Chocolate Vegan Frosting with Coconut Cream

This chocolate vegan frosting with coconut cream is a sweet and decadent icing for cupcakes, cakes, donuts, and brownies or whip it up and enjoy it all on it’s own by making a frosting cup for dessert!

Coconut cream plus chocolate chips equals chocolate vegan frosting heaven. Better than buttercream frosting, butter than cream cheese frosting, and certainly better than those store bought frostings in the tub!

Yes, you heard me right! I do believe this frosting is better than your traditional chocolate buttercream. That undertone of coconut flavor puts it over the edge for me, but I am crazy for anything coconut.

This chocolate vegan frosting reminds me of a Mounds candy bar creamed up to perfection, only WAY healthier without all those added preservatives! It makes your plant-based desserts pop with flavor!

This recipe calls for two ingredients. Yes, only two ingredients! It doesn’t get easier than that.

With a little patience, as the coconut cream needs to chill overnight, and you also need to allow it to chill in the refrigerator before whipping it up, you’ll have a creamy, chocolatey, healthier vegan alternative to chocolate frosting.

This frosting is perfect for cakes, cupcakes, or pipe some directly into small cups and eat it with a spoon!

Why You’ll Love this Chocolate Vegan Frosting with Coconut Cream…

• Dairy-Free
• Oil-Free
• Gluten-Free
• Natural ingredients
• Extra chocolatey
• Rich and creamy

Ingredients You Need for Chocolate Vegan Frosting with Coconut Cream

• Coconut Cream
• Vegan Chocolate Chips

How to Choose and Prepare Your Coconut Cream for Making Frosting

Be sure to get coconut cream not coconut milk. The coconut cream is what creates the rich frosting texture. If you get coconut milk you will end up with chocolate milk not frosting. When buying your coconut cream you’ll want to find a “good” can. If you shake the can and hear the water swishing around, it’s not a good one. You want a thick cream, so when you give it a shake you shouldn’t hear the water.

I like the Trader Joe’s brand of coconut cream. Another good brand is the Thai Kitchen, Native Forest Organics, and Goya Cream of Coconut.

After you get your can of coconut cream put it in the back of your refrigerator to chill. When I get home from the store I put it directly in my fridge so that when I’m ready to make frosting or whipped cream it’s ready and chilled.

The coconut cream will need to chill in the refrigerator overnight, or if short on time put it in the freezer for 5 hours.

The chill time allows the cream to rise to the top. You only want to use the cream that rises. Discard all the access water.

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

• Large mixing bowl
• Hand Mixer with Whisk Attachment OR
• Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment

You can use either a hand mixer or stand mixer depending on what you have at home. I found this super inexpensive Hamilton Beech hand mixer that comes with a whisk attachment in addition to the traditional beaters. It also has a bowl rest and storage case!

If you’re a baker and don’t have one yet, than a KitchenAid Stand Mixer should be on your wish list. You can use it for so many of your baking needs, and all the handy attachments help you create perfection in the kitchen.

How to Make Chocolate Vegan Frosting with Coconut Cream – Step by Step

Step 1: Chill coconut cream overnight in the back of the refrigerator. Or for 5 hours in the freezer. Scoop the cream that has risen to the top out of the can and into a glass bowl careful not mixing it with the water at the bottom. Discard the water.

Step 2: Melt coconut cream and chocolate chips using a double boiler method stirring consistently. Alternatively, microwave for 30 second increments stirring in between until coconut cream and chocolate are combined.

Step 3: Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. You want it to get to a firm consistency. It should be stiff as you can see I’ve scraped a layer off the top with a spoon.

Step 4: Remove from the refrigerator. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and come to room temperature before whipping. If it’s been in the refrigerator longer and has become more solid you’ll need to allow more time for it to come to room temperature. You want it to have some give when you press your finger to it.

Step 5: Whip the frosting with a stand or hand mixer with the whisk attachment until it becomes fluffy. It will lighten in color as you whip.

Step 6: Use this frosting for cupcakes, cakes, or make your own frosting cups and eat with a spoon!

Tips for Making Chocolate Vegan Frosting with Coconut Cream

• Get a good quality coconut cream. Shake it in the store. If you hear the water swishing around it’s a bad can.
• Use coconut cream, not coconut milk.
• Use a good quality non-dairy chocolate chip. My favorite is Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. There are only two ingredients and no cocoa butter.
• Be sure you’ve given your frosting enough time to chill. It needs to be firm before whipping. Use your finger to gently press the frosting. It should leave an indentation.
• Use the whisk attachment not the beater attachment when whipping the frosting. This will give it that light and airy consistency.
• I use a frosting tip to pipe the icing on my cupcakes. You can also just use knife to frost your cupcakes, brownies, cakes, or donuts.

Is Chocolate Vegan Frosting with Coconut Cream healthy?

• Coconut is Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients-Coconut is high in magnesium, manganese, copper and selenium. It’s also high in fiber.
• High in Fat and Calories-While it’s rich in vitamins and nutrients, it’s also high in fat with 93% of its calories from fat. It should be eaten in moderation. However, the fat in coconut cream are medium-chain fatty acids. Unlike animal fat, such as those in milk based creams, coconut cream is metabolized easier, and doesn’t contain any cholesterol.
• Other Potential Benefits: Some research has shown that coconut cream can reduce inflammation, decrease stomach ulcer size, and fight viruses and bacteria.

While there are many benefits of coconut cream, it’s a very high fat food, and should be limited in consumption. It’s also one of the common allergens.

What recipes can you use with this Chocolate Vegan Frosting?

• Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
• Healthy Vegan Brownies

If you’ve tried this Chocolate Vegan Frosting, please rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based vegan family recipes your whole family will enjoy!

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