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 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.
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!
Find the full printable recipe here: Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
