This paleo vanilla frosting is made with just 4 ingredients - all gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free. This frosting is thick and creamy with a buttery vanilla flavor. It spreads easily and also holds it shape, making it great for piping.
I have quite a collection of cakes and cupcakes on my blog, but figured it was about time I published my favorite homemade paleo frosting recipe!
While I've used this frosting recipe and various versions of it for desserts like my paleo vanilla cupcakes and sweet potato cake, this particular recipe is my go-to. It's basically a paleo buttercream frosting, that only requires 4 ingredients and comes together in minutes.
I've used it to frost cakes and cupcakes and it pipes easily using a piping bag. This vanilla frosting is smooth and creamy, but holds it's shape for piping fun designs on cakes. It has a sweet, buttery vanilla flavor, but isn't sickly sweet like many frosting recipes. Plus, you can alter the sugar content to your liking.
Why You'll Love this Paleo Vanilla Frosting
- great texture - smooth and creamy and can be spread over a cake or piped for decorating.
- not too sweet - while this frosting has a sweet flavor, it isn't overly sweet like many frosting recipes.
- paleo and dairy free - made with palm shortening, powdered monk fruit, tapioca starch and vanilla extract.
- easy to make - just whisk all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Ingredients
The full recipe for this paleo vanilla frosting can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- palm shortening - to keep this frosting dairy free and paleo friendly, but still give it that buttery texture, I opted for palm shortening.
- powdered monk fruit - this sweetens the frosting without the use of refined sugar. However, a powdered sugar or powdered coconut sugar would work instead.
- tapioca starch - thickens the frosting without adding more sugar. You can even increase the tapioca starch and remove some of the powdered sugar if you want a less sweet frosting.
- vanilla extract - for flavor
How to Make Paleo Vanilla Frosting
You don't need any fancy equipment to make this recipe - just a mixing bowl, whisk and spatula. Here are the steps.
- First, soften your palm shortening so that it's easily spreadable (not melted). I typically warm mine in the microwave at 5-10 second intervals until I get it to the desired texture.
- Combine all frosting ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- First, mix with a spatula until some-what combined.
- Then vigorously whisk the frosting until it achieves a creamy, smooth texture.
- Either spread the frosting over a cake or cupcakes, or put it in a piping bag and pipe.
Tips and Tricks
- soften the palm shortening - this will make it easier to whisk and create a smoother frosting texture.
- swap tapioca starch for powdered sugar - you can always remove some of the powdered sugar and add in more tapioca starch to make the frosting less sweet.
- make ahead of time - this frosting can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. When you are ready to use it, warm it in the microwave at 5-10 second intervals, mixing between heating.
Storage
This frosting can be left out at room temperature for a few days, but it will melt in the heat... so don't leave it out in the sun. You can store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the fridge, for months. When you want to use it, warm it in the microwave at 5-10 second intervals until soft and spreadable.
FAQ
Yes! This particular recipe requires palm shortening to be paleo friendly.
As of right now, this is my only published paleo frosting recipe, but you can look at my collection of cakes and cupcakes and see what frosting I used for those. I have some with coconut cream and some chocolate.
Paleo Cupcakes
Looking for a paleo cupcake recipe to go with this frosting? Check these out:
Paleo Vanilla Frosting (4 Ingredients)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: about 1 ¼ cup frosting 1x
Description
This paleo vanilla frosting is thick and creamy with a buttery vanilla flavor. You only need 4 ingredients to make it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup palm shortening
- ½ cup powdered monk fruit (or powdered coconut sugar)
- 2 Tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Soften your palm shortening so that it's easily spreadable (not melted). I typically warm mine in the microwave at 5-10 second intervals until I get it to the desired texture.
- Combine all frosting ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- First, mix with a spatula until some-what combined.
- Then vigorously whisk the frosting until it achieves a creamy, smooth texture.
- Either spread the frosting over a cake or cupcakes, or put it in a piping bag and pipe.
Katie
Hope you all love this paleo vanilla frosting as much as we do! Enjoy!