This Chocolate Dairy-Free Frosting is thick, glossy, and almost fudgy in texture. Plus, it's made with just 4 simple ingredients. It’s naturally sweetened and perfect for spreading on cookies, cakes, or honestly… eating straight off a spoon.
"This frosting is so fudgy and indulgent! I made some chocolate zucchini loaf and wanted a frosting for the top and this was perfect!" -Janessa
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 5 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 9
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 56 kcals and 1 gram of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Cashew butter, cacao powder, honey, and coconut cream.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and paleo.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Smooth, rich, and chocolatey, this four-ingredient frosting comes together in minutes and tastes just as indulgent as classic frosting.
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Who knew you could skip the powdered sugar and sticks of butter and still end up with a rich, spoon-worthy frosting? This dairy-free chocolate frosting proves you don’t need the heavy stuff to get big chocolate flavor, making it the ultimate healthy chocolate icing recipe for everyday treats.
I use this frosting on everything from dairy-free thumbprint cookies to the top of overnight protein oats, or even swirled into Greek yogurt with protein powder (don’t knock it till you try it!). It’s also amazing spread over a chocolate protein powder mug cake when you want a quick dessert that still feels indulgent.
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💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make: Whipped up in just 5 minutes with four ingredients, this healthy chocolate frosting recipe is made without much effort.
Healthy: It's naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and paleo which makes it a great choice for a healthy lifestyle.
Tasty: Sweet but not too sweet, the frosting is a great addition to any recipe without being overpowering.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cacao powder: Not to be confused with cocoa powder (though it can be used), cacao powder is a nutrient powerhouse! Loaded with calcium and antioxidants, cacao powder is a gold mine. Learn more about the difference between cocoa powder and cacao.
- Cashew butter: Any nut butter can work, but it will alter the flavor of the dairy-free chocolate icing slightly. Make sure to use new nut butter so that it's "runny" and not too thick.
- Coconut milk: Opt for coconut milk from a can, and only the thick white cream. You only need a hint of it to smooth out the chocolate frosting, and truthfully, any dairy-free milk will work. The milk you choose will affect the consistency, though.
- Honey: This is used to sweeten the frosting but also to make the frosting thick and sticky. You can use maple syrup to make the recipe vegan-friendly, though.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
- Vanilla: Skip the cacao powder and add a splash of vanilla extract for a more classic taste.
- Peanut butter chocolate: Swap the cashew butter for homemade peanut butter, and trust me, everyone wins.
How To Make Chocolate Dairy-Free Frosting
Step 1: In a small bowl whisk together the nut butter, honey, and coconut milk.
Step 2: Add in the cacao powder.
Step 3: Mix until combined and sticky.
Step 4: Use immediately on thumbprint cookies.
Expert Tips To Make It
This dairy-free chocolate icing is both light and thick. It does spread onto cookies or firm cupcakes. However, make sure your cookies are not too delicate!
Because the frosting is thick, it does not pipe well. This is not a "buttercream" kind of frosting. More fudge-like. Here is a wicked protein buttercream frosting if you need it.
Make sure to use runny nut butter to make the frosting; otherwise, the ingredients won't blend.
To thin the frosting: begin by adding more coconut cream to the recipe if you need to. Just add it in teaspoon by teaspoon until you reach your desired consistency. This will also make the frosting creamier.
How to store it: This non-dairy chocolate icing does not and will not store well in the fridge once made. It must be used immediately after making. Once in the fridge, it gets too hard to spread.
How To Enjoy It
Use the dairy-free chocolate frosting on anything that you want to make a little extra indulgent.
- Cookie frosting (like these chocolate frosted cashew cookies)
- To top gluten-free cupcakes with almond flour
- Add a dollop to a high-protein coffee smoothie bowl
- To lick off a spoon and curb a craving
Chocolate Dairy-Free Frosting FAQs
To make the dairy-free chocolate frosting nut-free, use Sunbutter in its place. You may want to add a touch more honey to keep it sweet, though.
You can make the healthy chocolate frosting vegan-friendly by replacing the honey with maple syrup or coconut syrup. However, the chocolate frosting flavor will be slightly less sweet (but still delicious). Coconut syrup is a better choice to keep the frosting thick.
Any dairy-free milk can work for frosting. Almond milk, cashew milk, and oat milk are all great choices. For a thicker and richer frosting, use coconut milk, specifically the cream at the top of the can.
More Dairy-Free Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Chocolate Dairy-Free Frosting Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Chocolate Dairy-Free Frosting
Video
Ingredients
- ⅛ cup cacao powder
- 2 tbs honey
- 3 tbs cashew butter
- 4 teaspoon coconut cream
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients together into a bowl until smooth.
Notes
- The dairy-free frosting makes about one and a quarter cup. The serving size is two tablespoons
- With these amounts, the frosting only makes enough to frost about six- eight cookies. Double the batch depending on how much you need
- If you need to make this frosting nut-free, simply sub Sun Butter for the cashew
- If stored in the fridge, the frosting hardens. Thus, it's best used immediately
- Cocoa powder works in place of cacao.
- You want the creamy white part of canned coconut milk, not the runny watered down part.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Stacey says
This is so simple & deliciously chocolaty! Perfect for spreading on some paleo graham crackers or cupcakes!
fitasamamabear says
Omg anything on graham crackers is the best haha
Donny says
This is so good! I spread it on some paleo banana muffins and my whole family ate them all in minutes. So easy to make too!
fitasamamabear says
Ohhh that would be delicious!
ChihYu says
This is the perfect frosting for everything! Full of chocolatey delicious goodness and no additives!
fitasamamabear says
Can't go wrong with chocolate!
Nancy says
Can’t say no to 5 minutes guilt free frosting. Thanks
fitasamamabear says
Right?>!
Janessa says
This frosting is so fudgy and indulgent! I made some chocolate zucchini loaf and wanted a frosting for the top and this was perfect!
fitasamamabear says
Everyone needs a good frosting!