Vegan chocolate buttercream frosting that is rich, velvety, silky and smooth with maximum chocolate flavor. The best thing on cakes or cupcakes!
This vegan chocolate buttercream frosting is extremely versatile and can be used for spreading onto cakes or cookies or piping onto cupcakes.
It makes enough to very generously frost a three layer 8-inch cake or a two layer 9-inch cake. It will also be enough to pipe frosting very generously onto 12 cupcakes or a bit less generously on up to 24 cupcakes.
It’s flexible and versatile and you can make it super thick, or thin it out a little depending on what will work best for your needs.
And if you want the vanilla version of this recipe then try out vegan vanilla buttercream frosting.
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Frosting:
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter – you can use the stick version of vegan butter like Earth Balance buttery sticks or you can use tub style but it’s ideal if it’s as firm as possible. The very soft tub-style vegan butters may be too soft to work well in frostings. Alternatively you can even use our homemade vegan butter.
- Non-dairy milk – you can use any non-dairy milk that you have on hand.
- Instant espresso powder – you can replace this with any instant coffee powder or you can omit it completely. It doesn’t make the frosting taste like coffee at all, it just enhances the chocolate flavor.
How to make Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
This frosting is a simple mix of vegan butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, non-dairy milk and a little surprise ingredient in the form of some instant espresso powder.
Now I usually have a method for frosting where I throw ALL ingredients into the bowl of the stand mixer and just go for it! But I thought I’d be more professional this time and do it ‘properly’.
The proper way to make frosting is to beat the butter first until very soft and creamy and then gradually add in the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder until folded into the butter and then you add your other ingredients.
To be honest, I don’t find any difference in the final result which is why I usually choose the easiest route which is throw it all into the bowl and then go for it.
However, especially if you have a small mixer like I do (I’m dreaming on that Kitchenaid upgrade!), then doing it the ‘proper’ way does mean you have less chance of your mixer throwing stuff out the bowl as it starts mixing.
But you can do it either way really. The end result is the same.
Pro Tips
Once you’ve made your frosting, don’t put it into the fridge. It will get too firm and will be hard to spread onto your cake or pipe onto cupcakes. So keep it at room temperature until you’ve used it, and then the frosted item can go into the fridge to firm up if needed.
Be flexible with the amount of non-dairy milk you add. The amount you need will depend on the type of vegan butter you use. If you use a stick variety, then you may need more, as the sticks have a lower water content. Whereas if you use the type in a tub then you may need less, as those usually have a higher water content. So be flexible with how much you add.
If you do still end up with frosting that is too thin, then add more powdered sugar. If you end up with frosting too thick, add non-dairy milk a very small amount at a time until you reach the right consistency. You want it to be silky and smooth and spreadable and not too thick to pipe.
Storing and Freezing
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week. It is also freezer friendly so if you have more than you need, feel free to freeze it.
More Vegan Frosting Recipes
- Vegan Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vegan Chocolate Ganache
- Vegan Vanilla Frosting
- Vegan Chocolate Frosting
- Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups Vegan Butter (290g)
- 3 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (420g)
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder (63g) Unsweetened
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2-4 Tbsp Non Dairy Milk
- ½ tsp Instant Espresso Powder Optional
Instructions
- Add the vegan butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat it for a couple of minutes until very creamy.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder until properly mixed in with the butter. Then add the vanilla and slowly add the non-dairy milk, only as much as needed to get to the right consistency. If you end up with frosting too thin then add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add more non-dairy milk a drop or two at a time until you reach the right consistency.
- Lastly, add the instant espresso powder (if using) and mix in.
- Keep the frosting at room temperature and then spread onto your cake or pipe onto cupcakes.
Notes
- The amount of non-dairy milk you need will depend on how thick you want your frosting to be, but also on the water content of the vegan butter you use. So add it in slowly and carefully and only as much as you need. If you are using a very firm vegan butter (stick type) you may even need a little more.
- We used soy milk but any non-dairy milk will work fine.
- This recipe makes enough to generously frost a three layer 8-inch cake or a two layer 9-inch cake. It will also pipe frosting onto around 12-24 cupcakes depending on how generously you pipe it.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week. It is also freezer friendly so if you have more than you need, feel free to freeze it.
Hello, I was hoping you could advise me please, I don’t have a stand mixer so will a normal electric whisk do?
Yes sure that will work fine. 🙂
I made this cake before it’s amazing and so easy! Making it again without a stand mixer..do you think I can make frosting with just a whisk?
Hi Val, I think you can but it will take a bit of arm power to get it smooth. Make sure the vegan butter is softened and sift the powdered sugar to make it as easy as possible.
This frosting is soo good! The espresso powder says it’s optional but i think it is mandatory – really does bring out the flavour of the chocolate. I ended up not using as much powdered sugar as i prefer it to be less sweet, but still turned out amazing! My new go-to. Thank you for this beauty!
Awesome Heidi! Thanks so much for the wonderful review!
Okay, I never rate recipes after I make them, but I had to get back on here and leave a five-star review! My son is sensitive to dairy, so I was looking up dairy-free cakes for his first birthday and stumbled across this. I am not much of a baker and this recipe was SO easy and came out perfectly! No one at the party knew that it was a vegan cake- it tasted perfect. The frosting is also incredible. People were shocked when I told them. It is so soft and fluffy and moist and chocolatey- this will be my new go-to cake recipe.
So glad you enjoyed the chocolate cake and the frosting! Thanks so much for the great review Dana!
Could I use a mix of the vegan butter, here I find MELT in buttery spread ( Try it with this and is to soft) and “vegan margarine” to make it harder instead of adding more sugar?
I also tried the versión with only margarine and it was to intense, I want to go for the vegan butter flavor but with the margarine texture
I definitely think you could do that!
I made this recipe to take to a dinner whose host is lactose intolerant. It was just enough to frost a two layer 8-inch cake. Instead of using non-dairy milk, I used a little brewed coffee to thin it a bit, which worked just fine. I used vegan sticks, and I was glad that I let them warm up to room temperature before I mixed everything up. I found that this frosting sets up quite quickly, even at room temperature. I added fresh raspberries to the top immediately after I frosted the cake, and the frosting was already set by the time I was done. Tastes very good – I would recommend using the instant espresso to bring out the cocoa flavor.
Thanks Jim! 🙂
Hi!
Should this butter be in room temperature, cold or should I heat it in the microwave?
Thanks!
Hi Joanna, if you are using a very hard brick style vegan butter/margarine then let it soften at room temperature for a bit before using. However, most vegan butters are spreadable, from a tub, in which case you can just use them straight from the fridge.
This cake looks pretty yum Alison : ) Thank goodness it doesn’t have coconut cream frosting – not really a fan…up there with coriander : ( Thanks for another lovely recipe Alison.
Haha thanks Angela! 🙂
This is the best vegan chocolate frosting I have ever made! I will make this again and again and again! I do not like buttercream frosting, but this is exceptional. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks so much Ann!
Alison,
I’m finding the buttercream frosting is still a little to sweet for me, is there a way I could make it less sweet?
My daughter just had her first baby….Girl named Inara…9lb 11oz ouch. She has been vegetarian for years and is exclusively breast feeding. Found out Inara had allergies to soy, eggs, and dairy. She had been drinking almond milk which was great. Mom has THANKFULLY found your site and am being a Super Nana by learning to make her some of your wonderful dishes. She was really craving something sweet ( who doesn’t. .right). I made your chocolate cake & buttercream frosting. She was ecstatic. She ate the entire cake in 24 hours and fought her husband for the last piece. Thank you for helping me to be even superer Nana. Loved it.
Oh that is wonderful to hear! Inara is such a lovely name! You are definitely the superest Nana. Thanks for sharing and the wonderful review. xo
A delightful, eye catching, mouth watering recipe – just love it!
Thank you! xo
This looks very good, I must try it. One question: Where do I get xanthum Gum?
Hi Claudia, this recipe doesn’t need xantham gum. But in general you should be able to get it at a health food store. 🙂