The Easy Ingredient Swap That Makes Chocolate Ganache Totally Vegan

If you've ever had chocolate ganache — a smooth, rich mixture of melted chocolate and cream — you'll know there's nothing on earth quite like it. You can use it in glazes, frostings, fillings, or dipping sauces for strawberries, churros, and more — is your mouth watering yet? However, the decadence stops for those of us who don't incorporate dairy into our diets or just simply don't have heavy cream on hand when the time comes for a chocolate ganache to be made. Luckily, canned coconut milk is a 1-to-1 substitute, and dare it be said, it might be even better than heavy cream. 

Traditionally, the recipe for a chocolate ganache calls for about six ounces of high-quality chocolate for every cup of heavy cream, and the same ratio applies when using coconut milk — just make sure your chocolate is dairy-free too. A classic ganache is often prepared by warming the cream, pouring it over the chocolate, and then stirring to combine once the heat gently melts the chocolate. If you were to heat the coconut milk in that way, it could result in a broken or grainy ganache if the coconut milk separates. This tends to happen because the coconut water and fat pull apart when heated. To account for this, the best preparation for a silky smooth coconut milk chocolate ganache is different but still just as easy.

Start by putting the full-fat canned coconut milk (unopened) right into the refrigerator for a few hours, or better yet, overnight. This allows the rich and fatty coconut solids to separate from the water. When you open the can, you will see that the thick coconut cream has risen to the top. Go ahead and scoop out the solid part, and save the remaining coconut water for cocktails and smoothies.

Since you spent all that time waiting for the coconut milk to achieve the desired thickness, you don't want to destroy the texture by heating it up. What you'll want to do instead is allow the coconut cream to come to room temperature while you set up a double boiler to melt your dairy-free chocolate. Once smooth and melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and let it cool slightly before adding in the room temperature coconut cream. All that's left to do is gently whisk the coconut cream and chocolate together until you achieve a silky and irresistible vegan chocolate ganache.