The best Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting made with shortening and vegan butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla for the creamiest, smoothest and richest frosting for cakes, cookies, brownies and cupcakes!
VEGAN CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Here is the best Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting that is classic and the most delicious addition to any cake, vanilla cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes or even brownies! I have been making this chocolate buttercream for many years and it is so delicious! We all need a classic chocolate go-to frosting, just like we need a classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
Now, most chocolate frostings call for nearly twice the amount of sugar than I use here. Even with the smaller amount I use here, they are still plenty sweet. I used a lot of cocoa powder so that it tastes super chocolatey.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING
First, you will need to gather these 6 ingredients:
- vegan butter
- shortening
- powdered sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- almond milk
- vanilla extract
You will need a very large bowl for this. Add the room temperature vegan butter and shortening to the bowl and beat on low until mixed.
Add the cocoa powder slowly, a small amount at a time, until just mixed. Add the powdered sugar a small amount of time, beating in between each addition, until fully mixed. If you try to dump it all in at once, the sugar will fly everywhere!
Add the milk and extract and briefly beat in. It should be light and fluffy as pictured. If you want it smoother, add just a touch more milk.
Store in the fridge if not using right away and let it come back to room temperature and soft before piping onto the cupcakes or cake. This frosting can be stored in the freezer for 3 months. This frosting is especially delicious on these Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes!
OTHER VEGAN FROSTINGS TO TRY:
- Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Coconut Cream Frosting
- Funfetti Coconut Butter Frosting
- Chocolate frosting that does not use butter or shortening
If you make any of these recipes, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (112g) 4 oz buttery stick, such as Earth Balance
- 1/2 cup (96g) Spectrum shortening
- 1 1/2 cups (228g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (48g) unsweetend natural cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon (15g) almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- You will need a very large bowl for this. Add the room temperature vegan butter and shortening to the bowl and beat on low until mixed.
- Add the cocoa powder slowly, a small amount at a time, until just mixed. Add the powdered sugar a small amount of time, beating in between each addition, until fully mixed. If you try to dump it all in at once, the sugar will fly everywhere!
- Add the milk and extract and briefly beat in. It should be light and fluffy as pictured. If you want it smoother, add just a touch more milk.
- Store in the fridge if not using right away and let it come back to room temperature and soft before piping onto the cupcakes or cake. This frosting can be stored in the freezer for 3 months.
Do you think it would be OK to substitute the shortening (I’ve never used shortening) for vegan block or coconut oil (I have too much)? I know the Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe has a note saying not to do this but, since this recipe doesn’t, I’m hoping that it’s fine to do so, though I’m afraid you might have just forgotten to write a similar note here or something.
You are welcome to try coconut oil but just keep in mind it will be softer and melt easier.
Hi.
I am having a hard time finding Earth Balance buttery sticks. I can find the Earth Balance spread in tubs. Will that work? Thanks!
Hi Dawn, no, unfortunately those tubs have a lot of extra liquid and will not work at all for the frosting. It would be way too soupy/soft. Have you tried whole foods or sprouts, etc.? They are carried at a lot of stores around here. I know walmart even carried them at one point.
I love your recipes they always turn out great and the grandkids and everyone at work loves them.
Thank you!
Thank you so much Catherine, so very happy to hear this!
I have a question about the almond milk. Is it unsweetened? original? vanilla? so many kinds
It is such a small amount, it really doesn’t matter what you use. I believe I used unsweetened.
Dear Brandi . . . Hi darlin’ !!!!….Long time me no The last I commented (don’t remember exactly WHERE I commented, or if I merely sent you a direct message, or maybe it was a comment on your YouTube channel…gettin’ OLD and FORGETFUL darnit..haha!), I had told you that I had pre-ordered your cookbook a LOOOOOONG time ago and never got the book or notice when it was printed. Well, speaking of getting old & forgetful, I did a little research on my Amazon account and discovered that I had THOUGHT I had pre-ordered the book, but somehow either it didn’t go through or I pressed the wrong buttons at the time and it just didn’t happen. Anyway, I figured it was something I did wrong (typical, since I’m an internet IDIOT!!!), so I just went ahead and ordered it, but I felt soooo sorry that you didn’t get that credit or whatever good stuff happens for you & your book when people PRE-ORDER, which was the MAIN reason I had wanted to pre-order, aside from getting the book IMMEDIATELY upon it’s getting printed…OH WELL!!!) So I just wanted to let you know that I got your book a couple of weeks ago, via Amazon, and OH MY GAWWWWD BRANDI! It is SOOOOOO GORGEOUS!!! What a WONDERFUL MASTERPIECE OF A COOKBOOK!! I dearly love it! You should be so PROUD!!!! So far, I’ve only made 1 recipe and I ADORE IT….I made the “Mexican Tahini Chickpeas”…..so fast and easy and WONDERFUL. I partially DE-FAT my tahini (because, for various reasons, I need to keep my added fat content as low as I can get it, EVEN of the healthier fats!), so, in order to get the recipe as close as I could to your original, I added a little soy milk (WestSoy Unsweetened Original PLAIN) to my slightly drier tahini, to make it closer to the “runny tahini” you recommend in the recipe, and then once I got it to emulate “runny tahini”, I weighed out the amount. I think the tahini flavor is probably just a LITTLE less pronounced than it is with your recipe, but I could still taste the tahini very well and the texture with the mashed chickpeas seemed just perfect. I followed everything else exactly as your recipe directed and WOW!!! Did I ever love this. Can’t wait to try many of the other recipes in the book! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK!!!
ALSO: I wanted to comment about this chocolate buttercream recipe. Also due to the fact that I need to keep my added fat level VERY LOW, and because I think this recipe for the icing is UTTERLY BRILLIANT, I decided to experiment a bit with a technique I’ve been working on in my own icing recipes and so far, I think it’s gonna work VERY WELL. I won’t tell you what I did until I give it one more final test (using my “secret” ingredients), but then I’ll let you know what ingredient I used and the technique. IN THE MEANTIME, I’m VERY well-acquainted with delicious buttercream frostings (the real thing from years ago!), so I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that your vegan version here, just as you created it, is magnificent (and I can also tell from the photos!!!), so that’s why I went ahead and gave it a 5-star rating even though I’m working on altering it without FIRST making your original recipe as written (please forgive me!). Anyway, don’t be mad at me for tweaking your recipe, but I was just SOOOOO CURIOUS as to whether or not my alternate ingredient(s) and SLIGHTLY different technique works, that I just COULDN’T HEP MASEFF and went ahead and started experimenting with adapting it….Anyway, I PROMISE after the final test (hopefully this coming week or next, as I’ve been CRAZY BUSY with other (boring) stuff!) I will write and tell you what I did. So far I really do think it’s gonna work, and if so, it will save a LOT of fat calories!…..(so stay tuned!)
OH, and ONE MORE THING…..
I ALSO wanted to let you know that I bought the kitchen scale you recommend (the INEVIFIT) and I LOVE it….I’ve had a Salton brand for years which is almost the identical same size, so it fits in my kitchen drawer perfectly. This new one is similar in several ways, except the maximum weight potential is 13 lbs, which I love (the Salton max is only 11 lbs!) The thing I HATED about the Salton is that it uses those little round batteries (2 of them!) which are SOOOOO much more expensive than the AAA batteries the new one uses, and I ALWAYS have had a difficult time finding those darn little round ones around here, even at Walmart! And I also love the LIGHT readout panel (the Salton doesn’t light up at all, so was always harder to read!). I’m keeping the Salton as a backup, but have been using the INEVIFIT exclusively. So THANKS for the recommendation. The only thing is that I bought it via Amazon and FORGOT to click through your link here, because don’t you get some kickback or credit or something when people buy stuff via links here on your site? Anyway, I’m sorry I forgot. I’ll remember next time I buy anything you recommend and go through your links!….THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING DARLIN’!!! YOU’RE THE BEST!!!!! Love and hugs and, soon, hopefully, lots of chaste kisses with my adapted version of your Chocolate Buttercream Frosting smeared ALL OVER MY FACE (cuz, well, I GOTTA taste it A LOT as I’m testing it out don’t I???!!!!..hahahaha!!!)
Hi Daryl! Oh yay, so glad you got the scale and love it! Oh don’t worry about using my link, it’s totally ok! It is such a tiny amount I receive, so don’t worry about it. 🙂 And THANK YOU so much for ordering my book, that means so much for the support and I’m ecstatic that you love it so much! Oh wonderful, I can’t wait to hear about the frosting, sounds like a fun experiment, you will have to let me know how it goes!! I don’t like to use that stuff often for obvious reasons, but I like to have a classic icing for readers and for parties where people love traditional, so that’s the only reason I post those. I honestly like cupcakes enough even without the frosting, haha! Thank you Daryl!!
What would you substitute for almond milk if there’s a nut allergy? thanks!
It’s such a small amount, any milk should work!
I wanted to make the chocolate cupcakes with frosting, however I have a bit allergy. Can I substitute Flax milk?
I have never used flax milk, but since it’s such a tiny amount of milk used in the frosting, I think you should be fine!
Hi! Can I just double the butter and skip the shortening? I don’t like the mouth feel of icing with shortening. This looks delish!!
Hi Lori, yes, that should work! Just fyi, I personally don’t like the taste of all vegan butter and feel it leaves a funky aftertaste, which is why I only do half, but just wanted to point that out. If you use a brand like Miyokos (heard great things) or don’t mind the earth balance style vegan butter, then you should be fine!
Probably a silly question but…..What is shortening and where do you find it.
Thanks!
Hi Diane, no not silly at all! It’s used to make frostings or as “butter” in biscuits, pastries, dough, etc. It helps to give structure to frosting. Crisco is a popular brand. You can find it in tub containers in the baking isle at any grocery store. I use the Spectrum brand. Here is what it looks like: shortening
I was looking everywhere but was not able to finde “spectrum” shortening.
Don’t know what j can use instead? Crisco?
Yes, Crisco should work fine!