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
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment as well, thanks!
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Description
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!
Nutrition
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Hi- Thank you for sharing the recipe. I'm looking forward to try it.
I'm a hobby baker so this might be silly but how much does 16 servings equate to? I want to frost a 3 layer 8 inch cake and 12 cup cakes. Would this be enough?
Hi Sakshi!
This would be enough to frost a 3 layer six inch cake generously, or an 8 inch cake scantily. For a cake and 12 cupcakes, I would make a double batch and that should cover both. Hope this helps!
Hi - I’m all ready to give this recipe a try. I wondered if it’s possible to colour the buttercream? If so, would powdered colour, or oil based colour (like colour mill) be better? Thanks 🙏
Hi Catherine,
Absolutely, you can add the colors at the very end. I've only used freeze-dried fruit powder personally, but I've heard the gel colors work well!
Hello, can you freeze this frosting for future use, and if so, how do you advise on defrosting? Thanks so much, excited to try it out 😁
Hi Maryam,
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.
Thank you so much for replying 😄
This may be a silly question, but is there any way to use gelatin to stabilize the whipped aquafaba instead of vegan butter? Also, I would be using allulose/BochaSweet as my sweetener instead of regular sugar.
Thank you for any advice.
Hi Cat,
Not a silly question at all, but I don't use animal products so I can't recommend gelatin. I have a lemon meringue pie that uses agar agar for the topping in my cookbook. But I would not recommend it for a frosting, rather just a topping. The vegan butter is needed for structure.
Hi, I tried this recipe yesterday and am having a hard time working out what I've done wrong. It's driving me a bit crazy!
I think I followed all instructions correctly, but obviously something has gone wrong along the way. It was all going well - I had whipped up the meringue nicely, and added the butter. It split, but I didn't panic, just carried on mixing and it came together. It was glossy and smooth but kind of... Greasy? Like it was sliding around the bowl when you moved it. It seems to not be combined, there was clearly wet meringue seeping out of it. So I tried various things to get it to homogenise - warming it up and whisking/beating it for a long time, cooling it down and whisking/beating it, warming a small amount of it into liquid and adding it back in. I just don't understand what's gone wrong. It doesn't look curdled on first glance, but it's just not right. I wanted to add some homemade hazelnut/choc spread so I did that, but it looks the same. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. If I knew what I'd done wrong I'd feel better about it!
Thank you
Hi Gen,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and checking in! Could you please share which brand of vegan butter you used, and also was the butter any bit cold when you added it?
Hi Christina, thanks so much for replying! I used Naturli vegan block, and I'd got it out of the fridge maybe an hour before I started adding it, so I think it was possibly a bit cold (it was also quite a cold day).
Hi Gen,
Absolutely, and thank you so much for sharing more info. Some other readers have had the same issue when the butter is too cold, or the kitchen is just colder 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. This should help to emulsify it!
Amazing recipe! I was wondering if the sugar is needed for the structure or is it only for sweetness? Thanks! I would love to try this with other sweeteners.
Hi Zara,
Thank you so much for sharing your positive feedback! Yes, the sugar is indeed needed for structure as well. I would test a small amount first if you're giving it a go with alternatives.
This recipe is gorgeous and is now my go-to frosting !
Question, I have a request for vanilla black VSMBC, how would I do that without cocoa powder? I know with traditional SMBC I would use the microwave method. Would this work with the vegan version?
Hi Maria,
I'm so happy to hear you love the recipe, thank you for sharing! I haven't actually worked with black buttercream before, so I can't say for sure I'm sorry! Do you think you could test the same method on a fraction of the buttercream - I would hope that it would work similarly to regular buttercream.
Using an immersion blender might help if the microwave method doesn’t work out, that’s what I use to deepen colors when I dont feel like messing with the microwave
This buttercream is gorgeous! Silky texture and wonderful to work with. I took the meringue out of the mixer once it reached stiff(ish) peaks and stuck it under the broiler to get toasty, then put it back in the mixer and let it cool slightly before adding the butter to give it a lovely toasted marshmallow flavour and a creamy colour. Highly recommend trying this!
Oh my goodness Melissa, this is GENIUS! I will definitely be giving that a go, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful feedback x
This is a great recipe that has never disappointed me! Easy to make and beautiful consistency! Just one question: can I add vegan cream cheese to it? And if yes how much please? Thank you
Hi Sanaz!
I'm so happy you love the recipe and that its become a staple for you 🙂 Unfortunately I haven't experimented with adding cream cheese to it. I would suggest to try adding a tablespoon of vegan cream cheese to around 2-3 tablespoons of the buttercream to see how it behaves.
I'll definitely give this a try in future and see if I can put together a recipe for it!
This recipe is DELICIOUS. I would say maybe better than the non vegan smb. I originally used Flora butter and it was perfect. I could no longer find it where I live (KY) so I tried a few others. Earth Balance was 2nd best, just a bit softer. It really makes me sad I cannot find Flora anymore in the stores. Anyone know what happened?!
Also don’t use a plant butter with coconut oil! Ha tried it and coconut oil obviously solidifies FAST when cold.
Great recipe! I make swiss meringue buttercream regularly and the results were almost identical in taste and texture. To cut sweetness, I did add about half the sugar and it worked well. Had to add a bit more vanilla for good flavour to come through though.
Reading through other comments, if it separates after adding in the butter, it may be too cold, as this often happens when I make regular SMBC. I always take a bit out, melt it, and slowly add it back in with the mixer on to warm it up, and it always works to incorporate it.
Hello!
That's great to hear that it worked well with half the sugar. And thank you so much for sharing your tip about the temperature - this is very helpful! 🙂
Great recipe, simple to make and a wonderful alternative to an egg white Swiss meringue buttercream.
My meringue stage never gets as stiff as an egg white meringue, but when I add the vegan butter it works out fine, and gets to the same consistency as a SMBC.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Marilyn,
I'm delighted to hear that you love the recipe. I hear you on the aquafaba not getting quite as stiff as egg whites, it can be a bit finicky! But as you said, it pulls together with the addition of the vegan butter. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for the lovely review 🙂
Hi. Can I add fruit puree or pistachio or chocolate to add flavour to this bc?
Hi Sanaz,
Check out my vegan chocolate and raspberry SMBC recipes as these will show you how much and when to add the flavors 🙂 I wouldn't recommend adding fruit puree, rather freeze dried fruit as puree tends to be trickier with the added water content.
The aquafaba wouldn't stiffen for me. I used the Oggs branded aquafaba is that a good one to use? Do you also recommend adding cream of tartar to stabilise it?
Hi Melissa, I'm not familiar with Oggs personally so I can't say how it works in comparison to standard chickpea brine. But adding cream of tartar is a great idea if you're trying it again.
Forgot to add a star rating!
Just wanted to leave a comment saying I successfully made this with Earth Balance butter sticks! Halved the recipe for my purposes, and it worked perfectly. I did also add a pinch of cream of tartar when I started whipping. I let the finished frosting chill for ten minutes or so before frosting but that was just a personal preference. I find it's better to frost in one go rather than refill the piping bag as the frosting will lose definition that way, but if you aren't using it to decorate it wouldn't matter. Frosting holds up great at room temp after chilling for awhile. Very light and buttery flavor. Could try adding a pinch of salt next time.
Hi Adriana,
Thank you so much for your detailed review and rating! That is so helpful to know that Earth Balance worked well for you, I'm going to add a note to the recipe re: the cream of tartar as well 🙂
I followed the directions exactly and tried to follow all the replies in the comments for troubleshooting. I got the aquafaba to be stiff enough to turn the bowl upside down but no matter what I did I couldn't get it to thicken after the butter went in. I put the butter in slowly. After 30 minutes in the mixer - nothing. Put it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Mixer for 20 minutes. Still runny. Added a quarter cup of powdered sugar, still runny. Put it in the fridge for 2 hours. Mixed for 10 minutes, got it thick enough to pipe onto room temperature patries and it completely melted in a few minutes. I give up. I used Earth balance sticks. Not sure what happened. Such a bummer.
Hi Kayla,
Thank you for your feedback, and I'm sorry it didn't work for you. The fact that you got the aquafaba to stiff peaks is great, so it has to be down to the butter used. Can I ask, did the mixture appear to be split at any stage?
I always use Flora plant butter, and I know many others who use it without fail. I'm starting to think perhaps Earth Balance isn't suitable, we don't have it here in Europe (from what I've seen) so I'm not able to get my hands on it to check. But I will add a clearer note to the recipe.
That aside, what always helps if the frosting isn't coming together, is increasing the amount of vegan butter little by little. The frosting will look like it's not working and all of a sudden it comes together!
I use Earth balance all the time for Italian and Swiss meringue buttercream and it works wonderfully. What may have happened to Kayla is the meringue was still too warm when adding the butter cubes. I always measure the meringue temp to make sure it's room temperature before adding the butter.
Same happened to me. A very crucial bit of info left out of an otherwise fabulous recipe is that the bowl, beaters, spoon, anything touching the aquafaba must be COMPLETELY CLEAN OF OIL before whipping or IT WILL NOT WHIP UP. I realised this as I was whipping and whipping, cooling and cooling. I hadn't washed the bowl well enough after make my cake batter and there was oil residue on the bowl and beaters! Don't give up try again, wash everything and wipe out with vinegar.
Hiya,
I wanted to check something. I always using Flora - so the same butter as you 🙂 My aquafaba is coming perfect, thick and glossy. However every single time I am starting to add a butter it looks horrible, it's splitting and never coming together. I tried with 4 different brands and it never worked out 🙁 I start beating butter and adding aquafaba slowly into it so it seems a bit better but still doesn't look as perfect as here.
I would be extremely grateful for some tips 🙂
Hi Marta,
Just to be certain, you're using the Flora plant butter in a block and not from a tub, right? It is completely normal for the buttercream to appear split initially until all of the butter is incorporated. But it should gradually come together as you add more butter. I think the only other issue could be the temperature.
Here are some tips, I hope they help:
Firstly, the aquafaba-sugar mixture needs to be completely cool before adding the butter. If needed, you can pop it in the fridge for a few minutes, just make sure there is absolutely no warmth left in the mixture before the butter goes in.
Secondly, the temperature of the butter should be room temp, so taken out of the fridge for 30 mins to an hour. If you live in a warmer environment, 15-30 mins are more than enough. The butter should still be firm, not soft by the time you are adding it to the aquafaba. During the warmer months, you can compensate for the warmer temperature of the room by using chilled butter.
Lastly, if you are still ending up with a mixture that appears to be split, this can be fixed by slowly incorporating a little more chilled vegan butter, and mixing until it comes together.
Do let me know how you get on with these tips 🙂
Was very excited to try this recipe. I've been whipping the aquafaba and sugar for 30 mins. It's thick, white and glossy but not stiff at all, it would run out if I turned the bowl over. What could be the issue?
Hi Blythe,
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. Any problems, just let me know 🙂
I’m using this buttercream for a three-layer 8” cake that I’ll need to transport about an hour to a party - should I chill the assembled and frosted cake beforehand? It would probably sit out for several hours there unless it stays chilled. If I do chill it, will the frosting be too hard to serve as is, or should I then leave it out for a bit to come to room temperature? This is my first time making a Swiss buttercream so I’m not very familiar with it, but my brother is vegan and doesn’t like how sweet American buttercream is - this is for his birthday cake, and I’m excited to try it!
Hi Megan,
I'd suggest chilling the cake beforehand, as it's not ideal to leave a frosted cake out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours, especially during summer or in warmer climates.
The cake will need to be taken from the fridge about an hour before serving, otherwise, the buttercream will be too hard. I have often made cakes with this buttercream the night before an event and kept them in the fridge, frosted overnight. Again, if the journey is only an hour it should be fine but unless it's a cool day, a cooler box is always a good idea!
I hope this helps!
Just made this today and it came out PERFECT!!! I was struggling to make a smooth buttercream with just butter and sugar. This is soooo perfect thank you so much!!!
Hi Susie,
I'm so happy to hear you loved the recipe - thank you so much for your amazing feedback 🙂
Hello!
I am so excited to try out this recipe! I am making two 6 inch, 3 layer cakes and I was wondering how many times you think I should multiply the recipe to have enough frosting. I was thinking 6 but I was unsure how much frosting 1 batch makes? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Hi Jacqueline,
You're so welcome. One batch of frosting will lightly frost a 6-inch 3-layer cake, 1.5 batches will generously frost one cake. Hope this helps!
Hello! Just finished my attempt at this, and it looks beautiful! BUT, it is no where near stiff enough to pipe. I measured everything and used Earth Balance sticks. I tried added 4-5 tbsp of powdered sugar, but that didn’t help. Is it possible that it’s just too warm? I have it in the refrigerator and will attempt to rewhip it. Any tips are appreciated! Thank you!
Hello Emily,
Chilling is a good idea, if it fails to thicken up when re-whipped, simply add a little more vegan butter and that will bring it to the right consistency. Do let me know how you get on!
After trying multiple recipes, this one worked on the first try! So smooth, so light, so much better than ABC. Can’t wait to make it again.
So happy to hear that you love the recipe, thanks so much for your feedback!
Unfortunately this recipe didn't work out for me. Measured everything and followed the directions without altering anything. It turned out like runny icing instead of fluffy frosting. 😞 Whipped it forever and it just never came together. Maybe the water content in the vegan butter I used was too high?
Hi Eirwyn,
Which brand of vegan butter did you use?
Hi Christina,
I've made Swiss Meringue buttercream a few times. But I'm new to vegan baking, and I definitely want to try this recipe. Are we heating the aquafaba and suagr mixture just to get the sugar dissolved and avoid a gritty buttercream? And, can I freeze this buttercream?
Hi Manasa,
That's exactly it, you just want to dissolve the sugar so there are no crystals/grit in the buttercream.
And yes you can freeze it, just defrost it in the fridge overnight and re-whip it before using.
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Best Swiss Meringue buttercream recipe I’ve tried. Just have to to be patient and keep mixing. It’s worth the wait
So happy to hear that you loved the recipe Nathan.