The Perfect Vegan Buttercream Icing

The Best Vegan Buttercream Icing – Light, Fluffy, and Perfect for Decorating!

Fun fact: years ago, I had my own home-based bakery, and cake decorating was one of my favorite creative outlets. But once I started having babies and homeschooling, my baking days took a backseat. Fast forward to today—when my family made the switch to gluten-free and vegan baking, I knew I had to create a buttercream icing that was just as rich, creamy, and delicious as the original.

Enter this perfect vegan buttercream icing! It’s light, fluffy, and smooth, yet strong enough to hold its shape for decorating cakes, piping cupcakes, or even filling cookie sandwiches. Whether you’re frosting a birthday cake, whipping up a batch of cupcakes, or just licking it straight off the spoon (no judgment!), this dairy-free buttercream is so good, even non-vegans won’t know the difference.

I hope you love this creamy, dreamy, foolproof vegan buttercream as much as I do! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think! 

Ingredients for the Best Vegan Buttercream Icing

• Crisco (Vegetable Shortening) – Helps create a stable, creamy texture that holds up beautifully for decorating.
• Vegan Butter Sticks – Adds richness and flavor, making this buttercream smooth and delicious.
• Powdered Sugar – The key to achieving that sweet, fluffy, and perfectly smooth consistency.
• Oat Milk – Just a splash helps achieve the perfect whipped, creamy texture. Feel free to substitute with any unsweetened dairy-free milk.
• Vanilla Extract – Adds a warm, classic buttercream flavor that makes this icing irresistible!

This light, fluffy, and perfectly pipeable vegan buttercream is easy to make and incredibly versatile—perfect for cakes, cupcakes, cookie sandwiches, or even just a spoonful straight from the bowl! 

How to Make the Best Vegan Buttercream Icing

This vegan buttercream is so easy to make and comes together in just a few steps. I highly recommend using a stand mixer (like a KitchenAid) for the best results, but a hand mixer works too if that’s what you have!

Pro Tip: If you’re in the market for a stand mixer, I cannot recommend KitchenAid enough! I’ve had mine since 2010, and it’s been a total game-changer in my kitchen.

Now, let’s get started!

Step 1: Prep Your Vegan Butter

✔ Let your vegan butter sticks sit out at room temperature for about an hour to soften.
✔ If you’re short on time, unwrap and microwave the butter for just a few seconds until slightly softened—but NOT melted!

Step 2: Cream the Butter & Shortening

✔ In the bowl of your stand mixer (or large mixing bowl), combine:

• 1 cup of Crisco (vegetable shortening)
• 2 cups of softened vegan butter
  ✔ Turn the mixer on medium speed and let it cream together for about a minute, until smooth and free of clumps.

Step 3: Add the Vanilla & Oat Milk

✔ Pour in:

• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons of oat milk
  ✔ Continue to whip for another minute to incorporate.

Step 4: Mix in the Powdered Sugar

✔ Turn off the mixer and add half of the powdered sugar to the bowl.
✔ Start on low speed (trust me on this—you do NOT want a powdered sugar explosion in your kitchen).
✔ Slowly increase the speed until the sugar is fully incorporated.
✔ Turn off the mixer, add the remaining powdered sugar, and repeat the process.

Step 5: Adjust the Consistency & Whip Until Fluffy

✔ Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
✔ If your buttercream feels too thick, add an extra tablespoon of oat milk to soften it slightly.
✔ Whip everything together until the icing is light, fluffy, and perfectly smooth.

Step 6: Use & Enjoy!

✔ Now your perfect vegan buttercream is ready to use! You can:

• Pipe it onto cupcakes 🎂
• Spread it on cakes 🍰
• Use it as a filling for cookie sandwiches 🍪
  ✔ If you want to add color, I highly suggest using natural food dyes instead of artificial ones!

I hope you love this rich, creamy, and completely dairy-free buttercream as much as we do. Happy decorating!

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