Is dairy free butter icing even possible?!

[Mummabear04]

...and if so what would one use? Tried and tested recipes welcome or another alternative as a topping for carrot cake!

You can get vegan ‘butter’ spreads, although as carrot cake icing usually has cream cheese in it also I’d look for vegan cream cheese too. Asda have their own brand vegan soft cheese..

Yes! I finally found that the flora hard block (unsalted) works. All the others don't!

Yeah I use Flora plant based blocks and its fine - might need a bit more vanilla and salt than usual to try and mask the flavour a bit, but its fine.

I also sometimes use coconut cream (block also) and Trex to make a white vegan buttericing. Again, it has a slightly oily flavour so needs balancing with vanilla, salt and maybe even some coconut extract to bring out the coconut flavour. Works well on chocolate cake but I can imagine it would be nice on carrot cake too, maybe without additional coconut flavouring. Peanut butter is good mixed into vegan buttercream too, adds richness and depth of flavour that is missing from lack of butter.

The best butter alternative I've found for this is Naturli, block version not tub. The texture is very good and it doesn't have that margarine taste, in fact it's pretty much tasteless. It's good for baking too.

Tesco vanilla frosting is vegan and betty crocker cream cheese / buttercream does not contain milk (though is a may contain). If you want to make it, flora buttery is vegan, as is vitalite. Either would work but I would add a little vanilla or other flavour for taste.

I make butter cream using flora buttery and icing sugar.

The hard block Stork margarine is vegan and works well as a replacement for butter.

Do you need it to be vegan or just lactose-free?

if vegan, agree that Naturli is the best bet. If lactose-free, Arla has a really good spreadable butter that I use for everything, and also a cream cheese.

Another vote for Naturli, it's hands down my favourite replacement for butter

You can make delicious vegan chocolate buttercream using an avocado. Much nicer all the oil based ones I've tried. I wonder if it can be used to make a vanilla one?

Tesco and stork baking margarine blocks are vegan and make perfectly good butter cream