This Non Dairy Cream Cheese frosting is thick, tangy, and perfect for piping. It comes together in minutes with just a few ingredients and tastes like the classic frosting you grew up with. Plus, I’ll show you easy, natural coloring options to make cupcakes, cakes, and birthday treats extra fun.
"Love this idea for children's birthday parties when you're unsure of everyone's diet concerns. The natural strawberry colouring is beautiful as well." -Asha
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 5 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 5
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 157 kcals and 3 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Vegan cream cheese, creamed honey, and beet crystals for coloring.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, vegetarian.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This non-dairy cream cheese frosting is quick to make, lightly sweetened, and pipes beautifully making it perfect for cupcakes, cakes, and simple desserts.
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Traditional frosting is usually just butter + powdered sugar… and while it tastes amazing, I always end up feeling bleh after a big slice (and so do my kids after the sugar zoomies hit). That’s why I started making this healthier, lactose-free cream cheese frosting instead. It's still sweet and indulgent, but with way less “heavy” vibes and way more tang.
What I love most is how reliable it is: this thick dairy-free cream cheese frosting comes together fast, spreads smoothly, and can actually be piped without sliding off your cupcakes. It’s made with just 2 main ingredients, can be naturally dyed for fun treats (especially for dairy-free first birthday cupcakes), and you can even make it lower sugar, depending on what you use. It’s the frosting I reach for on everything from gluten-free cupcakes with almond flour to carrot cake collagen cookies.
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💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Allergy-friendly: This cream cheese frosting is dairy-free, lactose-free, gluten-free and can be paleo and soy-free depending on the cream cheese you choose.
Easy: With only 3 ingredients, it's made with ingredients you probably already have.
Healthy: This frosting can be made sugar-free and dye-free, depending on the variation you choose, making it easy to customize!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe is completely dairy-free but tastes like "normal". Learn more about the benefits of a dairy-free diet and whip it up today!
- Cream cheese: The brand of vegan cream cheese you choose will matter because all of them are slightly different. Thus, the taste and texture will vary brand to brand.
- Honey: Used in place of powdered sugar for a hint of sweetness and to help keep the gluten-free cream cheese frosting thick. Creamed honey especially, will give the best texture.
- Natural dye: Choose 1-3 teaspoons of the color you want, or leave the homemade frosting as is if you're using it for vegan carrot cake!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
- Natural coloring options: I personally used beet crystals (not beet powder) for the dairy-free cream cheese frosting to make it bright pink. Some other ideas are below, and they're the best choice when decorating for kids. Likewise, you can always color the frosting with traditional methods like dye (these natural food dyes are really great), or learn to make natural food dye.
- freeze-dried strawberries (pink and sweeter)
- dried blueberries powder (purple-ish)
- spirulina (blue-green)
- Sugar-free: Skip the honey and add a teaspoon or a bit more of vanilla extract to bring out more flavor.
How To Make Non-Dairy Cream Cheese Frosting
Step 1: Make sure the vegan cream cheese has been softened at room temperature. Add the cream cheese and honey to a large bowl.
Step 2: Use a handheld mixer to whip the frosting for 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Add in any colorant you’re using and whip again.
Step 4: Portion into a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes! Serve!
Expert Tips To Make It
Make sure to use creamed honey as it gives the cream cheese icing a better texture. Regular honey dilutes the frosting too much, and it won’t hold together to pipe.
The frosting seems thin and soft when freshly made, but it pipes well. If stored in the fridge, it works really well to spread on baked goods or carrot cake cupcakes, but it is ever so slightly too hard to pipe.
For pipeable dairy-free cream cheese frosting, letting it thaw at room temperature for 5-10 minutes will help.
This frosting is sweetened very lightly, thus it’s not too sweet! Mostly, it is a great addition to a sweet dessert. However, don’t rely on the frosting to give you the sugar flavor. If that’s what you’re looking for, you may want to add in some liquid stevia to the blend or opt for this dairy-free buttercream frosting.
The Best Dairy-Free Cream Cheese For Frosting
Not all dairy-free cream cheese is created equal, and when you’re making frosting, the brand actually matters. Some options whip up thick and fluffy, while others are softer, wetter, and can turn your frosting into a “cute but sliding off the cupcake” situation.
My go-to is Philadelphia Lactose Free Cream Cheese. It has the closest texture to traditional cream cheese, it holds up really well once mixed, and it gives you that classic tangy flavor without feeling like a weird substitute. If you want the easiest, most reliable option for a thick lactose-free cream cheese frosting, this is the one I use the most.
If you need fully dairy-free, Daiya cream cheese can work, but it’s a bit trickier. It tends to be softer, which means the frosting can get loose fast if your kitchen is warm or if you overmix. My tip? Start with it cold, mix only until combined, and if it feels too soft, pop the frosting in the fridge for 20–30 minutes before spreading or piping.
Quick rule of thumb: the thicker and firmer the cream cheese is straight from the package, the better your frosting will hold.
How To Store It
Store extra cream cheese icing in the fridge for up to three days.
If stored in the bowl, re-whip it for a minute before you need to use it. If you already have it in the piping bag, massage the bag to warm it up a bit before you try to pipe it.
Non-Dairy Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs
Most vegan cream cheese is made out of a combination of coconut oil, pea protein, flavors, tapioca flour (or another binder), and a preservative. However, each brand will have a different blend of ingredients. This is why using different blends will result in different textures.
The frosting stores really well. However, it will thicken up once chilled. If you need to pipe the dairy-free frosting, either pipe it as soon as it’s mixed or let it thaw to room temperature out of the fridge. Otherwise, the frosting remains soft.
To fix runny, dairy-free cream cheese frosting first, re-chill it. Leave it in the fridge to thicken up. If needed, add more powdered sugar (if you're using it) and place the frosting in a cold metal bowl as you whip it again.
More Dairy-Free Recipes You'll Love
If you tried this Non Dairy Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Easy Non-Dairy Cream Cheese Frosting
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Vegan cream cheese softened
- 2 tbs Creamed honey
- 1 teaspoon beet crystals or other dye
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the cream cheese and honey.
- Whip with a handheld blender until smooth.
- Add in the color and whip again.
- Pipe immediatly or store in the fridge.
- Makes 5-6 cupcakes worth.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Kalah says
Could you swap the honey for maple syrup?
fitasamamabear says
Technically you can but it does alter the color slightly and the texture (it doesn't blend as well). But I have totally done it!
Kathy says
You do not list why the coconut flour is needed.
I do not like coconut. Do I need this ingredient?
fitasamamabear says
Hey Kathy, there's not coconut flour in the recipe so you definitely don't need it. I don't see it listed but if I'm missing something let me know!