Look no further for the perfect keto chocolate frosting. This sugar-free recipe is smooth and creamy, with rich chocolate flavor. And it takes only 10 minutes to make!
Every keto baker needs a really good keto chocolate frosting recipe. And this is IT, my friends! This is the magical sugar-free frosting that takes your desserts to a whole new level.
This recipe is everything you want in frosting and nothing you don’t…like unnecessary carbs and sugars. It’s absolutely dreamy and has a rich but balanced chocolate flavor. And unlike traditional American buttercream frosting, it’s not tooth-achingly sweet.
It’s the perfect topping for everything from keto chocolate cake to gooey keto brownies.
And if you’re looking for perfect vanilla keto frosting, I’ve got that too!
Why you need this recipe
What’s the secret to perfect keto chocolate frosting? A little bit of cream cheese! Surprised?
A few ounces of properly softened cream cheese gives sugar-free frosting a smoother consistency. It also provides structure without having to use copious amounts of powdered sweetener.
Just think about it. Conventional American frosting can take upwards of 4 cups of powdered sugar to have the right consistency. 4 CUPS!!! Whereas this keto chocolate frosting takes only two thirds of a cup of sweetener. Which allows the chocolate flavor to really shine through.
The addition of a little cream cheese works for other frosting recipes as well. And it can even help rescue frosting that has split. It’s a trick I’ve known used many times, and now I am passing this bit of low carb wizardry on to you.
So the only question is…what are you going to put it on? How about my keto chocolate cupcakes? They are a match made in heaven!
Reader testimonials
Oh My God, I never thought I could ever enjoy chocolate frosting on Keto. I have tried so many other recipes and finally found a recipe like this. It has a mousse like texture and would be awesome on chocolate cake. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe.I am in heaven!!! — Tess
I bake a lot. This is best chocolate keto frosting I have made,least gritty, best mouth feel due to the cream cheese and whipping cream. It is similar to a whipped cream cheese frosting I make for wedding cakes. Excellent recipe! Thank you! — Stacy
My son has type one diabetes so I was trying to find something that he could have (and would like!) and it seemed impossible until now! So thank you! His birthday will be so special thanks to your recipe. — Ashley
Ingredients you need
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- Unsweetened chocolate: I recommend using good quality unsweetened chocolate such as Ghirardelli or Guittard. I’ve had so many issues with Baker’s brand as it is prone to seizing.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and make sure it’s properly softened.
- Cream cheese: This is the secret ingredient! It gives keto chocolate frosting structure without having to add copious amounts of expensive sweetener.
- Powdered sweetener: I highly recommend Swerve Confectioners for this recipe, as it provides the right consistency. If you use powdered BochaSweet or powdered allulose, you may find the frosting a little softer. Hold back on the heavy cream until you see the consistency.
- Cocoa powder: Use regular or dark cocoa powder, but don’t use cacao powder. It’s often clumpy and doesn’t combine well in a frosting recipe.
- Vanilla extract: Adding vanilla enhances the chocolate flavor. You can also add a bit of espresso powder, which enhances chocolate flavors as well.
- Heavy cream: Use this to thin out the frosting to a nice spreadable and pipe-able consistency.
Step-by-step directions
1. Melt the chocolate: Combine the chopped chocolate and one tablespoon of the butter. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth. You can also do this in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.
2. Cream the butter and cream cheese: Beat the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener and the cocoa powder until well combined.
3. Beat in the melted chocolate: Add the chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. The mixture will be very thick at this point.
4. Thin it out: Add the cream a few tablespoons at a time until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. How much cream varies depending on the cocoa powder and other ingredients you used.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Frostings made with erythritol sweeteners can recrystallize a little when refrigerated. If you let the cake come to room temperature before serving, it will soften up again.
This recipe makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes or a single layer cake. For a larger cake, increase the frosting by 25% to 50%.
Dairy-Free Option: I also have a dairy free frosting that is similar to this on my Keto Chocolate Cake.
To rescue split frosting: Gently warm a few ounces of cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the split frosting in small dollops, beating in gently, until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency.
This recipe for keto chocolate frosting has 2.5g of carbohydrate and 1.1g of dietary fiber. Thus is has 1.4g net carbs per serving.
Yes, you can prepare the frosting and refrigerate it until you need it. You will need to let it come to room temperature then stir it again before frosting your cake or cupcakes.
I have frozen this keto chocolate frosting successfully. Transfer it to a freezer safe container and press plastic wrap flush to the surface. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bring it to room temperature and re-whip it lightly to lighten it.
How to use it
Get creative with this delicious keto chocolate frosting recipe. Here are some fun ways to use it:
- Pair it with my Keto Devil’s Food Cake. That’s what I did for my last birthday!
- Spread it one one of my Keto Peanut Butter Cookies. Better yet, sandwich it between two of them!
- Spread it on some Keto Chocolate Donuts.
- Pipe it onto a Keto Skillet Cookie for a special birthday dessert.
Keto Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) plus 1 tbsp butter, softened, divided use
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup (121.33 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (119 g) heavy whipping cream, room temperature (give or take a few tablespoons)
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and butter together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener and the cocoa powder until well combined.
- Add the chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. The mixture will be very thick at this point.
- Add the cream a few tablespoons at a time until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
Notes
Nutrition
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Great chocolate flavor. I accidentally used granulated Swerve. Big mistake. The frosting is granular. I would bet if I read the recipe more carefully, this would have been a knock-out. It is not too sweet, which I like.
Best keto chocolate frosting I have found/tried. I had extra left over and it makes a very satisfying treat by the spoonful. Perfect ratio of sweet to chocolatey goodness.
I put this on my Keto Yellow Cake this morning. I was very pleased at the results. It is very creamy and not overly sweet. Just the way we like it. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us. If you want to see what it looks like on my cake, here is a link.
https://flic.kr/p/2pJxSVH
Hi! Can you use stevia in place of Swerve for this recipe?
Not if you want a proper frosting consistency. Pure stevia has no bulk so it will be a goopy mess.
I’ve made this before with success, but today it split. I see you have a remedy, which I will try, but do you have an explanation about why it split? I’d like to try to prevent it from happening again.
Do you have a daily free chocolate frosting or any dairy free frosting options?
My granddaughter and I made the mayonnaise chocolate cake and my husband who never would have eaten Mayo before keto raved about the cake. I agree it is delicious.
We had a jar of keto white frosting and a jar of keto chocolate frosting. Both were dairy free. We used chocolate for the center and white for the topping.
We want to make the mayonnaise cake again, but need dairy free frosting as my granddaughter is allergic to dairy. We could purchase dairy free ingredients like cream cheese. Do you have a link to any frosting recipes? Thank you for everything you do.
The mayonnaise cake HAS dairy free frosting. 🙂 https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-chocolate-cake/
WOW!!! This frosting is excellent! Pipes like a dream too.
Thank you!
I just made this for the first time, and it’s amazing! My kids really liked it too, and they’re quite the critics.
Taste – 4, easy to make – 5, chocolate taste – 3.5/4. Mine was thick until I added in my chocolate then it became really thin – so that has to be MY error I’m just not sure what it was?? I will say this is the TOPS of the frosting recipes I’ve found so it will be made again.
Did you by chance add the melted chocolate while still warm? I’ve never had mine go thin from added the chocolate, that usually thickens it up! What brand of chocolate did you use?
As a keto frosting, it’s got good texture, but WOW is it chocolate overload. I LOVE chocolate, rich chocolate, but this hurts my mouth. I doubled the recipe to frost the 2-layer choc cake. I followed exactly as written. I tasted before adding the melted chocolate, and it was good. But I like to follow new recipes exactly the first time. Maybe I’ll try without the melted choc next time. I just hate to waste ingredients that are as expensive as these. ????
Well, I suppose that’s a matter of taste. Many others think that it’s not chocolate-y enough. I wonder what brand of unsweetened chocolate you used.
This is absolutely the best chocolate frosting I have ever tasted. I use this for everything I put nuts and seeds and make candy treats I make a big batch and spread it thin and freeze crack it and have chocolate when you want it.of course I put it on cake. People that don’t do keto ask for recipe .thank you for sharing this delightful recipe.
This frosting is extremely good! I made it just as you wrote it. Carolyn, your recipes are so good -thank you for all you do! They make keto cooking so much easier, and tasty!!
Thank you for such an easy and truly awesome frosting!!!
The flavor is so good it is comparable to frostings made with sugar. I replaced whipping cream with full-fat coconut milk and a bit of coffee crystals and cannot taste any coconut at all!