How to Make Healthy Chocolate Frosting – Dairy Free Recipe

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When you think of chocolate frosting, you may immediately think of chocolate cake which is a Worldwide favourite treat.

When you convert to plant based eating you will gradually want to find healthy plant derived alternatives to all the things you love and this chocolate frosting may be one of them.

In this post we will show you how to make healthy chocolate frosting, which is one of those delicious discoveries we made whilst experimenting for healthy alternatives to the average high fat, high sugar counterparts .

How do I make frosting without dairy?

chocolate frosting ingredients

We LOVE this frosting because it contains all things coconut. Coconut also happens to give it a fantastic taste and creaminess to rival butter and milk whilst being WAY healthier.

And being as coconut has healthful properties (yes, even its fats in moderation) it’s ok to add into your diet in moderation, or at least use it as an alternative to other fats.

Here are some of the great reasons you should consider adding more coconut oil into your life in moderation.

What is a healthy substitute for butter in frosting?

We have found that coconut cream and oil are fantastic substitutes for butter in your average frosting.

Coconut products are creamy and satisfying. They will fil you up without any of the negative side effects or dairy. Coconut is also found to be an inexpensive, healthy food when eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy diet in general.

Coconut oil Benefits:-

jar coconut oil

  • WEIGHT LOSS – Yes, sounds crazy right? But no, coconut oil helps the body to burn fat more efficiently. This includes that dangerous middle fat that seems to accumulate around the stomach, especially as you get older. You know the stuff that seems to be really hard to get rid of, even with diet and exercise?
  • CALORIE BURNER – Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides. These may help boost calorie burn by up to 5%. This NCBI study showed that at 1-2 tablespoons per day coconut oil produced the burning of an 120 extra calories. It is not, however, recommended that you eat more than this amount daily as it is still a saturated fat, albeit a healthier one.
  • APPETITE SUPPRESSANT – Studies show that coconut oil’s medium chain fatty acids have an ability to increase feelings of fullness, unlike most other fats. This in turn leads to less hunger pangs, which of course means less snacking.

Raw Cacao Powder

cacao powder

This gorgeous, decadent recipe also contains raw cacao powder. This world famous bean is not only abundant in nutrition, but also is a seriously indulgent treat for all chocolate lovers.

You can use raw cacao powder in lots of  raw food recipes and this frosting is one of them.

Just be careful not to cook or over-heat your raw cacao (and this goes for whatever recipe you are using your cacao in) as this will render it no longer raw and could destroy a lot of its nutrition which you are paying a premium for. Or if you do heat it, it should not reach temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius if you want to keep all its healthful nutrients and enzymes in tact.

Just use normal (and much cheaper) cacao powder if you plan to use it in your cooked bakes as it still contains lots of nutrition, but raw is definitely superior.

Raw Cacao Benefits:-

  • HIGH MAGNESIUM CONTENT
  • GREAT SOURCE OF PLANT BASED IRON
  • ANTIOXIDANTS – Raw cacao powder contains a whopping 40 TIMES more antioxidants than raw blueberries. Antioxidants are needed for anti aging of the body both inside and also out. They also help neutralise free radicals in the bloodstream to keep you in tip top condition and looking radiant. What better excuse to eat raw dark chocolate do you need?
  • HIGHER CALCIUM CONTENT THAN COWS MILK
  • GIVES YOU ENERGY – The high magnesium levels in cacao will give you a long lasting energy boost. Great if you need a hit of energy mid-afternoon or before a gym session. Word of advice: if you are easily stimulated it is not advisable to eat too much cacao before bedtime for obvious reasons.
  • GREAT FOR SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS – Cacao’s source of sulfur will help get you glowing. This is due to its ability to build keratin and collagen, both of which are the building blocks to your skin, hair and nails.
  • HEALTHY GUT – Cacao can help improve your gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome is associated with a strong immune system.
  • REDUCES STRESS – Yes, chocolate when you’re stressed isn’t just for comfort. It has been found in this Swiss study that dark chocolate (aka the cacao powder that it contains) has been shown to reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Too make cacao even better, the same study says they also found it to boost metabolism.

What can I use instead of sugar in frosting?

There are lots of sweet alternatives to sugar for your frosting.

We have used either stevia or xylitol in this recipe because it really is a sugar free alternative that is also okay for diabetics. These sweeteners won’t spike your blood sugar and are great if you are watching your calorie intake.

Other sweeteners you could potential use for your dairy free chocolate frosting recipe are:-

  • Maple syrup
  • Agave nectar
  • Brown rice syrup
  • Date syrup
  • Finely ground coconut sugar

What Can I Use This Dairy Free Frosting For?

chocolate frosting

So now you have seen all the fantastic reasons to try out this tasty treat, why not give it a go?

This frosting is SO simple, you literally just need a blender or food processor to whip it up (or even a fork and a strong bicep) and it’s done and ready to go in less than 5 minutes. And once made, it will keep for at least 3 days in your refrigerator to use as you please. Here are some great suggestions for its use:-

  • Cake or cupcake topping.
  • A chocolate pudding or desert in itself! Add chopped fruit, nuts or shaved chocolate for added texture and MORE nutrition.
  • Use it as a dip for sweet crackers and fruits.
  • Make it a little runnier with extra coconut cream for a delicious chocolate sauce for ice-cream, homemade waffles or anything else you would normally use chocolate sauce for.
  • Just leave it in your fridge to scoop out and eat a spoonful as and when you have a sweet craving (our favourite method).

You can make this frosting absolutely sugar free if you use xylitol or natural stevia as your sweetener. It’s best to grind down these sugars to a very fine powder (the consistency of icing sugar) before adding them to stop any graininess otherwise. You can do this in a spice or coffee grinder, or even a pestle and mortar.

How to Make Healthy Chocolate Frosting - Plant Based Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, British
Servings 8
Calories 125 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 400ml can very chilled coconut cream all excess water drained out.
  • 50 grams of dark chocolate.
  • 2 x tablespoons of raw cacao powder.
  • 2 x tablespoons of coconut oil.
  • 1-2 x tablespoons of finely powdered xylitol or stevia to taste.

Instructions
 

  • Melt broken up dark chocolate and coconut oil in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water. It doesn't need to get too hot: keep all ingredients as cool as possible.
    Make sure your bowl doesn't touch the hot water as this may burn your chocolate.
  • Whisk in coconut cream until smooth.
  • Add your cacao powder and sweetener to taste. Mix until smooth. You should be able to do this with a whisk or fork alone; but you can also use a blender or Vitamix for even more fluffiness and smoothness.
  • Leave to chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
    Use your yummy frosting whichever way you choose.

Video

Keyword cake frosting, chocolate frosting, chocolate ganache, healthier, indulgent, raw cacao, refined sugar free

 

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10 thoughts on “How to Make Healthy Chocolate Frosting – Dairy Free Recipe”

  1. Hi Stefanie,

    Really good information and the layout of your site is very professionally done. It was nice to learn about the benefits of coconut oil. I have incorporated Coconut oil into my diet on different occasions and was reminded by your post to re-introduce it back into my cooking regime. Thanks.

    1. Hi James, I’m glad you are liking my website, it’s been a long process but I’m getting there!
      I’m a big fan of all things coconut too, it’s such a tasty oil and really healthy in moderation.
      Be sure to eat an array of different healthy fats from different sources to get the full benefits in your diet.

    2. Hi James, thanks do much, and yes eating more coconut products is very healthful as long as you balance them out with other healthy oils from nuts, seeds, and olive oil. They all have unique qualities which is why I try and mix it up. But coconut is definitely one of my favourites for baking and homemade chocolate.

  2. This looks really good! I’m very familiar with dark chocolate and cocoa but I really need to explore coconut products. This recipe looks like a perfect place to start! I’ll share it with my vegan daughter, and son who loves to bake, and my chocolate-loving friends. Thank you.

    1. Yes, I think you will love coconut oil when you start adding it to your baking. It should however, be used alongside other healthy oils in the diet such as olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds. All of them in moderation only and you will be very healthy.

      Thanks for sharing to your family and friends. It is much appreciated!

  3. That’s amazing how many more antioxidants are in raw cacao compared to blueberries! Blueberries are an antioxidant powerhouses! I’m definitely going to give this frosting a try. I’ve heard mixed reviews on using Stevia, both good and bad. What are your thoughts? It’s funny that as you wrote this you were baking a chocolate cake and I made a chocolate peanut butter pie just last night!

    1. Hi Jennifer, all I heard there was ‘peanut butter pie!!’S that sounds delicious, I love peanut butter almost as much as I love chocolate ha ha.
      I think the thing with Stevia is you need to be very wary with what you buy, as with anything in life I suppose. Some manufacturers have a bad habit of turning a good thing bad. I’ve seen stevia mixed with all sorts of things, sometimes even aspartame and other chemicals. You need to read labels; you can get pure Stevie which is literally a bark from a tree, same as xylitol

      The thing with these sugar substitutes is they may very well not suit everybody and can have a laxative effect if you have to much of it so this is something to be wary of.

      If you find you can’t tolerate these sugar substitutes you could always use a date, maple, or brown rice syrup instead, but this could change the consistent and you may need to make up for that with more cacao powder.

  4. Great, now I’m hungry for chocolate cake.

    Healthy chocolate frosting. Who knew? I had no idea such a thing existed. I do have a sweet tooth, and frosting has always seemed particularly decadent. This is definitely worth a try!

    Thanks for another great idea!

    1. Hi Jon, yep, I make all my favourite treats healthy! In fact, I just can’t eat things any other way these days; my taste buds nd whole body has definitely changed over the years through continual healthy eating.
      I don’t like to miss put on anything, and chocolate is my absolute weakness in life so a lot of my recipes are based around it.

  5. I’m so excited to try this recipe! I’ve been vegan for almost a year now, and I am missing having the usual sweet recipes that I used to have. Might be time for a treat I think!
    Josie

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