Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
A dairy-free cream cheese frosting that whips up tangy, silky, and spreadable — no one will guess it's vegan.
- Sweetness
- medium
- Tanginess
- high
- Consistency
- spreadable
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Makes
- ~1.25 cups
The quick answer
Beat vegan cream cheese and plant butter until just smooth, then mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Don't overbeat, since dairy-free cream cheese loosens quickly. Spread over warm rolls.
Going dairy-free doesn't mean giving up that signature tang. This frosting uses vegan cream cheese and plant butter to hit the same silky, slightly sour note that makes cream cheese frosting the classic cinnamon roll topping. The trick is keeping both ingredients cold-ish and not overbeating, since vegan cream cheese loosens faster than dairy — beat just to smooth and it spreads beautifully over warm rolls. Four simple swaps, five minutes, and a bowl of frosting that's completely plant-based and completely convincing.
Not sure which icing to use? See the complete cinnamon roll icing guide — the simple base recipe, the sugar-to-liquid ratio, and how to choose between glaze, cream cheese, maple, and dairy-free.
Ingredients
- vegan cream cheese, chilled4 oz (113 g)
- vegan butter, softened0.25 cup (57 g)
- powdered sugar1 cup (120 g)
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- fine saltpinch
Instructions
- 1Let the vegan butter soften at room temperature but keep the vegan cream cheese cool — dairy-free cream cheese loosens quickly when warm.
- 2Beat the vegan cream cheese and butter together just until smooth, scraping the bowl once. Don't overbeat.
- 3Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and beat on low until incorporated, then briefly on medium just until spreadable.
- 4If it feels loose, chill for 10 to 15 minutes before spreading over cinnamon rolls that are warm but not hot.
Apply, adjust & store
- Best applied when
- rolls are warm but not hot so the frosting softens into the swirls without sliding off
- Storage
- Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Re-whip briefly before spreading. Vegan cream cheese can loosen at room temperature, so keep frosted rolls cool.
- Consistency adjustments
- For a firmer frosting, chill 15 minutes or add powdered sugar 2 tablespoons at a time. For a pourable glaze, thin with 1 teaspoon of plant milk at a time.
Food safety: this frosting contains dairy. Refrigerate leftover frosting, and refrigerate frosted rolls after a couple of hours at room temperature. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Cinnamon rolls to pair
- Dairy-Free Cinnamon RollsSoft, fluffy cinnamon rolls made entirely without dairy, using plant milk and vegan butter with a dairy-free icing.
- Vegan Cinnamon RollsSoft, fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls made with plant milk and vegan butter — no eggs, no dairy, and every bit as gooey as the classic.
- Classic Homemade Cinnamon RollsSoft, fluffy, bakery-style cinnamon rolls from scratch with a gooey brown-sugar filling and cream cheese frosting.
- Apple Cinnamon RollsSoft cinnamon rolls stuffed with diced, cinnamon-spiced apples that bake down into little pockets of warm apple pie.
- Overnight Cinnamon RollsAssemble the night before, refrigerate, and bake fresh in the morning — a slow cold proof for deeper flavor and effortless mornings.