Name: Dairy-Free and Soy-Free Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup soy-free, dairy-free margarine; 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract; 2 cups powdered sugar; 1 tbsp. rice milk (or more, as needed)

Dairy-Free and Soy-Free Frosting

Jeanette Bradley

Updated on March 09, 2022

Medically reviewed by

Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, LDN

(51 ratings)

Total Time: 15 min

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 0 min

Servings: 12 (2 T + 2 tsp. each)

Nutrition Highlights (per serving)

145 calories

7g fat

20g carbs

0g protein

Show Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 (2 T + 2 tsp. each)
Amount per serving
Calories	145
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	9%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 74mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 20g	7%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 20g
Includes 19g Added Sugars	38%
Protein 0g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 2mg	0%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 4mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Cake frosting is pretty simple, as far as recipes go. You generally take powdered sugar and blend it with something to make it creamy. Throw in a little flavoring, and you're ready to frost.

It gets a lot trickier, though, when you're dealing with food allergies, especially allergies to dairy and soy. That's because, in most frosting recipes, the ingredient that makes it creamy is butter or soy-based margarine. Frosting recipes also commonly include milk, which, of course, won't work if you're dealing with a dairy allergy.

So does that mean you have to live with unfrosted cake? No! It is important for both children and adults to enjoy the foods they love and for caregivers to have simple recipes on hand to accommodate food allergies. Lucky for us, there is an alternative—this basic vanilla frosting recipe is free of dairy and soy. It suits people with dairy or soy allergies, or people with multiple allergies (since it's also gluten-free).

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy-free, dairy-free margarine
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. rice milk (or more, as needed)

Preparation

Using an electric mixer, beat together the margarine, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar until they are well combined.
Slowly add remaining powdered sugar until all is mixed in.
Continue to beat with a mixer and add rice milk a little bit at a time until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Variations and Substitutions

To stay safe with a soy allergy, you might try either Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Sticks (made from a combination of palm fruit, canola, and olive oils), or Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread (made from a combination of palm fruit, canola, safflower, flax, and olive oils). Other Earth Balance margarine products contain soy, and so won't be safe on a soy-free diet. If you use a different brand, be sure to check labels carefully to make sure that it doesn't contain the allergen that you are trying to avoid.

You can substitute other flavors for the vanilla to vary the taste of the frosting. Try using maple extract or peppermint extract or crushed allergy-safe peppermint candies. You might also add some mashed fresh strawberries.

Cooking and Serving Tips

Since this is a basic vanilla frosting, it will pair well with all kinds of cakes and cupcakes, including chocolate, vanilla, lemon, coconut, and even red velvet.
Looking for an allergy-friendly cake to frost? Try dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free lemon vanilla cake, dairy-free yellow cake, or dairy-free red velvet cupcakes.
Jazz up this allergy-friendly recipe by topping your baked treat with fresh berries or sliced fruit after you frost it.

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