You only need 3 main ingredients to pull off this deliciously simple vegan coconut frosting! Insanely good, this frosting takes just a few minutes to whip together, plus goes great on EVERYTHING. So what are you waiting for?
This dairy free coconut frosting is literally THE BOMB and it goes great on just about everything! Make it super thick to ice on cakes and cupcakes, or thin it out to drizzle as a glaze on quick breads, donuts, and scones.
Want more frosting? Check out my 2-ingredient chocolate ganache frosting, this vegan peanut butter frosting, and this classic vegan buttercream.
Why this recipe works
When it comes to baking, frosting takes everything to the next level.
In fact, when I was a kid, I would purposely scrape all the frosting off the cake in child-like ceremonious glee, before eating any actual cake. The pleasure was doubled when there were buttercream flowers involved, and I could literally stick a quarter cup of frosting straight into my mouth. It was glorious.
But what if you have a dairy allergy, or you choose to cut dairy out of your diet, for good? What then? Because life without frosting is a life I don’t wanna live.
Luckily, there’s one ingredient that can swoop in and rescue your frosting tragedy, while also providing a delicious punch of flavor: coconut oil.
Coconut oil is the perfect butter substitute, especially when you’re talking frosting. It adds the same creaminess and texture as buttercream, creating a moan-worthy coconut frosting everyone will rave about.
What you need
- Coconut oil. Be sure to use softened oil. Melted or hardened oil with mess with the consistency of this frosting.
- Vanilla extract. This is optional but adds a lovely flavor.
- Powdered sugar. Be sure to use vegan powdered sugar, since regular powdered sugar is processed with bone char, and could be bleached.
- Water. Room temperature is best. Cold water will harden the coconut oil and mess with the consistency.
How to make it
Making your own dairy-free coconut frosting is so simple, even a child can do it. In fact, all the pictures below are of my daughter making this frosting while I worked the camera. So if she can do it (with her mother hovered over her of course), you can too!
Also, be sure to check out the video below (just make sure your ad-blocker is disabled).
Step 1: Cream together coconut oil and vanilla
In a medium mixing bowl, and using electric beaters, cream together softened coconut oil and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Slowly pour in powdered sugar
Next, slowly pour in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, while keeping your electric beaters going. You’ll want to do this on low speed (so you don’t have a powdered sugar tornado!). Frosting will start to get THICK.
Step 3: Drizzle in filtered water
Once you have all the powdered sugar mixed in, slowly drizzle in your filtered water until you reach the desired consistency.
Step 4: Frost!
Now is the fun part: FROSTING your treat! Make sure to read the tips below for more info on creating the best coconut frosting.
Extra coconut frosting tips:
- Make sure you are using softened coconut oil (not hard or completely melted). Soft coconut oil replicates butter the best.
- For strong coconut flavor, use unrefined coconut oil. For a muted coconut flavor, use refined.
- Remember (and this is very important), heat will melt coconut oil, so make sure to frost your confection quickly and pop in the fridge immediately afterwards to stiffen. Leave on the counter for 1-2 minutes to “defrost” slightly before serving.
- I also do not recommend using this on a cake that you plan on serving outside in the summer months. The last thing you want is a melted birthday cake.
- For summer use (and if you’re afraid of it melting), I recommend cutting your coconut oil in half and substituting the other half for vegan butter (such as Earth Balance). This will still give you the coconut flavor while also cutting the chances of a melt fest.
Allergy Information & Substitutions
- This coconut frosting is 100% vegan, meaning it is dairy-free and egg-free. It is also naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free (coconut is not generally lumped in with classic nuts such as peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc.).
- Want to make this chocolate? GREAT IDEA. Simply stir cocoa powder in with the powdered sugar. For a light chocolate, try 3-4 Tbsp. For dark chocolate, try ⅓-1/2 C of cocoa.
- As stated in the tips above, coconut oil will melt in the heat, so if you are serving this in the summer months or outside, I highly recommend substituting at least half of your coconut oil with dairy-free vegan butter. This will prevent the chances of melting (and a very sad birthday cake). To use, whip the softened vegan butter in with the coconut oil and vanilla in the first step.
More vegan frosting and cake recipes:
- Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting
- Easy Vegan Buttercream
- Allergy Friendly Vanilla Cupcakes
- Specialty Dark Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Perfect Vegan Birthday Cake
Easy, Creamy Vegan Coconut Frosting
Equipment
- Electric hand mixers
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups vegan powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons filtered water
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, and using electric beaters, cream together the coconut oil with the vanilla. You'll want to make sure you are using soft coconut oil, which replicates softened butter.
- Next, slowly pour in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, while keeping your electric beaters going. You'll want to do this on low speed (so you don't have a powdered sugar tornado!). Frosting will start to get THICK. Once you have all the powdered sugar mixed in, slowly drizzle in your filtered water until you reach the desired consistency. Remember, coconut oil melts in the heat, so you'll want to ice your cake/cupcakes quickly and then pop them in the fridge to stiffen.
Notes
- This coconut frosting is 100% vegan, meaning it is dairy-free and egg-free. It is also naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free (coconut is not generally lumped in with classic nuts such as peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc.).
- Want to make this chocolate? GREAT IDEA. Simply stir cocoa powder in with the powdered sugar. For a light chocolate, try 3-4 tablespoons. For dark chocolate, try ⅓-1/2 cup of cocoa.
- As stated in the tips above, coconut oil will melt in the heat, so if you are serving this in the summer months or outside, I highly recommend substituting at least half of your coconut oil with dairy-free vegan butter. This will prevent the chances of melting (and a very sad birthday cake). To use, whip the softened vegan butter in with the coconut oil and vanilla in the first step.
Nutrition Information
Thank you for taking the time to invest in your health and happiness!
KD
There is not enough coconut oil to sugar ratio. I make regular buttercream all the time and was skeptical that 1/2 cup would work with 5 cups of sugar. It doesn’t. All I get is a crumbly mess. Added a stick of nondairy butter to get the right consistency. Double the oil for this recipe.
Josefine
Hi Randi! Would I be able to substitute coconut cream instead of oil for this frosting? Or do you think that would change the recipe too drastically? Maybe I could try a half and half of oil and cream? Thanks!
Laura Harrison
NOPE! Why on earth would you say to add water? I had what looked like frosting UNTIL I added the little bit of water. BOOM! It turned into a cottage cheese type consistency. It wasn’t spreadable. It wasn’t fixable. It wasn’t usable. It was a WASTE of powdered sugar, vanilla, and coconut oil. Some may have money to buy more ingredients but I sure don’t.
Don’t put water in this.
Randi Tisdall
Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you Laura. My thoughts is that your water may have been too cold– in that case, yes it would make the coconut oil start to harden.
Thea Jaffe
I frosted a cake with this for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow and it looks soooo beautiful, I added freeze dried strawberries to make it pink and for the writing and filling, cocoa powder to make it chocolate. Tastes good too! I’m just worried about it because it needs to sit in the fridge overnight until the party tomorrow, every time I look at it it looks like there’s this watery film on top as if it’s melting. Wish me luck!! And thanks for the recipe, our guests are vegan and I had no idea how to make a vegan frosting. Wish me luck!
Jaime
Has anyone used melted coconut oil to make a thinner version for icing cut-out sugar cookies? Hoping to make some for a vegan friend for the holidays; normally we make icing with powdered sugar, milk, and melted butter and it’s pourable but will harden after awhile. Wondering if I can do that with this!
Randi Tisdall
Hi Jamie, great question! Honestly, I think it would work, although the cookies would have to be refrigerated– if you left them out on the counter, they would probably melt (and that would be very unfortunate lol). If you need a good vegan royal icing recipe for cut-out cookies, try the icing for my vegan gingerbread cookies. It’s a much better option for sugar cookies, since it will harden. You can also color it any way you like!
TAM
Great & simple. Used refined coconut oil because I don’t like the taste of unrefined & it was perfect- fluffy and light! Liked it almost as much as a regular buttercream.
Randi Tisdall
That’s awesome Tam! Thank you for sharing your results using refined coconut oil.
Morningstar
Quick easy recipe with ingredients I have on hand. I had an 8 inch round depression cake, so I only used one cup of powdered sugar. Turned out well. I would use it again.
Randi Tisdall
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your 5 star review:)
Maria
I used this a like a glaze on a coconut pound cake with strawberries. Yum
Randi Tisdall
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Maria!
Amy
I’m wondering if i could make this strawberry using strawberry puree?
If so with how much puree? Please answer as quick as possible, I need this later today. Thanks
Randi Tisdall
So sorry I didn’t get to your comment sooner. I would love to hear if you added strawberry!
Bonnie
Hi there! Looks yummy. Can you use a small food processor or immersion blender? Thank you!
Randi Tisdall
Hi Bonnie, I think you could, although I’ve never used a food processor or emersion blender for frosting– my worry would that it could heat the coconut oil and make it too melty. That being said, it’s worth a shot, but please keep that in mind. I recommend using either hand mixers or a stand mixer.