15 Vegan Icing Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for butter in icing? ›

Shortening or coconut oil (for vegan option) are often used in frostings instead of butter when the result desired is a very white frosting (since butter has a yellow tint) and both can also be used as a substitute in cake.

The two main differences between traditional and dairy-free buttercream frosting are: The dairy butter is replaced with vegan butter. The whipping cream or milk is replaced with non-dairy milk.

If you're not adding enough sugar, your buttercream won't be stable enough to hold its shape for long. If you're adding a little plant-based milk to thin the buttercream when frosting a cake, you might be adding too much of it, again, making it too unstable.

Fortunately, loads of candies are vegan, so we can indulge our cravings (mostly) guilt-free. Most dark chocolate is vegan, as are popular sweet treats such as Smarties (known as Rockets in Canada), Oreos, Airheads, Jujubes, and Swedish Fish (some Swedish Fish contain beeswax, so be sure to check the label).

This is because some manufacturers of icing sugar add dried egg whites to the mix. As a result, some brands that sell icing sugar are vegetarian but not vegan, so it's best to check the label to be sure. For a vegan-friendly icing sugar, Tate and Lyle Icing sugar is suitable for vegans to use, so get baking!

And even if the icing does become solid, cold butter will give your buttercream a clumpy consistency. However, although you want to use soft butter when making buttercream, it's important to note you do not want melted butter. As Delish shares, overly-warm butter won't mix well with your icing's other ingredients.

Heavy Cream

Try thickening it with a bit of heavy whipping cream. You can add up to ¼ cup of heavy cream, depending on how much you need to thicken it. Then whip the frosting until it fluffs up. Heavy cream also works if the recipe instructs you to heat the frosting.

The simple answer is no, most standard frosting (whipped, buttercream or otherwise) is not vegan. This is because standard frosting ingredients include milk, butter or eggs. However with the right mix of a vegan, non-dairy milk substitute and powdered sugar, voila! You have vegan buttercream frosting.

I recommend Miyoko's vegan butter for the best all around vegan butter. for a nut-free vegan butter option. Other great options include Flora Plant Butter, and Earth Balance. More on which butter brand to use below!

Vegan butter is a non-dairy butter substitute made from plant-based ingredients. It is typically made from a blend of vegetable oils such as coconut, palm, or soybean and other natural ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and even algae. This makes it a great alternative for those who: Follow a vegan diet.

What frosting is vegan? ›

Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle: Buttercream, caramel, classic chocolate, classic vanilla, coconut pecan, dark chocolate fudge, lemon supreme, and strawberry cream. Duncan Hines Whipped Frosting: Chocolate, fluffy white, and vanilla. Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Frosting: All flavors except Funfetti.

To thicken vegan icing, you can use a combination of maple syrup, coconut cream and cornstarch. Start by adding 1/4 cup of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of maple syrup in a small pot on medium heat. Stir until it becomes a thick paste and then add in 1/2 cup of coconut cream.

CAKE NOT RISING

This can be caused by a few things already mentioned such as using the wrong egg replacer or over mixing. I always recommend using fresh raising agents. Generally, baking soda and baking powder only stay active for 3 months after opening.

So, is Betty Crocker frosting vegan? Yes. All of the Betty Crocker icing flavours sold in the UK are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. They do not contain milk or any e-numbers that are derived from animal sources.

Pillsbury brand, with the happy, neckerchief-wearing Pillsbury Doughboy on every label, also has a surprising number of vegan frosting options. According to the ingredients listed on the Pillsbury website, 12 of its Creamy Supreme frostings are vegan, containing no animal products or by-products.

CONTAINS MILK AND SOY INGREDIENTS.

There is one exception to this, though - icing sugar. It doesn't use bone char but some of the most popular brands of icing sugar contain dried egg white. It's a bit more of a pain to find a vegan option here, although if you search for “vegan icing sugar”, you can find brands that sell online.