5 Ingredient Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Smooth, creamy, tangy, and pipeable, it’s our super simple, 5 ingredient, vegan cream cheese frosting! Perfect for all your chocolate muffins, carrot cakes, and cinnamon bun needs, this vegan frosting is the perfect sweet topping. Whip up a batch, and finish off that bake!
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About Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is basically the same as a buttercream frosting, but with most of the butter replaced with cream cheese. This makes it a little softer, and a bit more temperamental than buttercream. So why make it? The simple answer is because it’s delicious. Cream cheese has that great tang, that adds flavor to frosting even with no vanilla or other extracts or added flavors (although you should really add vanilla). This vegan buttercream is easily spread and piped, holds it’s shape well, and I haven’t found it to be troublesome. Quick note- while this cream cheese frosting was perfect for my purposes, if you are looking for an extra thick or firm frosting you can always add more powdered sugar. Just add a couple tablespoons at a time until it’s the thickness you want. When chilled, it forms hardens enough so that it can be gently touched without smearing, but is still super soft underneath the surface. And most importantly, unlike buttercream frosting, which can make you want to rush to your nearest dentist, cream cheese frosting doesn’t taste overwhelmingly sweet. It’s the perfect frosting.
Looking for Something to put under your frosting? Try one of these!
- Simple Vegan Lemon Cake with Coconut and Almonds
- Vegan Cranberry Banana Bread
- Chocolate Beet Muffins (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free)
- Golden Milk Turmeric Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- No-Wait, Sweet or Savory Easy Vegan Crepes
- Stout, Pecan and Ginger Bread (Vegan)
- Salted Dark Chocolate Vegan Blackberry Brownies
- Vegan Lemon Scones with Lemon Turmeric Glaze
- Walnut and Cinnamon Vegan Coffee Cake
- Try it on Carrot Cake like This one
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
This is a pretty simple recipe, and the ingredients are pretty simple as well. To make this cream cheese frosting you will need-
- Vegan Cream Cheese is, of course, the star of the show. I used a homemade, cultured, cashew-based cream cheese. but you can also use varieties found in stores. Look in the grocery store where the vegan cheeses are- in my store it’s in the produce section by the tofu. Brands currently making vegan cream cheese include Tofutti, Kite Hill, and Miyoko’s. I would avoid the Diaya brand, as it has a bit of an after taste that wouldn’t work as well in this recipe.
- Vegan Butter helps the frosting have the right texture the firms slightly as it’s chilled. There are many different options out there, usually in the same area as the normal butter. I find sticks easier to work with than tubs, and they often have a lower water content which is good for frosting. Make sure to note if your butter is salted or not, as you may not want to add any more salt if your butter already has it.
- Powdered Sugar is what makes the frosting fluffy, and not just fatty. Also called confectioners sugar, powdered sugar may or may not be vegan (especially in the United States), since it is sometimes processed with bone char. To be sure your sugar is vegan, look for brands that are Certified U.S. Organic, or go with a company that advertises not using bone char.
- Vanilla Extract adds a great little touch of flavor
- Lemon Juice is nice to add a little burst of acidity. Depending on what cream cheese you’re using, you may want more or less of it. If you don’t have lemon juice around, you can always use a little white vinegar instead, but use it sparingly.
How to Make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
There really aren’t a lot of tips for making cream cheese frosting, because it’s pretty easy to do. It’s best to use a stand mixer, although you could make it work with a hand mixer and a little arm muscle. Before you get started, let your butter sit out on the counter to warm up a little. You want it just about room temperature so it whips up easily, although not so warm that it begins to melt. Whip the cream cheese and the butter together first, and let it whip until it’s light and fluffy. Then add the remaining ingredients, aside from the sugar, and mix on a lowers speed until combined. Add the powdered sugar in two batches, on a low speed to avoid it flying up into the air and covering your kitchen in white powder. Once it’s been trapped in the cream cheese mixture, you can increase the speed of the mixer and beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. If your kitchen is really warm, you might want to let the frosting cool before using it. If not, get spreading and piping!
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan cream cheese
- ¼ cup vegan butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp- 1 tbsp. lemon juice, to taste
- 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
Instructions
- Before starting, let your butter sit out on the counter for 15 minutes. Place the vegan cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer, and mix until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and lemon juice (start with just one teaspoon) and combine. Add half the powdered sugar, and use the mixer on low until incorporated. Add the other half, and mix on low until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed, and let mix for a couple minutes until smooth and fluffy. Taste the frosting, and mix in 1-2 more tsp. of lemon juice if you want it a little tarter. Use cream cheese frosting straight away, or store in an airtight container or piping bag.
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