This is the vegan peanut butter frosting of your DREAMS! It's light and fluffy with the peanut butter creaminess you crave.
Table of Contents
You don't need dairy to make light, fluffy frosting! This vegan peanut butter frosting is proof of concept, and you only need six simple ingredients to make it. This frosting is a great topper for cupcakes, cakes, and cookies.
If you're looking for a less sugary peanut butter dessert dip option, check out my super easy whipped peanut butter dip and up your apple slices game!
🥜 Ingredients and substitutions
- vegan butter - It's so important that the butter be at room temperature before you start whipping.
- creamy peanut butter - Do not use natural peanut butter for this recipe! You want the kind of creamy peanut butter that's smooth and creamy without mixing.
- powdered sugar - This thickens and sweetens the frosting.
- plant-based milk - Helps the frosting whip up into a fluffy texture.
- vanilla extract and salt - For flavor.
🥣 How to make vegan peanut butter frosting
Use a fork or a hand mixer to cream the butter, then add the remaining ingredients.
Beat with your fork or mixer until you have a light, fluffy frosting.
If your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar by the tablespoon, beating between additions, until it thickens up. Too thick? Add vegan milk by the tablespoon, beating between additions, until it's nice and fluffy.
💡 Helpful tips
- It's important that your vegan butter reach room temperature before beating it. I recommend measuring it out, then placing it into your mixing bowl while you gather the rest of your ingredients. The butter is ready to beat when a butter knife or fork slides in easily. It's just like testing a potato for donenness!
- The frosting will change from medium brown to light brown as you whip -- that's how you'll know it's hit the right texture.
- To fix runny frosting, just add more powdered sugar by the tablespoon, beating between additions, until it reaches the consistency you want.
- For too-thick peanut butter frosting, add more vegan milk by the tablespoon. Same thing: beat between additions, check it, and keep going until you reach the fluffy frosting consistency you want.
🫙 Storage directions
This frosting will keep for a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I recommend letting it come to room temperature, then beating it with a fork before you use it, if you do end up having to store it.
💬 Frequently asked questions
Normally, the type you use for a peanut butter recipe doesn't matter much, but for this recipe, it definitely does. You need creamy peanut butter, and most natural peanut butter will not work.
If it separates at room temperature, then don't use it for this frosting.
I really like Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter. It's low in salt, no-stir, and works great in this recipe. Jif is not a sponsor, I just really like this peanut butter!
This recipe makes a lot of frosting. This is great if you're making a cake or a few dozen cupcakes, but for a smaller project, like frosting cookies, you may want to pare it down.
The this recipe divides well, so don't worry about halving it, if you need to. And it doubles well, too!
You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer to make this, but you can also fully do it with a fork and a bit of elbow grease. As long as your vegan butter is nice and soft when you start, you'll be fine. Just keep whipping until your vegan peanut butter frosting is light and fluffy.
🧁 Serving suggestions
Not sure what to do with your vegan peanut butter frosting? It's lovely basically anywhere you'd use conventional frostings, as long as that peanut butter flavor meshes well. Here some ideas to get you started:
- Make sandwich cookies using vegan oatmeal raisin cookies or vegan sugar cookies and this frosting in the middle.
- Use them on top of cherry chocolate cupcakes for a chocolatey PBJ-style situation.
- Frost a vegan chocolate or vanilla sheet cake! Did you know that you can use flax eggs to replace the eggs that most box cake mixes call for?
📖 Recipe
Vegan peanut butter frosting recipe
Equipment
- hand mixer - optional
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons vegan butter at room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter see note
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup vegan milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Use a fork or a hand mixer to cream the butter.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and beat with your fork or mixer until you have a light, fluffy frosting.
- If your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar by the tablespoon, beating between additions, until it thickens up. Too thick? Add vegan milk by the tablespoon, beating between additions, until it's nice and fluffy.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!