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smooth ‘n creamy vegan chocolate frosting that’s so easy to pipe. Just 2 ingredients for the best dairy free frosting!
Creamy, dreamy, luxurious and oh-so-GOOD. Those are just a few words to describe my amazing vegan chocolate frosting. It’s so ridiculously easy to make, with just 2 simple dairy free ingredients: vegan chocolate chips and coconut cream!
Today, I’m going to walk you through, step-by-step, as we make the easiest dairy free chocolate frosting you’ll ever need. Yep, I said it. 😉 My mom’s been raving about this vegan frosting, my 5-year-old nephew refers to it as the “frosting that tastes like chocolate ice cream!!!” and Erik is constantly telling me we need to find more things to frost…
Or perhaps we should just normalize the whole eating chocolate frosting straight outta the bowl thing. Oh, Erik! Like, no need to be a conformist, just do it anyway. You do you, ya know? 😉
My Favorite Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Anywho, since I shared this vegan chocolate frosting recipe a few years back, I’ve gotten rave reviews, glowing emails and more than a few questions about it. So today I’m covering your common questions, sharing some new photos, and taking you through how to make homemade vegan chocolate frosting.
You game? Let’s do it!
Dairy Free Chocolate Frosting with just 2 Ingredients!
It’s super easy to make this homemade vegan chocolate frosting recipe–check out the how to photos below. Here are the two simple vegan & dairy-free ingredients:
- Ingredient #1: vegan chocolate chips
- Ingredient #2: coconut cream
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Step 1: Chill
The night before, chill a can of coconut cream in the refrigerator—this way, you can easily scoop out the hardened coconut cream, while leaving behind coconut juice at the bottom of the can.
Step 2: Melt
Add coconut cream and vegan chocolate chips to a bowl. Melt together & stir in between heating increments—until it’s shiny and smooth.
Step 3: Chill until Firm
Chill the vegan chocolate frosting mixture aka chocolate ganache until firm. See Figure A below.
Step 4: Scoop
Scoop the unwhipped vegan frosting mixture away from the sides of the bowl, then transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or keep in the bowl to mix. See Figure B below.
Step 5: Whip the Frosting
Make sure to use a whisk attachment with your stand mixer or hand mixer. The whisk attachment is essential to creating beautifully whipped vegan chocolate frosting. Begin whipping the mixture—as it turns into vegan chocolate frosting, it will lighten up in color. See Figure C below.
Step 6: Whip Some More
Whip until frosting is completely lightened to the color of milk chocolate frosting. See Figure D below.
What Should I Frost with this Dairy Free Chocolate Frosting?
I’m so glad you asked. 😉 I’ve specifically written this dairy free chocolate frosting recipe to go with the following vegan dairy free desserts:
- Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe – gluten free, dairy-free with a 5-star rating!
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes – dairy-free, perfect chocolate cupcakes, made with healthy ingredients.
Tips for the Best Vegan Chocolate Frosting
- Make sure to use coconut cream, not coconut milk. This vegan chocolate frosting is made with coconut cream—which is the thick, white, creamy part of coconut milk. This is the coconut cream that I use. Coconut milk is much more watery.
- If you want to use coconut milk… follow the instructions in the Notes portion of my recipe.
- Don’t mix in the coconut juice from the can of coconut cream. When scooping and measuring your coconut cream, make sure to scoop up as little of the translucent coconut juice as possible. You want the thick, white creamy part.
- Test a small batch in advance with the chocolate you’re using. I’ve found that some paleo or sugar-free chocolate brands will not work in this frosting recipe—it won’t yield a creamy frosting. Try making a small batch first before committing to using a full bag of expensive paleo or sugar-free chocolate.
- Allow the chocolate ganache to de-chill a bit before whipping. When you’re scooping the chocolate ganache away from the sides of the bowl, it shouldn’t be that hard to scoop. If it’s too hard, give the ganache a few minutes to de-chill/warm up before whipping.
If you’re looking for more frosting recipes, be sure to try my Vegan Chocolate Ganache and my 3-Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting.
Best Tools for Creamy Vegan Chocolate Frosting
- Hand Mixer – super beautiful turquoise color & super sturdy in the kitchen!
- Whisk Attachment – here’s the exact whisk attachment that I use with my awesome hand mixer.
- Stand Mixer – the classic stand mixer: a must for the baker. 🙂
- Vegan Chocolate Chips – a staple in my vegan gluten free dessert recipes!
- Coconut Cream – just the best coconut cream & what I use in my paleo desserts recipes!
- Glass Mixing Bowls – these are my favorite heatproof mixing bowls to use when making this vegan chocolate frosting! Perfect for heating, perfect for mixing.
Are you ready to frost ALL the things?? And by “things” I do mean vegan chocolate cupcakes, cake, vegan chocolate chip cookies, and um, your mouth (okay, that sounded weird)—I mean, just eat it from the bowl, it’s that good! It’s truly an honor to share in these kitchen adventures with you. I can’t wait to hear what you think! ‘Til then…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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Did you make this vegan chocolate frosting recipe? Take a pic & share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker and tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it!
Vegan Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe (Dairy-Free)
- My Favorite Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! (Dairy-Free)
- 5 Ingredient Vegan Coconut Chocolate Bars
- 4 Ingredient Easy Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Chocolate Overnight Oats Recipe (Vegan)
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
- 50+ Gluten Free Dairy Free Desserts!
- Soft Baked Chocolate Vegan Donuts Recipe (Gluten Free) – w/ Vegan Chocolate Ganache Glaze!
Vegan Chocolate Frosting Recipe – Dairy Free
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup coconut cream
- 1 ½ cups vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- The night before, place can of coconut cream into the refrigerator to chill. This will make it easier to scoop the firm cream out of the can--leaving behind any extra coconut juice. Instructions on using full-fat coconut milk in Notes.*
- Use the double boiler method to melt the chocolate and coconut cream, or do the following: add coconut cream and chocolate chips to a large microwave-safe bowl—use a deep bowl if you plan to whip the frosting later in this bowl. Heat in 30-second increments until melted and smooth. Stir between heating increments, until chocolate is melted. Once completely melted, whisk thoroughly until smooth.
- Transfer to refrigerator to chill for 2-5 hours. It’s done when the mixture is medium firm, similar to a very firm gel. It will be stiff enough to be solid, but lightly depresses when pressing a finger into it. See Figure A.
- Using a spoon, scoop this mixture into a large, deep mixing bowl for whipping (or use the same bowl). You may also transfer to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. If the texture is right, it won’t be too hard to spoon. See Figure B.
- Allow to soften and warm up a bit at room temperature, for about 10-15 minutes. It should be soft enough to whip, but firm enough to not become liquidy when whipping. See Figure C.
- Using a hand mixer, or a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the frosting mixture until fluffy. The color of the mixture will lighten to that of milk chocolate. See Figure D.
- Frost completely cooled Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes. Or, make a double batch for my favorite Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe. Enjoy!
- For Paleo Cupcakes, try my rich & moist Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe.
Notes
© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.
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Any idea if your cupcakes with this frosting would freeze well?
Hi Wendy, yes! They freeze well. I frost them, then store. Allow to thaw before serving. 🙂
Hi there! This (and ALL your recipes) looks amazing! Just wondering what your fave vegan choc chips are please?
Thanks Jessica! One of my fave “accidentally” vegan ones are Guittard semi-sweet chips. You can try Enjoy Life for an allergy-friendly one too! 🙂
Can’t believe how well this turned out, absolutely LOVE how fudgy it is! Best recipe I’ve found.
Thank you!
Wonderful!!! I’m so happy to hear it, Lauren. Enjoy! .
Wow! Made me this last night (UK) and it is completely delicious. I used agave nectar rather than maple syrup and left out the vanilla. Was worried that the frosting would be too much as I’m not a big fan but it complements the cake perfectly. This is the 5th recipe I’ve made of yours and I love it. Thanks for doing all the hard work.
I’m so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe Julia! 🙂 You’re kind words are totally making my day right now, and I’ll be using them as inspiration to keep doing the “hard work” on creating more tasty recipes to share. ☺️
Is this frosting very sweet. I am looking for a frosting that is rich in chocolate flavor, but not too sweet. I want to put it on a 9 inch 2 layer cake. Will I need to double the recipe? Thanks.
Hi Mary! Yep, go ahead and double it for a round two layer 9-inch cake. 🙂
We can buy coconut cream in tins – can we use that or rather get the milk and take the cream off as you describe in notes?
Whichever is easier for you. 🙂 Just make sure you use the kind that firms up in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
I am excited to try this recipe! My husband and I are both on restricted diets and our birthdays are in two weeks! Hoping to have a little treat! Wondering about the chocolate chips. What brand do you use? Unsweetened or just a regular chip sweetened with with sugar?
Hi Kellie! Happy early Birthday to you two. . I use a sweetened chip that’s non-dairy. Here’s a good one if you’re looking for paleo chips: https://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Life-Chocolate-Morsels-Ounce/dp/B0196KDY6G/ Or just any non-dairy chip will do! 🙂
Excellent! Thanks so much! My husband cannot wait to try them! He was looking at the photos and said make them now!!!! It’s 9:30pm!! Ha ha!! I got all the ingredients today! Going to give them a try tomorrow! I was just re reading the recipe. I do not have a wisk mixer. Just a hand held. Do you think that would be okay for the frosting or is the wisk a must? Also, I got coconut cream, the Thai brand. Is that full fat coconut milk? I don’t know the difference. Do I need to use the method for the full fat? Oh and do you think ghee could be substituted for coconut oil in the cupcakes? Just curious to switch it up from coconut sometimes! Sorry for all the questions! I cannot wait to try these!!!! I hope they come out like yours!!! Thank you!!! .
How’d the frosting turn out? 🙂 I’d definitely recommend using the whisk attachment–it really helps to make the frosting fluffy. 🙂 Coconut cream: there should be a purple label that says “coconut cream” on it. Yes, still chill and scoop out the cream. You don’t want any juice in the frosting. Ghee might work! Enjoy. 🙂
This recipe looks delicious!
I looked for the list of ingredients of the chocolate chips and it says “Unsweetened Chocolate, Cane Sugar”. Do you have a brand “refined sugar free”?
I use Lily’a chocolate. It’s sweetened with stevia.
Hi Demeter,
Thanks for your recipes, I love them.
Just a question regarding the coconut cream…I live in Australia and the coconut cream here is liquid…I’m not sure if it will all thicken in the fridge, do you know? Is the coconut cream you use a liquid?
Thanks ,
Maroula
Hi Maroula, I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂 The coconut cream we have in the U.S. can liquify when it’s warm. Try placing what you have in the fridge for a few days and seeing if it solidifies after ward. Also, here is the coconut cream I use so you can compare the ingredients and the nutritional profile to see if it matches what you’re using: Thai Kitchen Coconut Cream.
Thank you will do:)
Hi thank you for sharing this recipe! I would like to make this for my little sisters birthday! Does it have a coconut taste? Or does the chocolate overpower the coconut flavor of the creme?
Hi Kierra, the chocolate definitely overpowers the coconut flavor. 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think. Happy Birthday to your lil sis! .
This recipe looks great! Can I make the frosting (pre-beating) over night and then beat it the next morning or would this make the coconut-chocolate combination too firm?
Thank you, Sruthi! Yes, you can make it the night before. Just allow it to soften a bit at room temperature before beating. Once you can scoop it out of the bowl, you can start beating it. If it’s still too firm, allow it to warm up a bit more, then beat. Enjoy!