Learn how to make the most luscious vegan chocolate ganache with just 2 ingredients and 5 minutes! The perfect dessert or breakfast topping, frosting, cake filling or truffle filling.
Chocolate ganache is a staple recipe for any baker, and this vegan version is so easy to make. It’s totally versatile, and can be used as a drizzle on cupcakes/cake, frosting, cake filling, pancake or waffle topping, ice cream topping, dip or even to make truffles.
You only need 2 ingredients: coconut milk or cream and semi-sweet chocolate.
How to make vegan ganache
- Open a can of coconut milk or coconut cream. Scoop out as much of the thicker, white part as you can. If you need to use some of the liquid to make 1 cup, that is fine.
- Place coconut milk/cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 1 minute, making sure it doesn’t bubble over.
- Pour the warm cream over the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bars) in a medium sized bowl. Let sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk until smooth and well combined. The chocolate will melt from sitting in the warm coconut milk.
It will thicken as it cools, and even more in the refrigerator.
You can use it immediately as a drizzle over desserts. Or let it thicken for a few minutes to have a thicker, pourable sauce.
To use as a frosting, let it thicken completely before spreading. You can also use a hand mixer (once it’s thickened and cooled) to whip it up so it has a more even consistency. It will be pipe-able for cupcakes at this point. Enjoy!
Recipes that go with ganache
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake -use instead of the chocolate buttercream frosting
- Vegan Mug Cake – this would be perfect for drizzling on top!
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Skillet Cookie -use ganache in place of caramel drizzle
Vegan Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 8 ounces vegan chocolate chips or chopped vegan chocolate bars (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk or cream
Instructions
- Add chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl. If using chocolate bars, chop and place in the bowl.
- Scoop the thick white part from the can of coconut if it's naturally separated. Try to use mostly the thick white coconut cream, but some of the clearer liquid is fine. A can of coconut cream works best.
- Put the coconut milk in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute, watching to make sure it doesn’t bubble over.
- Pour the warm cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Don't stir yet.
- After 2-3 minutes, whisk the chocolate/melted coconut milk until smooth. To use as a frosting let it cool completely first, it will thicken up and become spreadable. To make it runnier, you can warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute before using, such as for pancakes, cupcakes, or as a drizzle on a cake.
Notes
- There are several brands of chocolate chips that are naturally vegan, so make sure to check the ingredients list for milkfat or butter oil. Trader Joe's brand are vegan, as well as Guittard semi-sweet. It may be easier to find quality vegan chocolate bars, semi-sweet.
- To use as a pipe-able frosting, let it cool in the refrigerator completely until it's thick. You can then use a handheld blender to whip it up a bit, then add to a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes or cake.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also halve or double the recipe as needed.
- Don't have a microwave? No problem! Simply warm up the coconut cream/milk in a small pot until warm but not boiling, then pour it over the chocolate in a bowl and follow the rest of the directions.
I would like to make this with an orange flavour. Any suggestions on infusing the coconut cream with orange peel or adding Cointreau, or will extract give the best result?
Orange would be a beautiful addition here. I recommend stirring 1 teaspoon of orange zest and up to 3 tablespoons of orange liqueur directly into the ganache. Stir in 1 tablespoon of liqueur at a time until you achieve the right flavor and consistency. Hope this helps!
The first time I made this, it came out perfectly
The next few times I tried it my ganache stayed very liquidity
I can’t pin point where I keep screwing up this recipe
Are you letting it cool so it will thicken up? What brand of coconut milk/cream are you using? Make sure to use canned full fat coconut milk or cream, NOT the refrigerated kind you might use for cereal or drinking.
The ganache was delicious and easy to make. Unfortunately, it was not quite as thick as I wanted it to be, even upon cooling completely. Next time I make it, I plan to do two things to fix that issue: 1) decrease the coconut milk used to 3/4 cup, and 2) make sure to only use the solid part and none of the liquid.
I wonder if you used the full fat coconut milk or cream from a can, not the carton that you usually buy in the refrigerated section? That would make it thinner than it should be. It always thickens up a ton for me, so something was off for sure.
Other than decreasing the milk, you can also increase the chocolate chip portion. I’ve done both for different results.
Hi! I’m excited to try this!
If I want to make a colored ganache, do I just use white chocolate and food coloring?
Thanks so much!
Xo
The use of white chocolate and coloring should work. But be careful to use oil-based color designed for coloring candy. Regular liquid or gel coloring contains water which might make the chocolate seize.
Perfect with The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake, it remains creamy and doesn’t harden!!
Thank you for sharing your great feedback! Sounds wonderful with the chocolate cake!
I wonder if there’s a way to make it shelf stable? I’m thinking of trying to add it to chocolate ball shell like the lindt truffle chocolates but I don’t want to keep them refrigerated bc it’ll change the mouth feel of the outer tempered chocolate
It should be able to be kept at room temperature for about 2 days. I’m not sure it would stay as fresh if left out any longer.
instead of chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bars) could i use 100% cacao powder + 2 spoons of sugar or sweetener?
i only have a tiny bit of a choolate bar so i think i will try to use that and a bit of 100% cacao powder + 2 spoons of stevia/eritritol sweetener
Hmmm I’m honestly not sure, but I don’t think it will work. Cocoa powder + sweetener is much different than melted chocolate.
Could i use this to make chocolate sunflower seed butter? Like, blend sunflower seeds in a blender, until they become a paste, then put some of this in it, to turn it chocolatey?
I’m not sure as I’ve never tried it, but it might work!
Hi Nora, quick question about this recipe: it is linked from your thumbprint cookie page…should I wait for the ganache to cool down before pouring it into the cookies? Or is it only pourable before it cools? And store the cookies in the fridge because of the ganache? Just wondering how to use it with the thumbprint recipe. Thanks for sharing another delicious recipe.
Hi there! I would let it cool a bit so that it’s thicker before pouring or spooning it into the center. I don’t think you need to store the cookies in the fridge but you could. Thanks!
Yum!!! I added some cinnamon, chili powder and cayenne for a kick. Going to stuff some of your chocolate cupcakes with it tomorrow. Nom nom!
Thanks for sharing your great review, Kate! I’m glad you love the ganache!
I am planning to try this. I wanted to apply the frosting on a cake the previous day and refrigerate the frosted cake. On the day of cake cutting, when should
i remove the cake from the fridge and how many hours will the cake stay good (doesn’t melt) at room temperature for guests to eat ? Any ideas if this would work for outdoors too ? Thank you.
It’s fine to make and frost a cake the day before. It shouldn’t melt that easily even at room temperature. If you bring it outside on a hot day it will likely melt within 30 minutes, but I’m not positive about that.
Nora, Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! For this delish recipe (and many others.) My hubby has alpha gal allergy which means he is allegic to mammal. I cried over not being able to make him a birthday cake wih butter cream frosting (because sugar is filtered with bone char & cant have butter.) Trying to find vegan powdered sugar in our town is impossible. So a vegan chocolate cake with vegan ganache was perfect! He says the ganache tastes like fudge & chocolate pudding. Whole family loved it! Best birthday ever!
Hi Winnie. Happy birthday to your husband! I’m really happy to hear your family loved the cake and everyone could enjoy it! Thank you for taking your time to share your wonderful comments!
Hi, my ganache broke. I’ve made it successfully before but the last couple times (using coconut cream), it got oily. What is causing that?
Hmmm I’ve never experienced that, but it could be the brand of coconut cream you are using, since you’ve made it successfully before. Or the kind of chocolate maybe.
Hi Nora! Love all your stuff! Your recipes are awesome. I am trying to find a vegan white chocolate ganache; do you think this would work and just sub Pascha white chocolate?
Thank you so much Caitlyn! That would be so good if it works. I haven’t tried Pascha white chocolate, but it might work. If you try it, let me know how it turns out, because YUM. 🙂
Hi Nora! I’m so happy I found your website! This ganache is the best! I made a little too much of it though. Can I freeze it?
Thanks!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you found me, too! 🙂 Yes, you can freeze the leftovers, no problem.
I’d like to use the ganache with your vegan chocolate cake. Do I need to increase this recipe or will it be enough for in between the layers as well as the icing?
This cake is a family favourite for both the vegans and non vegans.
For in between the layers and on top, I think I would double the recipe. That should be perfect, unless you want to make really thick layers or something. Hope that helps, it sounds delicious!
Hi, Nora! I am wanting to make a raspberry chocolate ganache, to put inside a cake. Do you think I could put maybe half a cup of coconut milk and half a cup raspberry puree? I don’t want it to get too liquid-y, but I’m not sure if it will take out the creaminess.
I don’t know if you’ve tested anything like that before, I’m planning on winging it if you don’t know haha.
You probably could, I’ve never tried it though to know for sure. It sounds quite amazing!
I will let you know how it turns out!
Hi Nora, what range of ratio of coconut cream to chocolate will work? I am following another vegan chocolate ganache recipe very much like yours as far as just the two ingredients but I dont think it worked unless I simply did not have the patience to get out a hand mixer to mix to creamy smoothness. I eagerly await your reply, thank you.
Hi there! I’m not sure, but I do know my recipe works with the 1 cup chocolate chips to 1 cup coconut. I can’t really speak to other recipes, but you don’t need a hand mixer for mine, just a spoon to stir.
Hi there, I want to make a vegan island jelly cake (trending this year haha), do you think this frosting will hold up on the cake when I pour in the cooled jelly liquid?
As long as it’s cooled I think it would work. Thanks!
Thanks Nora, will try
Curious how your jelly cake turned out with this ganache. I’m making one this weekend for my daughter’s birthday!
I want to thank you. My son has food allergies; dairy, eggs, and we are not Vegan. Your wonderful, easy to follow recipes have been a fabulous help. THANK YOU !!!!
You’re so welcome!! Thanks for the great comment!!
Hi, does the ganache set up enough to harden to cover in fondant?
I’ve honestly never used fondant but the ganache does set up and dry out quite a bit so it should work. Let it sit on the cake for a few hours or overnight before covering in fondant though.
How many grams is one serving?
I’m not sure, sorry!
Hi Nora!
I have tried a few of your other recipes and they were all winners, I can’t wait to try this one! I was just wondering, how many cupcakes would this recipe frost? I want to know if I would need to double it for two dozen cupcakes.
Thanks!
Let’s see, I would probably double the recipe for two dozen cupcakes. You might have a little leftover. Sounds great! And thank you so much!
Does the ganache end up with a coconut flavour or does the chocolate mask it?
It has a slight coconut taste, but hardly any at all.
What if I don’t have a microwave? Any other way to make this?
Sure! I actually added instructions to the Notes section. Just warm the coconut milk/cream in a small pot until warm but not boiling, then pour it over the chocolate chips and follow the rest of the instructions. Thanks!