Finally! A ultra rich and smooth vegan cream cheese frosting that not only tastes like the real thing but is made with whole food ingredients!
If I told you I have been putting this on everything, I would not be lying. It has this addictive tangy sweetness I just can’t get enough of! I especially love that it’s made with whole foods instead of processed dairy free alternatives.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Most of the vegan cream cheese frosting recipes I have seen use store bought vegan cream cheese as a base, or really just don’t have that sweet tang I love. So when my husband took the first bite of this, I think I saw rainbows come out of his eyes. Legit.
What frosting is vegan?
Traditional frosting, especially buttercream, uses milk and butter. But it’s really easy to sub both of those with dairy free alternatives and still get a great result.
The real trick though, is how to make a vegan frosting using a more whole foods based approach. This is exactly what I did here. Now keep in mind, that the cream cheese frosting I made is not the light and fluffy cool whip like frosting. It’s more of a thicker icing. But SO SO much better!
I used cashews for the base, and then mixed in a touch of coconut cream for structure along with lime juice and white vinegar for tang! The lime juice here is key. It yields a way better tang for cream cheese frosting than lemon!
Can I make vegan cream cheese frosting ahead of time?
Yes! In fact this needs to be chilled in the refrigerator overnight to thicken. The heat of the blender melt it a bit, which is how it gets so creamy. So it’s best to put it in the fridge or even freezer for a thicker result.
Does vegan frosting need to be refrigerated?
Because vegan frosting does not contain any real dairy, it can be left out much longer than the dairy variety. However if it is warm, this frosting will melt a bit so it is best for it to be stored in the refrigerator.
How to store vegan cream cheese frosting
I put my frosting in an air tight glass container. This keeps it from drying out and keeps the flavor sealed tight!
How long does cream cheese frosting last?
If you have any tastebuds, this won’t last long!! But it is still good for about 7-10 days. The flavor gets deeper as the days go on, so even after a week this vegan frosting was delicious!
You can store it in the freezer however to keep it long term.
How to Make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
There are two ways I trialed when making this vegan frosting, my food processor and my vitamix. Because of the very low amount of liquid in this, my food processor was my first go to. In general, it’s the best choice for things without a lot of liquid.
Because the cashews are soaked for this recipe, the end result after a lot of processing was pretty dang smooth. Buuuuuut, it didn’t have the amount of silkiness I wanted. It still tasted amazing though!
So I did a trial in my Vitamix. Holy. Cr@p. Here’s the trick, use the tamper tool at first and pulse pulse tamper tamper until the ingredients are moving along. Once they are, take our the tamper and let the blender so what it was born to do. Silky, smooth amazingness.
This vegan cream cheese frosting is so easy!
- Blend
- Refrigerate to thicken (best left alone until the next day)
Where to use this vegan frosting
Like I said, ALL THE THINGS. Really though, here are a few ideas on using this cream cheese frosting, other than just shoving your face down unto the bowl:
- Dip fruit in it
- As icing on these vegan oatmeal cookies, or make a cookie sandwich
- This incredible vegan carrot cake
- These rich vegan chocolate cupcakes, you can even replace the ice cream for this frosting.
- These delicious vegan vanilla cupcakes.
Decorating tips
I’m just going to put it out there…I am not a pinterest worthy decorator. Don’t ask about the time my son asked me for a BB8 cake for his birthday…let’s just say he cried. Like I should be the poster child for pinterest fails. Really.
So I’m not exactly one to give you decorating advice, however I am really good at easy tips that even I can’t screw up!
- Make sure you refrigerate this, or even freeze it a bit to get it nice and firm.
- I like to use a spoon and simple drop a spoonful on the top of the cupcake and use the back of the spoon to smooth out.
- You can use a piping bag to get a little fancy too!
- I love these vegan sprinkles because they add a pop of color and they are naturally colored instead of using synthetic dyes.
- You can shave chocolate over it for another easy contrast
- When frosting, you can cover the whole top, or just do the center and look hip and fancy!
Finally! A ultra rich and smooth vegan cream cheese frosting that not only tastes like the real thing but is made with whole food ingredients!
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked overnight or at least 6 hours
- 5 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coconut cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Put everything into a high speed blender. Using the tamper tool slowly begin to pulse until the ingredients blend. This will take some effort and time, but be patient. Eventually the heat from the blender will begin to move everything and blend it into an ultra creamy consistency.
- Put in an airtight container and allow to set in the fridge overnight. It will firm up. For an even firmer consistency put in the freezer.
- If you do not have a high spend blender, this can be made in a food processor or regular blender. It won’t get as smooth as with a high speed one, but it will eventually smooth out enough.
Equipment
- Make sure you soak the cashews. It’s really important for the texture and flavor of this recipe. If you forget you can boil them for 30 minutes.
- If you try and sub with apple cider vinegar, you won’t get as much of a tang.
- This makes 2 ½ cups of frosting. Serving size is 2 tablespoons.
Amy says
This looks delicious! I don’t eat refined sugars. Any suggestions? Have you tried using honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar? Thanks!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Amy! I used unrefined cane sugar in this. But you can also use coconut sugar, however the flavor will change a bit since coconut sugar has a more caramel like flavor. This is why I needed the cane sugar, for the best cream cheese taste. You can try maple syrup but because it is not a dry sugar the frosting will not be as thick.
Nina says
Definitely agree with Brandi, this looks dangerously good! I can’t wait to try! I think this would be perfect on some pumpkin spice cupcakes!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Nina! And how did you know?! Pumpkin spice cupcakes coming to you Monday!!!!
The Vegan 8 says
This looks so good girl! I’m pretty sure I’d just be content eating it with just a spoon out of the bowl. I don’t need any baked goods! lol!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so so much!!! And I did…no shame!