Indulge in guilt-free sweetness with our small batch vegan vanilla buttercream. Made with all-natural ingredients and perfect for any occasion. This recipe is the exact amount that you need to ice 12 cupcakes or to fill and ice the top of a 6-inch layer cake.
Why You Need to Make This
I’m going to start out with a pretty bold statement but I do firmly believe that this is THE perfect buttercream. It is silky, smooth and just tastes divine. Less than 3 minutes to make as well. Want to know another great thing about it? Not only is it dairy free, it’s also vegan AND gluten free. And who doesn’t love making a small batch of vanilla buttercream when you want to make up a quick batch of dairy free or vegan cupcakes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe is allergy friendly and perfect for those who are dairy free, vegan or gluten free. Check out my butter recommendations below to ensure your buttercream turns out perfectly. My go-to flavour is vanilla bean paste and this recipe is easily adaptable if you want to switch it up with your favourite flavour. For recipe tips, check out our FAQ section.
Dry Ingredients
Icing Sugar: ensure that your icing sugar is lump free. I buy pre-sifted icing sugar. If yours is not, I highly recommend sifting it before you make the buttercream, to avoid any lumps.
Wet Ingredients
Butter: my go-to is unsalted plant based butter that comes in a block, as shown above. Tub butters tend to have a higher oil content and can create a greasy buttercream. Block plant based butter tends to react better in warmer temperatures. If you are concerned about high humidity, you could sub half of the butter with vegetable shortening. Always use room temperature butter when making buttercream. I usually take mine out of the fridge 20 minutes before making the recipe. Sub with dairy butter if you are not dairy free or vegan.
Flavouring: I adore vanilla bean paste in buttercream. Having tried different extracts, I find that the paste gives a more natural flavour and I also love the little specks that are dotted throughout the buttercream. Sub with your preferred flavouring.
Water: to thin down the buttercream slightly, I usually add a small amount of water. You can use milk instead if you prefer. Room temperature water is fine to use.
How to Make Small Batch Vanilla Buttercream
This buttercream takes less than 3 minutes to make once everything is ready. Gather all equipment and supplies. The butter should be at room temperature. I usually take mine out of the fridge 20 minutes before I start the recipe.
To a mixing bowl, add 100g plant based butter, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, half of the icing sugar and mix together with a hand whisk.
The buttercream will be thick and crumbly at this point.
Add the remaining icing sugar and 20ml of water. This will help to lighten the colour and also thin out the buttercream slightly to a more pipable consistency.
Stir together until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy and all of the ingredients are fully combined.
And that’s how quick and easy it is! Less than 3 minutes to make the perfect small batch of vegan vanilla buttercream. This buttercream is firm enough to pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes or to spread on top with an offset spatula.
Small Batch Buttercream Options
This recipe makes enough buttercream to ice 12 cupcakes and pairs perfectly with my vegan vanilla cupcakes.
To change the flavour, simply swap out the vanilla bean paste for your preferred flavouring (same quantity). You can also add colour to the buttercream as required. Add the colour when you add the first amount of icing sugar.
For more of my icing and filling recipes, check out this page.
Common Questions
This recipe makes enough buttercream to ice 12 cupcakes or to fill and ice the top of a 6 inch layer cake. Pairs perfectly with my vegan vanilla cupcakes.
Yes! This recipe will crust over slightly once in contact with air. It still has a soft bite but holds its shape well and is perfect for both icing and piping.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze unused buttercream for up to 3 months.
How to decorate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream
For my cupcake piping tutorial showing 4 different cupcake swirls, check out this video.
Small Batch Vanilla Buttercream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 100 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted)
- 300 grams Icing Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 20 ml Water
Instructions
Prep
- Gather all equipment and supplies. The butter should be at room temperature. I usually take mine out of the fridge 20 minutes before I start the recipe.
To Make the Buttercream
- Add 100g plant based butter, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, half of the icing sugar and mix together. The buttercream will be thick and crumbly at this point.
- Add the remaining icing sugar and 20ml of water. Stir together until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes enough buttercream to ice 12 cupcakes or to fill and ice the top of a 6 inch layer cake.
- Pairs perfectly with my vegan vanilla cupcakes.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze unused buttercream for up to 3 months.
- To change the flavour, simply swap out the vanilla bean paste for your preferred flavouring (same quantity). You can also add colour to the buttercream as required.
- Nutrition information is provided as a guide only and is based on the actual ingredients that I used to create this recipe.
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