This vegan Swiss meringue buttercream is the base recipe of both my vegan coffee buttercream and vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream recipes. I figured it would make sense to keep this one here on the blog as this vegan buttercream is completely customizable, depending on what flavor frosting you're looking to make!
📖 Recipe Overview
- Easy to make and ready in under half an hour
- Only 4 ingredients
- Light and airy consistency
- Not overly sweet like most American buttercream recipes
- Fully customizable, you can mix up the flavors or just keep it plain and simple
- Doesn’t require a candy thermometer
- No need to reduce the aquafaba.
- This recipe calls for caster sugar, not powdered sugar. We’ll be melting sugar into a syrup with aquafaba which will magically whip up into the fluffiest vegan buttercream you can imagine!
Ingredients Overview
Ingredient Notes
- Aquafaba: Also known as chickpea brine, this is the viscous liquid leftover from cooking chickpeas or other white legumes. In this vegan Swiss meringue buttercream recipe, it works as the perfect alternative to egg whites. The aquafaba fluffs up when whipped just like egg whites! To make buttercream without aquafaba, try my easy vegan frosting recipe.
- Caster sugar: If you're in the US you'll probably know this one as superfine sugar.
- Vegan block butter: There are many brands of vegan-friendly butter available these days, it’s important to note that this recipe calls for stick butter, not the spreadable kind from a tub, I use flora unsalted plant butter.
🥣 How To Make Eggless Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Add the aquafaba and sugar to a large bowl and place the bowl on top of a saucepan with a few inches of water in the bottom. This process is known as a bain-marie (water bath). Bring the temperature up to medium and allow the mixture to heat for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves.
Remove the bowl from the heat and use an electric whisk to beat on high speed for 15-20 minutes. Continue until the mixture is completely cooled and glossy. You can also use a stand mixer. The mixture should be stiff and glossy and should stay in the bowl if you turn it upside down (carefully!).
Start slowly adding the chunks of butter to the meringue, one at a time, allowing the mixture to incorporate for about 5 seconds between each one. The mixture will flatten as you add the butter. Just continue to add the butter as it will stiffen when the full amount of butter is incorporated.
Once all the butter has been added the mixture be thick like buttercream, continue to whisk on low for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and lightened in color. If the mixture looks split, don't worry it will come together with enough blending. Lastly, add the vanilla extract to the buttercream and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes until combined.
🎂 How To Use Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- To frost vegan cakes (layer cakes, sheet cakes, etc).
- As a frosting for vegan cupcakes.
- Customize the recipe to make vegan chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream or coffee buttercream.
❄️ Storage Instructions
You can store this vegan buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge. It will harden when chilled, so before use, allow it to come to room temperature until it comes back to a creamy consistency.
💬 FAQs
Yes, the buttercream works best to frost cupcakes when freshly whipped, as it will harden once chilled.
If using the buttercream to frost cupcakes, I like to keep them stored at room temperature (they will last for a few days depending on the ingredients in the cupcakes). Usually, they're good for about 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
If you do decide to store the cupcakes in the fridge, I would suggest taking them out to room temperature for about an hour before serving to allow the frosting to soften slightly.
Yes, chill your cakes before frosting and prepare the meringue buttercream just before decorating.
Once the cake has been frosted, store it in the fridge. Take it out at room temperature an hour before serving.
Aquafaba can be a little finicky depending on climate/humidity etc. But not to worry, if you brought it as far as it will go, pop it in the fridge for half an hour and whisk again.
But even at this stage, you can go ahead and start adding the butter and it should emulsify once all of it has been added.
It's incredibly important to use block butter (aka. buttery sticks) as opposed to margarine-style spread from a tub. The former has a much lower water content, and the latter will not work!
I use Flora plant butter and Violife block, which both work perfectly.
And yes you can freeze it! Make sure it's in a sealed airtight container, and just defrost it in the fridge overnight and re-whip it before using.
This can sometimes happen if the butter is too cold when added, or if you live in a colder climate or it is a colder day in general!
A trick to help bring it back together is to melt a few tablespoons of the buttercream, and then slowly whisk it back into the rest of the mixture. This should help to emulsify the buttercream.
🧁 More Vegan Frosting Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons (133 g) aquafaba *see recipe notes
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar optional (helps stabilize the meringue)
- 220 g (1 cup) caster sugar (superfine)
- 250 g (250 g) vegan block butter room temperature, cut into 1" chunks, *see recipe notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Take a large clean bowl, and make sure it's completely dry and free of any grease, and add the aquafaba and sugar to it. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan with a few inches of water in the bottom - this is known as a bain-marie (water bath). Bring the temperature up to medium and allow the mixture to heat for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and use an electric whisk (or transfer the syrup into your stand mixer) and add the cream of tartar. Beat on high speed for 15-20 minutes until the mixture is completely cooled and glossy. The mixture should be stiff and glossy and should stay in the bowl if you turn it upside down (carefully!).
- Start slowly adding the chunks of butter to the meringue, one at a time, allowing the mixture to incorporate for about 5 seconds between each one. The mixture will flatten as you add the butter, just continue to add the butter as it will stiffen when the full amount of butter is incorporated.
- Once all the butter has been added the mixture be thick like buttercream, continue to whisk on low for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and lightened in color. If the mixture looks split, don't worry it will come together with enough blending.
- Lastly add the vanilla extract to the buttercream and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes until combined.
Storage
- You can store this buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge. It will harden when chilled, so before use, allow it to come to room temperature until it comes back to a creamy consistency.
Notes
- Aquafaba: The liquid part from tinned chickpeas.
- Vegan butter: I use flora plant butter, I have not tried Earth Balance, but some readers have used it with success.
- If the buttercream appears split after all the ingredients have been added and you have whipped it for 5-10 minutes. Add a small amount of additional vegan butter little by little. The frosting will look like it's not working and all of a sudden will come together!
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