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Make the most perfect low-carb cake topped with delicious chocolate icing. They’ll never know this keto chocolate frosting is low-carb and sugar-free!
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I’ve decided to start posting my frosting recipes separately. In the past, I’ve just included them in the recipe that they were used for. But, it’s a bit difficult to find them that way.
So, here’s my recipe for low-carb, sugar-free chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s based on a recipe that I used for a chocolate peanut flour cake!
It is possible to enjoy a low-carb diet – especially when you get to eat desserts like cupcakes with chocolate frosting! It’s amazing all the things you can make with some whipped cream, chocolate, butter, and sugar-free sweetener.
The frosting isn’t essential, and many people who eat low-carb choose to eat cakes without it. However, I find that the icing really dresses things up and is expected when sharing cake or cupcakes with others.
Plus, it’s a great way to convince others that you really can have your cake and eat it too!
Ingredients Needed For Keto Chocolate Frosting
If you have ever made buttercream frosting before, then you’ll be able to make this one too. There are only a few simple ingredients in it.
Butter
You can’t really make buttercream without any butter!
Always make sure to use real butter instead of margarine. It is healthier for you because it has the fats your body needs. Salted or unsalted doesn’t matter for this recipe.
Sugar-Free Sweetener
To get authentic buttercream frosting, you really need to use a bulk low-carb sweetener in powdered form. I like to use either Swerve Confectioners or Sukrin Melis.
I’ve also used a regular granular sweetener like Lakanto in the past with good results.
Cocoa Powder
For this recipe, I used unsweetened cocoa powder. If you want it to have a deeper flavor, you can use dark chocolate powder too. Just make sure always to use unsweetened varieties!
Milk
Do not use dairy milk to make this keto chocolate frosting. Instead, use either almond or coconut milk. It has fewer carbs and more protein. You can also use a blend of half heavy cream and half water.
Vanilla
I prefer real vanilla extract when I make my keto desserts. The vanilla flavoring doesn’t give it as deep of a flavor as the authentic extract does.
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- Use an electric mixer. You can probably whip it up by hand, but it will take so much longer. Using an electric mixer speeds up the process and keeps you from wearing out.
- Add the milk slowly. Don’t just add all the milk at once. Add it into the frosting slowly until it is completely incorporated into the frosting.
- Keep it refrigerated. Store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How To Make Keto Chocolate Frosting
It’s super easy to whip up a batch of frosting. All of the instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, here are some more tips:
Whip Air Into The Frosting
You can do this by hand, but it will take so much longer than if you use an electric mixer.
I like to use a stand mixer, but a handheld one works well too. You’ll just want to be able to whip air into the frosting to make it fluffy.
Add Dry Ingredients
After you cream the butter, then add the powdered sweetener and the cocoa powder. Mix this until it is really well combined.
Mix Milk In Slowly
Finally, add the milk, vanilla, and stevia in slowly. When you get the desired consistency, you are finished!
What To Serve With Sugar-Free Chocolate Frosting
Need a cake recipe to go with the frosting? You could try it with my low-carb yellow cake recipe or my chocolate cupcakes!
With this chocolate buttercream frosting recipe, you should have enough to frost a standard two-layer 9-inch cake or 24 cupcakes.
I used the frosting to top off a 9×13-inch cake and ended up with a thick layer of icing. My daughter happily licked the beaters after I was done whipping it up.
I also like to have some in the fridge when I make some vanilla mug cakes in the microwave!
You may want to make extra frosting if you are decorating with piped edges or piping it onto cupcakes. For me, it’s plenty of icing to top the standard-sized cake.
Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Before we get to the recipe at the end of the post, here are some questions people often ask about keto frosting:
How do you hide the taste of erythritol?
There is a slight cooling effect coming from the erythritol. The chocolate flavor helps hide it. I’ve been able to lessen the cooling of the erythritol by using cream cheese.
Mascarpone cheese is similar, so it might work too!
Can you freeze buttercream frosting?
Yes, you can freeze this buttercream frosting. The best way to do this is to put it in a plastic freezer bag and lay it flat on a baking sheet. After it freezes solid, you can remove the baking sheet and keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When you want to use it again, just let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
How much frosting should I make to frost an 8×8 cake?
For those who don’t want a lot of leftovers, a single-layer 8×8-inch or 9-inch round cake could be made. For these smaller sizes, you’d just have to half the amounts used to make the keto chocolate frosting.
Overall, this is a terrific low-carb chocolate buttercream frosting for any cake, especially my moist low-carb, gluten-free chocolate cake made with coconut flour. It could easily pass as a real sugar frosting.
More Low-Carb Dessert Ideas
If you enjoyed this keto chocolate frosting recipe, here are some more low-carb dessert ideas you’ll enjoy next.
- Keto Cinnamon Rolls are made with coconut flour fathead dough and have a delicious vanilla frosting.
- Keto Carrot Cake has two layers and the most amazing cream cheese frosting.
- Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake tastes so sweet that you will swear it isn’t keto-friendly – but it is!
- Keto Birthday Cake In A Mug comes out looking like a cute little double-layer cake for one person.
- Keto Chocolate Molten Lava Cake has a rich, fudgy inside that pours out when you slice into it.
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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened, 2 sticks
- 1 cup Swerve Confectioners Powdered Sweetener or Sukrin Melis
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk adjust as needed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon stevia glycerite stevia or monk fruit powder can also be used
Instructions
- Cream butter with electric mixer.
- Add powdered sweetener and cocoa powder, mix until combined.
- Slowly add unsweetened milk while beating until incorporated.
- Blend in vanilla and stevia until desired consistency is reached.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on August 3, 2016. Updated April 8, 2021, with new images and additional information.
Teri
Absolutely DELICIOUS chocolate frosting!! Nobody would ever know it’s sugar free!
Kerry
I use Swerve Confectioners Sugar and I would still need to add a tsp of the Monkfruit Powder for the reason below…its good to blend. What’s preferable, the monkfruit powder or Stevia glycerite?
Lisa MarcAurele
It depends on your own personal taste. I prefer monkfruit over stevia.
Diane
Sounds delish. Question-why do you use two types of sweetener in this icing recipe and the cake recipe that goes with it?
Lisa MarcAurele
I try to cut back on erythritol (the sugar alcohol used in many bulk sweeteners) as much as possible because it can crystallize. The other reason is that I’ve found blending sweeteners generally provides the best taste. But you can use a single bulk sweetener if you prefer.
Lee Needham
It is ok. Little bitter like most keto desserts
Sandy Mahoney
Lisa you are a genius! This is perfect, a bit sweet for me since I do not do too many sweets since starting keto last April, but I really want to thank you for this unbelievably delicious chocolate cake and the butter cream frosting, best keto dessert there is hands down!!
kari
I had a hard time with this recipe. I’m very experienced baking but my Dad recently was diagnosed as Type 1 diabetes so I am new at sugar/flour replacements. I halved the recipe since that is all I needed. I used regular whole
milk and the powdered Swerve and this just wouldn’t cream/smooth up like a frosting should. It tasted ok. Definitely tasted like a sugar free frosting. Also was very chocolatey. Like a fudge frosting and not a buttercream. Then when I frosted the cake the icing kept peeling off the cake with my offset spatula. It would not stick to the cake (I baked the cake last night so it wasn’t warm). I kept working with it and it seemed to smooth out a bit over time and finally frosted ok but is it normal for these types of icings to not be very smooth or creamy?
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s the butter that makes it creamy and I haven’t had the issue you are describing. You may need to add in a little more milk to get the right consistency. It sounds like yours may have been a little too thick.
Ronda
I love baked goods and being on a low carb diet means I can’t have the stuff I make for everyone else so running across your recipes has been awesome! I have tried the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and the cheesecake, both were really good. I slice everything up and leave a piece to try and freeze the rest to pull out as I want it. Can’t wait to try some more!
Thank you 😊
Sandy
November 2019. I recently tried this recipe for the sugar free chocolate frosting – WOW!! It is wonderful.
Thank You! Sandy
Lauren
Hi there,
We have just made this recipe and it is AMAZING! Is it possible to make a vanilla buttercream icing? I need to make a vanilla icing for my daughter’s birthday cake because I need to be able to colour it blue- any suggestions?
Thanks so much
Lisa MarcAurele
You should be able to omit the cocoa and stevia and just use more powdered sweetener until the right consistency is reached.
Sara
Love your recipes did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Lisa MarcAurele
I use salted, but if you like a sweeter frosting without the buttery flavor, you can use unsalted.
Kay
Hi can you use oat milk instead of almond milk as that’s all I have for now
Lisa MarcAurele
I don’t see why not. Any milk substitute should be fine.
Karen
Can anything be substituted for the Stevia glycerite or monkfruit powder?
Lisa MarcAurele
You can use any sweetener equivalent, but you may need to make adjustments if the consistency isn’t right (adding more liquid for example).
Marina Hildebrand
This is a kick ass frosting recipe!! I eat keto & my fit husband does not. He will not touch anything if it tastes of chemical. This did not, so yes he ate most of this the chocolate zucchini cake with this frosting. I’m a bit surprised to read earlier posters say this is bitter & chemically. I sniff a rat.
I am extremely picky about wasting time & $ on low carb sweet recipes. You have hit this one out of the park. Thank-You!!
Olga P Aguilar
I just tried your low carb chocolate cake with this frosting. Delicious. Am taking some to meet with family for breakfast.. I know they will like it. It’s not the real thing but, honestly, I thought it was better. Did not use coconut oil as I did not have any but it tasted just as good. You could eat with a spoon. Taste just like a mousse. Thank you so much for helping us stay on plan. God bless you.♥️