Quick vegan frosting recipe with buttercream flavors is perfect for cupcakes or cakes. Takes only 20 minutes to make using vegan sugar and vegan shortening.

Vegan buttercream frosting is easy to make.  Sure, I have to do air quotes every time I say those three words together, but, it is worth it.

I love frosting just as much as the next gal.  I love licking the bowl and the mixture blade.  It may not come as surprise to you that I can sit with a bowl of frosting in my lap as I work on the computer or watch a movie

A black spoon filled with vegan buttercream frosting on clear paper

The frosting gets consumed even before the copyright warnings are done.  For the rest of the movie, I am licking the bowl clean.

However, I am not a fan of eggs.  Never have been and never will be.

So, I have perfected a buttercream recipe over the years and finally I have a product that is worth licking the bowl over.

Closeup view of a single flower made from piping vegan buttercream frosting

This frosting uses shortening because it holds up great when decorating cakes or cupcakes.

I added (affiliate link) natural pink coloring that I bought online.  They are very affordable and they use all natural ingredients to make the coloring.  I used this buttercream frosting on my strawberry cupcakes and mini strawberry cupcakes.

If you like this vegan dessert recipe, try my vegan crinkle cookies too.

How to make vegan frosting

1 .  Take 1 cup of (affiliate link) vegan confectioners sugar.  I like to sieve the sugar in a separate bowl and set it aside.

Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes. This is a fun recipe to make and it takes only a few minutes to make. Vegetarian dessert recipe

2.  In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of vegetable shortening

Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes. This is a fun recipe to make and it takes only a few minutes to make. Vegetarian dessert recipe

3.  Using a hand mixture, blend on low speed for about 7 minutes or until it becomes smooth.  Add vanilla essence and blend for 30 more seconds

Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes. This is a fun recipe to make and it takes only a few minutes to make. Vegetarian dessert recipe

4.  Add the sieved confectioners sugar to the shortening

Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes. This is a fun recipe to make and it takes only a few minutes to make. Vegetarian dessert recipe

5.  Blend with a hand mixture on low speed.  Blend until the shortening and sugar mix

6.  Add 1 Tbsp of almond milk and blend again.  Blend until all the mixture is blended well together and it is light and fluffy.

Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes. This is a fun recipe to make and it takes only a few minutes to make. Vegetarian dessert recipe

7.  Add 1-2 drops of natural food coloring and mix well.

Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes. This is a fun recipe to make and it takes only a few minutes to make. Vegetarian dessert recipe

8.  Frost with it immediately and serve.

Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes. This is a fun recipe to make and it takes only a few minutes to make. Vegetarian dessert recipe

Note: Refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks. To use after refrigeration, remove and let it stand until room temperature. Blend for a few minutes before using it.

Buttercream Vegan Frosting

Rini
Quick vegan buttercream recipe for cupcakes or cakes.
Go Ahead, Rate it now!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 5 servings
Calories 456 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Sieve confectioners sugar in a bowl and set it aside
  • In a separate bowl, add vegetable shortening
  • Using a hand mixture, blend on low speed for about 7 minutes or until it becomes smooth.
  • Add the vanilla essence and sieved confectioners sugar to the shortening
  • Blend with a hand mixture on low speed. Blend until the shortening and sugar mix.
  • Add almond milk and food coloring
  • Blend until all the mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Frost with it immediately and serve.

Notes

  •  Refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks. To use after refrigeration, remove and let it become room temperature. Blend for a few minutes before using it.??
  • If you don’t have powdered sugar, take the regular vegan sugar and finely grind it in a coffee or spice blender

Nutrition

Serving: 2gCalories: 456kcalCarbohydrates: 23gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 6mgSugar: 23gCalcium: 4mg
Keyword easy vegan frosting recipe, how to make vegan frosting
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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38 Comments

  1. This looks great. Could I substitute “stevia in the raw” for the confectioners sugar? The package says it measures cup for cup with sugar.

    1. Thank you, Caroline. I am not a fan of stevia, so, I can’t answer that. I would suggest experimenting with it. The main thing to keep in mind is to make sure that it will freeze well. I am afraid that it might become soft at room temperature?

  2. Can I use margarine instead of shortening? If so, how much?
    Would it hold up for making designs? and if I color the frosting made from margarine, how much color would I use so that it doesn’t upset the consistency?

    1. Thank you, Rebecca. I have used margarine a couple times and it is good. However, it only works on desserts that should be consumed immediately. I used them on cupcakes and they tasted great but I don’t know if they will work on cake decorations or designs. The shortening is much better for that.

    2. In my experience if you’re not using shortening you should use real butter because margarine contains a lot of water and therefore melts faster and get soft. I doesn’t hold up designs like piped flowers.
      I myself live in a hot climate so I always use shortening because the melting point is a lot higher than both margarine and butter.
      The shortening forms a slight crust which is good if you wanna a pipe buttercream flowers .
      Hope it was helpful.

    3. Thank you, Louise. Yes, I would love to use real butter, but, I wanted to keep this vegan. I have tried vegan butter but it doesn’t hold up well.

  3. Hi! What kind of vegetable shortening do you use? I am not from the US, so I am not sure what exactly should I use… Thanks! 🙂

    1. Thank you, Lauren. Yes, you can absolutely swap with vegan butter. I like shortening because it lasts longer when refrigerated.

    1. Thank you, Debra. I will make you a fresh batch and send it to you just for your wonderful comments.

  4. I had no clue you could make vegan buttercream! I’m currently dairy free and feel like I’ve been missing out on some of the good meals that I used to eat… But this defiantly makes this whole deal better! Plus I can make ONE batch for cupcakes etc for everyone not just separate desserts for myself & the rest of the family!

    1. Thank you, Kaitie. That is so true. This frosting is for people with all kinds of dietary needs.

  5. I, too, eat frosting as a dessert right out of the bowl!! No judgement. 😉 I was trying to make vegan buttercream this summer while visiting my parents in Boston and I tried to find shortening at their grocery store – haha – I talked to two different people who hadn’t even heard of shortening before. I think our stores here in the south dedicate half an aisle to shortening… The pink looks gorgeous! Can’t wait to see your cupcake recipe.

    1. Thank you, Erin. That is so funny! I never thought about shortening to be a mostly southern ingredient until now. It makes sense, but, the northerners are missing out on a very delicious ingredient, right?