Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
What’s your favorite kind of frosting? I loooooove cream cheese frosting. You could probably make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting out of Vegan Cream Cheese but that would just be too easy (and if you’ve ever found a store bought vegan cream cheese frosting that is actually yummy I’d love to know in the comments below!). Today’s recipe for Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting is so simple, healthy, completely oil and refined sugar free and rivals any traditional cream cheese recipe.
The secret ingredient?! Cashewwss!!!
AKA cashews go into absolutely everything in my kitchen from Mac + Cheese to Salad Dressings to delicious-I-want-to-eat-this-with-a-spoon Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. π
Plus it’s sooooooooo perfect with carrot cake. Yum! (Recipe for my Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake here!)
I think the next step is baking homemade healthy cinnamon buns and slathering this Vegan Cream Cheese all over them. Hubba hubba π
Have a wonderful weekend friends!
*And a BIG Congratulations to Krista who won the $100 Vitacost Gift Card Giveaway. Thank you to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for some more awesome giveaways happening on Ceara’s Kitchen in the near future.
PrintVegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 1/2 cup icing - enough for one loaf cake 1x
Description
This Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting is perfect on top of carrot cake and is much healthier than traditional cream cheese frosting. It is refined sugar, oil and gluten free! Double, triple or quadruple the recipe as you please. This recipe makes enough to ice one loaf cake.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes or overnight in cold water
- 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 1/2 –2 tsp lemon juice
- pinch sea salt
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional if icing a carrot or pumpkin cake)
Instructions
- Drain and rinse soaked cashews make sure your cashews are thoroughly soaked for the icing to be silky smooth). With an immersion or small blender blend the cashews together with maple syrup, lemon juice (1 1/2 tsp), sea salt, vanilla extract and optional cinnamon until silky smooth and creamy (this took me about 3 minutes). Taste test and add an additional 1/2 tsp of lemon juice if necessary (I prefer it will 2 whole tsps of lemon juice). The icing should be thick like traditional cream cheese icing. If necessary add a little bit of water if the icing is too thick.
- Use icing on cakes, cupcakes and whatever you please!
Notes
This is enough icing for one loaf cake. Feel free to double, triple, quadruple etc. icing depending on how much you ned.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Category: American
- Cuisine: Dessert
If you do make this Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting or any other recipes from my kitchen, it makes my day hearing about it! Insta it to me @CearasKitchen with hashtag #CearasKitchen, Tweet it to me @CearasKitchen or Facebook it to me via the Cearaβs Kitchen Facebook Page! <3
My son is allergic to all nuts any other ideas for the cream cheese frosting? Do you think pumpkin or sunflower seeds would work??
I would try pumpkin seeds – the cream cheese might have a slight green tinge so it though. Let me know how it works out!
Whoa, just stumbled across this site by accident, but would you all even be capable of communication without exclamation marks? Seriously, are you that excited about everything?!!!!!!
I tried this recipe and loved it just curious how long you would suggest it stays fresh in the fridge ?
★★★★★
Around 3-4 days, covered!
Would it work to just use boughten cashew milk? Last time I tried blending soaked cashews it didn’t work very well, because I don’t have a high powered blender. But I do have cashew milk in the fridge I could use…
Hi Twila! Thank you for you comment.
I am not sure why the icing is not getting creamy for you. I used a cheap immersion blender and after a couple minutes of blending, this frosting is creamy. What kind of blender are you using? Are you soaking the cashews first?
Another note. This recipe makes a small amount of icing (enough for one carrot cake). If you are using a standard blender, you might have to double the recipe for it to blend well.
Cashew milk in this recipe will not work.
Best of luck and would love to know your results π
Wowsa! This looks heavenly…I have to go make this right now…along with your carrot cake. YUMMY
Thank you so much, Michaell!! π
I have to admit, I wasn’t completely sold until I read the word ‘cashew’, because those things are just plain delicious. Looks wonderful!
I’ve decided cashews taste good in EVERYTHING π Thanks so much, Denise!
omg pinning this to make it soon!! I am so excited to make this as now I can it a whole lot of this!!
Thanks so much for the pin!! <3 Let me know if you end up trying it - it's so simple and delish! π
Oh yummy! PLEASE make those healthy cinnamon buns with this frosting…like NOW. In the meantime I’ll wait for your new carrot cake recipe to try it on. Can’t wait π
Thanks so much, Vanessa! I KNOW – the idea of a healthy cinnamon buns with cream cheese frosting has me drooling!!! π
This looks delicious, Ceara! The best thing about it is that it is oΓ―l and refined sugar free. And this means no guilt feeling! Thank you for sharing. Pinned!
<3 Thank you so much Hadia for the kind words as always and pin! Have a wonderful weekend!
That frosting looks SO yummy! And I love that it’s vegan, I’ll definitely have to try it out! π
Yay! Thank you, Christina! Let me know if you end up trying it out!
Cream cheese frosting is so good! I love that you made a vegan version! Such a great idea, Ceara! It looks delicious and I would be happy just eating it by the spoonful too π
It is SOOO good, Kelly!! Thank you so much! Have a wonderful weekend π
Cream cheese frosting is my absolute favorite! I could eat it by the spoonful, it’s just that good. I much prefer it over the chocolate kind, too. I’m so amazed at this vegan version, Ceara! it looks absolutely wonderful! So creamy and delish. I would definitely be eating this with just my trusty ‘ole spoon! Pinned! Hope you have a great weekend!
I hear you, Gayle!! I can totally eat it by the spoonful as well π Thank you so much for the kind words! Have a beautiful weekend!
FORGET putting that frosting on anything – JUST EAT IT WITH A SPOON! π
★★★★★
LOL! Pretty much what we did, Gigi!! π Thanks, girl!!
I love your recipes! I wondered if any nut can be soaked and substituted for cashews? Would they work the same? Thank you!
Thank you so much, Maryann! So happy you are enjoying my recipes! π I am not too sure if you could sub another nut for the soaked cashews. I have a hunch that soaked macadamia or blanched almonds would work. I’d soak them for 1 hour in boiling water to ensure they are soft enough to blend! I’d love to know your results if you end up trying making this recipe! π
Thank you.!!
I really like the vegan cream cheese frosting and did not know that this even existed! I would love to use this recipe on my carrot cake. Thanks for sharing! You have tons of awesome recipes on your blog!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Julie!! This frosting + carrot cake are like a match made in heaven!! Thank you for all the love – so happy you are enjoying the blog! π
Oh wow! I would just all all of this straight out of the bowl.
LOL Dannii!! It was hard not to!! I kept wanting to lick the spatula during the shoot!! YUM π
This looks delicious! I can’t wait for the carrot cake recipe on Monday. (I’m hoping it’s oil free- fingers crossed!)
I’m so happy you are excited for the carrot cake recipe, Suzanne! It is completely oil free π Stay tunedd for the recipe on Monday!
Looks yummy Ceara! Especially on the carrot cake! I have this same recipe on my blog, just minus the lemon juice and I totally put it on cupcakes for a much healthier frosting! Can’t wait to see your carrot cake!! Drool!
Thanks so much, Brandi!!! That’s crazzyy – we are seriously on the same wave length! I was going to first make frosting with coconut butter but then remembered all the cashews I have in my cupboard LOL! I’ll have to take a look at your recipe – sounds absolutely delicious! <3
Ceara, what a great idea! I might bake up some muffins just so that I have something to put this on! Even as I’m working on salty crackers right now… π
Have a nice weekend!
Thank you so much, Nori! <3 Hehe! I don't usually frost my muffins but since making this frosting I want to put frosting on everything!! Have a beautiful weekend π
Wow! This looks so simple. Although I don’t know anyone who practices a vegan lifestyle, I might just have to make this vegan cream cheese frosting for my own tasting pleasure! LOVE THIS!
It’s so simple and yummy! Thanks, Erin! This is a Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting but really for anybody who loves frosting π My partner is not vegan by any means but loveeeeedd this frosting #boyfriendapproved! LOL π Have a great weekend!
That’s such a great idea and recipe! I’m not a fan of most vegan cream cheeses taste-wise and let’s not even get into the ingredient lists … And cashews: what can’t they do, right?!
Thanks so much! I am not a fan of any store bought vegan cream cheeses I’ve tried yet. We bought Daiya Cream Cheese this summer and nobody in my family would eat it (and I hate wasting food!). And the ingredient list is always soo long! I’m working on a homemade savory Chive Cream Cheese coming soon! Have a great weekend π