Dairy free butter for buttercream icing

[littleoldme3]

Not technically vegan but hoping someone can help 😊

Hoping to make dairy-free buttercream for kids with dairy intolerance at DSs birthday party.

Can anyone recommend a decent dairy-free butter that I can use? I have family with dairy intolerance who use Flora day to day but haven’t tried baking with it or using it for buttercream.

The flora that comes in a block - sold in asda and sainsburys. Comes in salted and unsalted and can be used for any recipe instead of butter (including buttercream - noone can tell i promise!)

Any of the dairy Free soft spreads can work with icing sugar and vanilla essence (or orange works great I find)

Any of them. Flora is good. If you’re making chocolate butter icing then you really can’t tell at all. Add vanilla essence to plain butter icing to add flavour too

I use Naturli Organic Dairy Free Vegan Spreadable Butter. From Tesco.

I tend to do 50/50 Trex and Flora as the Trex adds a bit more strength and stops it from moving or melting as quickly. But if you’re not doing any huge/fancy piping etc. then just Flora (or any vegan marg) works fine on its own!

I agree with this for texture. Dairy free spreads on their own tend to be too soft.

I used Naturli and Flora the other day and both were could, couldn't tell any difference between them.

Trex helps to make it a lighter colour too, so ideal for when you want a ‘white’ finish or to stop eg pink looking too peach.

Any vegan block butter will do - flora is good, as is the one that comes in black foil (forgotten its name). Don't use spread for the buttercream though, unless you want it to slide off the cake!

Naturli is a really good one, very mild flavour so ideal for things like this. It comes in a block version and a spreadable, and both are good.

Naturli vegan block is delicious. I’m a big butter fan, and i tried making icing with flora but I thought it tasted funny. But Id happily use naturli as a butter alternative

Using block stork in a cake is lovely but use non dairy spreads/margarine for buttercream is not nice - leaves an unpleasant greasy coating in your mouth.

Nigella does a good alternative with coconut cream Recipe here

Or Italian meringue makes a good cake topping.

Thank you all so much 😊 It was the softness of Flora I was concerned about! I’ll have a go with the blocks and see how it goes 😊

@SnowflakeSmasher86 - the dairy butter that I use leaves a yellow tinge in the buttercream too. If you add a very small amount of purple food colouring it takes out the yellow and turns it proper white 😊👍🏻 I usually do that before starting any colouring that I want and find it gives a better finish 😊

Sorry wrong recipe - it’s

The blocks are definitely very different from normal flora in a tub.

Now this is my kind of thread! I'm a keen vegan baker, and have tried so many different butter substitutes for buttercream. As PPs have said, the block is a great like for like substitute. But, I actually find the softer spreads work really well too if you want an extra light and fluffy icing. Flora Buttery works very well and has a lovely flavour. The thing with the soft spreads is that you don't need to add extra liquid, due to the higher water content. I just whisk the marg till fluffy and gradually add sieved icing sugar, then add vanilla extract and whisk till you get cloud fluff! 😋

I’ve used the flora block a few times, it’s really good.

I usually use Stork baking margarine (the tubs not the blocks), or Trex if I want a whiter base.
Just seen the tip about adding purple but will now have to see if I can order some sugarflair colouring as I know they do lots that are vegan.

Also, and this will sound weird! But, half marg, half Trex really works if you want a less yellow (good for colouring) and easier to pipe icing. The Trex has a distinct taste, so loads of icing sugar and vanilla needed!

How funny, another Trex recommendation just above mine! I must have been typing when you posted. I've made a Trex icing a few times, and it works brilliantly, almost like a pretend cream. Needs a pinch of salt if used alone without marg though I find. But, 50/50 works brilliantly.

@ProgressivePilgrim - I didn't know about adding the salt to Trex. Shall try this next week as I have a cake to make!

Yes, I recommend just a tiny pinch. Gives a rounder flavour I find, especially with vanilla 👍