This frosting is quite possibly one of the best to come out of my kitchen. It’s dangerous in the best way possible – creamy and rich without being overly sweet. I really don’t know how I was able to save enough for the chocolate cupcakes.
Best of all, it’s just two simple ingredients: Full-fat coconut milk and chocolate. That’s it.
Yes, you really can make a luxurious, creamy frosting without butter or shortening! Unlike regular frosting, there’s no fussing with icing sugar messing up your kitchen. Don’t you hate it when the icing sugar leaves a coating of powder over all your appliances and counter? I sure do.
With this recipe, the only thing that got messy was my face because I couldn’t stop eating it.
The flavour and sweetness of this frosting will vary depending on the chocolate you use. Most chocolate should work just fine, although I would caution against using a super bitter variety. Stick to under 70% cocoa and you should be safe. If worst comes to worst, you can always add a bit of sweetener if need be. I threw in a pinch of fine grain sea salt at the end to enhance the sweetness.
Insert face into bowl here.
2-Ingredient Chocolate Fudge Frosting
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Yield: 1 & 3/4 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 can (400 ml) full-fat coconut milk
- 1 bag dark, non-dairy chocolate chips (approx 285 grams)
1. Chill can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. When ready, flip can over and open with can opener. Pour off the water (you can save it for a smoothie or discard). Scoop only the solid white coconut cream into a pot. Add the chocolate chips into the pot as well and gently melt the coconut cream and the chocolate chips together over low heat. Stir frequently and be careful not to burn.
2. Transfer this mixture into a bowl (cover with wrap) and then into the fridge for 2-3 hours (or overnight) until it firms up enough to whip into frosting. You really just have to eyeball it as I expect the timing for individual batches will differ depending on how cold your fridge is. I put it in the fridge overnight and then left it on the counter for the entire morning until I was ready to frost the cupcakes in the afternoon.
3. When it’s firmed enough to your liking, whip it with electric beaters until smooth and creamy. If it’s still too firm, you can leave it out on the counter for a bit longer. I didn’t need to add any milk to thin it out or any sugar to sweeten – it was just perfect as is! If your batch tastes bitter, you can always add a bit of sweetener to your taste. I also like to add a small pinch of fine grain sea salt to make the flavours pop.
Note: On a hot day, this frosting could melt. Be sure to keep frosted cupcakes in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
Looking for a vegan cupcake recipe? Find my favourite chocolate cupcakes here.
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A note on coconut milk:
Many of you have had trouble making whipped coconut cream with certain brands because some cans don’t always separate. A reader let me know that Thai Kitchen has changed their formula so that it doesn’t separate anymore. Apparently they are coming out with small cans of pure coconut cream instead. Be on the look out! I used Native Forest with decent result, although I have had some duds.
Happy Victoria Day to my fellow Canadians!
Why is coconut milk that does not separate considered a dud? Isn’t the thick cream what you are after? I buy Acme/Albertson’s brand because it is always very thick with barely any liquid and use it in tea, chai, coffee and smoothies. Other brands seem to be 1/3rd liquid.
Thanks!
Do you know by weight or measure how much coconut cream it would be by itself? I have a jar of just coconut cream instead of using the separated milk. Thanks!
I just used the Thai Coconut Milk today and it does still separate.
I was wondering if the 2 ingredent icing can be made with soy or rice milk instead? The little girl I am making it for is allergic to nuts, eggs and dairy. If not can you direct me to a recipe that may be suitable? Thanks, Julie
Can it be made with regular milk without the coconut milk? I am not a fan of coconut.
Do you think it’s possible to turn this into a coffee frosting instead of chocolate?
Mmmm…coffee sounds yummy. Adding espresso powder or maybe instant coffee to the chocolate would make a great mocha taste. Maybe adding a little sweetener to balance the bite of the coffee. Without the chocolate, I would definitely add a sweetener. Good luck!
Coffee sounds delicious. Or even a mocha with a little added espresso powder, maybe a pinch of cinnamon. For straight coffee, maybe a little sweetener and espresso powder. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
I have finally found the best brand of coconut milk – CocoThai. You should be able to find it at an Asian grocery store. Thanks for the recipe!
Is there any other milk that would work, not a fan of coconut? I really want to try this but like I said yuk on coconut!
Goodness Me in Burlington carries Coconut cream in a can. I’m sure that Organic Garage must have it out your way… It’s thicker than the milk. Essentially the same as scooping off the top. I think I paid about $3.50 for the can (same size as milk) – I used it to make vegan fudge (pretty much the same thing…enjoy choc chips and a few additional ingredients) When I was looking for it, I also noticed that Walmart.ca carries it online (??)
Hope this helps…
Try buying Native Forest No Gar brand. I have found it only in Whole Foods Markets, cost $3.75 or so.
Where do I find dairy free chocolate chips?
I had a hard time searching for dairy-free chips, but ended up buying the ones pictured on this page. They are Enjoy Life brand. I found them at Whole Foods. Ghiradelli carried a dairy free chip which sounded really good. They do not list any milk fat as an ingredient, but said ‘may contain dairy’. Check the ingredient list to be sure. The Enjoy Life brand listed ‘semi sweet chocolate’ as the second ingredient; others said ‘chocolate liquor’–I’m not sure of the difference. Enjoy Life also did not contain any vanilla, while some others did. Good luck!
Krogers has Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate chips
Hello,
I realize this is an older post, but hoping you can answer. I’m planning to make cupcakes for my birthday this Monday and this recipe sounds like the perfect frosting. I had a bit of trouble selecting chocolate chips. I really had to read the bags as many contained milk fat, some just said “may contain milk”, most did not have a % of cocoa or state they were “dark”, some had vanilla, some sugar others evaporated cane juice. You get the picture. Anyway, I remembered what the bag looked like on your page and ended up with a 10oz bag of Enjoy Life. This brand did not contain vanilla as did many others. Is that something that needs to be added? If so, how much. Is semi sweet the same as dark? Thank you for your time!!
Hi Gina, I don’t think it’s necessary to add vanilla, but if you want to experiment with the frosting flavour, you can of course feel free! Maybe try adding a bit of vanilla after you’ve made the frosting (maybe starting with ¼ teaspoon), and go from there, according to taste? Good luck!
I bought a bag of “Enjoy Life” dairy free semi sweet chips at Wholefoods, ten ounces for $4.99.
They don’t say dark as the recipe calls for. The other brands they carried said MAY CONTAIN MILK (Ghiradelli, 365 Dark Baking Chocolate Chunks). I think Sunspire were also dairy free, but were $6.99!! I think this refers to cross contamination in the factory.
Does anyone know if you need to add vanilla extract as some others like Ghiradelli contain vanilla?
Hi Kerri, the Enjoy Life semi-sweet chips should work just fine, though you may find the recipe a touch sweeter than if they were dark. I don’t think it’s necessary to add vanilla, but if you want to experiment with the frosting flavour, you can try adding a bit of vanilla after you’ve made the frosting (maybe starting with ¼ teaspoon), and adjust according to taste. Hope this helps!
I made this frosting on the fly – starting last night, I refrigerated the coconut milk for 4 hours, then opened to make the ganache. I used store brand coconut milk and Ghiradelli semi-sweet morsels (which ‘may contain’ milk but it’s not an ingredient). Chilled the ganache overnight. Left it out for 20 minutes this morning, then whipped. Took to work, put in fridge until lunch. Had to frost the cake at 1:30 pm, and it was easily spreadable. Everyone loved the frosting more than the cake. I did lick the bowl and the beater this morning. Yum. This is easy to make if you have the time for all of the chilling. I will make this again for any reason. Thank you so much!
Licking the bowls and beaters is the best part of baking, isn’t it? So glad the recipe was a hit!
Guys! You don’t have to worry about finding the right brand of coconut milk. You can very, very easily make your own and it works great and it’s super cheap. Boil your tea kettle full of clean, filtered water (about 6-7 cups), pour over 4 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes in your blender (I use a vitamix), stir and let sit for 2 minutes. Then blend on the highest speed for 2 minutes. Pour your mixture (carefully, it’s very hot) into a nut milk bag ($10 on Amazon) and let it strain until it’s cool enough to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze! The extra squeezing at the end is where you’ll find all the delicious coconut cream. Refrigerate in a mason jar or two, then scoop out as much cream as you want from the top of your jars. I usually get about 2 cups of the dense cream and the rest is blissful coconut milk. It’s perfect for this chocolate frosting recipe! Try it. You’ll never buy coconut milk in a can again. I make a batch a week and use it as a coffee creamer and whenever milk or cream is required. Deelish!
I haven’t had any trouble with Thai Kitchen coconut milk but instead of melting chocolate chips I use powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder. Quick and easy. P.S. Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chips are non dairy (crafted on equipment…) as are Guittard, which I prefer and get at Albertson’s.
Hi!! I found the straight up coconut cream! I would assume if I use the whole can then I should double the amount of chocolate chips? Angela, do you know or have any insight into this?
Where did you score the can of coconut cream? Sounds awesome! In a “normal” 400-mL can of full-fat coconut milk (with the coconut water and cream portions), there is generally 3/4-1 cup of solid white coconut cream. So I suggest using that amount to make this recipe. I hope this helps!
This is the most disgusting icing I have ever made.
I assumed it would be fun to top my son’s graduation cake with due to it’s simplicity, but no. It taste exactly as what it is. Whipped chocolate chips. I would have been better off spending my money on a pre made frosting from the store, or on a useful recipe from another site. Definitely disappointed and angry with the outcome. Now dollars and time short, I have a son who will be disappointed as well. Can’t believe folks will find this cheap tasting frosting useful. This is the last time I come to this site.
Good bye…..
Gosh that’s rude!
I made this frosting exactly as you state in the instructions. AMAZING chocolately fudge goodness. I don’t like or eat coconut, but OH MY, I couldn’t resist eating spoonfuls of this! I used this frosting on your Vegan Chocolate Cupcake recipe. Chocolate decadence! Thank you for sharing!
Thank YOU for the lovely comment, Patti! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the frosting.
can you taste the coconut though? Is it a super strong flavor? Want to try making it this weekend!
I tried your vegan chocolate frosting yesterday and it was lovely! I did add a bit of icing sugar as I had bought 70% dark chocolate and I like chocolate a bit more sweet. I did find that I bought the wrong can of coconut milk because when I opened it there was not a separation of the water from the thicker coconut milk. When I checked the ingredients on the can there were multiple ingredients rather than just one or two. A quick run to the store and buying a can of coconut milk with the only ingredient being coconut milk solved the issue. I was not aware before that different coconut milk cans will have different ingredients. I will read my cans better the next time I buy coconut milk.
How can I tell if this is a full fat coconut milk? The fat content of this says 13 g and 20% of daily value, in this coconut milk from Thailand?
Hey Margie, My full-fat can says it contains “11 grams of fat” per serving (60 mL) so it sounds like yours might be too!
Hi!! This frosting looks absolutely delicious, and I can’t wait to use it for my Nana’s birthday cake. I was wondering, firstly, if it tastes like coconut at all? I dislike the taste of coconut milk, and I’m not sure how much my Nana likes coconut, so I’d love to know before I make it. Also, can this be piped into shapes and swirls? I got a new piping bag and I really want to use it for the cake. Thanks in advance!!
Hey Casey, It does have a light coconut flavour if I remember correctly. Also, I haven’t tried piping it yet, but if you do attempt it please let me know how it goes! Happy baking :)
Great article.. but can you please tell me how much cream is needed for the frosting?
Hey there, Of course! You’ll need between 3/4-1 cup of solid white coconut cream for this recipe. Hope this helps!
This frosting looks amazing!! I am going to make some for Memorial Day weekend to dip fruit in. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I like the sound of this recipe but need to make the cakes in advance. Can this frosting be frozen?
Hey Victoria, Oh thats a good question…I’m sorry but I’m not sure! I would suggest freezing just a small amount in advance to test it out.
Does the frosting take like coconut? Or chocolate?
Hi Cassandra, predominately chocolate but I could also taste coconut too :)
Sounds Great!! Gonna try out soon.
Just made this delicious looking cake and i have to say it was mouth watering but it got baked in about 20 minutes and i must say i was not disappointed with the final result. It amazed everyone in my family. Also added some white choco chips for an extra twist.
Wow, That’s a simple easy method with 2 ingredient cake, I am going to try it in my home on Sundays :)
Wow very delicious cake
This recipe sounds amazing! Can‘t wait to try it!😊 Did you try it with white chocolate as well? Would it be the same ratio chocolate and coconut cream? Thanks so much xxxx
Hi! I tried making it the way you suggested but the can of coconut milk never separated, even though I kept it in the refrigerator overnight. Therefore, when I made it, it was too runny so I made it again but this time with a can of coconut cream and used my favourite dairy free baking chocolate brand: EnjoyLife semi sweet chocolate 2 cups and I added, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt and WOW now this is chocolate frosting! I put it in the refrigerator for a few hours to let it set and then I took it out. A few hours later I took it out of the refrigerator and it was hard, so I let it sit on the counter for an hour or so, and then pulled out my hand mixer, mixed it. It was a little Stiff , so I popped it in the microwave for 15 seconds and whipped it again and then spread it on my cupcakes, and it’s absolutely perfect! And it taste like real fudgy, smooth, chocolate frosting you do not taste coconut at all this recipe is definitely a keeper! try it with a can of coconut cream, use the whole can. just scoop out the solid cream. You’ll find it at the grocery store