SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER!
Pinterest Facebook Instagram Youtube Flipboard
Save
  • Recipes
        • Snack Recipes
        • Dessert Recipes
        • Breakfast Recipes
        • Overnight Oats
        • Meals
        • Cookie Recipes
        • Appetizer Recipes
        • Crepes & Pancakes
        • Air Fryer Recipes
        • Kid-Friendly Recipes
        • Baby Food Recipes
        • High-Protein Recipes
        • Browse By
        • By Ingredient
        • By Cooking Method
        • By Diet
        • By Preparation
        • By Difficulty Level
        • By Meal Type
        • By Season
        • By Inspiration
        • All Recipes
  • Christmas
  • Search
  • About
    • About Us
    • Stories
    • Contact Us
  • My TCPK

Home Ā» Recipes Ā» Frosting

Cashew Frosting (Vegan, Dairy-free)

Carine By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 03/09/2022 - Last updated on 04/25/2022

5 from 190 votes
Jump to Recipe Pin Facebook Save Saved!
💬 2 Comments

This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

hidden pin image 28241hidden pin image 28242

This Cashew Frosting is an easy dairy-free, vegan frosting made from cashew nuts and perfect to spread on bread or layers in cakes.

It’s thick, easy to spread, and tastes like regular cream cheese frosting without any dairy product.

Cashew Frosting

This new vegan frosting recipe is perfect for cream cheese lovers.

Table of contents
  1. What’s Cashew Frosting?
  2. How To Make Cashew Frosting
  3. Frosting Cakes, Bread, And Cookies
  4. Storage
  5. Frequently Asked Questions
  6. More Vegan Frosting Recipe
  7. Cashew Frosting

What’s Cashew Frosting?

Cashew frosting, also called cashew icing, is a thick, smooth vegan cake frosting recipe made out of cashew nuts, almond milk, or coconut yogurt.

It’s a spreadable frosting with a similar taste and texture to buttercream, without the dairy or vegan butter.

It’s also naturally:

  • Gluten-free
  • Refined sugar-free
  • Paleo-friendly

How To Make Cashew Frosting

All you need to make a cashew frosting are a few ingredients and a high-speed blender.

Ingredients

  • Raw cashews – unroasted cashews are best for this raw cashew frosting. You must soak the cashews for at least 30 minutes in boiling water or 3 hours in cold water. This softens the cashews and makes the frosting ultra-smooth and creamy.
  • Coconut yogurt – that’s the best choice to make dairy-free cream cheese frosting, it adds the tangy flavor you expect from cream cheese frosting, and it’s naturally made of 2 ingredients: coconut cream and probiotic.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Lemon juice
  • Maple syrup or powdered sugar. Other liquid sweeteners that work in this recipe are agave syrup or brown rice syrup.
  • Optional – melted coconut oil or cocoa butter to firm up the frosting.

Soaking The Cashews

First, place the cashews in a large bowl and cover them with boiling water. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature.

You can also soak them overnight and cover the nuts with cold water.

I prefer the boiling water method because it makes the recipe faster.

How to make Cashew FrostingHow to make Cashew Frosting

Blending

Then, add the drained, soaked cashews, coconut yogurt, lemon juice, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in the jug of a high-speed blender.

Blend on the high-speed setting until the mixture is creamy and smooth

You may have to use the tamper attachment of the blender to push down the nuts and ingredients to the center of the blade.

You can also stop the blender every 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the jug, and repeat until smooth.

Varying The Texture – Buttercream Or Cream Cheese Style Frosting

Now, depending on your liking, you can adapt the frosting texture.

This basic vegan cashew frosting tastes like buttercream frosting. But for a cashew cream cheese frosting texture, I recommend adding 2-3 tablespoons melted coconut oil in the blender.

In fact, coconut oil firms up under 73°F (23°C), and it’s a great way to make the frosting thicker, and firmer.

It won’t make the frosting pipeable anyway but add texture similar to cream cheese after spending 1 hour in the fridge.

Refrigerating

For the best texture and flavor, I highly recommend refrigerating the frosting for 1 hour.

In fact, blending the nuts create heat, and the frosting is much more liquid and spreadable before refrigerating.

Cashew Frosting

Frosting Cakes, Bread, And Cookies

This cashew frosting recipe is great for frosting cakes, bread, or cookies.

Unfortunately, it’s not a frosting that pipes really well on top of cupcakes or muffins because it spreads easily.

The best recipes to pair with cashew cream cheese vegan frosting are:

  • Carrot cake banana bread
  • Vegan carrot cake
  • Peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies

Storage

This cashew frosting recipe can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can use leftovers as a snack to dip fresh fruits like apple wedges or fresh berries.

Otherwise, freeze the frosting in airtight bags or containers and thaw the day before in the fridge.

Cashew Frosting

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Pipe This Cashew Frosting?

No, this recipe is great for spreading, but it won’t hold its shape if pipped on top of cupcakes.

Can I Swap Cashews For Something Else?

Yes, if you have a cashew allergy, you can use macadamia nuts instead.

They are much more expensive and take a bit more time to blend into a smooth frosting but works as a cashew alternative.

Can I Make Sugar-free Cashew Frosting?

You can skip the sweetener in this recipe or use a sugar-free sweetener like monk fruit syrup or 5-6 drops of stevia liquid.

I recommend avoiding granulated sweetener that provides a grainy texture to the frosting.

Can I Use A Food Processor?

The recipe won’t get as smooth in a food processor, but you can still achieve decent results.

Cashew Frosting

More Vegan Frosting Recipe

Below I listed some more dairy-free frosting and vegan icing recipes ideas for you to try:

  • Vegan Chocolate Frosting Recipe
  • Coconut Cream Frosting
  • Vegan Vanilla Frosting
  • Vegan Royal Icing

Have you made this cashew frosting recipe?  Leave a comment or review below to connect with me and let me know how you used it.

Your friend, Carine

Did You Like This Recipe?

Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!

Cashew Frosting

An easy vegan cream cheese frosting with cashew to frost cakes, bread, and cookies.
Pin Print Review Save Saved!
Prep Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings (1/4 cup each)
Calories: 325.6 kcal
Author: Carine Claudepierre
5 from 190 votes

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric
  • 1 cup Raw Cashews - unroasted, unsalted
  • ½ cup Coconut Yogurt - unsweetened
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
  • 2-3 tablespoons Maple Syrup - or 5-7 drops liquid stevia

Optional – for a firmer texture

  • 2-3 tablespoons Melted Coconut Oil - or melted cocoa butter

Instructions

  • Place the raw cashews in a glass bowl, cover with boiling water. Place a lid on top of the bowl and set aside 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Drain over a sieve and place the soaked drained cashews in the jug of a high-speed blender along with the remaining ingredients.
  • Blend on high-speed in bursts of 30 seconds, scraping down the walls of the jug if needed, until the mixture is smooth.
  • Transfer the mixture into a bowl, refrigerate for 1 hour to set.
  • Use to frost a two-layer 8-inch cake. This frosting is not pipeable. It's a buttercream-style frosting to spread on cake layers or the top of bread.

Storage

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw the day before in the fridge.

Equipment

Vitamix Blender
Vitamix Ascent A2500 Blender
Mixing Bowls
Mixing Bowl
Measuring Cups
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Share on Facebook Pin Recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/4 cup) | Calories: 325.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.7g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 15.8g | Saturated Fat: 8.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.3g | Sodium: 7.8mg | Potassium: 285.6mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 35.5g | Vitamin A: 0.1IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 70.4mg | Iron: 1.5mg | Magnesium: 63.4mg | Phosphorus: 114mg | Zinc: 1.5mg
Carine Claudepierre & Damien Maurer

About The Author

Carine
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, photographer, and published author of a cookbook and founder of The Conscious Plant Kitchen with my husband Damien. Learn more about us.

Found In:

Category:

DessertsFrostingRecipes

Ingredients:

CashewsLemon JuiceMaple SyrupPlant-Based YogurtVanilla

Cooking Method:

No-Bake

Diet:

Dairy-FreeEgg-FreeVeganVegetarian

Meal Types:

Dessert

Level:

Easy

Preparation:

5 IngredientsUnder 30 Minutes

Leave a comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    2 comments
  1. Marisa says:
    March 22, 2022 at 3:42 am

    Hi, this frosting looks great. Can it be left on a cake at room temperature

    Reply
    • Carine says:
      March 23, 2022 at 1:49 pm

      Absolutely!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi, We are Carine & Damien

Carine Claudepierre Damien Maurer

Welcome to the Conscious Plant Kitchen, we are happy to meet you here! I am Carine Claudepierre, a foodie, certified nutritionist, wife of Damien Maurer, a vegan runner, and here I share with you my easy plant-based recipes! Who Are Carine & Damien?

What are you craving?

Most Popular Recipes

a vegan french crepe filled with strawberries, dairy-free whipped cream and lots of vegan crepes in the background

Easy Vegan Crepes – An Eggless Crepe Recipe

Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake Recipe

Vanilla Vegan Mug Cake (No Egg, No Milk)

Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Vegan Vanilla Frosting

2 ingredients coconut cream frosting

3-Ingredient Vegan Coconut Cream Frosting

baby led weaning banana pancakes

3-Ingredient Baby Banana Pancakes (Egg-Free, Dairy-Free)

healthy overnight oats with protein powder (2)

Protein Overnight Oats with Protein Powder

Recipes In Season

Chai Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte

Blackberry Crisp

Blackberry Crisp

Healthy Pumpkin spice latte

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte (Low Calories, Vegan)

Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Pie Spice Smoothie

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Keep In Touch

Pinterest
Instagram
Facebook-f
Youtube

Useful Links

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Stories
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER!
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe