Vegan Cheesecake Frosting

This easy & light Vegan Cheesecake Frosting is all that you love about cheesecake, but made vegan! With only 4 ingredients, this vegan cream cheese frosting comes together very quickly and is chilled in the fridge to thicken up. Spread this frosting on muffins, cake or even sandwich between cookies!

Jump to:

• Why you’ll love this recipe!
• Ingredients for the filling
• Best vegan whipped cream for frosting
• Best vegan cream cheese for frosting
• Recipe variations and applications
• Recipe method
• Thickening the frosting
• Make the frosting pipe-able
• Recipe FAQ’s
• Recipe tips
• Cake recipes for your frosting
• Vegan Cheesecake Frosting
• Questions & Reviews

Why you’ll love this recipe!

This Vegan Cheesecake Frosting is truly a dream come true! It can be hard to figure out which brands of vegan ingredient substitutes work best and taste like the real deal, so I tested this recipe with the two vegan ingredients that really taste incredible & I know you're going to love too!

If you prefer a dairy version of this recipe, you can also check out my Cheesecake Filling for Cake recipe that has rave reviews!

Ingredients for the filling

• Vegan whipped cream (from freezer section in grocery stores)
• Vegan cream cheese block
• Confectioners sugar
• Pure vanilla extract

Best vegan whipped cream for frosting

I tested out 3 kinds of vegan whipped cream and here are my thoughts:

Best Results: Both options are found in the freezer isle in grocery stores & need to be defrosted in the fridge overnight.

• #1: So Delicious Dairy Free CocoWhip Original - This product yielded the best texture and flavor! I believe this it is also the most universally accessible vegan whipped cream across the US and the healthier option compared to the other brands. The CocoWhip can be found in the freezer isle in most grocery stores and needs to be thawed in the fridge overnight before using in this recipe.
• #2: 365 by Whole Foods Market, Non-Dairy Plant Based Whipped Topping - This is another great vegan whipped cream option! You can find it in the freezer isle of nearly all Whole Foods stores and it needs to be thawed in the fridge overnight before using in this recipe.

Other good option I tested -

• #3: Califia Farms Heavy Whip Substitute - This heavy cream substitute needs to be whipped with a whisk until soft peaks (since it doesn't usually achieve stiff peaks anyways) and tastes really great in this recipe. It does yield a slightly looser frosting since it doesn't whip up to become a stiff whipped cream.

Best vegan cream cheese for frosting

Vegan cream cheese is usually universally delicious spread onto toast or a bagel, but it's much harder to find a great vegan cream cheese that works well for desserts, especially no-bake desserts. It needs to be a bit tangy, but not too much. It needs to be creamy, but not melty.

Best Results -

• #1: Violife Just Like Cream Cheese (Cream Cheese Alternative), in block form - This block form vegan cream cheese is specially formulated for dips and desserts which makes it work perfectly in this recipe.

Recipe variations and applications

• Use it as a vegan no bake cheesecake filling by piping the Vegan Cheesecake Frosting into cake layers, mini pie crusts or cookie cups!
• Turn it into the perfect thanksgiving dessert by swirling in some caramel sauce before proceeding with using it.
• Use it to frost cakes, such as my Gluten Free Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake.
• Substitute the vanilla extract with an almonds extract or even coconut extract for a different flavor profile.

Tip: If you want your frosting a bit looser, like in the Gingerbread cake photo above, leave it at room temperature for 20 minutes then spread onto your cake.

Recipe method

Step 1: In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sifted confectioners sugar and vanilla extract with a paddle attachment for 3 minutes until well combined, smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through mixing to make sure everything is combined well.

Step 3: Add ¼ of the vegan whipped cream to the bowl of cream cheese mixture and whisk together until well combined.

Step 4: Add the remaining whipped cream to the bowl and use a rubber spatula to carefully fold everything together until a cohesive mixture forms.

Step 4: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight to help thicken the frosting.

Thickening the frosting

This frosting can be on the thinner side once it's made (as pictured in my Gluten Free Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake), so it's important to allow it enough time to thicken in the freezer for at least 1 hour or in the fridge for 4 hours before using it in a recipe that requires it to be thicker or pipe-able.

Make the frosting pipe-able

If you would like to pipe this frosting, you can freeze the frosting for 3 hours, then mix it. If it's too thick, transfer it to the fridge for 15 minute intervals until it's a nice, thick pip-able consistency. Then, transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe as needed. Be sure to place the frosted dessert into the fridge shortly after so that the frosting continues to hold up.

Recipe FAQ’s

Recipe tips

• Don't forget to sift the confectioners sugar so there are no lumps in the creamy filling. If you forget to sift the confectioners sugar and there are clumps, transfer the cheese-sugar mixture to a food processor and pulse until it looks smooth, then transfer it back to the stand mixer bowl.
• Always fold the frosting with a rubber spatula! Don't whisk the frosting once you add the remaining whipped cream since it will deflate it.
• Add the vanilla extract for a hint of vanilla flavor that rounds out the recipe.

Cake recipes for your frosting

Here are some delicious cake recipes that you can try out with the frosting!

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