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Make light and fluffy vegan lemon buttercream frosting with just 3 base ingredients (regular or keto) and either a stand mixer or handheld mixer. This delicious dairy-free lemon frosting is perfect for spreading and piping work, with an adjustable consistency!
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Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Light and Fluffy Vegan Lemon Frosting Recipe!
- The Ingredients for Vegan Lemon Frosting
- How to Make Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting?
- FAQs
- Toni’s Recipe Tips and Notes
- Storage Instructions
- How To Use Vegan Lemon Buttercream
- More Delicious Vegan Frosting Recipes
- Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Light and Fluffy Vegan Lemon Frosting Recipe!
Vegan baking is becoming easier every day! This easy dairy-free lemon buttercream a perfect example. It is bursting with tangy citrus flavor and a creamy, rich sweetness (and you can’t even tell it’s vegan)! Once prepared, it’s thick and fluffy enough for both spreading and piping (with a piping bag) over cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. My favorites are fruity combinations, like vegan lemon cupcakes, as well as blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry cake/cupcakes!).
Best of all, this recipe requires only 3 easy ingredients. Plus, it can be prepared with or without a stand mixer, so let’s jump right in! And don’t skip over my plain vanilla buttercream and lemon glaze icing, if you want those as options!
The Ingredients for Vegan Lemon Frosting
- Lemon: You’ll need fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for this all-natural lemon buttercream frosting. Use an unwaxed lemon, or else you’ll need to remove the wax first (read FAQs for method).
An average-sized lemon yields between 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice and around a tablespoon of lemon zest.
- Powdered sugar: Use regular powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar). OR for a keto lemon frosting recipe, use a powdered sugar substitute (like erythritol).
Not all powdered sugar is vegan, as they often use bone char during the processing. However, organic sugar is always vegan, and there are brands labeled vegan, too.
- Vegan butter: Use room temperature (softened) unsalted vegan butter (not margarine). It’s best to use stick plant-based butter, not tubs, like Miyoko’s or Earth Balance. Avoid vegan butter that is soft straight from the fridge.
If you only have salted, it will work but will affect the flavor. Also, it won’t allow you to control the amount of sodium added to the vegan lemon frosting recipe.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure, natural vanilla for the best flavor.
Optional Add-ins & Recipe Variations
- Salt: A small amount of salt will help balance against the powdered sugar’s sweetness. Add a pinch to begin and adjust the amount to taste.
- Plant-Based Milk/Cream: You could use your favorite plant milk/cream (like almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc.) to adjust the consistency of this dairy-free lemon frosting. Any of those will create a lighter texture, and the latter will also add further rich and creamy depth.
- Lemon extract: A few drops of lemon extract would work if you want to further boost the lemon flavor in this vegan lemon frosting recipe.
- Lemon vegan cream cheese frosting: Use a combination of full-fat vegan cream cheese and vegan shortening (which will work better than vegan butter for a pipeable homemade lemon frosting) or vegan butter.
- Another citrus: It’s really easy to adapt this vegan buttercream frosting recipe using other types of citrus fruit. Use a combination of lemon and orange juice or swap out the lemon entirely for orange, grapefruit, tangerine, etc.
How to Make Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting?
Step 1: First, zest and juice the lemon. Avoid the white pith when zesting, as it’s bitter.
Step 2: Next, Either in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl using a handheld electric mixer, add the room temperature vegan butter and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
To get the most juice from the lemon, roll it several times across the kitchen counter. It can help further to first microwave the lemon for 20-30 seconds, until warm. Then, save any leftover zest and/or juice in an ice cube tray in the freezer for 3 months.
Step 3: Next, slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, a little at a time, while continuously beating until it’s thoroughly combined and smooth. Then, add the lemon juice and zest and vanilla extract and beat for a further 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy!
**Don’t add too much powdered sugar at a time, or you’ll end up with a cloud of it across yourself and your kitchen!
Step 4: Finally, give it a taste and adjust the amount of lemon/vanilla to taste. Also, adjust the texture if necessary as well.
As written, this recipe makes for a thick lemon frosting, perfect for piping. If you prefer something a little smoother, thinner, then add some plant-based milk, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
FAQs
It’s not recommended. Dairy-free margarine usually contains more water, so the consistency will differ. It won’t set in the same way as regular buttercream. However, if it’s all you have, you can try it.
Adding extra powdered sugar will help to thicken the frosting but will also make it sweeter, so feel free to add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
Alternatively, if you’re preparing the vegan lemon buttercream frosting specifically as stiff piping, replacing half of the plant butter with vegan shortening may be beneficial.
However, if the frosting is only slightly thin, you may find that chilling it in the refrigerator for a short while is all that’s needed (but only if you will also store the baked good in the refrigerator until serving).
This recipe should make enough to cover a two-layer 8-inch cake, a 9×13-inch sheet cake, or about 12-16 piped cupcakes (more if spreading with a knife).
It is possible. it will just take longer and be more effort. Simply use a large bowl and wooden spoon.
Luckily, it’s pretty easy to do. First, place the lemon in a bowl and pour in some boiled water and allow it to sit for 10 seconds. Then, use a vegetable brush to gently clean the lemon under warm running water.
Toni’s Recipe Tips and Notes
- To avoid lumps: It’s best to sift the icing sugar before adding it to the beaten vegan butter.
- Use softened vegan butter: Otherwise, it won’t beat as smoothly. If you need to soften the butter quickly, pour boiling water into a glass or bowl and leave it to sit for a minute or two. Then remove the liquid and place the cup/bowl over your butter (make sure it’s not touching the glass). It will be soft in no time. Alternatively, grate the plant butter into your bowl/stand mixer bowl, and it’ll be soft in no time!
- Adjust the amount of powdered sugar: Non-vegan American buttercream uses a 2:1 ratio of powdered sugar to butter. However, I found I needed more for the best texture. The exact amount will differ based on the vegan butter used. So feel free not to use the full amount listed, if it’s not necessary to reach your desired consistency.
- To make homemade powdered sugar: If you’ve run out of confectioners sugar, here’s how you can make your own. Add the granulated sugar (or a granulated sweetener) to either a high-speed blender or coffee/spice grinder. Then process into a powered consistency. Make sure to sift it through a fine-mesh sieve afterward.
- To color the frosting: Add a few drops of natural yellow food coloring based on how vibrant you want the vegan lemon frosting to be. A small pinch of ground turmeric would also work, but be careful not to add too much. Otherwise, you’ll be able to taste it.
- Frost cooled bakes: Wait until the baked good has cooled before using the vegan lemon frosting, so it doesn’t melt.
- Chill before piping: It can help to chill the frosting for just 10-15 minutes before using it for piping.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: You can store the prepared vegan lemon frosting either in the refrigerator for 5 days in an airtight container.
Freezer: You can also freeze this lemon frosting for up to 3 months!
Before using it, allow it to come back to room temperature. Then lightly beat once more to return it to the light and fluffy consistency.
How To Use Vegan Lemon Buttercream
- Cakes: This vegan buttercream frosting is perfect for using over round cakes or sheet cake. It pairs well with light flavors, like vanilla or coconut, as well as many fruit flavors!
- Cupcakes: This lemon frosting tastes fantastic with vegan lemon cupcakes, as well as vanilla, blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry cupcakes.
- Cake Pops: This delicious lemon buttercream would make for yummy cake pops!
- Cookies: Use to frost classic sugar cookies or lemon cookies (like lemon shortbread, lemon blueberry cookies, or lemon lavender cookies) or make ‘sandwich’ cookies with frosting fillings, using these cookies or even macarons.
- Dip/Spread: Especially if you have leftover frosting, don’t let it go to waste! Use it as a special treat spread on crackers or with fruit.
More Delicious Vegan Frosting Recipes
Vegan Desserts
Vanilla Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Vegan Desserts
Easy Biscoff Buttercream Frosting
Vegan Desserts
Easy Peanut Butter Frosting
Vegan Desserts
3-Ingredient Lemon Glaze
If you tried this vegan lemon buttercream frosting recipe or any other no on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
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Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting
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Ingredients
- 1 cup of softened unsalted vegan butter at room temperature (salted is fine, if that’s what you have)
- 1 package confectioner’s sugar (3 ½ cups) (1-pound) package
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you’re using a handheld electric mixer), add the room temperature vegan butter. Whisk the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar while continuously beating the vegan butter. Add in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat for an additional three minutes until light and fluffy.
Notes
- To avoid lumps: It’s best to sift the icing sugar before adding it to the beaten vegan butter.
- Use softened vegan butter: Otherwise, it won’t beat as smoothly. If you need to soften the butter quickly, pour boiling water into a glass or bowl and leave it to sit for a minute or two. Then remove the liquid and place the cup/bowl over your butter (make sure it’s not touching the glass). It will be soft in no time. Alternatively, grate the plant butter into your bowl/stand mixer bowl, and it’ll be soft in no time!
- Adjust the amount of powdered sugar: Non-vegan American buttercream uses a 2:1 ratio of powdered sugar to butter. However, I found I needed more for the best texture. The exact amount will differ based on the vegan butter used. So feel free not to use the full amount listed, if it’s not necessary to reach your desired consistency.
- To make homemade powdered sugar: If you’ve run out of confectioners sugar, here’s how you can make your own. Add the granulated sugar (or a granulated sweetener) to either a high-speed blender or coffee/spice grinder. Then process into a powered consistency. Make sure to sift it through a fine-mesh sieve afterward.
- To color the frosting: Add a few drops of natural yellow food coloring based on how vibrant you want the vegan lemon frosting to be. A small pinch of ground turmeric would also work, but be careful not to add too much. Otherwise, you’ll be able to taste it.
- Frost cooled bakes: Wait until the baked good has cooled before using the vegan lemon frosting, so it doesn’t melt.
- Chill before piping: It can help to chill the frosting for just 10-15 minutes before using it for piping.
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Thanks for all the tips! I made vegan buttercream frosting the other day and see where these tips could of helped me 😊
Hope they help out next time 🙂