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    Home » Recipes » Party Desserts

    EASY Powdered Sugar Vanilla Frosting (without butter)

    Published: Mar 29, 2020 · Modified: Mar 30, 2022 by Aleka Shunk · This post may contain affiliate links · 35 Comments

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    This easy powdered sugar frosting is soft but stiffens up nicely making it ideal for topping cupcakes, cakes, soft sugar cookies or brownies. It's made without butter so it's also dairy free!

    cookies and cupcakes frosted in a powdered sugar frosting.

    This post contains affiliate links. Click on my disclosure to find out more!

    Homemade frostings are super easy to make! Most recipes are made with sugar, butter, milk (or cream) and vanilla extract. My version is made without butter and can be made with milk, water, cream, or even juice.

    This type of icing is known as a "quick frosting" because it takes minimal time to whip up. For flavoring, I like to use almond extract instead of vanilla extract because of it's unique flavor which is very tasty!

    Liquids you can substitute the dairy for to make your frosting dairy-free:

    • Any nut milk
    • Freshly squeezed juice (orange juice, lemon juice or lime juice)
    • Alcohols (vodka, Kahlua, whiskey, bourbon, champagne, etc.)
    • Coffee or espresso

    Extracts you could use to flavor your frosting besides vanilla:

    • almond
    • coffee
    • orange
    • mint
    • hazelnut
    • lemon
    Chocolate cupcakes with white powdered sugar frosting without butter.
    Contents hide
    1 The perfect frosting for cake or cookies
    2 How to make your frosting super smooth:
    3 Butter Free!
    4 FAQ's
    4.1 Other delicious sweets you will LOVE:
    5 EASY Powdered Sugar Vanilla Frosting (without butter)
    5.1 Ingredients
    5.2 Instructions
    5.3 Video
    5.4 Recipe Notes
    5.5 Nutrition

    The perfect frosting for cake or cookies

    This confectioners frosting is great if you want a thick but soft icing for those soft sugar cookies we've all come to love around the holidays. Whether frosting Christmas cookies or cupcakes for a birthday party, this frosting is inexpensive but tasty.

    My favorite thing is how nicely it stiffens up so once your frosting is set, you can stack them or cover your cupcakes without worrying they will smear everywhere.

    Note* This frosting is on the SWEET side. If you want a less sweet frosting, you should look into a frosting made with BUTTER known as a buttercream frosting.

    How to make your frosting super smooth:

    One thing I LOVE about this confectioners sugar frosting recipe is how forgiving it is! If you mess up the frosting or dent it, you can easily fix it with some hot water and an offset spatula. Read more about smoothing frosting here.

    Two images showing how to smooth out frosting on a cookie.
    Smooth out your frosting with a butter-knife!

    Heating the icing sugar will cause it to melt again. So pressing a hot spatula or knife against the icing will cause the sugar to melt just enough to help it to smooth out evenly giving a clean presentation.

    Pro Tip: Dip an offset spatula or butter-knife into hot water to easily smooth out your frosting!

    Butter Free!

    There is no butter in this frosting because it not a buttercream frosting but there IS cream cheese. Without either of the two your frosting will just be too sweet. It needs one or the other to take that sweetness level down a bit.

    Closeup of vanilla frosting with confectioners sugar and without butter in a bowl.
    If you're frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

    Have you checked out my desserts page yet?

    FAQ's

    "Will this frosting get hard?"

    Yes, it will harden up enough for you to stack your cookies or take your cupcakes on the go without smearing everywhere. Depending how thick your frosting is, it will take anywhere from 30 minutes-2 hours as it cools and the moisture evaporates.

    "How long will this frosting stay fresh?"

    Your frosting will stay fresh for up to 1-2 weeks sealed in the fridge.

    "Can I hand mix my frosting?"

    Yes. Just make sure to mix it very well!

    "How can I make my frosting smoother?"

    Sift your powdered sugar before mixing in your cream and extract. Sifting the sugar will remove many small clumps that you don't want in your frosting creating a softer, smoother texture.

    "Can I stack my frosting coated cookies?"

    Yes! Just allow your frosting to harden. The time will differ depending on how thick it is. It should take 30 minutes - 2 hours to fully harden.

    "How do I spread my frosting after it has hardened?"

    Warm your frosting up in the microwave in 15-30 second intervals until it softens enough to spread.

    Vanilla powdered sugar frosting on cookies and chocolate cupcakes.
    Spread onto sugar cookies with sprinkle with choice of sprinkles!

    Tools to make frosting desserts a bit easier:

    Other delicious sweets you will LOVE:

    Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

    Mocha Pudding Cookies

    Sea Salt Chocolate Covered Potato Chips Recipe

    BAKED Mini Churro Bites w/ Quick Chocolate Sauce

    📽 If you love entertaining at home, sbscribe to my YouTube channel!!

    Follow me on Instagram @alekasgettogether and tag me if you make this recipe! 🙂

    cupcakes and cookies frosted

    EASY Powdered Sugar Vanilla Frosting (without butter)

    This easy powdered sugar frosting is made with and quick making it ideal for topping cupcakes, cakes, soft sugar cookies or brownies.
    4.06 from 90 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Calories: 216kcal
    Author: Aleka Shunk

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 oz. cream cheese
    • 2 tablespoon cream
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Sift your powdered sugar if you want a smoother frosting.
    • Add your sugar, heavy cream, extract and salt to a bowl and mix well until smooth. A standing mixer or hand mixer works best.
    • Use as desired or store in the fridge. The consistency should be thick! Read notes below*

    Video

    Recipe Notes

    Yield: frosts 5-6 cupcakes
    **This frosting is made without butter so it is SWEETER than your typical buttercream recipe. I highly suggest leaving out half of the sugar in your cookie/cupcakes recipe to balance the sweetness in the frosting.**
    • Have a bowl of hot water on the side for dipping your spatula into before smoothing out your frosting. This is so useful!
    • Add a few drops of food coloring to get the color you desire if you want a colored frosting.
    • You can use milk, water or juice to make your frosting. The amounts will vary based on what you use.
    • The frosting will harden between 30 min to 2 hours.
    • Store frosting in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
    • To use frosting after its hardened, heat the frosting in the microwave for 15-30 second intervals until you can spread it easily.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.1g | Fat: 9.5g | Saturated Fat: 5.9g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 107mg | Sugar: 29.9g | Calcium: 17mg
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    Comments

    1. Anita Jackson

      April 30, 2022 at 1:11 pm

      5 stars
      I normally make buttercream icing because my boyfriend likes white icing, and the butter is what makes it so great. He would eat white icing on a burrito if I let him! Anyway, to him, brownies are boring without icing. I had made brownies then realized that I had no butter in the house. This recipe is wonderful!

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        May 01, 2022 at 10:09 am

        So glad you liked it! Hopefully he does too! 🙂

    2. CHRISTINA

      May 05, 2021 at 7:43 pm

      hi I want to ice a 3 tier round cakes 9" and do not want to use buttercream. Will your frosting stand up to layers and piping please... this is rather urgent for baby shower cake.
      also how much icing does your recipe make please

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        May 05, 2021 at 8:01 pm

        Hi Christina, I have not used it to ice a cake before so I am not sure of the exact amount you will need. I would at least triple the recipe. I imagine it will stand up just fine. If anything, you may need to add a little extra milk to thin it out so it spreads easier.

      • Anonymous

        June 12, 2021 at 1:42 pm

        5 stars
        Hi! I'm curious about this frosting recipe, does cream cheese taste good? And do you have any alternatives, I want to make a bi coloured cake for me since it's pride month and I'm still new to this icing/frosting thing since I have always left my cakes/cupcakes plain.

      • Aleka Shunk

        June 13, 2021 at 8:00 am

        Hi Christina! Happy pride month! 🙂 Yes there are a lot of frosting recipes that use cream cheese as a base either WITH butter or in place of it. It's what makes cheesecake so yummy! 🙂 Without the cream cheese, the frosting may be a bit too sweet but it can be done. If you don't have cream cheese, you can use butter. And if you are looking for a vegan version, let me know!!

    3. Roxxane

      April 05, 2021 at 4:14 pm

      5 stars
      YOU ARE AWESOME

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        April 06, 2021 at 11:22 am

        Aw thank you Roxxane!

    4. Lubna

      February 12, 2021 at 8:44 pm

      Hello there,
      my son's birthday is coming up and I'm planning to do his cake and he is a dairy free child, so I was wondering what should I subsitiute the cream cheese and the cream with?

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        February 13, 2021 at 8:09 am

        Hi Lubna, I added cream cheese to balance out the sweetness but you don't NEED the cream cheese, you could simply use just powdered sugar, vanilla and a nut milk or water to make it dairy-free. I have not frosted a cake with this but I would start with 3-4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, then add 1 teaspoon of a nut milk or water. Mix it up. Continue to add 1 teaspoon of liquid until it is frosting consistency! (A little liquid goes a long way!) IT will be sweet but it works! You can also add a pinch of salt to balance some of the sweetness. Let me know how it turns out!!

      • Unique

        February 18, 2021 at 10:56 pm

        Hi i am a young baker and enjot it what does the recpie mean when it says cream

      • Aleka Shunk

        February 19, 2021 at 7:26 am

        Hi there, it means to blend together until creamy! 🙂

    5. Faith J.

      January 25, 2021 at 12:04 pm

      Hi there, I am eager to try this. Jiffy doesn't make their white frosting mix anymore, which is my gold standard for taste. Buttercream frostings don't compare so I will try your recipe!

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        January 25, 2021 at 2:10 pm

        Hi Faith! Oh boy, I hope it is comparable. Be sure to let me know! 🙂

      • Susan

        November 10, 2021 at 10:27 am

        5 stars
        Can use milk

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