Make this vegan and oil-free frosting to go on your plant-based cake or cupcakes! Made from sweet potatoes, this frosting is thick, smooth, and creamy, but you'd never know it's secretly healthy!
Yep, you read that right. Sweet potatoes.
It's no secret that sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile. I mean, sweet potato brownies? Genius! So why not sweet potato frosting?!
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When I first made this recipe I wasn't sure what to expect, but sweet potatoes are seriously the perfect frosting ingredient.
Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, so you don't have to add too much more sugar to get a sweet frosting.
They are also very smooth and creamy. I've experimented with making frosting from cashews. And it's good, but it often comes out a bit lumpy. This doesn't happen with sweet potatoes.
If you're worried about taste, don't be. Because this is chocolate frosting, the cocoa powder masks the sweet potato taste quite well.
The result: a completely oil-free frosting made from real foods!
Why I love this Vegan Oil-Free Chocolate Frosting
- Dietary needs - this frosting is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and refined sugar free. That's right! No vegan butter or powdered sugar, AND made with whole foods.
- Smooth & creamy - the magic of sweet potato! This frosting is ultra creamy
- Easy to make - this frosting is really easy! Just blend all the ingredients together
Ingredient Notes
- Japanese Sweet Potato: otherwise known as an oriental potato, these sweet potatoes have a purple colored skin and white flesh. They are so sweet and creamy - perfect for frosting
- Cocoa Powder: use unsweetened cocoa powder
- Maple or Date Syrup: both maple and date syrup work well in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: even though this is chocolate frosting, vanilla helps enhance the overall flavor
- Salt
- Non-Dairy Milk: any type of non-dairy milk will work here. Just be sure to use unsweetened.
How to make Vegan Oil-Free Chocolate Frosting
It's super simple!
Step 1. Add the mashed sweet potato, cocoa powder, maple or date syrup, vanilla extract, and salt to a food processor. Blend, adding the non-dairy milk until the frosting is smooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
These potatoes are available at most grocery stores. Look near the regular sweet potatoes. Sometimes they will be labeled as "oriental" potatoes.
They have a purple exterior and white flesh.
Yes! I've had success making this recipe with white sweet potatoes (they have a similar white flesh to Japanese).
I don't recommend making this recipe with a regular sweet potato. Orange sweet potatoes are not as creamy, so they don't make a good frosting texture.
I highly recommend baking the potato. This will give you the sweetest and creamiest texture.
You can steam it. But you may need to add some more maple syrup or date syrup to compensate.
I do not recommend microwaving.
Use a fork to poke several holes in the sweet potato. Place on a parchment or foil-lined pan and bake at 400 for 50-60 minutes.
The exact baking time will depend on the size of your potatoes. You'll know the sweet potato is fully baked when it pierces easily with a fork.
Let cool before making this frosting.
This recipe yields just over 2 cups of frosting. It is enough to frost 12 cupcakes or one 9" cake.
Since this frosting is made from sweet potatoes, it needs to be stored in the fridge. Keep it in an air-tight container or zip-top bag.
If you make cupcakes and plan to frost and serve on a later date, I recommend frosting just before you need to serve. Otherwise, store any frosted cakes or cupcakes in the refrigerator.
This frosting will last in the fridge for a week.
Recipes to make and frost
Tried this recipe?
Please leave a review in the comments section below and post on Instagram tagging me @elizabeths_table. You can also stay in touch with me on social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok or by subscribing to my newsletter.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Oil-Free Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Baked Mashed Japanese Sweet Potato skins removed
- ¾ Cup Cocoa Powder
- ¼ Cup Maple or Date Syrup add more to taste
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ Teaspoon Salt
- 4-5 Tablespoons Non-Dairy Milk
Instructions
- Add the mashed sweet potato, cocoa powder, maple or date syrup, vanilla extract, and salt to a food processor. Blend, adding the non-dairy milk until the frosting is smooth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Laura
Thank you for this plant-based frosting recipe. It's so much less sugar and yet so sweet with the japanese sweet potatoes and bit of maple syrup. It's delicious and I could eat it by the spoonful if it wasn't planned for the top of a birthday cake.
Elizabeth
So glad you enjoyed it Laura! Hope it was delicious on your cake!