Vanilla Frosting Without Butter (or Cream Cheese)
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Creamy vanilla frosting made without butter or cream cheese — just melted coconut cream and coconut oil for a thick, smooth texture that’s a genuine alternative to classic buttercream. Pipes into simple swirls, scales for a 6-inch cake or small batch of cupcakes, and doubles easily.
This frosting came to be as I was experimenting with alternatives to traditional buttercream. I wanted something a little lighter, but still thick, creamy, and capable of holding its own on a cake. I had a leftover can of coconut cream from making whipped coconut cream, and thought — why not put it to work in a frosting?
My Frosting Testing Notes
It took a few rounds to get the frosting right. First and foremost, either a can of coconut milk or coconut cream will work. The latter just has less liquid. And the can needs to be refrigerated overnight to separate the coconut solids from the liquid. For this frosting to work, thick coconut solids are a must.
From there, I tested coconut cream on its own, but it needs so much powdered sugar to thicken that the sweetness is overwhelming. Coconut oil alone? Greasy and unpleasant. But combining the two turned out to be the answer. The coconut cream brings the richness and body, while the coconut oil provides structure. Together, they mimic the fat content of dairy butter well enough to make real, pipeable frosting.
It worked so well that I used the same technique to make chocolate frosting without butter — same method, completely different flavor payoff.
The other key is how you make it. Adding the powdered sugar in increments and mixing thoroughly after each addition incorporates air and makes the frosting fluffy. Skip that step, or dump all the sugar in at once, and you’ll end up with something closer to fudge. Too little sugar and it’s thin like an icing. The sweet spot is right in the middle, and I walk you through that in the recipe card.
One more thing before you start: the coconut cream you use matters. It needs to contain guar gum — a natural stabilizer that helps the frosting thicken properly. I’ve tested varieties without it, and they don’t work. They either need too much powdered sugar, they’re grainy, or they simply don’t whip. Check the label before you shop.
Along with the can of coconut milk or cream, the coconut oil is just as important. Select refined coconut oil. It has a much more neutral flavor than virgin coconut oil, which can make the frosting taste more coconut-forward than vanilla.
How To Make Frosting Without Butter
Start by adding the coconut cream solids, coconut oil, and just one tablespoon of powdered sugar to a small saucepan. That single tablespoon of sugar is doing important work — it helps bind the cream and oil together as they melt. Gently heat until everything is just melted and smooth. It should look like a thin, creamy liquid. Don’t let it boil.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the vanilla. Now let it cool — but don’t forget about it. You want it still liquid when you start adding the powdered sugar. If it cools too long, the coconut oil will begin to solidify again, and that will make the frosting grainy.
The coconut cream and coconut oil must be solid to make the frosting work. The cooled mixture should still be liquid before you add powdered sugar.
Once cooled, start adding sifted powdered sugar in increments. This is non-negotiable for smooth frosting because powdered sugar can clump and also make the texture grainy. After each addition, mix for a full minute before adding the next. This is how the frosting builds structure and lightness.
Fair warning: after the first additions of powdered sugar, the frosting will look soupy and clumpy. It’s not pretty, but keep going. This is completely normal at this stage. As you work through each increment of sugar and keep mixing, it will come together.
Sift the powdered sugar for smooth and non-grainy frosting. The frosting will look clumpy after the first additions of sugar.
By the final addition, you’ll have thick, creamy frosting that looks a lot like what you’d find in one of those little grocery store tubs — only this one you actually made yourself, and the ingredient list is about a third as long.
And once you have the technique down, it translates beautifully to other flavors — the strawberry butter-free frosting is a personal favorite for spring.
The frosting will start to form as the sugar is added and mixed. The final result is a smooth, fluffy frosting that is ready to use.
The Finished Frosting
It’s ready to use straight from the bowl — spread it, swirl it, or simply pipe onto your favorite small batch cake or cupcakes. My small batch vanilla cake or small batch chocolate cake were basically made for this frosting.
It’s also surprisingly great on cookies. The frosting is stable at room temperature for up to 8 hours and develops a light crust as it sets, which means it won’t smear when you stack them.
If you refrigerate leftovers, just know it will firm up. But this is nothing to worry about. Bring it back to room temperature and give it a quick mix with a hand mixer, and it’ll be creamy again.
Did You Make It? Let’s Hear About It!
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Did you make this frosting? I’d love to know what you put it on — leave a star rating and tell me about it in the comments below!
Vanilla Frosting Without Butter (or Cream Cheese)
by Erin Cernich
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened canned coconut cream, full fat
- 5 tablespoons cold pressed refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- A can of coconut milk or coconut cream will work. Refrigerate the can at least overnight. This causes the liquid and coconut solids to separate. We only use the thick solids from the can, and they must be thick. Too much liquid, and the frosting won't come together. If your can has been shaken, or the solids didn't separate after refrigerating, try a different can. You will have extra, which you can use to double the recipe or save for smoothies.
- In a small saucepan, add the coconut solids, coconut oil, and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar (this will help bind the cream and oil). Heat over medium-low heat and stir with a spatula until the mix is melted – this should only take about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not boil. The mixture will resemble a creamy soup.5 tablespoons unsweetened canned coconut cream, full fat, 5 tablespoons cold pressed refined coconut oil
- Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature – about 10 to 15 minutes. You still want the mix to be liquid when you add the powdered sugar. Note – You can also refrigerate it for about 5 minutes to speed up the cool down.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Use a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachments, and add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and salt to the coconut mixture. I recommend sifting the powdered sugar for smooth frosting. Start at a low speed to incorporate the powdered sugar. Turn up the speed to high and beat for 1 minute. At this point, the frosting will look sticky, clumpy, and gooey. Do not give up. The frosting will come together as you mix in the remaining powdered sugar.2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Continue to add a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time – beating for at least 1 minute after each addition. With the final 1/2 cup, beat the frosting for 3 minutes, until it is light and creamy – this will incorporate air to make the frosting light. The frosting should be thick and creamy and resemble the store-bought frosting you buy in the small tubs at the grocery store. If the frosting still looks loose, refrigerate it for about 10 minutes, then beat for a couple more minutes until it thickens. Be cautious with adding more powdered sugar. This frosting will set, and too much will make it too thick (think fudge).
- The frosting is ready to use right away and can sit at room temp for up to 8 hours. Or, it can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Important if refrigerating – the frosting will firm. Bring to room temperature and re-mix to loosen.
Notes
- Serving Size – This is a small batch frosting recipe for small batch cakes and cupcakes. It is easily doubled.
- Yield – Enough frosting for a small 6-inch cake or layer cake, 6 cupcakes, or 12 to 24 cookies.
- Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream (Full-Fat Only) – For the frosting to work, whichever you choose, the coconut solids must be thick, and the can should include guar gum (it will be listed as an ingredient). This acts as a stabilizer to thicken the frosting. Do not use carton coconut milk.
- Special Note – The amount of coconut solids in the can, can be hit or miss. Sometimes the can has been shaken too much, and the solids and liquid won’t separate, even after refrigerating. If your can has too little or is just mixed, save it for another recipe and try a new one.
- Piping and Decorations – The frosting is best suited for simple swirls or spreading on desserts. Intricate details, designs, or flowers probably won’t hold their shape.
Nutrition Estimates
TRY THESE SMALL BATCH RECIPES NEXT!
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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turned out terrible, wouldn’t be doing it again
Sorry it didn’t work for you Ella. I’d be happy to help troubleshoot, but I appreciate you trying the recipe.
This tasted fantastic!! And the texture was perfect. I doubled the recipe and upped the salt and vanilla. I also added cinnamon which really took it over the top. It took closer to 5 minutes to melt all the coconut oil, but everything came together really well. I added 1/2 cup of sifted powdered sugar at a time, but you might be able to double that to save time. I paired the icing with a spice cake and it was a perfect combo.
Thanks so much Trisha – I love hearing this! And the cinnamon addition sounds delish – I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for the lovely review!
Thank you for this beautiful yummy tasty recipe!!!
My experience went 50/50!!
I doubled the ingredients because I needed it for a carrot cake decoration, the letting it melt and cool down took naturally much much longer, for me living in already a cold climate I probably wouldn’t have needed to keep the ingredients in the fridge that delayed the process for me. At first once my liquid mix cooled down I thought it would never ever frost, once I added the icing sugar (I kept the 2 cups qty for double of everything else and the sweetness was perfect). It frosted and it was perfect, the peaks were a little on the soft side but that’s maybe due to the fact I put a lot less icing sugar and I was so worried to cuddle the mix I stopped maybe a bit early. Now here’s where I went wrong I believe, I was worried my frosting would melt at room temp so I put it in the fridge and when I realised it would be far to hard to spread (10min later) I took it out and mixed it again…. and that’s when it curdle leaving me with a watery frosting! My own fault though, the taste was delicious but my skills messed it up 🤣 I will definitely try again on a smaller batch this time 🙏🏽 Thank you
Hi Sarah – I’m so glad you liked the frosting! And I appreciate the nice note and feedback!
Hi! I attempted to make this earlier today. The taste is great, but the texture is off. It’s a bit grainy/gritty as of all the ingredients didn’t incorporate correctly. I have reread the instructions and feel I followed them. Any tips or suggestions of what I may have done wrong? The canned coconut milk was solid and my coconut oil was solid. Any thoughts/tips would be appreciated. The taste is amazing, I just need some help getting a smooth creamy texture. 😊
Hi Katie – thank you for trying the recipe! A few things I can think of – perhaps the coconut oil didn’t melt all the way? It can leave little bits if not fully melted? Or, the liquid mix cooled too long before being whipped and the coconut oil started to firm up. You could try just letting it cool for 5 minutes on the counter rather than the fridge. Another thing that may be the culprit is the powdered sugar – sifting it helps get out any persistent lumps. If all that doesn’t seem to work, you could try adding a bit more powdered sugar to get it fluffy – a tablespoon at a time. Just taste it as you are whipping it up – it can get very sweet quickly. Hope some of this helps!
Hello, may I use shortening instead of coconut oil ?
Thank you very much. ^-^
Hi Brooklyn – since I have not tested the recipe with shortening, I can’t say for certain how it would turn out. I know that there are frosting recipes that just use shortening and they turn out nice. I think Crisco may even have a recipe on the back of their container (or they used to!) Thanks for visiting the blog!
This icing is AMAZING. I am so thankful I found this!
I am wondering if you have ever made ice cream with similar ingredients? After storing this in the fridge it tastes so similar to ice cream just wondering what you would add to shift the consistency and keep it vegan? It’s SO good I’m tempted to eat it all by itself 🤣
Hi Braci – I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! I’ve been known to eat it by the spoonful 🙂 I do have a couple of ice cream recipes that I use canned coconut milk too – Strawberry Ice Cream, and Pina Colada Ice Cream. I used honey in the ice cream, but you could swap in maple syrup to make it vegan. Thank you for visiting the blog!
This frosting is incredible! It’s like ganache when it’s fully set. I am so thrilled it’s the best vegan frosting I’ve come across so far! Thank you!!
Hi Steph – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Every time I make it, I think I eat more by the spoonful than what goes on my cakes! 🙂 Thank you for trying the recipe and visiting the blog!
Seems like people need to use the Coconut Cream & start from that point from comments on Pinterest. My only question is how many cups of frosting this makes? Need to fill & cover an 8″/6 layer cake + piped decorations.
Hi Laurie! This is a small batch recipe and will make approx. 1 and 1/2 cups. For the size of the cake you are making, I don’t think that will be enough. You could double the recipe, just please note I have not tested doubling the recipe.