Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting! You all are going to love this creative take on traditional buttercream frosting. This frosting is oil-free, made from fresh strawberries and coconut butter!
VEGAN STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
No, that’s not ice cream. It’s strawberry frosting. And no, there is not butter or oil added to this recipe. The texture reminded me of soft serve, so I really couldn’t help myself photographing it in the ice cream cone. But truly, it is the perfect cake strawberry frosting.
I promised to share with you all the strawberry frosting from my daughter’s birthday cake party and here it is. I hadn’t originally planned on posting this frosting today, but after my reader Deborah wrote me a couple days ago wanting it for her granddaughter’s birthday cake, I rushed to get it up for her.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
This strawberry frosting is so easy to make. You only need a food processor and 5 main ingredients to make it:
- fresh strawberries
- powdered sugar
- coconut butter
- vanilla
- lemon juice
To make, first, melt your coconut butter to a complete runny liquid, stir really well and then measure out 1/2 cup.
Add this to the food processor and process quickly until it’s blended and smooth. Add the strawberries, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and process again, scraping the sides a couple of times. Process for at least a minute until completely smooth and thick like a pudding consistency.
Pour into a container and chill in the fridge at least 2-4 hours until it sets and thickens up. The coconut butter will cause it to thicken up, as it will be too runny to use immediately.
To frost cupcakes, add the chilled frosting to a piping bag or ziplock bag and cut off a tiny corner and pipe it on.
Using fresh strawberries is really the key to the most amazing flavor here. This strawberry frosting is delicious on anything, but especially this Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake! This cake strawberry frosting is perfect for little girls, or little boys, or big girls and boys, birthdays!
STRAWBERRY FROSTING FOR CHOCOLATE CAKE
Strawberry and chocolate go so well together! This coconut butter frosting is the perfect strawberry frosting on top of these Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes or these Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes!
COCONUT BUTTER FROSTING
Now, I normally never use powdered sugar, but stick with maple syrup or coconut sugar, but I wanted to try to mimic a buttercream as much as possible. Eliminating any oil or butter was a challenge in itself, and the frosting needed a thick powdery sugar for both flavor and texture. Besides, I’m ok with eating it once or twice out of the whole year. So what did I do for butter? I used coconut butter instead of traditional butter! It gives a smooth, silky, creamy flavor and structure to the frosting. It worked so darn amazing on my Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes, that I was just itching to use it again in another frosting. To use a natural food coloring, I used dried beet powder and it gave this natural gorgeous pink color.
OTHER VEGAN FROSTINGS TO TRY:
- Vegan Chocolate Espresso Truffle Frosting
- Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Coconut Cream Frosting
- Funfetti Coconut Butter Frosting
VEGAN CAKES AND CUPCAKES TO USE THIS FROSTING ON
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Almond Butter Cake
- Vegan Pumpkin Cake if you like the combo of pumpkin and chocolate
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies
If you make any of these recipes, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8#thevegan8!
Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting (No Oil!)
Ingredients
- 1 heaping rounded cup (175g) of fresh strawberries (stems removed, rinsed and patted dry)
- 1/2 cup of liquid melted coconut butter (not coconut oil), make sure it is totally a melted liquid when you measure out 1/2 cup. I make my own here.
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- small pinch sea salt
- I use this scale.
- Optional 1/2-3/4 teaspoon dried beet root powder (this will give a dark pink color like in the photos. It is not necessary for flavor and it won't affect the flavor, only the color. If you don't want to use this, the frosting will be a lighter pink, still pretty, just not as dark pink, it will basically look like traditional light pink strawberry frostings. I found mine at Whole Foods.)
Instructions
- Make sure to follow the order of processing that I have listed.
- Measure out your whole strawberries, then remove the stems and chop them in half. Add them to a food processor and process until they are a complete liquid.
- Melt your coconut butter to a complete runny liquid, stir really well and then measure out 1/2 cup. If using a storebought jar, heat the whole jar first, stir after about 30 seconds all from the bottom up and reheat again for about 10 seconds until it's a complete liquid. Add this to the food processor and process quickly until it's blended and smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process again, scraping the sides a couple of times. Process for at least a minute until completely smooth and thick like a pudding consistency.
- Pour into a container and chill in the fridge at least 2-4 hours until it sets and thickens up. The coconut butter will cause it to thicken up, as it will be too runny to use immediately.
- To frost cupcakes, add the chilled frosting to a piping bag or ziplock bag and cut off a tiny corner and pipe it on.
- This will make just enough for a 9 inch single layer cake. Would be perfect on my Dreamy Vanilla Vegan Gluten-Free Cake or my Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake. Double or triple for a large double layer cake or if you like a lot of icing.
This recipe looks great! I was going to try to use it on my son’s cupcakes for his birthday party and wanted to find out if the frosting needs to be refrigerated after it has been put on the cupcakes. So if I frost my cupcakes the day before the party, do I need to place the cupcakes in the fridge?
Hi Jennilee! I would say it is best to leave them in the fridge since they are made with fresh strawberries and I wouldn’t want the frosting to soften too much. They will be fine for awhile at room temperature of course, but I wouldn’t let them sit out all night. I personally don’t like to frost cupcakes until the day of a party and have always done it that way, so it’s freshest, but let me know how it turns out!
I would love to make this strawberry frosting and chocolate cake for my daughter’s first birthday. She is allergic to dairy and egg, and I am searching for new recipies to use. I can’t find your chocolate cake recipie on here, though.
Hi Mary! Here is the recipe for the chocolate cake, I have it in the notes on how to omit the peppermint and just add vanilla instead. Please let me know what you think of it!
https://thevegan8.com/vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-peppermint-cake-oil-free/
Unfortunately the cake uses almond flour and my daughter is allergic to nuts too. A friend recommended a ‘depression cake’ that will work with her allergies so I plan to try it with your strawberry icing.
Oh, such a bummer Mary! Yes, please let me know how the frosting turns out for you. It is enough for an 8/9 inch cake, but you would need to double for a large double layer cake.
I did a test run of the cupcakes today, including your frosting. All four in my family liked it, which is definitely saying something. It did have a fairly strong coconut flavor and I couldn’t get the coconut butter to melt, which makes me wonder if I got the wrong thing. I kept microwaving it and it smelled and looked like it was cooking it instead of melting it. The jar says “raw coconut butter” in big letters and “whole coconut purée” in small letters under it. Does that sound like the right thing? This whole no regular butter thing is new to me.
Hi Mary! Oh, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed by all! 🙂
Yes, that sounds like the correct coconut butter, it should melt to a liquid in about 30 seconds. But if you cook it too long, it will crumble and burn almost. How long did you heat it? Are you in a cold climate?
I did 30 seconds and it wasn’t all the way melted so I did 10 more seconds several times. It was probably a minute total by the time I gave up and just used it. I’m live in SC, so definitely not a cold climate. The coconut butter was really hard in the jar. So much that I had a really hard time scooping it out.
If the jar comes solid and hard like that, next time I would just heat it in the jar first (I’m guess you scooped it out first before heating?), this is what I do and then stir it in between several seconds. This works for me each time if I use a storebought jar and it always turns to liquid really easily. That’s so strange yours did not turn to liquid. My only guess is that if you scooped it out first and then heated it, you may have gotten the part without a lot of the natural oils, therefore it was the driest part and why it did not melt properly. I would just heat the whole jar next time 🙂
In case anybody is curious, this icing freezes pretty well. My plan is to freeze pre- iced cupcakes so I can grab one for my daughter to take to birthday parties and such as needed. I tested it with one and there wasn’t much difference from the fresh ones.
Wow, that is great to know Mary! Thank you so much for sharing!
Can u freeze leftovers? I only need to frost 2 cupcakes
Hi Vicki! I have never tried freezing this frosting before since I frost the whole cake immediately. My guess is if you do, when you are ready to use it again, let it thaw in the fridge a few days and maybe whip it a bit if necessary. Since there is coconut butter in it, it will get super hard in the freezer.
I was looking for a special frosting and cake for my son’s high school graduation party. Every recipe of yours that I have made before was a huge hit and so I didn’t have to look anywhere else. This was a huge hit with everyone (I am vegan, my boys are both vegetarian, and he had friends who were neither). I had to hoard the last piece to make sure my other son got one. That’s how good it is. The coconut butter was a challenge, but stick with it and it will turn out perfectly. Once again, thanks for all of your wonderful recipes, Brandi!
Thank you so much Lori for such kind words! So happy to hear all of my recipes are big hits and especially this frosting and cake! SO glad that all the boys all loved this too, thank you so much for the feedback!
Wow love that this frosting does not use butter but coconut butter instead. If I want to make a plain vanilla frosting,would it be fine just to leave out strawberries.
Hi Sam! The strawberries provide the much needed liquid to get the right consistency of the frosting, so leaving it out wouldn’t work. You would have to replace some with milk, maybe 1/2 cup?? That is just a guess, as I have only tested it with strawberries. BUT, I do have actually a vanilla “buttercream” frosting and a Funfetti cake recipe coming up in 2-3 weeks and the frosting is to die for! Otherwise, if you need it before then, I would just try doing about 1/2 cup milk, chilling, etc. and then following the steps. I say 1/2 cup because that is what I’m guessing 1 cup of fresh strawberries would end up being. Let me know if you try it please!
I cant wait for the vanilla “buttercream” frosting. Will keep a look out over the next few weeks.
Will it also be on your facebook page?
Does this melt?? I have never worked with coconut butter. Is it different then coconut spread?? Can I transport a cake a few hours without it melting, or do I need to keep it cool??
Hi Cassie! Coconut butter is not the same thing as the butter spread in the cold section of the store. Coconut butter is just pureed coconut and is by the nut butters usually. It is very hard at room temperature but it needs to be melted down to a complete liquid, stirred well, and then measured. Then after the icing chills, it becomes firm. The coconut butter is what helps to make it firm up. It will stay firm as long as it is in an air conditioned room for a good while, but it will eventually soften and of course, if it’s in the heat or a warm room, it will melt to a liquid.
Hi Brandi, i would like to make this cake for my sons birthday, its sounds so delicious! I know you mentioned that it’s best to make it the day off, but i will be pressed for time, so I was wondering if you’be ever tried or recommend freezing it and finishing it off with frosting the day off?
Hi Monika! Oh, yes, you can totally make this cake the night before. It is a really moist cake so you should be fine. Just keep it at room temperature covered well on a plate with tight foil. I wouldn’t freeze it. Just make it the day before.
Brandi, I LOVE this frosting. I’ve tried to make other types of frosting, but the sheer quantity of shortening or butter makes it too greasy for me. I love that this is a whole food, and love the flavor! Total success!! Now I have a question for the winter months… have you tried this recipe with frozen fruits or winter fruits? I need a go-to for the winter birthdays! Thanks again!!
Thank you Samantha for such amazing feedback! I’m so thrilled you loved this frosting so much! No, I’ve never tried this with any other fruits. I’m sure it would work great though with blueberries, if frozen, I would suggest thawing them first and draining the excess liquid the frosting isn’t runny. I imagine the color would be stunning!
LOVE this recipe! Pretty sure the grams on the coconut butter you have listed is a full cup. Not a half cup. I adjusted and this recipe is a keeper. Your the best!
I’m so happy you loved this Elizabeth!! Thank you for that, just fixed it!
So delicious and perfect for our son’s request for a strawberry cake. Everyone thinks it’s so hard to stay compliant during special occasions but you make it easy and I love all the clean ingredients! The only change I made was that I doubled the strawberries (for a more strawberry taste) and powdered sugar to make up for the extra liquid. Came out so good! Thank you for sharing all your creations!
So happy to hear you loved this Marisela!
hi there! which brand of coconut butter did you use??
thanks!!
Hi,
Would I be able to use a different type of butter i.e nuttlex which is a vegetable based butter? Also would I be able to use beetroot juice instead of powder? Don’t really want to purchase the powder just for one usage. Thanks. Icing looks like a real winner.
Hi there!
Would I be able to use beetroot juice instead of powder? Don’t really want to purchase the powder just for one usage. Thanks. Icing looks like a real winner.
Yes I think that should work!