A truly creamy dairy-free low carb frosting made with avocado. You won’t believe how rich and chocolatey this healthy buttercream recipe is. This post is sponsored by California Avocados.
I have come to the conclusion that avocados are magic. Or maybe they are magicians, masters of disguise. They are a fruit but they aren’t sweet so they taste more like a vegetable. They are delicious in savoury dishes, particularly when paired with spices, lime, and garlic (mmmm, guacamole!). But they are also remarkably good in sweet recipes as well. They can be forward and in your face, being all “hey look at me, I am a delicious avocado”! Or they can be completely hidden, just hanging out in the recipe, boosting the nutrition without drawing attention to themselves. And with all those healthy fats, they can play the role of butter or other oils without skipping a beat. Avocados are, in short, astonishing.
And, as luck would have it, California Avocados are coming back into season. This makes me incredibly happy, because they are the creamiest and dreamiest of all avocados. Maybe it’s because they don’t have to travel so far from home to end up on your dinner table. Maybe it’s because of all that California sunshine. I honestly don’t quite know but I find them to be the most consistently good. And while a lot of my avocados just get eaten with a little salt and a spoon, I love finding fun and interesting ways to use them.
Now you know I love my dairy and I am not afraid to use copious amounts of butter and cream, I know that not everyone has that luxury. And while I also enjoy coconut oil, it does lend a strong coconut taste to frostings and puddings and the like. So I decided to play with my avocados and see if I could make a rich, dairy-free buttercream frosting.
I wanted it to be really rich and creamy, and really chocolate-y. So I pureed my avocado with sweetener and cocoa powder but I also added some melted chocolate. Avocado puree can be very thick, so I added a few tablespoons of water to thin things out before adding the chocolate. And what did I end up with? Exactly what I wanted…a rich, creamy chocolate frosting with no butter or coconut oil. Perfect for topping some dairy-free chocolate cupcakes or brownies. And to be honest, it’s really good on its own too…just you and a spoon.
Here’s another way to make dairy-free buttercream. Check out this vegan frosting and simply use powdered sweetener instead of sugar.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Avocado Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 ripe California Avocados
- 3/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the avocados, sweetener, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Process on high until combined. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all avocado chunks are blended and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Drizzle with the melted chocolate and process again until smooth.
- Pipe or spread onto your favourite low carb cake, cupcakes, or brownies. Or just eat with a spoon!
Notes
Total fat: 9.22g
Calories from fat: 83kcal
Cholesterol: --
Carbohydrate: 3.89g
Total dietary fiber: 3.08g
Protein: 0.68g
Erythritol: 15g
Nutrition
Many thanks to California Avocados for partnering with me to bring you this delicious recipe.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Thankyou so much for this. About to make a cake for a high scgoll graduation and needed a frosting that was dairy free and keto. This will be perfect. I love avocados in desserts including ice creams and chocolate mousse. Never thought to used that creamy butteriness in a frosting.
Hi. I’m currently in the middle east and only have access to hass avocados… am aware that avocados can vary in size across the world. Just wondering roughly how many grams of avocado you used? TIA JUKIE
Ooooh, that’s a very good question. I didn’t weigh them at the time but I just grabbed a California Avocado out of my fridge and weighed it. 252g (with the skin on and the seed still in). So 2 times that.
Sooooo Gosh Darn Gooood!!! Thank you!
This is such a good idea!! I need this in my tummy RIGHT NOW!! Haha!! I will be making this next week – just watch this space… thanks for the recipe 🙂 x
This is my first attempt at anything chocolate and avocado, and it’s awesome! Thanks so much for a great dairy free icing recipe! I’ll be making your Cannoli tart later for my anniversary and I’m going to use this icing to pipe rosettes on top. ☺
Going to be starting a paleo-ish diet soon (so I’m doing all my “acceptable treat” research now, before I start going through sugar withdrawal and all these goodies remind me too much of their more sinful counterparts!) I’m not fond of the idea of using erythritol, so I’d like to know what function does the Swerve sweetener serve? Just as a sweetener or does it do something for texture too? What do you think about using maple syrup or stevia instead?
Use whatever you like. I don’t follow a paleo diet, I have to be low carb for diabetes.
This looks great! Does it keep long?
For a few days.
Thanks for sharing! I have tried avocado chocolate pudding and that was great. I can’t wait to try this!
This is excellent! I’m doing my best to get off dairy and this is a wonderful sub (especially since I can’t do coconut either). Very thick and rich and chocolately. Will definitely make again!
Can’t wait to try this! I’m allergic to both dairy and coconut and thankful to finally have a way to make frosting without either of them! Thanks!
We only get hass avocado’s here. Does it matter? This looks good but not sure if I’m game to try. Have tried avocado mousse and ice cream in the past and thought they were disgusting yet I love avocados in salad etc.
Thanks for sharing this! I would love to try this recipe soon especially now that avocados are in season. I just have a question about the Swerve Sweetener. I don’t think we have it here in the Philippines so would it be okay to substitute that with confectioner’s sugar? I know it would make it less healthy but if I won’t be able to find Swerve, would it be possible to use that instead?
Yes, that should work. You may need more of it.
Hi Carolyn! Thank you so much for sharing a wonderful recipe! I am also looking for a dairy free vanilla avocado buttercream recipe. Do you have any? Many thanks in advance.
I don’t have one, sorry.
Looks wonderful Carolyn! While I am all about the chocolate, someone I bake for is NOT…. she likes berries, lemon etc. Any ideas for a frosting that uses avocados and any other flavor besides chocolate?
I feel like a traitor to even ask that question ….just don’t understand the non-chocolate lovers! ?
Thanks,
Jeanne
Good day!
I made this yesterday and it is amazingly chocolately dreamy!! Thank you a million times over for your good work Carolyn!
Question: How long will the frosting keep…either alone or on something?
Thanks!
I found it to keep just fine for 4 days. I don’t know how it was after that because it was all gone!
Did it need to be refrigerated if you make the night before? It looks so yummy. I will try it this week.
It should be fine on the counter for a day.
Oh Carolyn! Will be whipping this up today for a treet on donuts for low carb self and for my vegan daughter. Thank you!
Question for you? Have you experimented with aquafaba? It is the bean water from canned chickpeas. The vegan websites are all agog over it. Am looking for ways to simplify cooking and baking around here. Although we usually have to cook separately, I would love a few recipes that are both vegan and low carb.
Best wishes for your continued success. Thanx for all you do for us.
I haven’t tried it but yes, I’ve seen that the vegan world is going nuts for it. I wonder what the carb count is???
CalorieKing says 7 carbs (no fiber) per 8.5oz cup.