This vegan caramel frosting may be the most delicious frosting ever!  Rich and buttery this caramel frosting is made with real salty-sweet vegan caramel!

A chocolate cupcake in a blue wrapper with vegan caramel frosting and salted caramel sauce being drizzled over top of it.

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I’ve seen a few caramel frosting recipes that call for coconut sugar to give the frosting a caramel flavor.  This recipe uses real salted caramel sauce for a true caramel flavor!

Why you will love this vegan caramel frosting…

  • It’s vegan, gluten-free, and can be made soy-free too!
  • It’s not too sweet but flavored perfectly with the right balance of caramel and salt.
  • You will have extra salted caramel sauce to drizzle over the top of your cake or cupcakes!

What you will need to make this frosting:

  • Salted Caramel Sauce – follow my recipe for vegan salted caramel sauce and set it aside to cool.
  • Vegan Butter – either my vegan butter recipe (stick version) or Miyoko Brand works best.  You can also use half Earth Balance and half refined coconut oil.
  • Powdered Sugar – for a sweet taste and smooth texture.
  • Flour – white flour (GF if necessary) to firm up the frosting without making it overly sweet.  (optional)
  • Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
  • Plant-Based Milk – to achieve the proper frosting consistency.  The amount will vary depending on the type of butter you chose to use. 

How do I make vegan caramel frosting?

  1. You need to start by making my vegan salted caramel sauce and allowing it to cool.
  2. Then cream butter and powdered sugar together into a fluffy buttercream.
  3. Add the room temperature salted caramel sauce and continue to blend it in with the sugar and butter.  (If your caramel sauce has gotten too firm, warm it up just enough to pour it into the frosting).
  4. Add flour and continue to mix. (You can also use more powdered sugar instead of the flour).
  5. Add 1-2 tablespoons of plant-based milk if necessary to get the right texture.
  6. Use a piping bag or this great cupcake decorating tool to make your frosting look perfect!
  7. Drizzle with some extra vegan salted caramel sauce!

Two pictures showing the process of creaming the butter and sugar and adding the caramel sauce to make vegan caramel frosting.

Pro Tips:

  • The trick to making this frosting come out well is keeping the ingredients at room temperature.  The butter should be just soft enough to whip into the frosting and the caramel sauce cannot be too warm or it will melt your frosting. 
  • To make an easier version of this vegan caramel frosting, use coconut sugar or Sucanat instead of the homemade caramel sauce to make it quick and easy.  These sugars have a natural caramel flavor to them and are delicious in the frosting. 

Why add flour to the buttercream?

I like to add some flour in place of some of the powdered sugar to cut the sweetness of the frosting.  I think that this frosting is too sweet when made with only sugar.  You can use either method to firm up your frosting.

A close up of vegan caramel frosting on a cupcake with salted caramel drizzled on top.

What is this caramel frosting good on?

This caramel frosting is good on just about anything including a spoon!  It goes great on my gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes.  I also love it on my vegan pumpkin muffins!  You can also spread it on top of my veggie brownies instead of the fudge frosting to make a perfect vegan caramel brownie!

Make sure to pin this vegan caramel frosting for later!

A gluten free vegan chocolate cupcake with vegan caramel frosting.
5 from 3 rating

Vegan Caramel Frosting

Yield: 12
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A rich, buttery vegan frosting made with real vegan caramel.
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter, my homemade recipe (stick version) or Miyoko Brand works best
  • 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup vegan caramel sauce, (salted if desired)
  • 1/4- 1/2 cup white flour to firm up the frosting, (or an all purpose gluten free flour mix)
  • 1/2 tsp salt, (for salted caramel frosting)
  • 1-2 tsp soy milk, to make it smooth if necessary

Instructions
 

  • Start by making my vegan salted caramel sauce, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
  • Then cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together into a fluffy buttercream.
  • Add the room temperature salted caramel sauce and continue to blend it with the sugar and butter. (If your caramel sauce has gotten too firm, warm it up just enough to pour it into the frosting).
  • Add flour and continue to mix. (You can also use more powdered sugar instead of the flour).
  • Add 1-2 teaspoons of plant-based milk if necessary to get the right texture.

Notes

  • Depending on the type of vegan margarine that you use, you may need to add a small amount of plant milk to the frosting to get the right consistency.
  • You may need to put the frosting in the fridge for about 10 minutes before piping if the caramel was too warm when you added it to the frosting. 
  • If your frosting is too thin, add a few more tbsp of powdered sugar.
Note:  The trick to making this frosting come out well is keeping the ingredients at room temperature.  The butter should be just soft enough to whip into the frosting and the caramel sauce cannot be too warm or it will melt your frosting. 
 
Serving: 2tbsp, Calories: 125kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 77mg, Potassium: 3mg, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 365IU, Calcium: 2mg
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