Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting

Quick, easy, creamy vegan peanut butter frosting that’s light, fluffy, 100% dairy-free and naturally gluten-free!

Like all of my frosting recipes, this one is also simple to make. It's the perfect partner for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, and so much more. It's especially delicious when used to top chocolate desserts. Read on to learn all you need to know to make this tasty homemade treat!

If you love peanut butter-flavoured desserts, like peanut butter cups, peanut butter bars, or peanut butter pie, then you need to add this recipe to your collection.

It's the most delicious, creamiest, fluffiest non-dairy peanut butter frosting you'll ever have...and you can have it ready FAST! And if Reese's PB cups were a favourite from the past, this frosting tastes very similar to the filling of a peanut butter cup!

We all know that peanut butter and chocolate are wonderful together, so instead of making chocolate buttercream to go with your chocolate cake or cupcakes (or brownies, cookies, macarons, etc.), try something a little different the next time, like this!

A Quick Look at the Ingredients

All you need is 6 ingredients to make this delicious, from-scratch vegan peanut butter icing (well, 5, because one of them is optional!). I've added a few notes below about the ingredients.

Ingredient Details

Only ingredients with special notes are listed below. The full ingredient list can be found in the recipe card below.

Peanut Butter - The type of peanut butter you use is very important for this recipe to turn out well. You MUST use firm, smooth peanut butter, NOT a natural runny peanut butter that separates and needs to be stirred or homemade peanut butter. It must be a store-bought peanut butter that stays firm at room temperature. Some brands to use are Kraft (the one I use), Skippy, or Jif.

Salt - The peanut butter you use will likely already have salt in it. I still add a little to balance the flavours out. If you find that your peanut butter is very salty, you can omit it.

Dairy-Free Milk - Use your favourite non-dairy milk. This ingredient is optional because you may whip all the ingredients together and find that the consistency is exactly how you want it. Only use the milk if you want a softer frosting, but make it without milk if you want it to be more on the firm side.

The Step-by-Step

(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)

Problem Solving

I made several batches of this frosting before I got the timing and texture right. I've included everything I learned below, along with some additional tips, to help you out:

While mixing, if you notice that your frosting has split (it looks lumpy and a little separated), either your butter was too warm or your butter was too cold.

• To fix buttercream made with butter that was too warm: Put the bowl into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes so everything can cool down. Remove it from the refrigerator and start mixing it again.
• To fix buttercream made with butter that was too cold: Let the bowl sit at room temperature to warm it up a little before moving forward.

If you prefer a thinner or thicker buttercream, those are easy fixes, too:

• To fix buttercream that's too thick: Add the optional dairy-free milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you get the consistency you want.
• To fix buttercream that's too thin: Add more powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until it reaches the thickness you want.

Problem Solving (continued)

If your buttercream turns out grainy:

• Always use powdered sugar. Using any type of granulated sugar will result in a grainy buttercream.
• Make sure the powdered sugar isn't lumpy. As powdered sugar sits, it can dry out and clump up. It will still work to make your icing, it will just need to be sifted first.
• More moisture is needed. Add a little non-dairy milk to lighten it up and make it softer.

If your buttercream is too fluffy:

• Stir with a wooden spoon. This will knock out some of the air and make it a little less fluffy. (It gets fluffier the longer you whip it!)

What to Put It On

• Topping cakes and cupcakes is how I use this recipe the most (it's great on my vegan gluten-free chocolate cake!), but it can also be used for macarons, whoopie pies, sugar cookies, sandwich cookies, brownies, and more.
• It’s also perfect to top gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes like in my pictures, and it also works very well with banana cake and banana cupcakes.
• If you’re decorating with sprinkles or chocolate shavings, add them immediately after piping the frosting because it will crust a little after it has been piped, and your decorations will not stick to it.

Secrets to Success

• Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily.
• Measure your ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a scale (this is the one I have) and my weight measurements. Please read my article about how to measure flour correctly.
• Read this post from beginning to end before making the recipe; it contains lots of tips and tricks on how to make the perfect vegan peanut butter icing, every single time!
• For the very best results, follow the recipe exactly as it’s written, don’t reduce the amount of powdered sugar or butter called for and don't use runny peanut butter. The recipe can be halved if you need just a very small amount or doubled (even tripled!) if you need more.

If You Make This Recipe...

Please leave a comment and rating below and tell me what dessert you put it on! You can also snap a picture, post it on Instagram and tag me so I can see. (I'm @delightfuladventures on Instagram). I'd love to hear from you!