Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (Dairy-Free!)

104 Shares

This Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting is pipeable, creamy and completely dairy-free! It's slightly tangy and uses just 4 simple ingredients. And it is delicious on any cake or cupcake recipe.

Cupcake with vegan and dairy free cream cheese frosting piped on top of it.

There are so many types of frosting out there. From Vegan Whipped Cream Frosting to American-style frostings like Blueberry Frosting and even Ermine Frosting. I love to experiment with new types to see how they pipe and frost.

But, the best has to be cream cheese frosting. It's a little less sweet, it's slightly tangy, and complements nearly all cakes and cupcakes beautifully. So, let's get into how to make it.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Step by Step Instructions
Uses
Recipe FAQs
Expert Recipe Tips
Looking for More Vegan Dessert Recipes?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This recipe only requires 4 ingredients and just 10 minutes of active time!
This Cream Cheese Frosting is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free so anyone can enjoy it!
It's smooth, creamy and perfectly pipeable.
It pairs well with any cake or cupcake.
And most importantly, it's absolutely delicious!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for this recipe in small bowls on a white cloth.

Dairy-Free Cream Cheese: The only vegan cream cheese I recommend for this recipe is Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese! It's the most stable and the most firm.

Vegan Butter: Be sure to use a vegan butter that comes in stick form. My favorite is Soy-Free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.

Step by Step Instructions

Creamed vegan butter in a large mixing bowl with a rubber spatula inside the bowl.

Step 1. First, in a bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter until completely smooth.

Vegan cream cheese folded into the vegan butter in a mixing bowl with a rubber spatula in it.

Step 2. Next, fold the vegan cream cheese into the vegan butter by hand using a rubber spatula until it's just combined.

Powdered sugar and vanilla mixed into the cream cheese mixture in a mixing bowl.

Step 3. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth, then add the vanilla and mix to combine. Only mix until the mixture is smooth.

Chilled Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting in a mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to the left.

Step 4. Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the frosting to chill for at least an hour before piping onto cupcakes or frosting a cake.

Uses

Use this vegan cream cheese frosting to:

Frost a Vegan Red Velvet Cake or a Vegan Carrot Cake
Pipe onto Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes or Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Fill Vegan Chocolate Whoopie Pies
And so much more! This stuff is delicious on everything.

Recipe FAQs

How should I store this Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting?

Scoop the frosting into an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Which is better cream cheese or butter cream frosting?

It depends! Cream cheese frosting has a slight tang and is less sweet. And, it also needs to be refrigerated. Buttercream frosting is sweeter but can sit out at room temperature for much longer than cream cheese frosting can.

Is it possible to overwhip cream cheese frosting?

Yes. Cream cheese becomes looser the longer it's whipped. So, for the thickest cream cheese frosting, mix only until everything comes together.

Do you need to refrigerate a cake with cream cheese frosting?

Yes! And cakes or cupcakes frosted with cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated.

Expert Recipe Tips

Make sure the vegan butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before starting this recipe.

Be sure to fold the dairy-free cream cheese in by hand. Cream cheese becomes looser the more it's mixed. So, for a thick and pipeable Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, fold the cream cheese in by hand and only mix the frosting until its smooth and creamy.

Don't skip the chill time if you want to pipe the frosting or stack a cake with it! It will firm the frosting up to the perfect texture.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting in a bowl on a white cloth.

Looking for More Vegan Dessert Recipes?

If you tried this Dairy-Free Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

📖 Recipe