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!
This recipe is a real game changer for me in the frosting world, I detest icing sugar! I made it today, so I didn’t have any cold coconut milk to separate. Being the daredevil that I am, I went ahead and used a can of coconut milk right out of the cupboard and left the cooked mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours (brand was Thai Kitchen premium coconut milk). When I whipped it up it became a little stiff, but I popped it in the microwave for about 15 seconds and whipped it again, and it was the perfect consistency for spreading on my banana cake. What a beauty, wish I could share a photo of it. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it Lisa!
I made this to slather on my son’s first birthday cake and everyone loved it! So easy! So delicious! Thanks for providing the perfect frosting recipe!!!
I made this over the weekend and put it on your gluten free vegan browines. Absolutely delicious. Raving reviews from everyone. I put a couple in the freezer last night that I will sample one tonight. I need to make more for a fundraiser this weekend and I’m hoping that I can make them ahead of time and freeze them. Have you had any success with this?
Hey Tracey, I’m so sorry but I don’t think I’ve tried freezing them yet! Will have to try that sometime. I hope it works out for you…let me know if you end up trying it out.
Hi Angela,
I tried it and it was good! I found that for some strange reason it seemed to be creamier and chocolatier once it thawed. I had put it on your vegan, gluten free brownie recipe and they froze/defrosted nicely as well. The recipe makes more than I can put on the brownies but my brother-in-law finishes the icing off on its own calling it his “chocolate fudge”.
Hi! Have you tried using Coconut Creme? They have it at Trader Joe’s and I am wondering if that would work without having to separate it out and all that?
Hey Nicole, I’m sorry I haven’t tried it! Let me know if you do. :)
Thanks for this!! My little one cant have milk so Ive been looking for a yummy not too sugary icing to do his cake smash with! This sounds perfect!!
I was just wondering if you think it would work with white chocolate so I could colour the icing? I know white chocolate is different composition to chocolate, but it works fine in ganache?
Hopeing someone knows!!
Cheers from Australia :D
I just purchased case of Native Forest Coconut Cream so no more worries about the milk not separating for me! It will be perfect for this recipe. Thanks!
Hi! I just had to stop by and let you know that I used this frosting on my mom’s 50th birthday cake this past weekend. Everyone loved it! We had a some attendees present that are hostile to healthy vegan cooking, and even they couldn’t offer anything but praise.
That’s so great to hear! Thanks Charity. HBD to your mom!
This is delicious! :D
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_milk
“When refrigerated and left to set, coconut cream will rise to the top and separate out from the milk. To avoid this in commercial sold coconut milk, an emulsifier(s) and a stabilizer(s) have to be used.”
So look at the ingredients and find coconut milk with no added emulsifiers or stabilizers.
You might be able to just buy the coconut cream directly. I wonder how this product would work in the frosting:
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_cream_concentrate.htm
I can’t stop licking my laptop screen!
Hi – Can I make this in the morning, keep it for a few hours in a Ziploc and then ice the cupcakes at the party destination (I don’t want to frost the cupcakes and then travel with them…sounds high risk!)
Thanks
I contacted Native Forest for the same problem with the coconut milk not separating. They told me they are using a different formulation which won’t separate and they refunded my money as well as sent me two complimentary tiny cans of the coconut cream. A product they are going to start marketing soon. I suspect it may be why they changed emulsifiers. Now you have to buy the cream And the milk
Thanks for the info Diana! I will add this to my post :)
Snna.. you say you used a dud can and it worked? I just opened my chilled can and it was not separated at all, but still rather thick. When you say dud, do u mean you used a runny can of coconut milk ? Wondering what your consistancy was before chilling the frosting ?
Ummm….it’s my understanding that leaving food out for more than two hours is a health risk. You left the chocolate cream out all morning??? That’s pretty gross! It’s obvious your not trained or qualified to be writing about food preparation!
Hi Sinead,
The reason it was left out on the counter is because it was very, very cold all morning (my fridge is a bit wonky and has the tendency of freezing things at the back!).
By the way, I’m actually trained in food safety so I do take caution with these things.
What is wrong with you?
My food is out all the time, sometimes even overnight. And I’m fine. coconut has nothing in it, that has to be chilled, unless you wnat it chilled.
Besides of that, you can generalize. My oven cooked meals stay in the oven, when I couldnt eat them all.
You should rethink a) your behaviour and b) your living tendencies.
Third world people.
This looks great! Does it freeze well for use at a later time or in smaller batches? Thanks!
Oh, this is so good. I will be using this recipe over and over again for sure. I added a little powdered sugar because I wanted the frosting a bit firmer and sweeter; and a dash of salt wouldn’t hurt, but it wasn’t necessary. I used this frosting on vegan Samoa cupcakes, and they rocked! Thanks!
I made this recipe for frosting and mine is watery thin. Only difference is I used coconut milk which is organic by So Delicious dairy free. This is in a carton not a can. Any suggestions?
hello! just wanted to say that i made this frosting today using one full 13.5 ounce can of sprout’s brand coconut cream (no added sweeteners) and 10 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips and it was completely delicious! thank you for posting the recipe. the frosting ended up being more of a heavy whipped cream than a thick frosting, but i loved the consistency. it was just right on the quinoa chocolate cake i topped it with. thank you!
Hi Angela. I love your website! I’m new (sort of; tried it briefly a year ago) to being a vegan and really enjoying trying new recipes. I’ve quickly become a fan of coconut milk. It’s amazing what it can do! I have the last of my icing sugar to use up on some black bean brownies today and would like to try your frosting for my next batch. Do you know if it freezes well? I prefer to spend a day or two cooking and baking and then freezing most of what I made.
Happy Easter! :)
Best. Frosting. Ever. Just made a gluten-dairy-egg-free banana cake for my husband’s birthday– and used this delicious frosting on top. Genius. Thank you so much!
Will it work if i make the coconut milk at home? Thanks in Advance
I made this frosting to go on the chocolate cake recipe from your cook book. I layered the chia seed jam, (i used raspberries) also from your cook book, in between the cake layers. http://ohsheglows.com/2012/06/26/magical-blueberry-vanilla-chia-seed-jam/
This dessert was rich and decadent and all the recipes tasted so goooooood together! A nice splurge for my husband’s birthday cake.
Hi Angela,
Have you ever tried to freeze this frosting? It’s my daughter’s bday this w/e and we’re going camping to celebrate. I was thinking about making the cupcakes, frosted, ahead of time and freezing them so that they travel more easily. Any ideas or tips?
I was wondering if you use dairy free chocolate because regular chocolate won’t mix with the coconut cream properly or due to dairy sensitivity? Thanks in advance it looks amazing
Yup, I always use dairy-free chocolate – Enjoy Life for chips and for chocolate bars I use dark varieties (generally over 70% do not contain dairy but check the label)
This looks so easy! …and insanely delicious! I’ve printed the recipe and will use it when I have to make cupcakes in a few weeks. Thank you for sharing! xo
Instead of whipping to make the frosting roll them into little truffles add flavor and dust with cocoa powder..YUM!
Hi Angrla, quick question-I tried making this using white chocolate and it never hardened even after being in the fridge overnight. It was super runny and no amount if whipping could help it. Any advice? Thanks in advance!
This recipe is a take on a whipped ganache. I’m not sure if I’d like the coconut flavor in the frosting. You could substitute heavy cream for the coconut milk. I always melt the chocolate and cream in the microwave. Depending on the ratio of chocolate to cream, you end up with a thick ganache – to make truffles, a medium ganache, or a thinner ganache – for a poured glaze. The ratio for the thicker ganache is 1 to 1, for truffles or a whipped frosting.
Hi,has anyone tried to make a cream cheese frosting with the canned coconut milk?
Yum! This is awesome! :)
Do you know if it’s ok to freeze the leftovers? Because the batch of frosting was more than I needed and I don’t want it to go bad in the refrigerator. And I don’t want to gain back the 25# I just lost :)
I’m sorry I’m not sure as I have not tried freezing it before.
Is 18.8 % fat considered full fat? Here in Israel there is coconut liquid and cocnut cream. I’m assuming you mean the latter.
Thanks,
Shoshana
Native Forest— coconut milk from Thailand didn’t separate :( I’m crossing my fingers and chalking it up to Mercury being retrograde. I will try again because this recipe looks too good!
Awesome recipe! It is a shame that vegan chocolate costs more than regular chocolate. It will cost me $7 just to make this frosting. Yikes! Any recommendations for other vegan, possibly cheaper brands?
I found coconut and coconut butter, and coconut milk but not coconut cream?
Are oil and butter the same thing as the cream?
Thanks
Hi Nichole, Actually what you want to get is the FULL FAT canned coconut milk. Refrigerate it for 24 hours, open can, drain off water, and only use the remaining white cream portion. Hope this helps.
So i made this, and it was so thick more like fudge, delicious fudge, but i was wondering if i buy the small can of premium coconut do i need 1 or 2 of them for this recipe??
umm can i use coconut cream instead of coconut milk? If so how much more or less would I use and what differences would there be to the method and the final outcome?
Hello,
I was recommended to your site for a couple of recipes. I’m not sure how to email you so I hope it’s okay to comment here!
I was told this recipe is amazing and it certainly looks to be, but I was wondering if there’s a “white” version as I want to make a white icing. I read the recipe for the coconut whipped cream but I would really like to make more of a traditional frosting. Please let me know if you have any recipes for white icing using coconut milk (or I’m open to other suggestion as well). Thank you!
can you plz email me where to buy native forest full-fat without guar gum organic coconut milk in a can plz?
This recipe was a huge fail for me. I’m super bummed because these chocolate chips aren’t cheap and it took a lot of steps to make it…for it to just be runny. I’m really disappointed. :(
I made this last night/this morning using Thai Kitchen organic unsweetened coconut milk and Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (eyeballing quantities based on the proportions given) and it didn’t peak like yours did but I think it still could have been used as frosting for cupcakes, cookies, etc. with no problem. I added some unsweetened cocoa powder and it did peak, though obviously it changed the flavor, making it more intense and less frosting-y.
Just wondering if you can just use a fan of coconut cream and skip the step of overnighting the milk?! Do you get the same results? I have a can of trader joe coconut cream I might try it! Thanks
I have a cocoa intolerance. Is there a vanilla option still with no dairy?
I just made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday cake. I had a two layer GF, DF pumpkin cake and this frosting was deliciously perfect! After melting, I had it in the fridge for 4 hours and it came out rock hard. After letting it sit out awhile it was still too thick to whip. I added more cream from another can, some melted coconut oil, and a tad bit of maple syrup. It was perfectly smooth! My inlaws didn’t have a clue that it was DF or GF! We topped it with DF, GF ice cream and it was a big hit for all. Thank you!
Oh! I used Native Forest Full Fat Coconut Milk and the Enjoy Life chocolate chips. I had an extra can of Native Forest’s Coconut Cream and used that for the extra cream I needed when whipping.
I did a comparison of three different canned coconut milks (found at the bottom of the post I’m linking here) to see which performed best in whipping it. Some might find the comparison helpful. I love the idea of combining with chocolate chips. Thanks for the post!
http://myfoodstoragecookbook.com/2011/11/03/pumpkin-pie-with-chocolate-crust/
Could you use almond milk instead of coconut milk If so how much. Melinda Blair
I use blocks of coconut cream for the Asian deli (toko) with a bit of water. Also when making small batches you cut off what you need, the rest stores well or can be frozen.
I made this recipe this weekend to go along with the chocolate cake recipe from the OSG Cookbook. I used the same brand of coconut milk Angela used (Native Forest) and it turned out great! I refrigerated the frost for about three hours, took it out for 20 minutes and then used a stand mixer to whip into frosting. It was delicious!!!
This looks sooo good :) I have tree nut allergy that included coconut…any suggestions for a cream that is dairy, gluten, AND tree nut free???
Will this frosting taste like coconut at all?