Can margarine be used in place of butter when making icing?

Has anyone tried this?

This would be for my family. Butter is getting so expensive!

I haven't tried this, but from what I have read, it seems the consensus is no. I could be mistaken, but I think it has something to do with the water content of margarine versus butter. That rings a bell, although I can't say for sure.

Don't do it. I tried it once and it was a disaster. As Tracey said, it's the water content problem.

Thanks ladies! I appreicate the input. I guess it's either use butter or all Crisco.

Thanks again.

I purchase my butter at a club store. I can purchase 4 pounds there for the price of 2 pounds at the regular grocery store. If you have a Sam's/Costco/BJ's around you, that'd be the place to get your butter (and sugar and flour). You can store butter in the freezer for months.

Wow, that's news to me. I NEVER use butter...only margerine. This is my recipe:

1 cup all veg. shortening (Walmart brand)
2 sticks margerine (Imperial brand)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 lbs. powdered sugar (whatever brand is cheapest)
pinch salt
water to thin

Very basic, but has never given me problems.

Butter can be frozen. I usually purchase extra from my supplier when they have a campaign going on butter.

I use butter in all my baked goods. I refuse to skimp on quality for myself, my friends, and, most of all, my clients.

I was a butter-only girl until my son started school and now has a "dairy-free" friend in his class. I have started making cookies and buttercream using Nucoa (dairy-free) margarine. It's a stick, and has a lower water content than tub margarines (which I would NEVER recommend). I don't notice ANY difference in my cookies or my icing. Granted, I haven't covered a cake that really matters in this margarine, but the flavor and texture really seem the same as "butter" buttercream.

It's relatively cheap to try it out on your family. If you hate it, go back to butter!

I forgot to say that the only time I'll use margarine is if the customer requests a milk-free cake. Then I use milk-free margarine and oat milk for the liquid in both cake and icing.

It tastes, howver, like @$$.

i sometimes use margerine. not so much now, i generally have butter in the house now. didnt taste as good, but a bit extra powdered sugar and/ or flavouring worked wonders. you can always try it, if you dont like it, try something else.
xx

I always make my products dairy free so I ONLY use margarine in icing, cakes, etc. Never had a problem. Crisco is also fine, but when using margarine for white butterceam, it's a but yellow so you need to whiten it up. Good luck!

Thanks a bunch everyone!