My 6 ingredient vegan strawberry cream cheese frosting is perfect for piping on cupcakes, spreading on bagels or even just eating straight from the bowl. Free from dairy, soy, tree nuts and egg, this vegan frosting is packed full of flavour and takes just a few minutes to make.
Why I Made This
I adore homemade strawberry jam and the tanginess of cream cheese and when you put the two together with icing sugar, it is a match made in heaven. This is a great frosting for cakes and cupcakes and you could even put some on your bagels, waffles and donuts as well.
Why You Should Make This
This cream cheese frosting is allergen-friendly and takes just a few minutes to make. Perfect if you want to quickly ice some cupcakes or are craving a sweet spread for your breakfast bagels. It is silky, sweet, indulgent and incredibly easy to make.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This vegan recipe is also free from tree nuts, soy and gluten.
Our 6 simple ingredients are:
- Coconut-based cream cheese – I am using coconut as I have a mild soy intolerance but you could easily swap it out for a soy-based one if you prefer
- Vegan butter – if you are soy intolerant, check the ingredients of your plant-based butter as many contain soy
- Strawberry jam – swap with a different flavour if you prefer
- Vanilla bean paste – for extra flavour
- Icing sugar – for sweetness and to stiffen the frosting
- Salt – just a pinch to elevate the flavours and also cut back on the sweetness
How to Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Add 113g (4oz) vegan cream cheese and 30g (2 tbsp) of room temperature vegan butter to a mixing bowl and combine them until they’re nice and light and fluffy. You could make this recipe with a stand mixer if you prefer but as this is a small batch, I prefer to use my hand mixer.
Add 60g (3 tbsp) strawberry jam and a splash of vanilla bean paste then give everything a quick mix together. I love that the jam adds a really nice pink colour to the frosting and that you can see all the little bits of strawberry seeds in it as well.
Now it’s time to add 360g (3 US Cups) of icing sugar. When adding the icing sugar I prefer to add a little bit at a time so that I don’t end up with a huge icing sugar mess everywhere. As you add it in and whisk it, it will start to thicken up the frosting.
Top tip – taste the frosting at this stage and decide whether you want to add a little bit of salt. The salt will help to cut back on the sweetness and also help to enhance the flavours. I added a pinch of salt and it really made a difference.
I love how the flavour of the strawberries comes through. And even though I used coconut-based cream cheese, the slight coconut flavour actually works well with the strawberries. You could always use soy-based cream cheese instead if you prefer.
And that’s how easy it is to make a vegan strawberry cream cheese frosting. This really is good enough to eat from the bowl. Our kids couldn’t wait to lick the whisk beaters!
Decorating Tips
If you want to pipe the frosting onto a cake or some cupcakes, I recommend chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a little bit. Then transfer some of it to a piping bag with a large star tip such as a 2D or 1M and decorate the cupcakes. Check out the video in the recipe card for a quick tutorial. These decorating supplies are on my Amazon storefront (affiliate link).
Common Frosting Questions
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks. Rewhip it if you want to pipe with it. It also freezes really well for up to 3 months.
Absolutely. You may wish to double the recipe if you want to fill and ice an 8-inch cake or use the entire tub of cream cheese to add extra tang. This recipe used half of a 227g tub.
You can easily ice 12 cupcakes with this recipe.
Flavour Suggestions
Depending on the flavour of frosting that you wanted to make you could add different flavours of jam. My easy 3 ingredient blueberry compote would be nice to add to this.
Cream Cheese Related recipes
Check out these amazing bakes that pair well with this frosting:
- Red Velvet Cupcakes (Vegan)
- Vanilla Cupcakes (Vegan)
- Carrot Cake (Dairy Free)
- Red Velvet Donuts (Vegan)
Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 113 grams Vegan Cream Cheese (4 oz or half a container)
- 30 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) (2 tbsp)
- 60 grams Strawberry Jam (3 tbsp)
- 360 grams Icing Sugar (3 US Cups)
- Dash Vanilla Bean Paste
- Pinch Salt
Instructions
- Add 113g (4oz) vegan cream cheese and 30g (2 tbsp) of room temperature vegan butter to a mixing bowl and combine them together until they're nice and light and fluffy.
- Add 60g (3 tbsp) strawberry jam and a splash of vanilla bean paste then give everything a quick mix together.
- Whisk in 360g (3 US Cups) of icing sugar. I like to add mine in thirds to avoid a huge icing sugar mess!
- Taste the frosting and add salt if required. A pinch is usually enough to enhance the flavours and cut back on the sweetness.
- Top Tip: to pipe on cupcakes, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes and transfer to a piping bag. Check out the video for a quick decorating tutorial.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes enough icing to easily ice 12 cupcakes.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks. Rewhip it if you want to pipe with it. It also freezes really well for up to 3 months.
- If you want to use this icing to fill and ice an 8 inch cake, I recommend either doubling the recipe or using the entire tub of cream cheese to add extra tang. This recipe used half of a 227g tub.
- Nutrition information is based on the entire recipe. The serving size is variable depending on how you use the frosting. Please note that nutrition information is calculated based on the ingredients in this recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Leave a Reply