Vegan Chocolate Ganache Recipe (Two-Ingredient)

Vegan chocolate ganache is dairy-free chocolate melted into hot coconut cream. Equal weights of each give a soft ganache for spreading and piping. Twice as much chocolate as cream sets firm enough for truffles. One and a half times as much cream as chocolate stays pourable as a glaze. The ratio is the recipe, and the rest is technique.

What ratio of chocolate to coconut cream do I need?

Weigh both ingredients. Cups are nearly useless here, because chopped chocolate packs differently every time and the whole thing turns on the proportion of fat to solids.

• 1:1 by weight, soft ganache. 200 g chocolate to 200 g coconut cream. Warm, it pours over a cake and settles smooth. At room temperature it spreads like a thick frosting. Chilled and whipped, it goes light and pipeable.
• 2:1 by weight, firm ganache. 200 g chocolate to 100 g coconut cream. Truffle and tart-filling territory. Once set it holds a shape, slices cleanly and rolls between your palms.
• 1:1.5 by weight, pourable glaze. 200 g chocolate to 300 g coconut cream. Thin enough to flood the top of a cake and run down the sides on its own, staying glossy rather than setting hard.

Full-fat coconut milk sits at roughly 17 to 22 per cent fat and tinned coconut cream at around 20 to 30 per cent, so coconut cream gives a firmer result. With coconut milk, chill the tin overnight and use the thick layer that separates at the top.

MindShift Mentors · 7 nights free

It’s 9pm and you’re not even hungry

The kitchen light goes on anyway. Fifteen minutes of guided audio a night, aimed at the pattern rather than the willpower.

Try 7 nights freeThat’s me, most nights

The chocolate matters too. A 70 per cent bar carries far more cocoa solids than a 45 per cent one and sets firmer at the same ratio, so if you swap chocolates, expect to adjust the cream by a tablespoon or two.

Is dark chocolate always vegan?

No. Dark chocolate is not automatically vegan, and that catches people out constantly. Plenty of dark bars, including some at high cocoa percentages, contain milk solids, milk fat or butter oil, added to soften the texture. The same goes for chocolate chips built to hold their shape in baking.

Read the ingredients rather than the cocoa percentage, looking for milk solids, milk fat, butter oil, whey, casein and lactose. A “may contain milk” line is a cross-contamination warning rather than an ingredient. Formulations differ between countries, so a brand that is dairy-free in Australia may not be in the UK or the United States.

Why use coconut cream for ganache?

• Chips or chopped vegan chocolate bars both give a smooth, rich texture.
• Coconut cream gives the ganache a body that suits vegan chocolate and works for anyone avoiding dairy. It is still a rich dessert, so treat it as one.
• Use it on cakes, like this bundt cake, or in truffles, frosting and any other delicious dessert.

Tips for Vegan Chocolate Ganache

• Chop the chocolate small and evenly. Big shards sit unmelted in the bottom of the bowl while the cream cools around them. Chopped bar chocolate melts better than chips, which are formulated to resist melting.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, then leave it alone for two minutes. Stirring straight away drops the temperature before the chocolate has softened through.
• Stir from the centre outwards in small circles until the middle turns glossy, then widen. That is what builds the emulsion.
• Chill it until completely cool and thick before piping onto cupcakes or cakes.
• The recipe halves and doubles cleanly, as long as you keep the ratio.

Vegan Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 oz. dark vegan chocolate chips or chocolate bars, chopped (225 g)
• 1 cup coconut milk (full-fat) or coconut cream (240 ml)

Instructions

• First, get a full-fat can of coconut milk and pour it into a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer when bubbles start moving around on the surface.
• Get the chocolate chips ready while the coconut milk heats up. Put them in a bowl that can handle the heat.
• Once the coconut milk is simmering, pour it over your chocolate chips, wait two minutes, then stir from the centre outwards until the mixture is silky and smooth.
• Once it’s lovely and silky, put it in the fridge for an hour and stir it every 15 minutes to ensure it gets nice and smooth.
• That’s it. Pour it over your favourite desserts, use it as a dip for fruit, or eat it straight from the bowl - we won’t judge.

Microwave method:

• Pour the full-fat coconut milk into a bowl that can go in the microwave and heat it for 1 to 2 minutes until it starts to simmer.
• While the coconut milk warms up, put your chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl.
• Once the coconut milk is at a simmer, pour it over your chocolate chips and stir until the mixture is silky and smooth.
• Put the bowl in the microwave and heat it in 15-second intervals, stirring in between each one, until the ganache is thick and shiny.
• Let it cool as instructed above.

How do I fix ganache that has split?

Split ganache looks grainy or oily, with fat pooling on top. It usually means the cream was too hot, the mixture was over-stirred, or the ratio was off. Add a tablespoon (15 ml) of cold coconut cream and whisk hard in the centre of the bowl. It should pull back into a glossy emulsion within seconds. If not, blitz it with a stick blender, keeping the head submerged so you do not beat in air.

FAQs

How long does vegan ganache keep?

Covered in the fridge, ganache keeps for about a week. Press cling film onto the surface so it does not skin over or pick up other flavours. It freezes for up to three months, though it can go grainy on thawing. Thaw in the fridge overnight and warm it gently.

Can I whip vegan chocolate ganache?

Yes. Chill a 1:1 ganache until it is cold right through, then beat it for two to three minutes until it lightens and holds a soft peak. Stop as soon as it does. Over-whipping breaks the emulsion and turns it grainy, and a whipped ganache cannot be re-whipped once it splits.

Can I use a plant milk other than coconut?

You can, but the result is softer and less stable, because oat, soy and almond milks carry far less fat. Use a barista-style oat or soy milk, cut the liquid back by about a quarter, and expect a sauce rather than a firm filling.

Will it taste like coconut?

A little, and how much depends on the brand. A good 70 per cent dark chocolate largely covers it, while a milder chocolate lets the coconut through. A pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla pull the flavour back towards chocolate.

Video Recipe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwqyQfDfvm0&ab\_channel=Veganiac

If you like this vegan chocolate ganache recipe, share it on your Pinterest board to let others know.

• How to make Vegan Chocolate Ganache
• Plant-based Chocolate Ganache
• Vegan Chocolate Ganache
• Vegan Chocolate Ganache recipe
• vegan ganache