If you’ve made the switch to a vegan lifestyle, you shouldn’t worry about cutting out delicious treats like icing.
Check out our list of the easiest vegan icing recipes in the world. Pair these icings with an easy vegan cake recipe for a dessert you’ll never forget!
1. Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
The trick to making a great frosting or icing is ensuring that the consistency matches the dessert you want to pair it with, whether cakes, brownies, or donuts. You’ll find that this vegan chocolate buttercream recipe works with almost everything.
As far as vegan icing recipes go, few are as silky smooth as this chocolate buttercream option. It’s completely free of all animal products, and it’s easy to make, especially if you have a hand mixer.
All you need to make this remarkable icing is:
- · Vegan butter
- · Powdered sugar
- · Cocoa powder
- · Unsweetened soy milk
- · Vanilla extract
- · Vegan dark chocolate
With dark chocolate and cocoa powder, this icing is as chocolatey as you can imagine!
2. Vegan Vanilla Frosting
With only four ingredients, you can make a vegan frosting that’s delicious, versatile, and highly spreadable. You can use it on almost any dessert recipe, making it an excellent addition to your baking repertoire.
This particular frosting is vanilla flavored, making it great for cakes or cupcakes. But you could throw some on a vegan oatmeal cookie if the urge came upon you!
You can whip this frosting up in less than ten minutes using only vanilla extract, vegan butter, soy milk, and powdered sugar. And if you have an electric beater, it could take even less time.
3. Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Have you ever wanted chocolate so badly that you’d be willing to do almost anything to get it? Well, if you haven’t felt that way before, you might after you try this deliciously simple chocolate frosting.
Especially helpful if you’re into baking vegan layer cakes, this chocolate frosting is rich and creamy. It’s almost indistinguishable from non-vegan frosting. It might even be a little bit better!
All you need to mix this frosting is vegan dark chocolate, full-fat coconut milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer for the best results, and make sure you chill your frosting before spreading it.
4. Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Another excellent chocolate frosting recipe is this masterpiece from Simply Green Recipes. With five ingredients you can find anywhere, you’ll have a delicious bowl of creamy chocolate frosting in under five minutes.
All you need for this recipe is:
- Vegan butter
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Non-dairy milk
- Vanilla extract
Make sure you cream the vegan butter for about two minutes before adding anything else.
One of the things we love about this recipe is that you can pick which kind of dairy-free milk you want to use. Full-fat coconut milk is always an excellent option for making creamy frostings. But soy, almond, and oat milk will work perfectly in this recipe too.
5. Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Don’t let the fact that “buttercream” is in the title distract you because vegans can enjoy buttercream frosting, too! This recipe from Nora Cooks is excellent for cakes, cupcakes, and decorating cookies.
It pipes as well as any non-vegan frosting out there, and it delivers on a delightful flavor that perfectly resembles buttercream.
You need a vegan butter that you know you like to make this frosting. Then you just need powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and your favorite creamy non-dairy milk. The flavor of the butter will play a big role in the taste of your frosting, so it’s critical to choose your favorite.
If you want to make this icing extra indulgent, you can use macadamia milk for its creamy texture and rich taste.
6. Vegan Icing
Check out this excellent vegan icing recipe when you need something a little thinner but still has a lovely taste. It’s perfect for glazes, whether you’ve made vegan donuts, cupcakes, or brownies.
You can also thicken this icing recipe to give it a different texture. It’s really up to what you prefer and what your vegan dessert calls for. So feel free to play around with the instructions until you’re satisfied.
You’ll need coconut oil, powdered sugar, and a flavor that you love for this recipe. You can add:
- Vanilla
- Lemon zest
- Blackberries
- Cinnamon
- Cocoa powder
Feel free to flavor the icing with whatever your heart desires. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
7. Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Nothing beats chocolate frosting. It’s a simple fact of life that chocolate frosting makes everything better! And a vegan chocolate frosting is the perfect answer to any question that might plague your mind as you navigate the world of vegan baking.
If you want a rich, glossy frosting or glaze, then give this recipe a try. It proves that you don’t need dairy to make a genuinely delectable frosting.
This recipe is simple: all you need is powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and your favorite vegan butter. Add boiling water to the mix, and you’ve got yourself the perfect vegan chocolate frosting for cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and so much more.
8. Vegan Vanilla Frosting
With four simple ingredients and no dairy, this vanilla frosting recipe is the perfect addition to any dessert. This recipe will take you less than ten minutes if you have a hand beater.
If you don’t have a hand beater, that should be your next appliance investment. It’s much easier to make delicious vegan frosting with a trusty hand beater. Nothing gets your vegan butter creamier.
For this recipe, you don’t need much. With some soft vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and unsweetened soy milk, you can put together a delightful frosting or glaze that will please any guest or fussy kid.
9. Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
When you mix chocolate and buttercream, you get something extraordinary. And sweet treats don’t get any better than this fluffy buttercream recipe that is packed with a chocolate flavor.
When you need something a little thicker than icing and a creamier than regular vegan frosting, use this chocolate buttercream frosting that only requires six ingredients.
All you need for this recipe is:
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Non-dairy milk of your choosing
- Unsalted vegan butter
With these simple ingredients, you can create a vegan frosting that will leave your non-vegan friends speechless!
10. 5-Minute Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Do you need to put together a light and creamy vegan frosting in about five minutes? Well, even if you have all the time in the world, sometimes it’s just better to make a quick icing.
With a few simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store, you can put together a delightful buttercream frosting option that passes for the real thing. You can mimic those flavors without any real butter or cream without much effort.
All you need is your favorite vegan butter, confectioners’ sugar, full-fat coconut milk, and pure vanilla extract for this recipe. It’s essential to get pure vanilla extract because that will add a depth of flavor.
11. Easiest Vegan Buttercream Ever
Now, this recipe markets itself as the easiest vegan buttercream icing ever. While we like to think these recipes are relatively simple, this one might take the cake (pardon the pun) with ease.
One of the great things about this recipe is its extreme versatility. You can thicken it if you need something closer to frosting consistency. Or you can leave it thin if you want a pipable icing. Either way, it’s delicious and simple, and you’re going to love it!
For this recipe, you’ll need vegan butter, powdered sugar, a liquid of some kind, and vanilla extract. For the liquid, you can use whatever you prefer. Water, dairy-free milk, lemon juice: as long as it’s liquid, it will work.
12. Basic Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Don’t let the name fool you: just because this frosting is basic doesn’t mean it’s boring. As far as vegan chocolate frosting goes, this is probably one of the best options.
We love this recipe because of its simplicity. Vegan frosting shouldn’t require hours of labor to produce something delightful, and this recipe perfectly embodies that principle.
You can make a perfect frosting with:
- Powdered sugar
- Vegan butter
- Cocoa powder
- A dash of salt
- Vanilla
- Dairy-free milk
It’s incredibly versatile, with adjustments to make it thicker or thinner depending on your needs.
13. Vegan Buttercream Frosting
When you need a buttercream frosting for a delicious cake, make sure you give this vegan buttercream frosting from Jessica a try. It’s light, fluffy, and it tastes divine.
We love this frosting because it melts in your mouth. You won’t be able to tell that it’s vegan, and neither will your friends. So be sure to whip this up the next time you have a big get-together to impress them with your skills.
All you need to make this delectable vegan frosting is powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla extract, and dairy-free milk. You can use whatever milk you prefer, but remember, the creamier, the better.
14. Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
We love buttercream frosting, and we love chocolate buttercream frosting even more. It’s hard to imagine using anything else to decorate your desserts when you find the right balance of creamy, fluffy, and flavorful.
This recipe combines all of the best things: chocolate, buttercream, and vegan ingredients. And you know what makes it extra special? It’s completely freezer-friendly, so you can make a big batch and save it for later!
All you need for this delightful frosting recipe is:
- Vegan butter
- Dairy-free milk
- Vanilla extract
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Powdered sugar
The recipe recommends organic powdered sugar to ensure its cruelty-free and a tad healthier.
15. Vegan Buttercream Frosting
The blog name says it all: this icing recipe is flippin’ delicious! It’s fluffy, it’s creamy, it’s buttercream, and it’s completely vegan. There’s nothing you could add to make this vegan buttercream any better.
This is the perfect addition, whether you’re making cakes, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, or something else that’s divine. As long as you have a hand mixer to beat it all together, it will take no time to get this frosting ready.
You need vegan shortening, vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and dairy-free milk to make this recipe. You can use any type of milk substitute that you prefer. If you want to make this icing thinner, you can leave out the shortening.
16. Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Sometimes, you just need a cupcake. It usually helps if that cupcake is slathered in delicious, creamy frosting. Living a vegan lifestyle should never stop you from being able to enjoy these simple pleasures.
The critical thing about this recipe is its creaminess. You can thin it out to give it an icing texture if you want, but you’ll miss out on the delightful consistency.
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Your favorite vegan butter
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
- A plant-based creamer
The creamer is the secret ingredient that makes this frosting so delightfully fluffy.
17 Vegan Vanilla Icing
Let’s say you’ve just made a fresh batch of vegan cinnamon rolls. They’re piping hot, with steam rolling off their doughy form in an unmistakable glorious waft. They smell good enough to eat right then and there.
But then you remember that cinnamon rolls are always better with a vegan icing drizzled over the top. And all you need to make this icing is powdered sugar, dairy-free milk of some kind, and vanilla extract.
This vegan vanilla icing is lovely in its simplicity. If you’ve ever wondered how easy and delicious it can be to whip up some vegan icing, you need to give this recipe a try immediately.
18. Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Do you know what you can accomplish in 10 minutes with only three ingredients? Maybe many different things, but in particular, you can put together a creamy vegan buttercream frosting that is divine.
The trick to this recipe is using soft but not melted vegan butter. You want it to be cold when you start mixing it to retain the creamy quality. Using a hand mixer is your best bet to get the butter light and fluffy.
Once your butter is at the right consistency, you will throw in some pure vanilla extract. This is going to give your frosting a rich flavor. Once that’s mixed in well, you will gradually add the powdered sugar to bring your frosting to perfect completion.
19. Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate frosting that has a little extra chocolate is always a good idea. It doesn’t matter what dessert you’re making the frosting for; the more chocolate you can add, the better for everyone.
When your frosting is rich and delicious, there’s hardly anything to do but celebrate. With vegan chocolate frosting this good, don’t torture yourself: go ahead and lick the bowl clean when you’re finished!
For this recipe, you need just a few simple ingredients. You’ll need dairy-free milk, vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, coffee grounds, vegan dark chocolate, and cocoa powder.
20. Easy Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Finding the right vegan buttercream frosting means finding something that will work regardless of what dessert you want it to top.
That’s where this delightful option comes in. Everything about this recipe makes it a very traditional buttercream frosting, only with a vegan twist.
You only need four ingredients and ten minutes. With some vegan butter, dairy-free milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, you’ll have a delightful buttercream frosting that you can put on anything.
21. Vegan Vanilla Frosting
We love versatile vegan frosting recipes that you can adapt texture, taste, and consistency. Depending on your preference, you can do all of that with this vegan vanilla recipe.
Whether you need a light glaze or frosting for piping, this recipe will be your best friend. You’ll have a frosting designed to work no matter what with these simple ingredients:
- Vegan butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
- Dairy-free milk
Simply leave the vegan butter out to give it a runnier consistency. Or you can add more and make it creamier!
22. Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Want to step up your frosting repertoire? This vegan cream cheese frosting by Minimalist Baker is the perfect recipe for cinnamon rolls and carrot cake.
You’ll use vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vegan butter to make this delicious dessert topping. The best part? This recipe takes less than ten minutes.
This recipe makes eight servings and will keep for five days, so you’ll be spooning frosting out of the bowl for a while!
23. Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Sometimes you need a flavor other than vanilla and chocolate to take your sweet treats to the next level. With this zesty frosting option, you’ll wow your guests and impress yourself!
The flavor is the result of a few star ingredients, including:
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioner’s sugar
If you’re making this for kids, you’ll be happy to know that this frosting takes color well. Add some vegan food coloring to elevate this buttercream frosting.
It’s the perfect consistency to make your vegan dessert dreams come true!
Easy Vegan Icing Recipes, Final Thoughts
Making a vegan icing recipe doesn’t have to be a struggle. With so many great options available, it’s easy to see why the vegan movement is gaining traction. And when the desserts taste this good, who would want to be anything but vegan?
Check out one of these vegan icing recipes for an easy way to dress up your dessert and impress your friends.