Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache

Easy Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache recipe ready in less than 5 minutes! This rich and decadent topping levels up any dessert, and requires hardly any effort to prepare! 

As I mentioned in my Keto Chocolate Buttercream post, I recently made death-by-chocolate cake that just slapped me silly.

In addition to a rich, moist grain-free triple layer paleo chocolate cake, there was also that chocolate buttercream and this dairy-free chocolate ganache to really hit it from all chocolatey angles. 

Chocolate ganache is deceptively easy to make! It has that ulta fancy vibe to it, but truly it couldn’t be quicker or easier.

Adding ganache to cake, cupcakes, cheesecake, and/or using it as chocolate sauce for any of your baked good is a surefire way of sending the flavor profile through the roof.

In fact, this is the exact ganache recipe I used for my Death by Chocolate Keto Brownies I showed you a couple months back.

At a minimum, all you need is two ingredients to make ganache: chocolate chips and heavy cream.

To make dairy-free ganache, I simply swap the heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk. This generates the same rich, silky amazing result, and you can’t even taste the coconut milk!

If you follow a low-carb ketogenic diet, you can use your favorite sugar-free chocolate chips to keep the ganache both dairy-free and sugar-free.

Before I get carried away, let’s chat about the ingredients so you know all of your options.

Ingredients for Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache:

Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite brand of dairy-free sugar-free chocolate chips for the chocolate portion of this recipe.

If you are neither dairy-free nor sugar-free, feel free to use regular chocolate chips!

If you’re looking for brand suggestions for dairy-free chocolate chips, I recommend Enjoy Life, Lily’s, Lieber’s, Chatfield’s, and Lakanto.

Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: In order to melt the chocolate into silky, smooth, pourable bliss, we use full-fat canned coconut milk.

This generates the same creaminess and richness as heavy cream but is a great option for those of us who are dairy-free or dairy-light.

Do note that you must use full-fat coconut milk from the can, or the recipe won’t work. Light coconut milk won’t generate the same richness and coconut milk from the carton will turn into a separated, watery disaster.

If you aren’t dairy-free, feel free to use heavy cream instead of the full-fat canned coconut milk.

Coconut Oil: While coconut oil is certainly not mandatory, it helps give the ganache that shiny essence. Without the coconut oil the ganache has a tendency to dry into a more matted finish rather than shiny. If you’re okay with that, feel free to skip the coconut oil! 

As an alternative, you can absolutely use butter instead of coconut oil if you aren’t dairy-free. Butter also gives the ganache that rich buttery flavor. Vegan butter also works here.

Pinch of Sea Salt: I love adding a touch of sea salt to enhance all of the flavors. It doesn’t take very much and you can always add more, so start very tiny!

How to Make Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache: 

Add the coconut milk, chocolate chips, coconut oil (or butter or vegan butter spread) to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring very well in between, for a total of 50 to 60 seconds.

Stir in a tiny pinch of sea salt, to taste.

Use the ganache immediately for a drippy, shiny consistency or allow it to cool for 15 to 30 minutes on the counter to thicken up. You can also refrigerate ganache for a thicker, spreadable consistency.

Use on cakes, brownies, cupcakes, ice cream, and more! Enjoy all of your ganache experiences. 😉

All the Ganache!

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4.30 from 10 votes

Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache

An easy recipe for chocolate ganache with options for paleo, keto and vegan!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 minute min

Total Time6 minutes mins

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 .25 cups ganache

Author: Julia

Ingredients

• ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk*
• 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips**
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter
• Pinch sea salt

Instructions

• Add the coconut milk, chocolate chips, coconut oil (or butter) to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring very well in between, for a total of 50 to 60 seconds.
• Stir in a tiny pinch of sea salt, to taste.
• Use the ganache immediately for a drippy, shiny consistency or allow it to cool for 15 to 30 minutes on the counter to thicken up. You can also refrigerate ganache for a thicker, spreadable consistency.
• Use on cakes, brownies, cupcakes, ice cream, and more! Enjoy all of your ganache experiences. 😉

Notes

*Replace the full-fat canned coconut milk with heavy cream if you aren’t dairy-free

**Use sugar-free chocolate chips for a low-carb keto option or use regular chocolate chips. If you aren’t dairy-free, you can use regular chocolate chips.

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