Coconut Buttercream Frosting – Easy & Vegan

This coconut buttercream frosting is smooth, creamy, and rich with full of coconut flavour! It’s very easy to make, made with only 5 essential ingredients in 1 bowl, and vegan too. A perfect buttercream frosting for any baked goods.

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Coconut flavour is such a refreshing flavour to add to baked goods, I’ve loved the flavour for so long and I finally published my beloved coconut cake this summer which is mmmmwah! So delicious. This coconut buttercream frosting isn’t just for a coconut cake (though it’s a perfect match) but for literally any of your favourite cakes and cupcakes! Try it on a simple vanilla cupcake recipe to give it a nice twist, on carrot cake, or on a chocolate cake to make a chocolate coconut cake. Yummy.

This recipe is very easy to make with only 5 essential ingredients. I used coconut cream from full-fat canned coconut milk to achieve a smooth and coconuty texture, a bit of coconut extract to boost the flavour though it’s optional, and nearly 1 cup of shredded coconuts! A true coconut luxury in every bite.  

Main ingredients and substitutions

Coconut cream: Get full-fat canned coconut milk and chill the can in the fridge overnight. You’ll get nice and creamy solid coconut cream on top of the can the next day! Use this part for your coconut buttercream frosting. High-quality coconut milk is best to use because it usually contains more fat than other cheap canned coconut milk.

Shredded coconut: I used shredded coconut in this recipe to maximise the coconut flavour. You can omit it too if you want to make a smoother frosting. Adjust the thickness of the frosting by adding a little more icing sugar if you omit the shredded coconuts too.

Vegan butter: I used vegan butter from Naturli and it worked perfectly. It’s a salted butter so if your vegan butter is unsalted add a pinch of salt to the frosting!

Icing sugar: You can’t really replace icing sugar in this recipe with other sugars like caster sugar. If you don’t have icing sugar/powdered sugar at home and need to make this recipe, try blending your sugar until super fine like icing sugar. This should work in this recipe!

Other ingredients: soy whipping cream(substitute for other plant-based whipping creams if soy-free), coconut extract(optional), and vanilla extract(optional).

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Hand mixer or stand mixer: I used my stand mixer to make this recipe but you can also use a hand mixer too.

A large mixing bowl: Use a big mixing bowl so that it’s easy to mix the frosting.

Spatula: Use a silicone spatula to scrape the frosting stuck to the side of the bowl.

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan coconut buttercream frosting

Step 1: Mix the vegan butter and coconut cream

Firstly, make sure that your coconut milk is chilled overnight in the fridge before starting making this recipe! This is important because canned coconut milk separates into a solid part and water part in this step. You are using coconut cream(the solid part) for this recipe!

In a large bowl mix the vegan butter and coconut cream with a stand mixer or hand mixer until they are combined. About 3-5 mins. It looks a bit like cottage cheese at this point, but don’t worry it’ll blend nicely later! Add the vanilla extract and coconut extract and mix until combined if more flavour is desired.

Step 2: Add dry ingredients

Add all of the shredded coconuts and icing sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until it’s creamy and fluffy. You’ll likely have some frosting stuck to the side of the mixing bowl, so scrape that with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the soy whipping cream and mix further for about 3-4 mins until the frosting is nice and fluffy.

Use on your favourite cake, cupcakes, and more!

Serving tips and ideas

• Use as a frosting for coconut cake, vanilla cake, carrot cake, chocolate cake, fruit cake and more!
• Put the frosting in a piping back with a star tip and use it to frost your favourite cupcakes.

Expert tips and tricks

Use room temperature ingredients

Once your coconut milk is chilled overnight, take the coconut cream out of the can and rest at room temperature alongside other ingredients to make sure that they are all at room temperature. This ensures creamy and smooth frosting!

Chill the frosting if needed

If your frosting looks too soft, you can chill it in the fridge for 10-20 mins to slightly firm it up before using it on a cake or cupcakes! This usually happens if your coconut cream contains more water. So make sure to chill the can and only take the solid coconut cream too.

Use a big star tip

If you are frosting on cupcakes, use a big star tip rather than a small one. This is because the frosting has shredded coconuts and it would be much easier to frost with a big star tip.

How to store

• Refrigerating: You can refrigerate the frosting for up to 2 days. Cover the bowl with a cling film or transfer the frosting into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. Take it out and rest it at room temperature for 20-30 mins to soften it a little before using.

• Freezing: You can also freeze the frosting for when you want to use it in the near future. Simply transfer the frosting into a freezer-friendly airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw the frosting when you want to use it.

Q and A

My frosting is too soft! What should I do?

If your coconut buttercream is too soft, it’s likely because the coconut cream had more water content. In this case, you can either add more icing sugar or chill it in the fridge to firm it up. 

Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter?

I haven’t tried making this recipe with coconut oil instead of vegan butter but you may be able to use coconut oil. Make sure to use the solid form of coconut oil so that it won’t go runny whilst whipping. 

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE this coconut frosting because it is:

• easy to make
• so refreshing
• creamy and rich
• nice and fluffy
• perfect to frost anything
• simply delicious

Want more recipes?

Try my other delicious recipes you might enjoy!

• Vanilla buttercream
• Caramel buttercream
• Coconut cake
• Banoffee pie

Visit the recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe with 5 stars in the comment section below if you like the recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

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