Video:How to Make Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

Transcript:How to Make Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

Hi, I'm Jen D'Amore for About.com, and this video is all about how to make vegan, dairy-free cream cheese frosting using Ashley Adams' recipe from About.com's dairy-free cooking site.  

Substitute Ingredients for Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

A basic cream cheese frosting recipe is cream cheese, butter and sugar.  Now, cream cheese and butter are both dairy, so in order to make it dairy-free, all you need to do is find suitable replacements for both.  You can find dairy-free cream cheese on the market, as well as a variety of margarines that are essentially emulsified oils.  The oil can come from different bases.  I've chosen one that comes from coconut, but you can choose the one that's best suited for you.  Each is designed to be a butter substitute.

For this dairy-free cream cheese frosting you'll need:

• 1/2 cup dairy-free margarine
• 1 - 8 oz tub of dairy free cream cheese
• and 4 cups of organic powdered sugar

Mix Frosting Ingredients

Using an electric mixer, mix together the margarine and the cream cheese first, then gradually add in the sugar.  You want it to be creamy and fluffy, so keep mixing for about 5 minutes.  

Here's a tip on how to get more of the frosting off the mixer blades, rather than having to scrape or dig it out from the center.  Keep the blades in the frosting, and with the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually lift it out.  It's important to move at a snail's pace, otherwise you may end up launching frosting across the room.  You can see the frosting pulling down off the blades.  Keep going slowly until they're all the way out.

Use the frosting on cakes, cupcakes, or other treats right away, or store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container and use it within 24 hours. 

Thanks for watching.  To learn more visit us on the web at About.com.