Smooth and tangy, this keto white chocolate cream cheese frosting tastes like the real thing — just 1g net carbs. ChocZero chips are the secret, and I spread it on everything from red velvet cake to cupcakes.
I've made a lot of frostings over the years, and adding melted white chocolate changed everything. The texture goes from standard frosting to something richer, almost mousse-like, with that vanilla-forward sweetness that regular frosting just doesn't have.
The key to this recipe is the ChocZero chips. I've tested other sugar free options, and most of them seize up or get waxy when you melt them. ChocZero melts smooth and glossy every time, which matters because grainy, separated frosting is the number one failure mode here. One of my readers, Laura, made this for her daughter's birthday cake and told me the frosting "makes it taste like the real thing, which is not something I say lightly." I get messages like that a lot with this one.
The technique tip I should have put in the original recipe: let the melted chocolate cool for 3-4 minutes before adding it to the mixture. If it's still hot, it breaks and you end up with a greasy, separated mess. I confirmed this the hard way. Stream it in slowly while the mixer runs on low, and you'll get a perfectly smooth frosting every time.
I use this on my keto hostess cupcakes and it works just as well on a birthday mug cake when I want something fast. You can also thin it out with a tablespoon of heavy cream for a pourable glaze, or chill it for 30 minutes and scoop it like a chocolate mousse. It's genuinely versatile.
For low carb baking, I keep a batch of this in the fridge most weeks. It holds for about a week in an airtight container, and I just give it a quick stir before spreading. It pipes well too, if you chill it first. I've used it on layered cakes, keto sugar cookies, and even as a dip for strawberry shortcake kebabs. If you're building a dessert spread for a party, pair it with a keto chocolate trifle and a pie crust dessert and you've got a full table.
One more thing: sift your powdered erythritol before adding it. Unsifted erythritol leaves tiny grits in the finished frosting that you'll feel on your teeth. I learned this from a reader comment and now I do it every single time.
The white chocolate keeps this frosting white, so it works for decorating cakes, cupcakes and cookies.
Two Ways to Melt the White Chocolate
I melt the chips in the microwave because it takes about 60 seconds and no extra pans. Heat them in a microwave safe glass bowl on high for 30 seconds, stir, then heat 15 to 30 seconds more and stir until smooth and shiny.
A double boiler works too. Rest a glass bowl of chips on the rim of a saucepan of water over low heat, so the bowl never touches the water, and stir as the steam melts the chocolate.
Keep the Cream Cheese Cold
The butter should be softened to room temperature, but the cream cheese can go in cold or semi cold. Cut it into cubes so the hand mixer or stand mixer can blend it in. If the cream cheese is also at room temperature, the frosting turns too soft to pipe into shape.
You can spread this with a spoon or spatula, but a piping bag with a tip gives you swirls and puffs.
Keto White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
Step by Step Instructions
1
Get a medium bowl
In a medium sized bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended using an electric mixer.
2
Get a small microwave safe bowl
Add white chocolate to a small microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between.
3
Add chocolate
Add melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined. Slowly add in powdered erythritol and continue to mix until frosting is creamy and smooth.
Nutrition
Calories
122
Fat
11.3g
Protein
1.1g
Total carbs
4g
Fiber
3g
Net carbs
1g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my frosting separate or turn greasy?
The melted chocolate was too hot when you added it. I've done this myself. Let the chocolate cool for 3-4 minutes after melting, stir it until it's glossy, then stream it into the mixer slowly on low speed. That cooling step is the difference between silky frosting and a greasy mess.
Do I need to sift the powdered erythritol?
I always sift mine now. Unsifted powdered erythritol can have tiny clumps that don't break down during mixing, and you'll feel the grit on your teeth in the finished frosting. A quick pass through a fine mesh sieve takes 30 seconds and makes a real difference in texture.
Can I use this as a dessert mousse or dip instead of frosting?
I do this all the time. Chill the frosting in the fridge for about 30 minutes and it firms up into a mousse-like consistency that you can scoop into bowls. For a dip, I skip the chilling and serve it at room temperature with berries or cookies. It's the same recipe, just a different serving style.
Can I make this dairy-free or vegan?
I haven't tested a fully vegan version myself, but I've had readers swap in vegan cream cheese and plant-based butter with decent results. The texture is slightly softer, so I'd recommend chilling it longer before using. Make sure your chocolate chips are dairy-free too.
Can I use cocoa powder to make a chocolate version instead?
Yes. I swap the chips for 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and it makes a solid chocolate frosting. I add the cocoa with the erythritol so it incorporates evenly. The texture is a bit different (less silky, more matte) but it works well on cakes and cupcakes.
How do I thin this to a glaze consistency?
I add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, mixing between each addition, until it's pourable. Usually takes 1-2 tablespoons for me. It makes a beautiful drizzle over bundt cakes or mug cakes. Just don't add too much at once or it thins out faster than you expect.
How should I store leftover frosting?
I keep mine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It firms up when cold, so I pull it out about 10 minutes before I need it and give it a quick stir. I haven't had luck freezing it (the texture goes a bit grainy after thawing), so I stick to fridge storage.
Can I pipe this frosting on layered cakes?
I've piped it on cupcakes and layer cakes and it holds shape well, but you need to chill it first. About 20-30 minutes in the fridge gives it enough body to pipe clean rosettes. At room temperature it's too soft for detailed piping, so I plan ahead when I know I'm decorating.
I’ll admit those ChocZero chips sat in my cupboard for two months before I tried this. I melted them into the cream cheese and butter and now I get it! Thank you for this one!
Leah, melt them first. I let mine cool for 3-4 minutes after melting, then stream it in on low speed. Add it too warm and the frosting breaks and goes greasy.
Something about warm vanilla hitting the ChocZero white chocolate smell as it melted stopped me cold, because I genuinely didn’t think I’d smell that again after going keto. White chocolate was one of those things I stopped even thinking about (not because I missed it, but because it felt too specific to mourn). Put this on a birthday cake last month and ate a spoonful off the spatula before it even made it onto the cake. Didn’t taste like a workaround. Tasted like the thing.
The spatula test is how I knew this one was ready. ‘Tasted like the thing’ is exactly what I’m chasing when I develop these. Hope some made it onto the cake, Casey.
The chips and the erythritol both add sweetness, so it stacks. Pull the erythritol back to 6 tablespoons instead of the full half cup if you want to tone it down. The chips carry enough that you won’t really notice the missing powder. I do that version when I’m putting it on red velvet or something that’s already got some sweetness built in. Still tastes great, just not as candy-sweet.
Double batch every other Sunday is the system now, mostly because I got tired of making frosting whenever I needed it. The thing I learned the hard way: pull it from the fridge ten minutes before using. Cold, it’s stiff enough to drag up the surface of whatever you’re frosting, and mine looked pretty rough the first time I spread it straight from the fridge. Once it relaxes, it goes on smooth. It held well for six days, which surprised me given the cream cheese, and I’ve been putting it on coconut flour muffins mid-week, not just the cake I made the original batch for. The ChocZero chips are the part I wouldn’t try to swap out.
I accidentally over-melted the ChocZero chips (went closer to 45 seconds instead of stopping at 30-second intervals) and the frosting came out way silkier than I expected. Not sure if that was the reason but I’m doing it that way on purpose now. Put this on a red velvet mug cake and genuinely couldn’t tell it wasn’t the real thing. Not bad for my first frosting attempt.
The longer melt fully releases the cocoa butter, which is probably what you’re noticing. I always stop early because I’ve seized chocolate before, but yours clearly didn’t. Red velvet was the right call.
I think this is my fourth batch in two months and I’m not even a little sorry. The ChocZero chips are the whole thing (I tried with a different white chocolate bark once and it just tasted sweet, not the same at all, something was missing). Watching them melt in the microwave in those 30-second increments and then fold into the cream cheese mixture is almost meditative at this point. Put a giant pile of this on red velvet cupcakes last weekend for a party and had to stop myself from just eating it off the mixing paddle before anything got frosted. The texture when it’s slightly chilled is this thick, fudgy situation that surprised me the first time. Already thinking about trying it on a lemon cake to see what happens.
I was convinced the ChocZero chips were going to taste waxy and pull the whole thing down. Melted down clean and the frosting has that actual buttery sweetness you expect from white chocolate, not some approximation of it. Knocked me back a little.
I kept putting this off thinking white chocolate would be impossible without real chips. The ChocZero ones actually work though. Way better than any keto frosting I’ve tried, and I’ve tried plenty.
My daughter spotted the ChocZero bag on the counter and got skeptical (she’s eight, she knows what ‘healthy chocolate’ usually tastes like). She spread this on her cupcake without saying a word and then came back for the spatula to lick. That’s the real review. I’d give it five stars but I found it a touch sweet for me personally, so next batch I’m pulling back the erythritol a little and seeing what happens.
ChocZero chips are the secret here (the frosting actually tastes like white chocolate, not like erythritol with a white chocolate rumor). I pulled back the powdered erythritol by about a tablespoon since the chips add their own sweetness. Way better balance. Frosted cupcakes for a birthday last weekend and it held at room temp longer than I expected. Might be worth a note in the recipe that erythritol amounts will vary depending on which chips you use — some keto brands run way sweeter.
The chip sweetness sneaks up on you. I pull back about a tablespoon from the recipe when I’m using ChocZero. The room temp thing is real too (cream cheese usually softens fast but the ChocZero fat helps it hold).
Added a tablespoon of heavy cream to thin it for drizzling. ChocZero still comes through strong and it set just right on the pound cake without running off the sides.
Yeah, one tablespoon usually gets it there for me too. Pound cake is such a good call for this – the crumb soaks up the drizzle a little so it doesn’t run.
If the melted ChocZero is still hot when you add it, the cream cheese breaks and you end up with a greasy, separated mess (ask me how I know). Let it cool 3-4 minutes, stir until glossy, then stream it into the mixer slowly. Night and day difference. Also: sift your erythritol first. Unsifted powdered erythritol leaves tiny grits in the finished frosting that you’ll feel on your teeth.
Both of these are legit. The hot chocolate breaking the cream cheese is such an easy thing to miss, and I should’ve put that cooling step in the recipe notes. Erythritol grit is the worst.
Hello,
Could you use chocolate chips or cocoa if you wanted chocolate cream cheese frosting? Could you leave the white chocolate chips out and just make cream cheese frosting with this recipe?
