15 Fun Vegan Frosting Recipes for Cupcakes and Cakes!

Hey dessert fans! Looking for fun and new frosting ideas for vegan cupcakes and other bakes? Here's a list of 15 fabulous vegan frosting recipes to inspire you.

Here you'll find some great new ideas for frosting your homemade vegan cupcakes and layer cakes.

Of course, vegan vanilla frosting is a classic, but there's so many delicious flavors to try - like orange, peanut butter or strawberry!

If you are looking for not so sweet and healthier frosting options, we've also included a selection of refined sugar-free recipes for you to try!

Jump to:

• Frosting tips
• Useful equipment and supplies
• Vegan frosting recipes
• Refined sugar-free frostings

Frosting tips

Vegan buttercream frosting is the easiest type of frosting you can make. It typically is made from a base of vegan butter, powdered sugar (also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar), and a dash of dairy-free milk.

The best type of vegan butter to use in frosting recipes is a block type of butter, which has a fat content of around 80%. This leads to a firmer frosting.

Using spreadable types of vegan butter or vegan margarine, which have a higher water content, can make frosting that is too soft and difficult to pipe.

Some recipes also use vegetable shortening to make homemade frosting, but we prefer plant-based butter for the best taste.

Using softened or room-temperature butter makes mixing easier and quicker.

If your frosting is too soft, try refrigerating it for 30 minutes. If it is still too soft, you can beat in some more powdered sugar to thicken it to the right consistency.

If your frosting is too firm, you can beat in a teaspoon of dairy-free milk, such as almond or oat milk, until you reach the desired consistency.

When using an electric mixer to make frosting, always use a large bowl and start on low speed to avoid a mess!

Not sure how much frosting to make? This handy buttercream calculator will help you make sure you make enough frosting for your project!

Useful equipment and supplies

Having good tools will make cupcake decorating easier and look better. I recommend a good quality large reusable piping bag, a coupler, and a variety of stainless steel nozzles.

In the US, not all powdered sugar is vegan, because it can use bone char in the processing, so look out for organic or vegan-certified sugar.

It can be fun to color vanilla buttercream with food coloring - but look for vegan food colors as others may contain animal-derived ingredients such as carmine or cochineal.

Vegan sprinkles (these are so cute!) can also add a colorful and fun finishing touch to your cupcakes!

Vegan frosting recipes

Here you'll find 10 different ways to make and flavor delicious vegan buttercream.

Refined sugar-free frostings

These dairy-free frosting recipes are sweetened with alternatives such as dates, sweet potato, and maple or agave syrup. Great if you are looking for lighter, less sweet vegan frosting recipes.

We hope you found some yummy new vegan frostings to make and enjoy! → Read this next: The Best Vegan Chocolate Desserts: 40 Delicious Ideas!

* Diet disclaimer: Diet information is included as a helpful guide, but can't be guaranteed, especially as external websites may update their recipes. If you are catering for allergies, take care to double-check the recipe and your ingredients.