Are you a classic frosting lover or do you scrape it off your cupcakes because it’s too sweet? Some of us at the MB office believe in buttercream or bust, while others welcome a less sweet frosting without powdered sugar. If you’re in the second group, you’re going to love this chocolate AVOCADO frosting!
It’s rich, chocolaty, naturally sweetened, and your guests will never guess the secret healthier ingredient! Even better? It pipes beautifully, holds up well at room temperature, and comes together in just 5 minutes with 5 ingredients. Let us show you how it’s done!
This EASY chocolate frosting requires just 5 simple ingredients: avocado, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt.
It’s important to use a perfectly ripe avocado to ensure its taste is hidden. You’re looking for one that’s just barely soft to the touch and bright green on the inside with no brown or stringy parts.
Once you’ve found your perfect avocado (buy a few just in case!), add it to a food processor with the remaining ingredients and get blending. And if you get a bunch of winning avocados, make guacamole!
Soon you’ll have a velvety smooth frosting with a pudding-like texture that somehow works really well on cupcakes and even pipes beautifully using a piping bag. Don’t ask, just trust!
We hope you LOVE this chocolate avocado frosting! It’s:
Rich
Chocolaty
Smooth
Shiny
Naturally sweetened
& Seriously simple!
It’s perfect for cakes, cupcakes, whoopie pies, brownies, or simply dipping fresh fruit (especially strawberries!).
More Frosting Recipes Without Powdered Sugar
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Chocolate Avocado Frosting (Vegan, No Powdered Sugar!)
Ingredients
- 1 perfectly ripe avocado* (bright green inside, just barely soft to the touch, no brown or stringy parts)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
- To a food processor*, add all ingredients (avocado, maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt). Process until smooth and velvety, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Taste and adjust, adding more maple syrup or cocoa powder if you can taste the avocado. Avoid adding too much maple syrup to keep the frosting thick!
- The frosting pipes beautifully and holds up well at room temperature for several hours. Use a knife or piping bag to frost your favorite cake, cupcakes, whoopie pies, or brownies. It's also delicious with fresh fruit (especially strawberries!).
- The flavor is best within the first day, but it does keep stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Not freezer friendly.
Notes
*We used an 8-cup food processor. If using a larger food processor, you may need to make a larger batch to get it to blend.
*This recipe would likely also work well in a small, powerful blender like a Nutribullet. A narrow base Vitamix would also probably work, or one with a wide base if making a larger batch. Even an immersion blender might work!
*Recipe as written makes ~1 ¼ cups of frosting, or enough to generously frost ~6 cupcakes or lightly frost ~12 cupcakes.
*Adapted from Making Thyme for Health.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Elizabeth says
Recipe as written has a silky smooth texture and is amazing delicious. We were happy with this made with Trader Joe’s cocoa powder. Thank you for the amazing Paleo frosting recipe 😀
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth! Thank you for sharing! xo
Patti says
OMG – this frosting is DIVINE! I’m going to use this to frost your other great recipe, sweet potato brownies! It’s going to be a Happy New Year to Us – thanks to you!
Sounds amazing, Patti! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Karen says
Fantastic frosting for birthday cupcakes. I wasn’t sure how my friends would feel about avocado in their frosting so I didn’t mention it until they oohed and aahed and asked for the recipe! It was helpful to have the note about avocado weight because I ended up using 1.5 avocados because mine was quite a bit smaller.
Amazing! We’re so glad it was a winner with everyone. Thank you for the lovely review, Karen! xo
Yuen says
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Hi Yuen, we haven’t tested that, but think the flavor of maple syrup is probably preferable here. It might work though!
Yahel Matodzi says
I made this…it’s supper soft. I added sweet potatoes for my personal taste & a little ACV as preservation. I use it as a spread for my home made bread and muffins, a dip with strawberries…the ideas are endless!!! But i absolutely love it on my carrot cake. I also intend to use soaked raisins to sweeten as a variety. it’s very versatile, thank you so much for this recipe
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Yahel!
Christine says
Could I use either carob or cacao? I have both.
Hi Christine, either of those should work!
Carol says
Made this for some vegan/GF beet cupcakes for my birthday this weekend….ohhhhhh so good!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Carol. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Michelle says
I just made this frosting because I’ve been looking for something that is vegan and healthier than pre made chocolate frostings out there. It was so incredibly easy and quick to make! It tastes great- it has a rich chocolate flavor, isn’t too sweet, and has the right consistency for frosting cakes. I made some vegan brownies and iced them with it. I literally made it in 5 minutes- amazing! Thank you
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Michelle!
Ayelet says
Can you freeze it / use frozen avocado pieces?
Thank you!!!
Hi Ayelet, we don’t think this recipe will work with frozen avocado.
Monika says
Am very excited to try this Chocolate Avocado Frosting recipe on my mini carrot cake muffins. My grandson loves chocolate, avocados and maple syrup so it sounds like winning combination.
We hope you both enjoy, Monika!
Katie says
How many servings you think for an 8” round cake?
Hi Katie, this amount of frosting should just frost the top of an 8 inch cake! We would say an 8 inch cake can serve anywhere from 8-12 people. Hope this helps.
Nelda says
Hi! Do you have to keep the cupcakes in the fridge or can they be at room temperature?
Thank you!
Hi Nelda, they can be kept at room temperature for a couple hours! Any amount of time more than that we would suggest refrigerating.
Andra Hardin says
Do you think you could make a Vanilla version of this recipe??
Hi Andra! We don’t think vanilla would work with the avocado, but we do have a naturally sweetened cashew buttercream here!
Nicole says
I was JUST looking at healthy-ish frosting for my picky boy who is about to turn 6. This looks perfect for throwing on his dinosaur cake. What would you recommend to thin it out just bit, so that it’s a little more drizzly? More maple?
Hi Nicole! More maple will thin it out!
Moira says
Could this could be made with melted chocolate instead of cocoa?
Hi Moira, we haven’t tried it with melted chocolate and think it might come out more like a mousse with a thicker texture!
T says
So there are a lot of avocado sizes. How many grams of avocado flesh are we talking about here?
Hi, we would suggest about 190g of avocado flesh!
V says
Would frozen avocado work? I have the hardest time with the ripeness of fresh avocado in our location. Thanks!
We don’t think a frozen avocado would work here.