Dairy-Free Chocolate Glaze

By
Giora Shimoni
Giora Shimoni
A kosher food enthusiast and home cook with hundreds of published recipes, Giora Shimoni has worked in online publishing for over 20 years.
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Updated on 08/6/21
Dairy-Free Chocolate Glaze

The Spruce / Haley Hazell
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 22 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
179 Calories
8g Fat
26g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 179
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 10%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 5mg 0%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 41mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Most chocolate glaze recipes contain butter, cream, or milk, but this version creates a thick and glossy glaze without any dairy at all. Sugar, cocoa powder, water, coconut oil, dark chocolate, and vanilla are cooked together until a ganache-like glaze is formed, which is perfect for drizzling over cakes and cookies, as well as dried and fresh fruit.

Necessity was the mother of invention for Giora Shimoni when he created this dairy-free chocolate glaze. He says he'd frequently bake a cake, only to find that he "lacked the powdered sugar needed to make the icing." Then he hit on this combination —a DIY cocoa powder-based chocolate syrup enriched with dark chocolate and vanilla.

This recipe will thicken considerably as it cools, so if you're using it to glaze a cake, try to work with it quickly while it is still warm. Note that if you refrigerate the frosting, it will become very firm and hard to spread--but it will be perfect for rolling into truffles, or for stuffing into dried fruit.

One of the ingredients called for is virgin coconut oil, which is coconut oil that is cold-processed (vs. heat-processed); this more natural way of production is said to retain the oil's health benefits. If you cannot find virgin coconut oil, you can use regular; either way, it will contribute a coconut flavor to the chocolate sauce.

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/3 cup water

  • 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

  • 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Dairy-Free Chocolate Glaze ingredients

    The Spruce / Haley Hazell

  2. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and water until lump-free. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat.

    sugar, cocoa powder, and water in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Haley Hazell

  3. Add the coconut oil and chocolate. Stir until the oil and chocolate melt, the ingredients are thoroughly combined, and the icing is slightly thickened. Add the vanilla, and mix well.  While still warm and spreadable, use the glaze to frost cake, brownies, or cookies.

    cookies frosted with the chocolate glaze

    The Spruce / Haley Hazell

  4. Set the decorated cake or cookies aside to allow the glaze to cool and firm up. 

    Dairy-Free Chocolate Glaze on cookies

    The Spruce / Haley Hazell

Recipe Variations

  • Replace the coconut oil with non-hydrogenated margarine.
  • Semisweet pareve chocolate is a good substitute for the dark chocolate.

Is Dark Chocolate Non-Dairy?

One difference between dark chocolate and milk chocolate is the presence of milk solids; dark chocolate does not contain any, making it naturally dairy-free.