I think this lemon buttercream frosting recipe is my family’s new favorite. It goes with anything … or should I say, makes anything even better?
And because it’s so easy to make, there’s no reason not to put it on just about any kind of treat: from gluten free strawberry cake to gluten free sugar cookies, and of course it’s absolute perfection on gluten free lemon cake.
Making this yummy lemon buttercream frosting recipe gluten free and dairy free, vegan means that everyone can enjoy this yummy treat.
Real lemon juice and zest (inside and/or on top) make this recipe something special. Don’t skimp for the best flavor! Also, be sure to sift the confectioner’s sugar before adding — it’s not difficult to do (you don’t even need a sifter!) but it really makes a difference!
I know you’ll be impressed at how well this frosting holds its shape when piped or spread, even on hot days. For best results, don’t choose butter or even vegan butter, and for heaven’s sake DO NOT use the Melt vegan butter product — I made that mistake once and that was enough! Talk about an aptly named product!
I like using Spectrum Palm Oil for my frostings, but there are other options. Check my dairy-free product recommendations for others or add your preferred brands and choices to the comments — I’d love to see what you’ve had success with!
Lemon Buttercream Frosting Recipe
This just-right sweet and tart lemon buttercream frosting recipe makes any confection even better. Gluten Free and Dairy Free, it's easy to whip up a recipe of this stable frosting for anything from cakes to cookies. Even in the summertime, this frosting will hold its shape and bring on smiles.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Spectrum Organic Palm Oil Shortening) OR Coconut Oil
- 3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbs lemon juice (juice from approximately 1 lemon)
- milk, dairy or non-dairy (I like So Delicious® Coconut Milk Beverage) -- only if needed, added one tablespoon at a time
- 1 Tbs lemon zest (plus extra to sprinkle on top) - optional
Instructions
Cream shortening and sifted confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl, adding the sugar 3/4 cup at a time to fully incorporate with vanilla extract and lemon juice. Cover mixing bowl with a tea towel if necessary to keep the powdered sugar from escaping the bowl.
Slowly add milk if necessary, one tablespoon at a time until the proper consistency is reached: add more milk for a creamy, spreadable frosting; less milk for piping. Whip 1-2 minutes until fluffy, then stir in the zest, if using.
(Frostings like this work best if you have a whisk attachment on a stand-mixer. However, a hand-mixer will do, just be sure to add extra time for whipping at the end of the recipe.)
Makes approximately 4 cups of frosting.
Notes
A wonderful frosting for my gluten free White or Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipe, gluten free Lemon Sheet Cake or my gluten free Black-Eyed Susan Cake, but really, what treat wouldn't be more delicious with a tart-sweet frosting like this lemon buttercream?
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This sounds so tasty! Do you recommend both the glaze and the frosting? Or should it be one or the other?
Oh it’s so hard to skip the glaze on the poke cake! But the frosting is delish on its own. Your call, but if you can do both, go for it!!
~jules
Would you still use the glaze if making cupcakes? Thanks!
Oh I think so – it’s SO good! But you don’t have to use the glaze. It’s all about how much lemon you love!
~jules
This frosting is a favorite of my whole family… especially on your lemon cake. But I have mixed success with it. I always use the earth balance sticks. Sometimes it is creamy and smooth and other times it just never comes together or breaks. Any idea what I could be doing wrong when it gets separated or doesn’t come together? Temperature issue maybe? Thanks for all of your recipes! It’s so nice to be back to making yummy baked goods that nobody even knows are gluten and dairy free!
Hi Lisa, I’m sure that temperature has a lot to do with it. Next time why don’t you try using vegetable or palm oil shortening instead? Unlike butter (or Earth Balance), shortening has 0% moisture so it holds frostings much better and whips up beautifully. Butter/EB is 80% moisture and melts at a lower temperature, so it’s hard on hot days especially, to keep it from melting or separating. Let me know how that goes next time! (BTW I like Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening).
~jules
Hi Jules, this is my first attempt with this recipe and making vegan frosting. Mine separated and all I find online is to add more butter but that’s not fixing it. I’ll put in fridge overnight. Any advice on a way to “save” it, maybe re-whipping once refrigerated? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, I haven’t experienced this problem. You say you read that you should add more butter??? Were you using Earth Balance or another vegan alternative? Did you sift your confectioner’s sugar into the butter and then whip it? I assume you were using an electric mixer? If it separated, that seems more of a function of the oils separating than anything else — perhaps it was too warm? I haven’t had that experience with Earth Balance, so I’ll be curious to see if it was another brand perhaps, but I certainly wouldn’t have recommended adding more butter. Refrigerating, yes. Let me know how that turned out and where you are with it. Feel free to email for faster response, as well. Support at gfJules.com!
~jules
Wow, thanks for the quick reply! Well, I tried to rewhip the refrigerated separated “frosting.” My daughter was cracking up, “ummm, Mom, accept that it ain’t happening!” 🙂 So we just put a smidge on the side of the cake pieces because the flavor is there, just not the texture….at all. I will use your above suggestion and use palm oil next time. We are in So Cal, so no AC in our house, can be more humid indoors that with central AC system. OR, more likely, I’m a novice but your flour and recipes have me enjoying my kitchen like never before. We are all fully addicted to your artisan bread recipe using your mix. THANK YOU! Just followed you on IG for more inspiration. Stay safe!
I have a hard time with almond milk separating my frosting. Maybe try a different kind of milk to fix the separation issue? Now that we can have cow milk again this doesn’t happen to me any more. I almost wonder if you could just skip the alternative milk or add something to the alt. milk (like Mary Jane’s Chill Over Powder) to keep that from happening?
HI Missy, I’m not familiar with that product and I’ve never had a separation problem when I’ve used almond milk, so I wonder if it’s a brand problem? I’m glad to hear you’re not having the issue any more now that you’re back to using cow’s milk. I guess I would say that if anyone’s having a separation problem with a particular non-dairy milk to try a different brand, as I’ve used lots of different non-dairy milks (almond, soy, coconut, blends … ) and I’ve not had that problem before, so I know it’s possible to have it work! Thanks for chiming in though and sharing your experiences!
~jules
Can you make the frosting a day ahead of time and put it in the fridge? Can you frost a gluten free cake a day before you need it or do you recommend to put it in the day you will eat it?
Good questions and my answer differs depending on the type of frosting. My fluffy white frosting, for instance, needs to be eaten the same day it’s made for best results, but this type of buttercream (particularly if made with vegan ingredients) is fine for days after frosting. You also could refrigerate it and bring it closer to room temperature to frost a cake the next day. I hope this helps!
~jules
I wish you would have the recipe formatted so we could copy, paste w/o having to delete all the pictures and other things. Could you put the pictures at the beginning or end possibly or have somewhere to click to just have the recipe only as some do?
Thank you for all your recipes.
Glad you’re loving my recipes, Carolyn! Are you using the “Clean Print” function on the top right of the recipe? That allows you to print only what you want to from the recipe and to delete pictures, etc. Hope that helps!
Wow- I can’t wait to try this. It sounds great and I love anything lemon!
Me too, Deborah! My kids are big lemon-hounds, too. It’s such a fresh, clean taste!