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Easy and Quick Vegan Cream Cheese Icing

A quick and easy recipe for vegan cream cheese icing – essential for any self-respecting Carrot Cake!

Cream Cheese icing featured image

Cream cheese icing is obligatory for most carrot cakes, and lots of cupcakes too. It has a unique tang that makes it slightly less sweet than regular buttercream and works really well with fruit-based cakes, as well as chocolate.

This version uses Philadelphia’s plant-based almond and oat cream cheese which I find works really well. It doesn’t quite have that unctuous creaminess of dairy Philadelphia, but once you’ve whipped it up with some vegan butter, icing sugar and added some lemon zest, it’s pretty near perfect!

This recipe makes enough to cover the top of 2 x 7, 8 or 9″ cakes. It will also give you enough to top and fill a 7, 8 or 9″ cake. If you need to completely ice the cake, sides, top, middle, I recommend doubling this batch.

Ingredients

Ingredients for cream cheese icing

Instructions

Butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl

Beat together the cream cheese, soft butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract until creamy

Icing sugar added to cream cheese icing

Sift the icing sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and gently fold in to avoid clouds of icing sugar

Electric whisk

Now using an electric whisk, beat the icing until it is thick and creamy and holds peaks. Add more icing sugar if you need a thicker, pipeable icing.

Vegan Carrot Cake

Place in a piping bag and pipe onto your cake or just use a spatula.

Hint: if you don’t have a hands free mixer, I find it is better to mix the icing sugar in by hand before going in with the electric beaters. It really is tedious having to wipe down surfaces covered in a fine icing sugar coating because the electric beaters just send it everywhere!

Storage

This vegan cream cheese icing will be good for 2-3 days in the fridge before you need to use it.

You can freeze leftover vegan cream cheese icing by placing it in an airtight container and popping in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge before using.

Top tip

If you prefer an icing you can just slather onto your cake, you can use less icing sugar. The stiffer you need the icing to be, the more icing sugar you will need to add until you reach your desired consistency.

I recommend a cup and half of icing sugar at a minimum to avoid an icing that’s sloppy and will just run down the cake.

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:

Vegan Cream Cheese Icing

Cream Cheese icing featured image
This makes enough to frost the top of 2 x 9" cakes, or the entirety of a whole 9" cake
Freya
5 from 1 vote
Prep 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Hand Whisk

Ingredients

  • 150 g Cream Cheese - vegan, I use Philadelphia Plant-Based
  • 90 g Butter - vegan, softened
  • 2.5 cups Icing Sugar - sifted
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Lemon - zest only

Instructions

  • Beat the cream cheeze and butter until smooth.
  • Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
  • Sieve the icing sugar into the mixture and beat until smooth and lump free.

Please note that where the recipe asks for milk, butter or yogurt, this refers to any plant-based version that you prefer.

Nutrition Facts
Vegan Cream Cheese Icing
Amount per Serving
Calories
2349
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
125
g
192
%
Saturated Fat
 
77
g
481
%
Trans Fat
 
3
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
32
g
Cholesterol
 
345
mg
115
%
Sodium
 
1056
mg
46
%
Potassium
 
232
mg
7
%
Carbohydrates
 
308
g
103
%
Sugar
 
300
g
333
%
Protein
 
10
g
20
%
Vitamin A
 
4264
IU
85
%
Calcium
 
171
mg
17
%
Iron
 
0.4
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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