Thick, smooth, creamy, and decadently rich, these chocolate frosting shots are a chocolate lover’s dream dessert!
Dark chocolate frosting shots
Whip up this super easy, four ingredient recipe in under five minutes!
Use the thick chocolate frosting to top cakes, cupcakes, or brownies. Or serve in elegant glasses and eat it by the spoonful.
Oh yes, creamy chocolate frosting with nothing else to get in the way.
After all, how many times have you eaten a cupcake and thought, “I really wish this cupcake had less cake and more chocolate frosting”?
Also try this popular Chocolate Mug Cake
Enter the frosting shot.
A small shot glass is filled beyond the brim with swirls of luxuriously smooth and rich dark chocolate frosting.
And the best part?
This homemade chocolate frosting calls for just a few basic ingredients, yet party guests are always impressed at the recipe.
The chocolate frosting shots are equally beautiful and delicious.
Chocolate dessert recipe video
Above – watch the step by step video how to make chocolate frosting shots
In the months since I first made this recipe, vegans, non vegans, healthy eaters, and people who are used to traditional desserts have all gone completely wild for the easy-to-make, smooth and rich chocolate frosting.
It is highly recommended!
Ways to use this chocolate frosting
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate frosting shot ingredients
Coconut Milk: Look for full fat coconut milk, not lite coconut milk. Refrigerated coconutmilk beverage will also not work here. It must be the canned type.
Cocoa Powder: Your chocolate mousse shots will be as good as your cocoa powder, so choose a high quality brand if you can. For best chocolatey flavor, I like to use a fourth cup of regular unsweetened cocoa powder and one tablespoon of Dutch cocoa to make up the five tablespoons called for in the recipe. Raw cacao powder also works.
Pure Vanilla Extract: It is important to use pure vanilla here. Do not buy imitation vanilla, which has an artificial aftertaste. You can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean or one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste if desired.
Sweetener: The chocolate frosting shots will be thickest with either powdered sugar or powdered no sugar sweetener. If you do not mind a result that is not quite as thick and fluffy, you may also use stevia, pure maple syrup, honey, or agave.
The easy chocolate dessert recipe can be raw, keto, paleo, soy free, dairy free, gluten free, egg free, tree nut free, and sugar free.
For a vanilla version, use this recipe for Coconut Whipped Cream.
How to make the fancy party dessert
Either refrigerate your coconut milk overnight, or open the can and freeze for about ten minutes. I always store a can in the fridge so the recipe is almost instant.
Once chilled, open the can and add only the thick coconut cream to a mixing bowl. Discard the coconut water or save it for a different recipe.
With either a stand mixer or hand beaters, whip the coconut cream until it is thick, smooth, and ultra fluffy.
Add the cocoa powder, sweetener, and vanilla extract.
Whip again to incorporate all of the ingredients. Stop whipping once the texture resembles chocolate mousse.
Serve in bowls, jars, or shot glasses.
If you want to be extra fancy, you can add the coconut chocolate frosting to a piping bag and pipe it out with an icing tip.
Tips and troubleshooting
While it is rare, you may encounter a can of coconut milk that is either rock hard and chalky or watery and not firm at all.
I like to always keep two cans from different brands on hand just in case one of the cans is a dud.
If you do not own a stand mixer or hand beaters, you can technically stir everything together by hand with a lot of arm strength. The results will not be as fluffy but the taste is still rich and chocolatey.
Try the recipe as frosting for my Keto Chocolate Cake or Vegan Chocolate Cake.
Store leftovers very loosely covered in the refrigerator. This chocolate mousse frosting will get even thicker the longer it sits.
Chocolate Frosting Shots
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk or coconut cream
- 5 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- sweetener of choice to taste (Use powdered sugar or sugar free powdered sweetener for thickest results)
Instructions
- Refrigerate the coconut milk can until cold. Once chilled, open the can and transfer only the creamy part to a bowl, discarding the water. Whip with beaters or a stand mixer (or a lot of arm strength and a fork) until thick and fluffy. Add the other ingredients, and whip again. Serve in bowls or glasses. Stored very loosely covered in the fridge, it will get even thicker. *While it's rare, you may find a can of coconut milk that is either rock hard and chalky or watery and not thick at all. I recommend keeping two cans from different brands in the refrigerator at all times just in case.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Dessert Dips & Frostings
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
Will this frosting hold up outside on a warm day?
Hi Katie, how many servings and what size? I can’t find on the page or the nutrition page. This sounds so yummy, can’t wait to try. Thanks!
Katie, I use Trader Joe’s Coconut Cream for this — it’s the best! Just found out they discontinued it!!! I can’t believe it. Thought I would post that here…maybe all your readers can complain as I did and they will bring it back!
Could the cocoa powder be replaced with carob powder?
Be sure to report back if you experiment!
I believe these used to be called “healthy frosting shots” (I still see the word “healthy” above the recipe)–if I’m correct thanks for changing the title. The term healthy should be used sparingly. I’ve discovered that people do not read labels for themselves and rely on buzz word and others’ interpretations of healthy. Sugars and fats shouldn’t be given that title. http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/healthtrending/coconut-oil-is-about-as-healthy-as-beef-fat-or-butter/ar-BBCMaMT?li=BBnb7Kz
I made this recipe about 4 years ago and loved it! I saw coconut cream in a can at Trader Joe’s the other day and was so excited to make it. For some reason it’s just not working! The cream is just staying super clumpy :/ still yummy but was really wanted it like moose again. Maybe Trader Joe’s changed it? Or someone has a tip? I’m craving this stuff!
Katie,
I just tried this, following the recipe (using a can of coconut cream) and opting for powdered sugar (I know, super healthy…) At a certain point, the mixture got a bunch of white speckles that wouldn’t mix in. What did I do wrong? I definitely didn’t add THAT much sugar, but maybe it was too much? Thanks for your help.
This is delicious–it could be served as vegan chocolate mousse, too. I used 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 2 tbsp granulated sugar which gave it an intense bittersweet chocolate taste.
Katie, I’ve made these a lot and love them but just wondered where the nutrition says 30cal, what size serving is it or how many shots does this recipe make? X
Hi Gem, the nutrition page says it is per tbsp. Hope that helps!
First – this is incredibly delicious, and even easier than it is delicious! Second – I think calling this “frosting” does it a great disservice. (Personally, I don’t really even like frosting, but you need it with chocolate cake so it’s not too dry.) I was searching for a frosting recipe based on what I had in the cupboards and found this (full disclosure, IDGAF about it being healthy). This is much, much closer to a mousse than a frosting (frosting to me implies sweeter and stiffer), and so rich, satisfying and simple to make that I would serve this to any chocolate lover! And while it is totally, 100% vegan; I think I’d opt for this version than “real” mousse (with cream and egg whites) b/c this was so much easier you didn’t even need electric beaters – no reason at all to use them. The key is ensuring you encourage separation of your full-fat coconut milk by leaving it open in the fridge as described and not utilizing the liquid part, just the solid, creamy part. Think of this is a buttercream made with coconut cream instead of butter. You must use full-fat coconut milk or cream (the fattier the better), and I used powdered sugar which I’m sure helped it to remain stable – which it did until I polished it off – without bothering to make the cake part! – in 2 days. I would pipe this into fancy, small ramekins and serve as a special-occasion dessert with some berries and chocolate shavings. The questions on here are a bit funny…..how on earth you could blend coconut water and cocoa powder and think it’s going to set up? This is extremely fattening due to the high caloric value of the 100% required full-fat coconut milk. Whether those fats are better for you is a separate issue, either way it’s the fat that makes it “frosting” (or more apt: “mousse”). I think the combination of the fatty coconut cream mixed with the dryness of the cocoa powder and boosted with the starch in the powdered sugar is what gives it the stability, not sure if a stevia-sweetened concoction would be as stable? I don’t think subbing anything for the coconut cream would work, frankly, except butter. The funny thing: I couldn’t taste the coconut at all. I love coconut, and used a very flavorful thai coconut milk, but could only taste unadulterated chocolate. I would also make this soon before serving, as while it does keep it’s shape, it will continue to “separate” in the fridge so you’ll see beads of moisture on top after storing – NBD if you are making to satisfy your own chocolate cravings but less than ideal if you were serving it to company. Thanks for the recipe, I found it shockingly simple and good!