A healthy vegan, pipe-able chocolate frosting recipe that’s only 3 ingredients, refined sugar-free, easy to prepare and SO delicious!

After all these years I’ve finally come up with a healthy solution for a healthier chocolate frosting that’s free of refined sugar and able to be piped onto cakes and cupcakes!  This 3 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Frosting or Spread recipe is rich and fudgy and holds its shape.  As you can see from the picture above, the piping stays in place, wohoo!!

Refined Sugar Free!!

There’s one ingredient I want to highlight from this recipe: Maple Syrup. Let’s start off by (briefly) talking about sugar in general.  Books, documentaries, political debates and more have surrounded the topic of sugar, so I’m going to keep the synopsis short:  white refined table sugar (I’ll call it “sugar” for this post) has absolutely no other nutrients to offer besides being a pure carbohydrate.  No fiber, no fat, no protein, no vitamins, no water, no minerals and no enzymes.

In fact, in order for the body to process sugar, it actually has to pull from its own minerals stores.  This is because sugar is absorbed really quickly within the body, causing glucose levels to rise, which causes the body’s ph levels to lean toward the acidic side.  Some hold the theory that a body that is more acidic is a breeding ground for diseases, like cancer.  Not cool.  In order to draw the body back to the alkaline side of the ph scale, it draws from minerals within itself.  i.e. Calcium is drawn from the bones to protect the blood, which can be very damaging and lead to osteoporosis. 

Unfortunately, a typically American high-sugar diet is why the phrase exists: “Americans are the most overfed but undernourished country in the world.”  Sugar (which is in soooo many things) is actually drawing nutrients out of our bodies.  So not cool.

So, what do we do about it? 

Lessening the amount of sugar we intake is an obvious answer, but a difficult one for many, including myself.  (My sweet tooth is like the biggest tooth I have, so giving up all sweets would be cray cray!)  Another solution is using alternative sweeteners.  I’m gonna leave sweeteners like Stevia, Xylitol, and Erythritol for another blog, another time.  But sweeteners like maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar and coconut sugar still maintain some nutrients. 

For instance, Maple Syrup contains Manganese, Zinc, Calcium, Potassium, iron, Magnesium and antioxidants.  Now don’t get me wrong.  Sugar is sugar is sugar.  Resist the urge to start adding MORE sugar, in the form of maple syrup, just because it has some nutrients.  But if the only change you make in your diet is swapping out white refined table sugar for some of these alternatives, you’ve already made a step in the right direction 🙂

Back to the Chocolate Frosting:

The key to this Vegan Chocolate Frosting Recipe is the coconut oil and its starting temperature.  If it’s in liquid form, this frosting will be runny and fall flat.  If you’re making this in the middle of summer, I’d suggest placing your coconut oil in the fridge for about 30 minutes prior to using.  With that said, if it’s too hard, it will also be difficult to work with and you’ll have to warm it up a bit. The perfect consistency is at about 70 degrees F. or room temperature, where it’s in soft, yet solid form.

The Technique:

Now that we’ve gotten the temperature down, onto technique.  No hand mixer is actually necessary for this frosting as long as the coconut oil is at the right temperature.  I simply mix it all together using my handy, dandy mini spatula.  Mini spatulas might possibly be my most treasured cooking utensil! Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and using your spatula or spoon cream it all together by pressing down and spreading around.  Keep going until it’s nice and creamy.

These are the mini spatulas I use daily and like best:

SPECIAL NOTE:

Because the base of this frosting is coconut oil, it will harden up in the fridge.  If you’re frosting a cake or cupcake the day before and storing the finished product in the refrigerator overnight, I suggest removing your cake/cupcakes at least two hours before serving.

leftover frosting can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator, but again, you’ll want to get it to room temperature before using!

Specialty ingredients for this recipe include:

3 Ingredient, Vegan Chocolate Frosting Recipe

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3 Ingredient, Vegan Chocolate Frosting

Vegan | Paleo | Gluten-Free

Course Dessert

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil solid form
• 1/2 cup maple syrup*
• 2 pinches sea salt

Instructions

1. Using coconut oil that is at room temperature and soft, but solid form, mix everything together using a mini spatula, fork or spoon.  Yes, it's that easy!

2. Pipe through a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag.

3. Store leftover frosting in an airtight container with a fitted lid in the fridge for 2 – 3 weeks.

4. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*If using maple syrup, make sure it is at room temperature and not straight from the fridge. Otherwise, the cold liquid will harden the coconut oil.

**Because the base of this frosting is coconut oil, it will harden up in the fridge.  If you are frosting a cake or cupcake the day before and storing in a fridge overnight, i suggest removing your cake/cupcake about 2 hours before serving.

***leftover frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, but again, you'll want to get it to room temperature before using!

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