How to Make Fluffy Dairy-Free Frosting - Recipe and Tips (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to frosting to make it fluffier? ›

"Mixing in cream cheese, whipped cream, lemon zest, or even Nutella can make such a difference." From making frosting creamier or fluffier to changing its flavor, these easy changes will certainly impress anyone you're planning to share your dessert with.

But, there are ways to make it more interesting; one such way is to hit it with a shot of vinegar. Don't worry, the icing won't taste sour or like vinegar at all, but the acid will help balance out the sweetness, making it taste more pleasant. Even better, it will make the icing stronger and more durable.

Royal icing is a simple icing that is typically used for decorating sugar cookies, gingerbread houses, cakes, and cupcakes. Prepared with just a few ingredients, this icing is perfect for everyday treats as well as special occasions. And it's totally dairy free.

Soften the butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature before making the frosting. Soften butter will cream more easily and result in a smoother, fluffier frosting.

If the doctored frosting is too thick or stiff to spread, start by beating with a mixer on high speed to incorporate air, and if that isn't sufficient, beat in milk, cream, coffee, or even flavored coffee creamer 1 tablespoon at a time.

Sugar is the most important ingredient in all types of frostings, providing sweetness, flavor, bulk and structure.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

This is considered one of the very difficult methods for making buttercream because the sugar syrup must be cooked to a specific temperature and then, while piping hot, poured into the whipped egg whites.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Butter and flavorings are beaten into the meringue to create the buttercream. Because of its stiff meringue base, the frosting holds up well, will not crust and is great for piping cupcakes and decorating cakes.

Is Cool Whip dairy free? ›

From its introduction, Cool Whip was labeled and advertised as non-dairy, but as of 2018 it contains skimmed milk and sodium caseinate, a milk derivative. Even before the skimmed milk was introduced, Cool Whip was classified in Jewish dietary traditions as dairy because of the sodium caseinate.

Betty Crocker Icing

Betty Crocker frostings are made with dairy-free ingredients, such as vegetable oil and natural sweeteners. Their vegan options include: Classic Coffee. Indulgent Chocolate Fudge.

Heavy Cream

Try thickening it with a bit of heavy whipping cream. You can add up to ¼ cup of heavy cream, depending on how much you need to thicken it. Then whip the frosting until it fluffs up. Heavy cream also works if the recipe instructs you to heat the frosting.

To me nothing beats good old royal icing. Egg whites and confectioner's sugar beaten together, a dash of lemon juice as a stabilizer. It's quick and easy to make, holds its shape beautifully and if it dries out you can always add water to revive it. Perfectly white, easy to color and easy to clean, too.

In baking, melted margarine could work in recipes that call for melted butter, but in recipes that call for softened butter, swapping in tub margarine may change the texture; for example, cakes will be less tender, and cookies will generally spread out more and be less crisp.

Whip it good.

Without even adding any other ingredients, this will aerate the frosting for a fluffier consistency.

Add powdered sugar

If the frosting has not reached your desired thickness after chilling, add a few tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar to help your buttercream stiffen.

Use tapioca, cornstarch, or arrowroot starch.

Dry starches like these absorb liquid and are a great way to thicken frosting without altering the taste of the frosting.