This easy vegan lemon frosting is based on a German pudding buttercream method, which uses a pastry cream base with whipped butter.

This results in a lighter, creamier, and less sweet frosting that is perfect for smearing on lemon sheet cake or cupcakes, as well as for piping on cupcakes.

The custard base is the perfect way to infuse a tonne of REAL lemon flavor into your buttercream without compromising the consistency with too much liquid or having to rely on artificial flavors or extracts.

dairy free lemon frosting piped into a glass jar with sliced lemons in the background.Pin
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📖 Recipe Overview

  • Not Overly Sweet - German buttercream uses less sugar than standard American buttercream, and relies on a custard base for structure and flavor, rather than solely sugar.
  • Incredibly Versatile - It's smooth and creamy enough to pipe on cupcakes yet stable enough for cake fillings. It also makes a wonderful filling for pastries and cakes and is commonly referred to as crème mousseline.
  • Allergy-Friendly - This lemon frosting is of course completely eggless and dairy-free, but can also be made nut-free, coconut-free, and gluten-free depending on the vegan butter you use (I use flora plant butter or Violife block).

🧾 Ingredients Needed

Here is everything you need to make this easy vegan lemon buttercream:

ingredients for vegan lemon buttercream on a tiled surface.Pin

Ingredient Notes

  • Fresh Lemons - This recipe requires real lemons, not the bottled kind! You'll want both the juice and zest to give the best possible flavor.
  • Cornstarch - This is the trusty vegan egg replacer that thickens the custard base.
  • Non-Dairy Milk - I use soy milk but feel free to go for almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk if you prefer.
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🥣 How To Make Vegan Lemon Frosting

As promised, this buttercream comes together in just a few simple steps, and you can use either an electric whisk or stand-mixer, depending on what equipment you already have.

cornstarch, plantbased milk and sugar whisked together in a saucepan.Pin

Step 1: Make a paste. Add the soy milk, sugar, and cornstarch to a saucepan and whisk well to remove any lumps. 

cornstarch, vegan milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest whisked together in a saucepan.Pin

Step 2: Whisk and cook. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest and simmer for 5 minutes whilst whisking. Alternate between using a whisk and rubber spatula to make sure the custard does not stick to the pan.

vegan lemon custard cooling in a mixing bowl before being whisked into dairy-free buttercream.Pin

Step 3: Sift and cool. Remove it from the heat and pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature for 30-40 minutes. 

vegan butter whipped until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl.Pin

Step 4: Whip the butter. Add the vegan butter to a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer if using) and whisk with an electric mixer for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. 

vegan lemon frosting in a mixing bowl with cooled custard being whisked through it.Pin

Step 5: Slowly combine. Slowly add the chilled custard mixture to the butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking to incorporate it each time.

vegan lemon buttercream in a large clear mixing bowl with a spatula showing the thick consistency.Pin

Step 6: Finish whisking. Once you have added all of the lemon custard, continue to whisk the buttercream for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

💬 FAQs

What is German buttercream?

While Italian buttercream and Swiss buttercream are based on meringue, German buttercream is a pudding-based frosting that uses pastry cream and butter. It generally uses ingredients like egg yolks, milk, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, butter, and sometimes flour.

This vegan version not only cuts out animal products but also uses minimal, easy-to-find ingredients.

Why is my German buttercream grainy?

This is more often than not a sign that you used cold butter or didn't allow it to come to room temperature before using.

Cold butter will not incorporate into the custard base properly, this you won't get a nice smooth finish to your frosting!

Can you freeze vegan buttercream?

Absolutely, simply transfer your frosting to an airtight storage container and freeze it for up to 2 months.

Defrost it in the fridge overnight, and re-whip if needed before use.

vegan lemon sheet cake with lemon frosting smoothed on top of it showing the smooth and creamy consistency.Pin

🧁 More Vegan Frosting

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Vegan Lemon Frosting (German Buttercream)

4.95 from 19 votes
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
Servings: 16
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Description

A lighter, not so sweet vegan lemon frosting made with a homemade custard pudding base, similar to traditional German buttercream.

Ingredients

  • 300 ml (1 ⅓ cups) soy milk, or almond milk/oat milk
  • 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar, use organic if in the US
  • 60 g (½ cup) cornstarch, (cornflour)
  • 150 ml ( cup) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 4 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 200 g (¾ cups + 1 tbsp) vegan butter, room temperature

Instructions

  • Make lemon custard: Add the soy milk, sugar, and cornstarch to a saucepan and whisk well to remove any lumps. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk again to combine.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes whilst whisking. Alternate between using a whisk and rubber spatula to make sure the custard does not stick to the pan. If you're using a gas hob cook on the lowest setting to avoid the direct heat cooking the mixture too fast.
    The mixture will become thick once the cornstarch is cooked, remove it from the heat and pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature for 30-40 minutes. 
  • Whisk the butter: Add the vegan butter to a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer if using) and whisk with an electric mixer for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. 
  • Combine: Slowly add the chilled custard mixture to the butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking to incorporate it each time.
    Once you have added all of the lemon custard, continue to whisk the buttercream for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Serving and storage: Use to frost vegan cakes or cupcakes immediately, or store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The recipe will generously frost a 3-layer 6" cake, 2-layer 8/9" cake, or 12-18 cupcakes.
    Before use, allow the buttercream to come to room temperature for an hour, and then pipe or frost as usual.

Notes

  • Vegan butter: Take this out of the fridge to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Make sure you use vegan block butter, otherwise known as butter sticks. Spreadable butter from a tub or margarine will throw off the recipe due to its higher water content. I use flora plant butter which is nut-free, coconut-free, and gluten-free.
  • To freeze: Transfer your frosting to an airtight storage container and freeze it for up to 2 months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight, and re-whip if needed before use.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 552IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hi. I have made this very successfully a couple of times but that last time I made it, it split. Have you any idea what I could have done wrong?

    1. Hi Helen,

      I'm happy you've been having success with the recipe 🙂 Did you happen to use any different brands this time? Another note, if any water/liquid got into the mix or the butter was too cold, this may be another reason

  2. Hello! I was wondering, how much of the custard mixture does the first portion of this recipe yield? I have quite a bit of extra homemade vegan pastry cream hanging out in my fridge and would love to try my hand at vegan German buttercream using the remainder. Mine was the same texture as yours shown in the photo above when it came to room temperature and thickened up just a tad more in the fridge, so I think following your technique will be a great way to use mine up 🙂 However, I'm not sure how much of my custard mixture to use, since I haven't eaten this type of frosting before

  3. 4 stars
    This is the most delicious, not-too-sweet frosting I've ever had. The tart lemon flavor really comes through!

    ... I did have some difficulty with the texture, though, and would love some insight/ additional instructions because the flavor was so good, and I would love to try it again!

    The pudding wound up too thick to run through a sieve (I got like half of it to go through) and cooled to an almost solid state. Perhaps five minutes of simmering and whisking/spatulaing is too long? Or perhaps it should be over the lowest possible heat?

    I decided to go with it, and incorporated the cooled pudding with the room temp vegan butter, but it wound up a little soupy and gloopy. I threw it in the freezer, which helped. I also tried mixing in a little flour which helped. I also think it might have been over-aerated (I used the whisk attachment on my stand mixer), so I smoothed out the frosting with a warm offset spatula.

    The frosting was very soft and bowed out a little between layers, so I kept the cake in the fridge as much as possible. It did hold the filling in, though!

    As I said, the frosting was wildly delicious, and everyone loved the cake. I would love to give this recipe a second go sometime and would appreciate any wisdom you have to share!

    Best,
    Jenn

    1. Hi Jenn,

      I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe overall and thanks so much for sharing your experience!

      Are you cooking on a gas hob by any chance? What I have found since recently switching over to a gas hob is that custards seem to cook out and thicken much quicker. So where I would usually have cooked on medium heat, I’m having to reduce that down to the minimum heat in order to allow time for the cornstarch to cook out without thickening the mixture too fast.

      May I ask what brand of vegan butter you used in the recipe?