Vegan Chocolate Frosting

By
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams is a restaurant professional and workshop instructor with a specialty in dairy-free cooking and baking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/25/21
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Vegan Frosting
The Spruce
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Yield: 2 cups
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
129 Calories
5g Fat
21g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 129
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 5mg 0%
*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.)

Chocoholics rejoice with this sweet and scrumptious vegan frosting chocolate recipe that will satisfy any chocolate craving without a drop of dairy.

The traditional chocolate frosting is made with sugar, fat (usually butter), and a little flavor but this vegan frosting version exchanges the butter for a dairy-free alternative like soy margarine.​

The frosting is used to give a contrasting taste and texture to vegan cookies, dairy-free cakes, and dairy-free cupcakes. Of course, it's also a beautiful decoration to make sweets look prettier.

This recipe can be doubled or tripled for parties and get-togethers when the time is of the essence.

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Click Play to See This Vegan Chocolate Frosting Come Together

"This was very easy to make. It came out delicious and was easy to spread. I beat it on low speed until the margarine was evenly incorporated, but the frosting had to have the almond milk to become a moist mixture. I recommend sifting the powdered sugar and cocoa powder after measuring." —Diana Rattray

Vegan Chocolate Frosting Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar (organic)

  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder

  • 2 ounces soy margarine (softened)

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened soy milk)

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Vegan chocolate icing recipe
    The Spruce

  2. In a medium-large mixing bowl, sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa together, then add the softened margarine, almond milk, and vanilla and beat with an electric hand mixer, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

    Add the almond milk or soy milk, cocoa powder, and vanilla and continue to mix
    The Spruce

  3. Refrigerate and spread just before serving on fully-cooled cookies, cakes or cupcakes.

    Vegan chocolate frosting
    The Spruce

Tips

  • When preparing dairy-free frostings, you can use a "stick" variety of dairy-free soy margarine instead of a "tub" variety.
  • You can use vegan butter with a cocoa butter base, which lends itself to a texture that more closely resembles traditional frosting. If you use a vegan butter with a coconut oil base, you'll find the frosting "melts" much more readily and may need to be refrigerated prior to use to firm up.
  • To give a lighter flavor, you can use whipped vegan butter alternatives.
  • There are a variety of butter substitutes available on the market.
  • If you avoid soy, you can use any other non-dairy milk, including almond milk, cashew milk, or rice milk in this recipe, but be sure to go unsweetened or the balance of flavors will be lost.
  • Other non-dairy milk such as hazelnut milk or coconut milk might change the flavor of the frosting, but they are still perfect substitutes for soy milk.
  • If you've been using a plastic storage bag with icing tips to decorate with frosting, you know how hard it can be to control your designs. Consider upgrading your pastry bag with a silicone piping bag instead. There are a variety of choices that allow you to pipe evenly, some are squeezable and others even have screw-on nozzles so you don't get any surprises while decorating.

Recipe Variations

  • For more vanilla flavor, increase the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of almond flavoring along with the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

What Is the Best Cocoa To Use In Chocolate Frosting?

While Dutch process cocoa and natural cocoa don't work the same in a baked recipe, they are both good options for frosting. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is mild. and darker in color. Natural cocoa (e.g., Hersheys) is lighter and more acidic.