(affiliate link)

Small Saucepan (affiliate link)

Ingredients

 

CupsMetric

 

0.5x1x2x3x

• ▢ ½ cup soy milk 120 ml, or almond milk
• ▢ 2 tablespoons corn starch
• ▢ 2.5 oz vegan butter 70 grams
• ▢ ⅙ cup agave nectar 40 ml or maple syrup
• ▢ pinch vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Optional

• ▢ 3.5 oz white chocolate melted, 100 grams or cacao butter

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Directions

 

• Mix the corn starch and soy milk using an immersion blender.
• If using cacao butter instead of melted white chocolate, gently melt it over low heat.
• Melt the vegan butter in a small saucepan and add the agave nectar and vanilla extract.
• Bring to a boil and slowly pour the cornstarch and plant milk mixture, followed by the white chocolate and the lemon zest. Stir constantly. I use the immersion blender directly into the saucepan, but you can beat it energetically with a whisk if you don't have one.
• It doesn't matter if it's still warm. Just keep whisking until thick and smooth.
• You can use it immediately or leave it to cool completely in the fridge before using it on your cakes. You may need to whip the frosting again to soften it before using it.

Video

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 51mgPotassium: 40mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 267IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg

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