Nothing can cure a bad day like a good dessert—and nothing says “good dessert” like frosting. When we discovered that many brands carry “accidentally vegan” frostings, we couldn’t wait to share our findings with you. When it comes to baking (or any other kind of food preparation), dairy milk, butter, and cream cheese are unnecessary—and their production is abusive. Mother cows produce milk to nourish their fun-loving calves. But on today’s farms, babies are torn away from their moms within a day of birth, while their mothers—hooked up to milking machines and treated as commodities for the dairy industry—are left in distress, calling for their calves for days.
We’ve also included vegan sprinkles and food colorings—all free of animal-derived ingredients—perfect for your vegan baking needs.
Vegan Frostings and Icings
Some frostings are made with butter, cream cheese, or other dairy, and by eating them, you’d be supporting their inherent cruelty to cows, who are sensitive, complex beings and deserve to be treated with respect. The following are some of the vegan varieties available:
- Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Frosting—Cherry, Chocolate, Creamy White, Dark Chocolate, Lemon, Milk Chocolate, and Vanilla
- Betty Crocker Whipped Frosting—Butter Cream, Chocolate, Fluffy White, Milk Chocolate, OREO Creme Flavored, Strawberry Mist, Vanilla, and Whipped Cream
- Betty Crocker Lower Sugar Frosting—Milk Chocolate
- Betty Crocker HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Frosting
- Duncan Hines Creamy Frosting—Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Dark Chocolate Fudge, Lemon Supreme, Strawberries ’N Cream, and Vanilla
- Duncan Hines Whipped Frosting—Chocolate, Fluffy White, and Vanilla
- Miss Jones Organic Frosting—Chocolate, Confetti Pop, Cream Cheese, and Vanilla
- 365 by Whole Foods Market Frosting Mix—Chocolate and Vanilla (Just use your favorite dairy-free butter to make it vegan.)
It’s also easy to make vegan frosting from scratch. This buttercream frosting recipe from The Scran Line uses vegetable shortening, vegan margarine, powdered sugar, and nondairy milk.
Vegan Sprinkles and Edible Glitters
When choosing sprinkles, watch out for confectioner’s glaze, which is made from the bodies of insects who didn’t want to die. Try some of these options:
- 365 Everyday Value Chocolate Sprinkles
- Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sugar
- Wilton Edible Glitter, Gold Stars
- Wilton Sparkle Gels
- Color Garden Sugar Crystals
- Color Kitchen Nonpareil Sprinkles
- Let’s Do Organic Sprinkelz Organic Confetti
- Sweetapolita: Pastel Sequins, Edible Silver Metallic Stars, and Rainbow Crunchy Sprinkles
- The Bakers Party Shop Sprinkles (marked vegan)
- Marshalls Creek Spices All Natural Vegan Cake Decorations
Vegan Food Colorings
When it comes to food coloring, avoid animal-derived ingredients—such as carmine (aka cochineal extract, crimson lake, and natural red 4), which comes from the female cochineal insect. Here are some vegan options:
- Watkins Assorted Food Coloring
- Color Garden Food Coloring: Choose from five colors or variety packs.
- Color Kitchen Single Color Packets: Other varieties include Color Kitchen’s 10 Pack-Multi Color Box, its Color Set-3 pack, and the brand’s Vibrant 5 Color Pack.
Note: Please check all packaging, as ingredients may change or differ by region.
Be sweet to all animals. Every animal is someone. Please, go vegan now to spare the lives of nearly 200 animals each year. Order a free vegan starter kit today:
