This dairy-free, nut-free Coconut Chocolate Spread is rich, creamy and delicious. It’s easy to make and is the perfect allergy-friendly topping for toast, pancakes, cake and so much more!
🍫 The Best Dairy-Free Chocolate Spread
One of my best-loved recipes of all time is my Lick-The-Knife-Clean Chocolate Spread. It’s a creamy homemade spread that is naturally nut-fee, super easy to make, and spreads like a dream on all your favorite things!
To answer the overwhelming reader requests for a dairy-free alternative to my original chocolate spread, this recipe was born, and I love how it turned out. It’s got the classic deep chocolatey flavor and velvety smooth texture of the original spread, but without dairy (that’s right, no milk and no butter!)
The main ingredients for this recipe are dark chocolate, coconut oil and granulated sugar. Using coconut oil gives it a subtle coconut undertone, but if that’s not a flavor you enjoy, you can use extra-virgin coconut oil, which has a more neutral flavor. This is the perfect dairy-free, nut-free alternative to peanut butter or Nutella.
Are you Sugar-free?
If you’re also avoiding sugar, check out our Sugar-Free Chocolate Spread recipe! You can use coconut oil in lieu of butter in that version as well.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Dairy-Free Spread
As if being dairy-free isn’t enough, this chocolate spread has so much more to love!
- short list of simple ingredients
- no tricky preparation methods or equipment
- nut-free
- cooks in 5 minutes
- stays fresh for weeks
- delicious as a snack or dessert
- makes a cute gift
Table of Contents
🧾 What You’ll Need
Ingredients
Before heading to the store, take a look at these helpful ingredient tips to make sure you know what you’ll need. Full ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card below. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate gives the spread a super boost of chocolate flavor. This is where most of the flavor comes from, so don’t use cheap chocolate chips here: make sure you use flavorful chocolate that you enjoy eating.
- Water: To dissolve the other ingredients and get the right consistency.
- Sugar: Use a little granulated sugar (aka white sugar or regular sugar) for sweetness.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: For rich, chocolately flavor, use a high quality unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Coconut oil: The unique nature of coconut oil (solid at room temperature, but melts smoothly and easily) makes it perfect for this spread. Using regular coconut oil will give it a subtle coconut flavor, but if you don’t want that you can use extra-virgin coconut oil, which has a more neutral flavor.
- Vanilla extract and salt: These round out and balance the chocolate flavor.
Equipment
- Small saucepan: You’ll need a small saucepan to heat the ingredients on the stovetop.
- Whisk: You’ll also need a whisk to combine the ingredients and stir them while simmering.
- Jar: You’ll need some type of container to store your spread in. The container should hold at least 12 ounces. My preference is to use mason jars.
- Plastic wrap: As the spread cools down, its important to cover it with plastic wrap to avoid having a thick skin form on the top of the spread.
Ready to Make These?
- Get the recipe below 👇👇
- Scroll below the recipe for step-by-step photos
- Read the tips and FAQs
❤️ More Chocolate Recipes
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
Dairy-Free Coconut Chocolate Spread
Ingredients
- 4 oz dark chocolate, (about 2/3 cup when chopped)
- 2 fl oz water, (1/4 cup)
- 3.5 oz granulated sugar, (1/2 cup)
- 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 oz coconut oil, (about 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Finely chop the dark chocolate and set it aside for a moment.
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt.
- Place the pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar and cocoa powder dissolve. Continue to heat the pan, stirring frequently, until bubbles appear around the sides of the pan and it starts to simmer.
- Once simmering, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract, chopped chocolate, and coconut oil.
- Whisk until the chocolate and coconut oil melt and the mixture is completely smooth. When it is freshly made, this spread will have the consistency of hot fudge sauce.
- Pour the spread into a jar or other container with a lid. Press a layer of plastic wrap on top of the chocolate to prevent a skin from forming, place the lid on, and refrigerate it for at least an hour, until cooled.
- If it is too cold to spread easily, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- This chocolate spread can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Video
Recipe Notes
Variations
- To make it sugar-free: substitute a 1:1 sugar replacement for the granulated sugar in the recipe, and use a sugar-free chocolate, like Lily’s brand. We have tested it with both Swerve and Splenda, and both work fine. Make sure you are using a 1:1 product, and measure by volume, not weight.
Tips
- If your spread becomes grainy: heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments, whisking well and checking it for sugar crystals after each interval. To check, rub a bit of the chocolate spread between your fingers to see if you feel any sugar crystals. When the spread is warm and you can find no trace of sugar crystals, pour it back into a container.
- If your spread becomes oily: heat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals, whisking after each time, until it is warm and fluid. Place an immersion blender in the bowl and blend it until the oil mixes back into the chocolate. It might take a minute, but you should see your mixture transform into a glossy chocolate with a pudding-like texture.
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Dairy-Free Chocolate Spread
Learn how to make this dairy-free chocolate spread with an easy to follow photo tutorial! You can find full instructions in the recipe card above.
- Chop chocolate: Finely chop 4 oz dark chocolate.
- Combine water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt: In a small saucepan, combine 2 fl oz (1/4 cup) water, 3.5 oz (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Stir and simmer: Place the pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar and cocoa powder dissolve. Continue to heat the pan, stirring frequently, until it reaches a simmer.
- Add vanilla, chopped chocolate and coconut oil: Once simmering, remove the pan from the heat and add 1 tsp vanilla extract, previously chopped chocolate, and 4 oz (1/2 cup) coconut oil.
- Whisk until smooth: Whisk until the chocolate and butter melt and the mixture is completely smooth.
- Check the consistency: When it is freshly made, this spread will have the consistency of hot fudge sauce.
- Cover and refrigerate: Pour the spread into a jar or other container with a lid. Press a layer of plastic wrap on top of the chocolate to prevent a skin from forming, add the lid, and refrigerate it for at least an hour, until it cools.
- Enjoy or store: If it is too cold to spread easily, let it sit at room temperature for a short while before serving. Store it in the refrigerator for up to a month.
💡 Tips and FAQs
- To make it sugar-free: substitute a 1:1 sugar replacement for the granulated sugar in the recipe, and use a sugar-free chocolate, like Lily’s brand. We have tested it with both Swerve and Splenda, and both work fine. Make sure you are using a 1:1 product, and measure by volume, not weight.
Rarely, the spread can develop a grainy texture over time. This happens if the sugar has not been completely melted and dissolved during the heating step. Even just a few stray sugar crystals can make it so that the rest of the sugar slowly crystallizes, leading it to have a grainy texture.
You might not notice it when it is freshly made, but over time you’ll see and taste the spread becoming more granulated. It’s still perfectly safe to eat, but most people don’t enjoy the crunchy texture. Fortunately, it’s easy to fix the grainy texture.
Transfer the chocolate spread to a bowl and heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments, whisking well and checking it for sugar crystals after each interval. To check, rub a bit of the chocolate spread between your fingers to see if you feel any sugar crystals. When the spread is warm and you can find no trace of sugar crystals, pour it back into a container, place plastic wrap on top, and let it cool completely.
If you notice your chocolate spread developing a clear oily layer on top, this means the fat in the spread has “separated.” This is rare, but it does happen sometimes.
It usually occurs because the coconut oil and chocolate weren’t mixed well enough into the spread. Maybe the oil was too cold when it was added, or the chocolate was in large pieces so it didn’t incorporate well. It can also happen if the spread goes through multiple heating and cooling phases. (See below for a longer explanation.) It’s still completely edible, but it doesn’t look very appetizing, so here’s how you fix your oily chocolate spread.
First transfer it to a bowl and heat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals, whisking after each time, until it is warm and fluid. Next, place an immersion blender in the bowl and blend it until the oil mixes back into the chocolate. As you blend, move the blender around, including the sides and bottom of the bowl, so all of it gets well mixed. It might take a minute, but you should see your mixture transform into a glossy chocolate with a pudding-like texture.
Don’t have an immersion blender? A regular blender can also be used, but it’s my second choice since it can be a pain to clean, and doesn’t work as well for smaller quantities. You can also try just using a whisk after reheating, but if you do that, be sure to keep whisking until you see the texture change. This could take several minutes.
Bonus nerdy section on why the spread sometimes separates: the spread is an emulsion, meaning it has fat particles from coconut oil and chocolate suspended in the water and sugar base. Not mixing it enough, or heating and cooling it frequently, can both result in the fat dropping out of the suspension and coming to the surface of the spread.
The spread will have the texture of hot fudge sauce when it is first made, but after chilling it, it will become spreadable. Hot weather and hot kitchens can cause it to soften again. If your kitchen is quite warm, you’ll find that it becomes soft again when it is left out on the counter for long periods. Simply refrigerate it briefly until it firms up again.
This chocolate spread should be stored in a jar or container with tight-fitting lid. It can kept in the refrigerator for at least a month – but anecdotally, I’ve had it last longer and be completely fine.
It will be pretty firm when it comes out of the refrigerator, so you can either stir it until it becomes more spreadable, or let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until it softens a bit.
This chocolate spread was so rich and tasty! I want to use it on everything!!!
This is so delicious! We spread it on our pancakes for breakfast this morning – I think I’m going to have to make more soon!
If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to Nutella, this is it! I put this on almost everything! Soooo gooood! Thanks for sharing!
I made this chocolate spread to put on my toast this morning and it was delicious!
This chocolate spread is divine! Easy to make and so delicious spread over croissants, thank you!