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Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

March 12, 2021 · In: Featured, Frosting, Recipes, Vegan

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I am a firm believer that having a go-to vanilla buttercream recipe is essential for cake making, and this Vegan Vanilla Buttercream is the one I reach for when I’m in need of a trusty vegan frosting. Not only does it frost like a total dream, it also holds its shape beautifully when piped and can be easily tinted any color under the sun. Oh, did I mention it tastes amazing too? Cause that’s pretty important! 

vegan vanilla buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow

There’s nothing complicated about this Vegan Vanilla Buttercream recipe, but the powerful vanilla flavor and silky texture make it seem complex. The truth is, I simply swapped out the dairy in my favorite (non-vegan) Vanilla Buttercream Recipe with vegan friendly ingredients and the results ended up being so perfect. It’s just four ingredients: a good vegan butter (I love Earth Balance sticks), powdered sugar, a quality vanilla extract, and your favorite unsweetened dairy-free milk. 

vegan vanilla buttercream ingredients
dairy free vanilla buttercream recipe

One of the secrets to success with this recipe is making sure your ingredients are room temperature before starting. That means you’ll need to take the non-dairy milk and vegan butter about an hour ahead of time so they can come to room temperature before you start the recipe. Want to really knock this recipe out of the park? Invest in a great quality vanilla for flavoring. You can use any kind of vanilla extract or paste, but I always use bourbon vanilla (I get mine from Trader Joe’s!) to give it a rich vanilla flavor. 

vegan vanilla buttercream frosting
vegan vanilla frosting recipe

This Vegan Vanilla Buttercream is extra versatile in the sense that it can be used for filling cakes, frosting cakes extra smooth, piping cupcakes and intricate decorations, and any other kind of dessert that calls for buttercream. It’s as easy to work with as it is to make. It can be paired with any cake flavor (everything pairs well with vanilla!), but if you’re looking to make an all-vanilla cake be sure to check out my Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe! It’s a tried and true crowd pleasing combination. Enjoy!

vegan vanilla buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow

Vegan Vanilla Buttercream

A silky smooth, flavorful vanilla buttercream that's dairy-free and vegan! Perfect for pairing with cakes, cupcakes, and any dessert that pairs well with vanilla buttercream.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:10 mins
Servings: 3 Cups

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup (227g) vegan butter, softened to room temperature I use Earth Balance sticks
  • 3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened dairy-free milk, room temperature

Instructions

  • With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the vegan butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light in color. About 7 minutes. 
  • With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. 
  • Add the vanilla and unsweetened dairy-free milk and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated. 

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: This buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 
Dairy-Free Milk Suggestions: My favorites to use with this recipe are unsweetened coconut milk and unsweetened soy milk. You are free to use any dairy-free milk you’d like, but make sure you like the taste of whatever milk option you choose, as it will end up flavoring the buttercream. 
To Make It Extra White: After all ingredients have been incorporated, add 1-2 tsp of Americolor Bright White or icing whitener of your choice.  
Yield: This buttercream makes enough to:
  • Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
  • Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe. 

Did you make this Vegan Vanilla Buttercream? I want to know what you think and how you used it! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco in your Instagram photos to show me. I love seeing what you create!

By: Whitney · In: Featured, Frosting, Recipes, Vegan · Tagged: buttercream, buttercream recipes, dairy free, dairy free recipes, frosting, frosting recipes, vegan, vegan buttercream, vegan frosting, vegan vanilla buttercream, vegan vanilla frosting

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Comments

  1. Eyerusalem says

    July 5, 2021 at 3:52 am

    could this be made with less powdered sugar?

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      July 7, 2021 at 2:55 pm

      Hi there! You could try, but the less powdered sugar you add the more runny in consistency it will be. If you do add less, I would try to balance it out by adding a little less of the dairy-free milk.

      Reply
  2. Christina says

    August 15, 2022 at 4:56 pm

    Hi Whitney! I can only find Earth Balance in tub form in my area. Can I use the tub form vegan butter in this frosting recipe AND in your vegan cake recipe? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      August 16, 2022 at 8:51 pm

      Hi Christina! I’ve never tried the tub vegan butter in either of the recipes before, so it would be an experiment but it looks like the ingredients in both the spread and the sticks are the same. That makes me think it would be okay. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  3. Christina says

    August 2, 2023 at 12:32 pm

    Thank you so much for this post! I am a vegan baker and have had no luck trying to create a stable vegan buttercream. As you mentioned, using shortening tastes terrible – nothing I would ever make.

    I have successfully tried your recipe and used cream of tartar instead of meringue powder. Many don’t know that cream of tartar is actually vegan so it’s safe to use. I have had no issues; hopefully this helps any future readers 🙂

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      August 8, 2023 at 8:15 am

      Thank you so much for the tip, Christina! I’m so happy to hear that it worked with cream of tartar!!

      Reply
  4. Jan K Sheehan says

    October 29, 2023 at 9:43 am

    Just made this! The batter tasted fantastic. I used three six-inch cake pans and filled them evenly. The centers of the cakes refused to get done at the same pace as the edges and are somewhat “sunken.” Any thoughts on where I might have gone wrong?

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      November 1, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      Hi Jan! I’m sorry the centers of the cake ended up sinking a little bit! Were you able to level them off and see how they looked inside? Here are some common reasons why cakes can sink in the middle. See if any of those might be the culprit: https://sugarandsparrow.com/why-cakes-sink/

      Reply

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