I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. I am not a doctor; please consult your practitioner before changing your supplement or healthcare regimen. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Paleo AIP Buttercream Frosting is that wonderful dairy-free frosting you’ve been wanting! Great for layer cakes, cupcakes, simple sheet cakes, cookies and more, this frosting pipes beautifully, tastes delicious and is wonderfully healthy and versatile.
This recipe is coconut-free and refined sugar-free.
AIP Frosting
Lots of my AIP friends have complained within my hearing 😉 that it is hard to find a great AIP cake and even harder to find great AIP frosting! This recipe is my love-gift answer for you… 🙂
Paleo AIP Buttercream Frosting made with lard or palm oil
Oddly for some, the original version of this recipe is made with lard. Bear with me. The frosting is lovely in flavor and texture. Lard has a very mild taste, and it’s solid but not too hard at room temperature.
Animal fat is versatile and great for baking needs. For anyone who can’t have palm oil, lard is a great alternative.
This frosting whips up beautifully.
Palm oil option
Since creating the original recipe, I have expanded it to now include an alternative that will probably be better for most people, and that’s palm oil: convenient, and it functions and tastes great.
Yes, you can use Spectrum brand palm oil or this brand (which is also great for AIP pastries).
The other secret ingredient in Paleo AIP Buttercream
The other secret ingredient is gelatin. That bit of gelatin creates tiny air pockets in the whipped frosting, volumizing it and helping it to keep its beautiful shape.
If you love to pipe pretty shapes with your frosting like I do, then you will love working with this silky smooth recipe.
How Paleo AIP Frosting tastes …
The flavor? It’s like apple cinnamon, but really only cinnamon flavors it … and a bit of sea salt, honey and maybe magic? That gelatin really creates a light, whipped texture that allows us to taste the sweetness and spice.
I don’t eat this frosting out of spoon when made with lard, though. It’s yummier ON the cake than all by itself, in that case.
If you use the palm shortening option, you can omit the cinnamon, and replace it with vanilla. It tastes good either way. (In the strawberry cake above, I used palm shortening and omitted the cinnamon, so you can see the whiter Vanilla version of the frosting.)
Where to source lard
Where to get lard? I buy ours from a local farm or from Natural Grocers. We also render our own, when we can.
If you don’t live in an area that has farms with pasture-raised lard or a Natural Grocers, there are many natural food markets that now carry it. Look for the cost to not exceed $6 to $8 per pound. You can find it for less, for sure, but not in all cities.
I have even referred clients to Etsy for lard. But look for regular lard, not leaf lard.
Paleo AIP "Buttercream" Frosting! (Dairy-free)
Equipment
- large metal mixing bowl
- beaters
Ingredients
- 1 cup Spectrum palm shortening or lard, slightly soft at room temperature (but not melted); or this brand palm oil
- ¼ cup raw honey or pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon gelatin see link and discount code below in Recipe notes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (Okay to omit if using palm shortening option, or use Vanilla for palm shortening version.)
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Place ¼ cup water in a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over its surface. Stir in with fork or whisk, allow gelatin to dissolve for 1 minute. Heat over medium heat, stirring the entire time, as the gelatin dissolves completely, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off heat and stir in honey to dissolve. Also stir in cinnamon and sea salt. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. (If using vanilla, add it to cooled honey-gelatin water.)
- Place palm shortening or lard in large metal bowl. Beat on high until creamy with hand beaters, about 40 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add honey-gelatin-water about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating about 20 seconds after each addition. Beat until frosting is smooth and honey mixture is incorporated evenly. Frosting will be aerated slightly and hold its shape as it's beaten.
- Frost your cooled cake at this point. (If you refrigerate the frosting before using it, simply melt it down slightly again, beat and refrigerate until you have reached the right temperature and texture. Or bring it to room temperature slowly, and beat briefly to loosen and soften.)
Notes
Here's the grass-fed gelatin I recommend. (Enter BEAUTIFUL10 at checkout for 10% off.)
Nutrition
Egg-free Cakes and cookies to make with AIP Buttercream Frosting
If you need cake for this frosting, here’s a pumpkin cake we love and serve to friends who aren’t on the AIP diet, very reliable, moist and lovely, great for making as a layer cake or in a casual casserole dish.
You’ll also enjoy these:
- Paleo Valentine’s Cut Out Cookies
- Pear Cake (dice fewer pears into the cake instead of making it upside down, to frost)
- Cinnamon Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cookies
- AIP Birthday Cake — This fabulous recipe has been recently updated and is just so good. (See photos of it in this post with the fresh strawberries.)
Pin Paleo AIP Buttercream Frosting here:
If you need great herbal coffee with your cake and frosting, HERE’s my favorite Chicory Coffee recipe, just 1 ingredient! 🙂
Lindsey Dietz says
OMG! You know how excited I am about this!!!! Will definitely be trying!
Megan Stevens says
Yay!!! 🙂 🙂
Jean says
This looks amazing! My mom is AIP so I’ll definitely have to make this for her over the holidays.
Megan Stevens says
Oh how lovely! Yay and thank you!
Mauri says
I use this recipe all the time. I had to stop for a while because I was having crazy histamine issues but I am going to try this again. I’ve been a lot better lately. I even used this for my birthday cake, cupcakes, graduation cake anything really.
Megan says
Awesome to hear, Mauri; thank you for sharing! I’m glad you’re seeing improvement with your histamine issues!
linda spiker says
Fabulous! Love how well you can swirl it!
Megan Stevens says
Ha, it’s so much fun. Thank you! 😉
Renee Kohley says
Ohhh yay! I had to give up butter for full on dairy free this year and I can’t wait to try this! Thank you!
Megan Stevens says
I’m so glad!! You’re welcome! 🙂
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This is so brilliant and especially perfect for those of us who can’t have dairy. So creative and oh my goodness I really wish I had a slice of your beautiful cake with extra frosting right now. 🙂
Megan Stevens says
I wish you did, too! Thank you!! 🙂
Yang@Yang's Nourishing Kitchen says
Wow! I almost never eat cake, but I want to put my face in this frosting right now – very intriguing recipe. You had me at the lard! My grandpa used to give me lard by the spoonful when I was a skinny little girl and I like how it tastes.
Megan Stevens says
Aw, I love that about you!!! Yay for your grandpa and lard and loving lard! 🙂
Callie Goode says
Wow, I have the burning desire to spread this on something. Great recipe.
Amanda Torres says
This is AMAZING!!! I love love love that you use lard – it’s such a staple in my kitchen!
M. Grove says
i wonder if anyone has used vanilla instead for flavor? Fabulous recipe btw!
Heather says
YUM, omg. I think this was exactly what I needed. Made some additions… instead of 1/4 cup raw honey I did 1/8 cup raw honey and 1/8 cup maple syrup. In addition to the cinnamon, I also added about 1/8 tsp cloves and a pinch of compliant vanilla powder. (I was pairing it with an Apple Cake, which has a very autumnal feel!) OH, and I used 1/2 cup leaf lard, 1/2 cup Spectrum brand palm shortening. (And if I hadn’t spilled it at the start of the recipe, I was also going to sub the 1/4 cup water for 1/4 cup fresh squeezed navel orange juice!) I couldn’t believe how beautifully it whipped up before my very eyes… just like the heavy whipping cream I used to love transforming!
Megan says
Yay!! Terrific! I know, right?! — The texture is so light, and it turns out so yummy and perfect. Your subs sound great!! Thank you for sharing!
Katie says
Amazing, thank you!! Doing AIP plus no coconut/palm and avocado, and have lots of birthdays coming up in the family. So excited to try this!
Lea says
Do you think beef tallow would work?
Megan says
Hi Lea, I definitely do NOT. 😉 Tallow has a really strong flavor and congeals. So, sorry, not a good option for this sweet recipe. Lard is a lot more like butter.
Gail mccomas says
Can you use pork lard?
Megan says
Hi Gail, yes.
Tara says
This is pretty good! I didn’t have any lard so I used coconut oil instead. I also used half maple syrup and half honey and no cinnamon. It was yummy on my carob cake. Thank you!
Megan says
I haven’t tried the recipe with coconut oil, so thanks for sharing that Tara! 🙂
Mama says
What do you mean by non-orange palm oil? Are you talking about the color? I have never had lard before and the thought kind of creeps me out. It doesn’t make it a savory vs sweet dish?
Megan says
Hi there, if the lard idea grosses you out, then it’s probably not for you. By nature, I’m super open-minded about all natural foods. I’m so glad the palm shortening is another option that will work well for you. Yes – re palm oils, don’t use the orange-colored one, instead see the link I provide, and use it (this one: https://amzn.to/2G57v7p). As mentioned in this post, this is not a frosting for eating off a spoon; it’s just wonderful as a frosting on cake or cookies etc.
Mama says
Thank you, I’m going to try it with the palm oil.
Megan says
Great! 🙂
eg222 says
Could you give more info on the Etsy farm where you found the grain-free lard? The link no longer works. Cant wait to try this. Thanks!
Megan says
Hi, thanks for letting me know that the link no longer worked. I’ve updated it. Here’s the new link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/213586812/leaf-lard-5-pounds 🙂 I still have not made this recipe with leaf lard specifically, only regular lard. So please let us know if you do how it goes. Thank you!
Amber says
I know this is for non coconut but I can only get coconut shortening in the country I am living in. Would that work for the recipe?
Megan says
Hi Amber, I don’t know, actually. It might work if paired 50:50 with another solid fat, like lard. The main thing that’s needed is a smooth, whip-able fat, and coconut oil is either chunky or melted. I haven’t worked with shortening made with it, so that’s the mystery.
milissa wasserman says
This looks fantastic! Do you think I can add carob to make a chocolate frosting with it?
Megan says
Hi Milissa, I haven’t tried that, but have you seen this recipe for AIP Chocolate Frosting? Made with carob: https://eatbeautiful.net/aip-chocolate-ganache-paleo/
Lisa says
Hi, wondering how long this icing lasts. I’d like to transport some to my sister who has Hasimotos
Megan says
Hi Lisa, it lasts great. I’d refrigerate it, then transport.
Mauri says
great recipe. I have made this with palm oil. the spectrum brand. It works fine and it seems to be fair trade and 100% palm fruit oil with no vegetable oils mixed in…
Megan says
I’m so glad it worked great for you, Mauri, thanks for sharing!
Naomi says
Hi Megan. I haven’t tried this yet, but it looks amazing! I’m just wondering why you don’t recommend Spectrum palm oil. I have seen that notation in several of your recipes and I’m just wondering if there’s something about that brand that I don’t know? Thanks!
Megan says
Hi Naomi, I don’t buy Spectrum because it doesn’t perform well in baked goods as a lard or butter sub, as the melting point is too low. Grain Brain melts later, creating the air pockets we need in biscuits, for example. But in this Buttercream recipe, Spectrum works great! I finally recipe tested it and updated this post. 🙂
Felicia says
How well does this travel? Can a cake with this frosting be frozen and thawed at room temp? My wedding in May (indoors) and trying to do my own cake as I have Hastimotos and so many restrictions. Palm oil bothers me so been looking for another option and on the hunt for some lard locally now.
Does this frosting hold up well sitting at room temperature for a few hours?
Megan says
Hi Felicia, I don’t know about freezing it. I would not trust that for a wedding. But yes, it keeps great at room temp for hours. Congratulations and blessings!
Erica says
Hi there, what are your thoughts of me using 1/4c Bocha sweet heated to liquid form instead of using maple syrup or honey?
Megan says
Hi Erica, I’d say to make the original recipe first so you know how it’s supposed to behave. And then, make the Bocha version, to see what happens. I’m sorry; I haven’t trialed that sub. 🙂