You’ll love this easy-to-make Vegan Chocolate Frosting! It’s creamy, chocolatey, decadent and so simple to whip up! Perfect for all your cakes and cupcakes. A dairy-free frosting made in just 5 minutes and with only 5 basic ingredients!
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WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE
It’s easy and quick to prepare. This foolproof vegan chocolate frosting will be ready in 5 minutes. Follow the step-by-step instructions below and you’ll get a rich icing that will turn into your go-to chocolate frosting.
Check how gorgeous it looks on these chocolate cupcakes.
It’s not overly sweet. When pairing baking goods and their frostings, it’s easy to end up with a treat that’s too sweet. That’s why this plant-based chocolate frosting has the right amount of powdered sugar.
It’s perfect for piping. This is a versatile buttercream that you’ll be able to use on your cakes as well as cupcakes. It’s thick but still spreadable.
Oh, if you’re a frosting lover, check this out: Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting and Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Vegan butter. I use vegan unsalted butter sticks. I don’t recommend using spreadable butter or margarine here.
Cocoa Powder. I usually use Dutch processed cocoa but I have also made this recipe with natural unsweetened cocoa. Both work great.
Dairy free milk. Any non-dairy milk works here. My favourites are oat, almond and soy milk. They have little flavour and a thick texture.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- In a mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
- Sift in the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder.
- Mix on low speed until combined, scraping down the bowl.
- Add the plant-based milk and the vanilla extract. Whisk for 1-2 minutes, until everything is well mixed.
- Fill a piping bag, fitted with tip 1M, 2D or 2A, with the vegan chocolate frosting. And start decorating!
RECIPE FAQs
Sure. Once the frosting is ready, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can also place the frosting in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. Before using, bring to room temperature and mix it with a whisk or hand mixer.
To freeze the frosting, place it in an airtight container and double-wrap it. It can be frozen for 3 months. When ready to use, let it thaw overnight in the fridge or for several hours on the counter. Mix it with a whisk or hand mixer.
This recipe makes enough to frost 10 cupcakes or one 9×13 cake. It will also allow you to frost a two-layer 8-inch cake.
For a three-layer 8-inch cake, I recommend you double the recipe. If you’re left with leftover frosting, freeze the extra for later use.
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RECIPE
Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, softened at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (soy milk, almond milk or other dairy-free milk)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- In a larger bowl, cream the butter with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment. Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually add them to the butter. Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the non-dairy milk, the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- If you need to thin the consistency of your frosting, add more milk, one teaspoon at a time. In case you needed to thicken it, just add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time.
- Use it immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one week.
- To decorate cupcakes you can use large tips like 1M, 2D or 2A. 1A tip is useful to fill cakes, then use an offset spatula to make frosting an even layer.
Notes
Nutrition
Additional Info
This turned out really well! It made enough to crumb coat and frost a standard 2-layer cake. It’s pleasantly chocolatey without being dry or overly bitter from the cocoa powder. I also added a pinch of salt ’cause I like that in my sweets. This one’s a keeper.
Thanks for sharing your great feedback and review, Leah! I’m thrilled you are loving this chocolate frosting!
Great vegan chocolate frosting! The taste was amazing and it was still easy to pipe!
Hi Tristin, I’m super glad to hear that you loved it! Thank you for letting me know.
I love having vegan options for desserts. I made this with almond milk and it was delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Kristina, almond milk is a great option, in fact, any vegan milk works for this recipe. Thanks so much for coming back to comment!
Perfectly chocolatey frosting for anyone. but really great for those who cannot have dairy. Delicious.
Hi Mikayla. I’m so glad you are loving this vegan chocolate frosting! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Awesome tasting frosting! I didn’t realize that powdered sugar was vegan (been trying to eat more “vegan” the last few weeks), so now I can still enjoy a lot of my favorite desserts!
Hi Madelyn, so happy you’re going vegan. Don’t worry, powdered sugar does not actually contain any animal ingredients, so you can perfectly use it.
I love how easy was to make this chocolate frosting, it was pretty and delicious.
We loved it most especially since it’s vegan!
Amy, I’m super glad to hear that you loved it! Thank you for letting me know.
This frosting seems super easy to make and is something I could see myself using for a variety of different dessert recipes.
Thank you Moop, it’s one of the most popular recipes in the blog.
This is so helpful for making cupcakes for my vegan friends, Finding a good vegan frosting with the smooth texture is so hard and this recipe is just perfect. And so easy as well!
Thanks for sharing your feedback and review, Sandhya! You’ll love it, it’s quick and simple.
I have yet to try a vegan frosting recipe yet. This chocolate one looks so tasty! Thanks for the recipe share!
Hi Ann, yes, you have to try and make this vegan frosting. I get comments from non-vegan readers enjoying my vegan treats.
Totally wow! This frosting looks so yummy and who doesn’t love chocolate? We can pair it with so many pastries. The best part is it’s easy to prepare and only takes 10 minutes to do. Loved it!
Hope you will love it as much as we do! Thanks so much, Jamie!
Thanks for this recipe. It was delicious. Everyone loved it. I made it to frost the birthday cake of my son that loves chocolate. The non vegans in the group didn’t even notice. lol.
Hi, Maggie! Thank you so much! It’s especially exciting to hear non-vegans enjoy my vegan treats So glad you all loved them! Enjoy!