For the first time ever, Tony was craving frosting, not cake (yes, the man has a big sweet tooth). Typically, I’m the one who would rather pile a big heap of creamy frosting on a graham cracker and call it a birthday cake, while he used to be happy with the cake alone. It seems that I have converted him. So I happily headed to the kitchen to whip up a batch of creamy vegan frosting.
Little did I know at that moment (he told me later) that he would have been happy with the vegan frosting and a spoon. To make it a complete package, I decided to trial a grain-free chocolate cupcake recipe for his gluten-free needs. The cupcakes were a total bomb. I mean, they were fine as a simple vessel for this truly amazing milk chocolate vegan frosting, but I would never make them again.
This milky, chocolaty vegan frosting however, IS ‘da bomb (yeah, I know I’m definitely not cool) …
We did end up eating the leftover frosting with a spoon, sandwiched between graham crackers (just me, we didn’t have any gluten-free ones on hand), and as an ice cream topping. Did you know that dairy-free ice cream and frosting are pure heaven together? A sugar bomb, yes, but oh so worth it.
I actually set out to make a simple chocolate dairy-free and vegan frosting, but this really did turn out like soft, sweet pillows of milk chocolate! It was definitely a pleasant surprise.
I know, this isn’t a healthy recipe. I went for the gusto since Tony really wanted a “true dessert,” and I’d rather he have that at home where I could control the ingredients. I’m also a big believer in moderation. I like sweet treats, especially vegan frosting, on occasion, too.
Strict vegans, please note that some brands of powdered sugar may not be vegan. For this recipe, I used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Powdered Sugar, which is certified vegan and is even corn-free (made with sugar and wee bit of tapioca starch).
Now go, make this incredible, easy, 5-minute milk chocolaty vegan frosting now! Oh, and if you have a good gluten-free chocolate cake recipe to recommend, please do feel free to comment with the link below. Fortunately, a big gob of this awesome frosting helped to mask the imperfections of the cupcakes that I made for a yummy overall dessert.
Special Diet Notes: Mylk Chocolate Vegan Frosting
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and generally top food allergy-friendly.
Amazing Mylk Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Method
- Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and mix on low speed, to help prevent powder from flying everywhere, until everything is incorporated. Then whip for a minute on a higher speed to make it a little fluffy.
- Frost your cake or cupcakes as desired, or eat it straight from the spoon!
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
97 Comments
Can you leave this frosting out overnight, or should it be stored in the refrigerator?
I don’t leave it out. Homemade frosting in general isn’t supposed to be left out since it does contain fresh / refrigerated ingredients.
Awesome frosting and easy to make. I had to make two batches to fully cover a two layer 9″ diameter cake, but wow, tasty!!
Glad you enjoyed it MJ!
Nigella’s cloud cake is flour free but not vegan. It could perhaps be altered to be vegan, but it’s definitely delicious ????
Will be trying the frosting tomorrow
hi
can frosting be frozen?
Many Thanks
also can I add water instead of milk in frosting?
Thankyou
In theory you can, but it won’t be milky. The milky flavor helps mellow the cocoa. And I would only add as needed. Water is thinner than milk beverage.
Yes, it freezes fairly well.
Best chocolate frosting I have ever tasted…thank you for sharing
So glad you loved it!
Love this frosting!! I’m always looking for dairy free recipes. I was a little skeptical as I was making it but it came together perfectly and will be my go-to chocolate frosting from now on. Thank you for sharing!
That’s wonderful! Thank you for the feedback Beth.
Delicious but hard a very hard time with the consistency. Maybe because I used a vegan buttery spread… but it’s what I use for my vegan buttercream frosting. After adding more powdered sugar and refrigerating it for a while it had a nice spreadable feel but basically melted off the cupcakes before I finished frosting all 12- and I was not working slowly. Not sure if it was the spread that was the issue. Will try it again with “margarine” instead to see if it turns out thicker.
Hi Kate, your results sound very odd. I’m not quite sure what the problem would be. Buttery sticks will generally work better (that’s what I’m referring to here, not hydrogenated margarines), and the “buttery” brands can vary quite a bit in performance. So it likely was a brand / product issue.
I just made this frosting for a friend who is dairy free and it came out great!!! I made a few substitutions for what I had on hand. I used coconut oil instead of margarine and water instead of a milk substitute, melted the oil in a pan and then mixed in the remaining ingredients. It worked great!
Here is a dairy free, egg free recipe for chocolate cake that worked with the frosting!
http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/2013/03/tried-true-tuesday-crazy-cake-no-eggs.html
That’s great! Thanks for sharing Mary!
Wow!! This frosting is amazing! We just became gluten and dairy free and was trying to find a frosting recipe online for my daughter’s birthday cupcakes. Stumbled upon your blog and believe this will be the ultimate “icing on the cake” for her party! Thank you!!
Awesome!! I hope the party is amazing 🙂
It turned out perfect, thank you so much for posting this lovely recipe. Huge hit with my 3yr old who is allergic to dairy!
Always a win when you can please a 3 year old! Glad it worked out well for you Stephanie and thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂
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This is great! I used Organic Spectrum palm shortening. I needed 1.5 T extra almond milk. This will be my new go-to frosting. Thanks!
Marvelous! So glad the Spectrum worked well for you, too.
Would this be enough to frost the top of a 9×13″ cake?
Yes, since you are just frosting the top, it should be enough. Enjoy!
Will it go bad if I do not refrigerate the frosting? Making for a school function and I can not keep them refrigerated. Thank you!
I definitely recommend refrigerating the frosting, because it does contain some fresh ingredients. I couldn’t say for sure if it will keep well overnight.
Best dairy free frosting I have ever tried! I had to go dairy free a few years ago and was disappointed that most of my dairy free chocolate options were made with dark chocolate. 🙁 I was very tickled to find a dairy free version of milk chocolate frosting. I put it on top of a dairy free chocolate cake and everyone, including me this time, devoured it. No one could tell it was dairy free. 🙂 Thank you!
That’s wonderful Kathleen! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!
I followed the recipe exactly. Figured it would be good but thought maybe the “amazing” part was exaggerated?? Nope… no kids around so I just licked both beaters clean myself!!! Neeeeever do that – it really is amazingly yummy! Thank you for the great recipe!
So happy you loved it Laura 🙂 I’m definitely not someone who exaggerates (quite the opposite!) so I’m glad you took the chance on it!
I changed this to a GFCF chocolate buttercream simply by using Earth Balance Whipped. Then I made vanilla buttercream from it-
2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons soymilk, 1/4 cup melted whipped earth balance and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
I found this recipe to have the perfect consistency of the buttercream that I was trying to find, with both the perfect taste and the perfect appearance. I will be using this icing in the future.
Glad it worked out so well for you Justina, and thanks for sharing your veresion!
I don’t like to use regular earth balance for frosting. I always use Whipped. Making this recipe has always resulted in me ending up with chocolate buttercream. I’m not complaining, though, it’s perfect for decorating.
Even better, I may be able to finally figure out the perfect recipe for vanilla buttercream- that is, if I replace the cocoa powder with more powdered sugar and the maple syrup with extra vanilla. I’ve tried others, but they just don’t work right. I am going to try yours, and if it works, I’ll let you know.
Hi! Does the frosting need to stay in the fridge? Like, if I were to use it on cupcakes for my daughter’s class at school, should I keep the cupcakes in the fridge till I’m ready to take them to the school?
Thanks!
It’s like most frosting recipes, best to refrigerate and ice just before serving.
Is this to be read 0.5 cup powdered sugar or 1.5 cup powdered sugar?
1.5 cups powdered sugar
Hi! Do you have an alternative for the butter in this recipe? Thanks!
It’s dairy-free buttery spread or margarine. I haven’t tested any other alternatives. You could try shortening, but I can’t guarantee the results.
I am going to use this for my friend’s birthday cake! She is allergic to wheat, dairy and corn. The cake recipe I use is the Chocolate Layer Cake from the book “America’s Test Kitchen Gluten Free Baking”. I have made the cake before and it is wonderful, but was looking for a great dairy-free frosting for it. Thank you!
That’s so sweet of you. I’m sure everyone will love it, but especially your friend. Enjoy the celebration and cake Donna!
Hi, I think there is milk powder in their flour mix….
Is it ok to use the Becel vegan margarine for this recipe?
I haven’t trialed it with that product, but if it’s one you enjoy then it should work okay.
Could I use coconut oil in place of the margarine?
Hi Katie, no, that wouldn’t work well.