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Say hello to the best Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting! It’s easy to make using simple ingredients and the perfect consistency for frosting vegan cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and more!
Table of Contents
Traditional buttercream frosting isn’t vegan, but with a few simple ingredient swaps and beginner-friendly baking techniques, we will teach you how to make a vegan frosting that will knock your socks off! It’s everything a good chocolate buttercream should be—rich, perfectly sweet, and so soft and creamy that it melts in your mouth! Use it to frost your favorite chocolate cupcakes, brownies, or our favorite Simple Vegan Chocolate Cake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegan butter: The base of a traditional buttercream is dairy butter. To make this frosting vegan-friendly, we’re swapping in vegan butter sticks. Both salted and unsalted butter work well here; just be sure to use buttery sticks, not vegan butter spreads. We’ve had success using Earth Balance and Country Crock.
- Powdered sugar: Also called icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar in some countries, this smooth, powdery sugar is best for making a rich, creamy frosting due to its smooth consistency. If you cannot find powdered sugar in stores, you can make your own Powdered Sugar from Scratch using white sugar and cornstarch.
- Cocoa powder: Adds the essential chocolate flavor. Feel free to use unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder.
- Vegan dark chocolate: Helps keep the color of the buttercream dark brown and rich in chocolate flavor. We like to use vegan dark chocolate, but if desired, opt for vegan milk chocolate for a sweeter buttercream.
- Non-dairy milk: Thins the buttercream frosting to the perfect thickness. Use any non-dairy milk of your choice. We recommend plain non-dairy milk like almond milk, cashew milk, or soy milk to keep the buttercream flavor neutral and consistent.
Equipment Needed
- Microwave or double boiler
- Spatula
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Piping bag (as needed)
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler. Set aside to cool.
- Cream the butter. Add the softened vegan butter to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to cream the vegan butter until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar. Add half of the powdered sugar and beat again until well combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk and beat again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the melted chocolate. Next, add in the melted chocolate and 2 more tablespoons of non-dairy milk and beat together on low until just combined.
- Adjust to desired thickness. Add the remaining non-dairy milk and mix together. If the frosting is too thick for your liking, add a tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Keep in mind the frosting will continue to thicken considerably as it sits.
- Enjoy. Use immediately to frost cake, cupcakes, or another vegan dessert of choice!
What to Use Chocolate Buttercream With?
This chocolate buttercream is just as versatile as our Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Use it as the cherry on top of:
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Classic Vegan Brownies
- Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies
- Chocolate Soufflé Cake
- Healthy Mini Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Biscuit Donuts
and more!
Vegan Buttercream Troubleshooting
If you find your vegan chocolate frosting too sweet, add a pinch of salt (especially if you used unsalted butter!). This will help balance the sweetness. If it’s still too sweet, add a bit more cocoa powder to taste until it’s your perfect sweetness.
This can happen if the ingredients are vastly different temperatures. For best results, use room-temperature ingredients from the start. This will allow everything to blend seamlessly.
We find this is most likely to happen if your ingredients are cold or if the buttercream is over-mixed.
Cream cheese frosting and buttercream, while both delicious, are two separate types of frosting. If you’re interested in making a cream cheese frosting, for a recipe such as Vegan Carrot Cake or Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, try our cream cheese frosting from our Vegan Cinnamon Roll Cake!
Storage Instructions
When kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this chocolate buttercream will keep for up to 1-2 weeks. For longer term storage, this buttercream can be frozen for up to 3 months.
When ready to use, thaw completely in the refrigerator and re-whip together until light and fluffy again right before using.
More Simple Vegan Dessert Recipes YOu May Enjoy:
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you make this recipe. We love to see your photos!
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Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: Frosting for 1 large cake or 12 cupcakes
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Say hello to the best Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting! It’s easy to make using simple ingredients and the perfect consistency for frosting vegan cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and more!
Ingredients
- 6 oz vegan dark chocolate
- 2 sticks (1 cup) vegan butter, softened
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (40g) cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup non-dairy milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler. Set aside to cool. If the chocolate is hot when you add it to the frosting, it will melt the butter.
- Cream the butter. Add the softened vegan butter to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to cream the vegan butter until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar. Add half of the powdered sugar and beat again until well combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk and beat again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the melted chocolate. Next, add in the melted chocolate and 2 more tablespoons of non-dairy milk and beat together on low until just combined.
- Adjust to desired thickness. Add the remaining non-dairy milk and mix together. If the frosting is too thick for your liking, add a tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Keep in mind the frosting will continue to thicken considerably as it sits.
- Enjoy. Use immediately to frost cake, cupcakes, or another vegan dessert of choice!
Notes
- Storage: When kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this chocolate buttercream will keep for up to 1-2 weeks.
- Freezing: For longer-term storage, this buttercream can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw completely in the refrigerator and re-whip together until light and fluffy again right before using.
- Sweetness: If your vegan chocolate frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt (especially if you use unsalted butter!). This will help balance the sweetness. If it’s still too sweet, add more cocoa powder to taste until it’s your perfect sweetness.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
