This chocolate coconut oil frosting without powdered sugar is paleo, vegan, and has no added sugar. This recipe mimics buttercream, and is great for piping onto cupcakes, or spreading on top of sugar cookies.

It is very simple to make this chocolate coconut oil frosting recipe, and takes less than ten minutes to complete! Frosting is very easy to make on your own, so there’s no reason to buy expensive vegan, paleo frosting when it can so easily be made at home.

Making your own frosting is the most affordable option. This chocolate coconut oil frosting contains no added sugar and is dairy-free. Normally, that could cost you a pretty penny at the grocery store. Quality recipes don’t have to cost a lot of money nor take a lot of time.

I like to put frosting on my cookies and my cupcakes when I’m baking at home. I’ve found that frosting on top of cookies helps them retain a good texture during storage. So whenever I make a large batch of sugar cookies, for instance, I opt to coat them with a layer of frosting.

When applying this on any baked goods, you must make sure that that it is at room temperature before piping or spreading. If, for instance, a cupcake was too warm out of the oven, it will melt the frosting and it will turn into a glaze instead.

Date syrup or maple syrup may be used to make this recipe. I’ve found that using date syrup is this recipe makes the frosting taste like a quintessential milk chocolate bar. This is what I prefer in a frosting, so I recommend the date syrup over the maple syrup. However, both are absolutely delicious. Warning, you may find yourself eating this frosting before using it for it’s intended purpose.

If you’re looking to use a frosting piper for this recipe, here is an article that will show you beginner techniques for making designs using a frosting piper.

Let’s Talk Ingredients!

Coconut Oil

The coconut oil must be softened and at room temperature. If your coconut oil is hard, I recommend mashing it with a fork then leaving it out for about 15-30 minutes so until the texture has become softer. Put this in an electric mixer with the other ingredients until softened and consistent.

Date Syrup or Maple Syrup

Date syrup is an underrated kind of sweetener, in my opinion. It’s a bit more expensive than maple syrup, but it is worth it! Maple syrup is a close second, but date syrup does wonderfully in any kind of chocolate product.

Maple syrup is the most affordable and easily available option. You may not have date syrup at your local grocery store, but you’ll definitely have maple syrup. I have order all my date syrup online, because the local shops don’t seem to have it.

Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract

For this recipe, I used pure vanilla extract. However, you may use vanilla bean paste or vanilla powder in it’s place. A good pairing for vanilla is almond extract. I use this to enhance the vanilla flavors in this recipe. While this ingredient isn’t necessary, it’s a great addition to the frosting if you have it.

As a rule of thumb, divide the amount of vanilla extract by 1/4 to find out how much almond extract you should use. Almond extract is a very strong flavor, and therefore bakers should be extra careful when introducing this extract to your baked goods. This baking tip has always panned out for me, and is a great way to enhance your desserts.

Storage

When storing this frosting, you should not put it in the fridge. The mixture will harden and will have to be broken down and to sat out on the counter for a few hours. I just left mine covered on the counter until I was ready to use it the next morning.

I made cupcakes in the late evening, then waited until the cupcakes had cooled in the morning to apply the frosting on them. If your cupcakes or cookies are even slightly above room temperature, they will melt the frosting into a glaze. While delicious, that’s not exactly the desired goal. I’ve made this mistake before, as I can be a bit impatient at times. Slow and steady wins the race!

Texture

You can change the texture however you want – thinner or thicker with a couple of easy steps.

If you want the mixture to be thinner, add water or plant-based milk to the mixture. Add liquid incrementally and use your electric mixer to reach your desired result.

To thicken, add a mixture of flour and water 50/50 to the recipe and stir together with the electric mixer. This flour could range from something like coconut flour to typical wheat flour. Raw flour can pose health risks, so if you’re concerned here’s an article on how to toast your flour beforehand.