This Vegan Chocolate Cake Frosting with dark cocoa powder is absolutely mouthwatering. Creamy, fudgy and extremely healthy, enjoy this dairy-free chocolate frosting on Vegan Chocolate Cake or your favorite dairy-free chocolate cake or dessert.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try this frosting on Fudgy Eggplant Brownies.

Vegan Chocolate Cake Frosting is dark, thick & fudgy
Vegan Chocolate Cake Frosting doesn’t just taste amazing. It’s also incredibly healthy since it doesn’t contain butter, vegan butter, oil, cream or shortening. Instead, this dairy-free frosting is made with heart-healthy avocado, which imparts richness and a super creamy texture. And don’t worry. After all, you can’t taste the avocados which fully vanish into the cocoa powder.
Speaking of cocoa powder, this recipe uses Dutched cocoa powder which is an especially dark cocoa powder with a profoundly chocolatey flavor. Remember Swiss Miss Chocolate Mix and Oreo Cookies? Those are all made with Dutched cocoa.
But if you want to make Vegan Chocolate Cake Frosting with regular cocoa powder, just head to Chocolate-Avocado Frosting Recipe.
Or try Dairyfree Vegan Blueberry Pudding.

Using dairy-free chocolate frosting
You won’t be able to keep your fingers from this dark chocolate “buttercream” frosting that’s even minus the butter.
- Pipe it on top of dairy-free chocolate cakes, cupcakes, brownies or cookies.
- Add dairy-free dark chocolate frosting to breakfast smoothies or oatmeal.
- Smear it on bread, bananas or nut butters.
- Serve this fudgy vegan frosting as dark chocolate-avocado mousse.
Vegan Dark Chocolate Frosting Ingredients
No dairy-free butter or oil needed to make this super healthy, fudgy frosting!
- Avocado – 1-2 pureed avocados transform this dairy-free dark chocolate frosting into a silky smooth bite of heaven that melts in your mouth. Firstly, use soft, ripe avocados. Ripe avocados are usually a little darker, but color can vary. So, make sure you can gently squeeze and indent the avocados with your fingers. They shouldn’t, however, feel “mushy.” Don’t use rotten avocados, i.e., avocados that have a lot of dark streaks or brown spots throughout the flesh.
- Powdered sweetener of choice – Use powdered sugar or a sugar-free, powdered sugar substitute such as powdered monk fruit or erythritol to keep the calories from the sweetener at zero!
I would also like to point out that if you’re out of powdered sweetener, simply pulverize some granulated sweetener in the food processor. Be sure to give it a few whirs above all to remove all graininess. After all, this is a velvety frosting recipe. - Dutched cocoa powder – I use Hershey’s Dutched Cocoa Powder, which is an especially dark cocoa powder for a profound chocolatey flavor and a jaw-dropping, death-by-chocolate look. If you want to make this chocolate icing with regular cocoa powder, check out my Chocolate-Avocado Frosting Recipe which is also vegan.
- Dairy-free milk of choice – I recommend using unsweetened almond milk, above all, because it contains zero fat, zero cholesterol and barely any calories.
- Vanilla extract – adds flavor.
Or try No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Step-by-step instructions to make dairy-free dark chocolate frosting
- Firstly, purée the avocados with an emulsifier or blender, removing all lumps.
- Then, mix the ingredients together, using an electric or stand mixer. For thicker frosting, add the dairy-free milk gradually and stop when the desired thickness is reached.
Tips for the best Vegan Dark Chocolate Frosting
- Use quality Dutched cocoa powder. To make this with regular cocoa powder, try my equally delicious Chocolate-Avocado Frosting Recipe.
- Use soft, ripe avocados – Ripe avocados are usually a little darker, but color can vary. So, make sure you can gently squeeze and indent the avocados with your fingers. They shouldn’t, however, feel “mushy.” Don’t use avocados that have lots of dark streaks or brown spots throughout the flesh.
- User an electric mixer – For fluffy frosting, you’re going to need an electric mixer or stand mixer.
- Purée the avocados properly – For silky, smooth frosting, purée the avocados well. In other words, be sure to remove all lumps.
What goes well with Vegan Dark Chocolate Frosting
- Vegan Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chickpea Brownies
- Eggplant Brownies
- Fudgy Chickpea Flour Avocado Brownies
Equipment corner
- 1 emulsifier or blender – to purée the avocado
- 1 electric mixer or stand mixer – to whip the frosting. Note that it’s best to use an electric mixer or stand mixer for fluffy frosting.
Can you refrigerate or freeze Vegan Dark Chocolate Frosting?
Yes, to both!
To store: Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight plastic container.
To freeze: This frosting freezes well in a sealed container for up to 2 months. So, I usually make a double batch and freeze some.
Trending now: Super fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies.

DID YOU MAKE THIS VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE FROSTING RECIPE?
I’d love to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment/star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. And, of course, be sure to tag me on Instagram as I love seeing photos of the recipes you’ve made.
Vegan Chocolate Cake Frosting
Equipment
- 1 Emulsifier or Blender to puree the avocados
- 1 Electric mixer or stand mixer to whip the frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup Pureed Avocado 1-2 avocados.
- 1 ¼ cups Powdered Sweetener of Choice I use powdered zero-calorie monk fruit.
- ⅔ cup Hershey's Dutched Cocoa Powder
- ½ cup Your preferred milk I use unsweetened almond milk.
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer to get a nice, fluffy frosting. For thicker frosting, add the milk gradually and sparingly.I pipe it without adding xanthum gum, but you can further stabilize it by adding up to 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum per 1 cup of frosting. A little goes a long way, so I would start by adding ½ teaspoon and blend it well with a mixer.
Notes

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