This Vegan Fudge is quick & easy to prepare, using just 6 ingredients you may already have in your pantry. It’s a healthier option compared to the traditional version I grew up eating, but it totally satisfies my sweet tooth. And I love how it melts in your mouth!
How to Make Vegan Fudge
Making this Vegan Fudge is as easy as it gets. All you need to do is mix 6 simple ingredients in a bowl, pour it into a square pan, and freeze until firm. I like to use homemade almond butter to make it, but you can also use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
Once it’s firm to the touch, you can cut it into small squares and eat it right away! Just keep in mind that it melts relatively quickly at room temperature, so don’t leave it out of the fridge or freezer for too long.
Does fudge contain dairy?
The fudge I grew up making called for a whole stick of butter and melted chocolate chips, so it’s loaded with dairy. This vegan fudge gets its firm texture from the use of coconut oil, which is solid when chilled.
Don’t be tempted to use an alternative oil that remains liquid, like olive oil, because the fudge won’t firm up in that case. However, if you have another vegan butter option that is solid when chilled, feel free to use that.
Does fudge have gluten?
This vegan fudge is naturally gluten-free and is a great dessert for those dealing with Celiac disease or a food intolerance. I love that it’s also naturally-sweetened, so it won’t spike my blood sugar as much the traditional version.
What Other Types of Sweets Can Vegans Eat?
If you’re looking for other vegan dessert ideas, try one of the following recipes! They are some of my favorites, and will totally satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Gluten-Free Brownies
- Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (gluten-free!)
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can find all of my vegan recipes in my recipe index!
How to Make Vegan Fudge (1-Minute Video):
Vegan Fudge (with 6 ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil , melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or raw cacao powder)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the almond butter and coconut oil until smooth. (This works best if the ingredients are at room temperature or slightly warm. If using almond butter from the fridge, make sure it sits out on the counter first so that the coconut oil won't solidify instantly when mixed together.)
- Add in the cocoa powder, maple syrup, sea salt and vanilla, and stir until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch square dish, lined with parchment paper for easy removal, and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Place the dish in the freezer, and allow the fudge to set for at least an hour before slicing and serving. Thanks to the coconut oil, this raw fudge will melt quickly if left to sit in a warm room, so it's best served directly from the freezer.
- Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the freezer. For a softer fudge, store it in the fridge. This fudge lasts up to a month when stored in the fridge, and up to 3 months when stored in the freezer, but we usually eat it all before then!
Video
Nutrition
Per Square: Calories: 97, Fat: 8g, Carbohydrates: 4g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 2g
Recipe Notes:
- If you’d rather not use almond butter, cashew butter also works well in this recipe. For a nut-free vegan fudge, try using tahini or sunflower seed butter instead.
Since you can taste this recipe as you go, feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to your taste. And please be sure to leave a comment below if you try something new! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s are your best vegan dessert recipes? Feel free to share your favorites in the comments below!
Love this recipe! So excited that it’s paleo too. Can’t wait to give it a try!
I adore fudge. I’ve been making pumpkin fudge that I can’t get enough of. Love that this is raw as well!
Lisa, would you please share the pumpkin fudge recipe?
yes please share the pumpkin fudge recipe
Pls share your pumpkin fudge recipe.
i love fudge, cant wait to try this recipe!
I’ve made your almond fudge before and love it, but it’s hard to give as a gift because it melts so fast (somehow, presenting a box of fudge along with an ice pack doesn’t look so festive :-)…). Do you think this recipe would still work if I substituted something like Earth Balance for the coconut oil?
I’m not sure Earth Balance would make it any more shelf stable, but you never know until you try! Please let us know if you have any success!
You could try ghee (clarified butter, casein-free), since it’s solid at room temp
Any recommendations for stevia replacement of the maple syrup?
Since stevia varies so much, you’ll have to add it according to your own personal taste. Luckily, you can taste as you go with this recipe!
I will try it with links to maple syrup I have on hand for low carb
Always a fan of anything chocolate or fudge related 🙂
Any ideas for a substitution for the coconut oil for people with coconut allergies?
Grass-fed butter would work, too!
Cashew butter from miyokos would probably work, or the vegan butter from earths balance I think it’s called.
There’s miyokos cashew butter and earth balance vegan butter. Those would work 😊
Yum! I will make it, then eat the whole thing all by my lonesome … being vegan isn’t all that healthy when the eater loves her chocolate! Will definitely try this recipe 🙂
Is there something you can substitute for the coconut oil. I am not a fan of coconut or coconut flavored things???
Please see my FAQ page for substitution options.
Hi Erika, if you use ‘refined’ coconut oil, it wont taste of coconut, at all. Unrefined or raw coconut oil will taste of coconut. Hope this helps. 🙂
There’s miyokos butter, it’s made from cashews and there is also earth balance vegan butter.
Thank you for this recipe. I made this and it is delicious! I haven’t had fudge in so long. This doesn’t taste like it is actually healthy! The only problem is that I can’t stop eating it! I think before it is frozen, this will make a good “glue” for a healthy gingerbread house.
Do you think I could substitute the coconut oil with a vegetable oil? I can’t find it here and it’s super expensive!
You’ll need to use an oil that is solid when chilled, or the fudge won’t set. I don’t think vegetable oil would work, but vegan butter substitute would probably do it.
So glad I found these ideas, and your site! I googled “flourless blondies” and there you were, with a peanut butter GF blondie, and more menu delights everywhere.
Now that I have GF family members and am going slowly raw-ish myself, your recipes and research are oh-so-helpful. Hope you don’t mind if I link to your site on my own vegetarian foodie blog. If so, just say the word and I’ll remove it.
Peace, and a Happy New Year,
Mari
Glad you found me, Mari! Hope you and your family enjoy the recipes! 🙂
I just made them with tahini. Yum its like Chocolate halvah!
Robyn, did you use the tahini as a substitute for almond butter? Was it a 1:1 ratio? I am anxious to try this recipe. It looks so yummy!
Do you know how many caleries per piece? I love these so much but don’t want to wast all my caleries on these:)
Please see my FAQ: https://detoxinista.com/frequently-asked-questions/
These look so delicious! I am always looking for cane sugar-free desserts. Thanks for this recipe. I’ll be making it soon!
I love the recipes on your site. I wish I knew about them and the paleo diet years ago. Being lactose and wheat intolerant doesn’t make life easy and having a sweet tooth is torture, but looking through your site I can see heaps of recipes I can make. Can’t wait to make this one. Yum!
Carrot juice saves my life when I’m craving sugar!!
This fudge is incredible! My boyfriend couldn’t believe it is raw and without sugar!
5 STARS! Just made your fudge and it is delicious! I love chocolate though i never eat it so this fudge is a great substitute for me to have occasionally. it is devine! Very easy recipe. Thanks for turning me on to Cashew Butter! I was so tired of the strong flavor of Almond Butter.
In place of the maple syrup, I used two overly ripe bananas that I keep in my freezer! You still get a little sweetness with the added bonus of banana flavor (if you like them). I also used the double boil method so that it’s easier to combine all of the ingredients without the stickiness.
Delicious either way!
My first tahini experience. This fudge is guilt-reduced yummy goodness. Thanks for the recipe. I did not have any maple syrup so I substituted 1/2 honey + stevia to taste. The substitution works well, but fudge still melts at room temp.
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I just made these tonight with Sun Butter due to a tree nut intolerance and it was delicious! In regards to food combining, what would be a good meal to eat than follow up with these as a dessert??
It was so delicious, I added 1/2 cup chopped pecan for nutty texture. Oh god, it was so good too!
Can you use peanut butter in place of the almond or cashew butter?
I tried it with Stevia..it was delicious..maple syrup has a glycemic load of 68-126..depends on the brand..kind of defeats the purpose of healthy.
A homemade fudge sweetened with a touch of pure maple syrup and loaded with protein and fiber from the almond butter has a much lower glycemic load than traditional fudge made with powdered sugar and chocolate chips. So, even as written, this recipe is much healthier and shouldn’t be discounted for those who are transitioning to a healthier lifestyle.
But, I’m glad you enjoyed it with the stevia!
No Thank You!..this is a wonderful recipe and i love it..didn’t mean to sound so blunt♥
Just made this fudge for the millionth time, this time using tahini. Trust me, you have to try it! We are huge fans in this house!
Maple Syrup isn’t raw is it? I guess I am confused as to the definition of raw. It’s a wonderful recipe though!
This is absolutely deliciously fabulous!
I just made this with tahini butter and fine pink Himalaya sea salt…I also added a couple of pieces of melted bakers chocolate 100% cocoa and a spoonful of organic coconut palm sugar. I just put them in the freezer but if they taste anything like the batter did then the final results will be uhhmazing!
Hi – Just had to say thanks for the recipe – have made it and it’s crazy good 🙂 – YUM!!! – Thank you 🙂
I understood Paleo to be only that which one could hunt or gather. Why is maple syrup among these things?
this was so!!! Good. I had to hide it from my fiancé.
Can I use corn syrup instead of maple syrup?
So yummy. Not sure I can wait for it to set up.
I just made this with raw almond butter and it is amazing! I hope I can make it last a week, since I know almond butter has a lot of calories, but my mouth is already watering again. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I made this using homemade cashew butter. Processed almonds into butter. Added coconut oil. Fine. Added the other ingredients and blended. I had a think chocolate mixture sitting in a pool of liquid??? I couldn’t get it to incorporate by food processor or by hand… Any ideas?
Maple syrup can be gathered quite easily by tapping/sugaring. We learned how as kids in at a nature center/retreat. http://www.tapmytrees.com/
Do you know how much Valerie’s the fudge is? Maybe an estimate? My friend was wondering 🙂
so I did not have any cashew butter made but I recently made cashew cream and mixed up a lovely chocolate mouse pudding ….basically same ingredients just cut in half so I don’t indulge too much. 😉
These seem quite simple and delicious! I would use Stevia or rice malt syrup as sweetener, but not sure how to measure that. Might add some decaf coffee to it as well. Chocolate or anything mocha is such a weakness!
Love this recipe. My toddler loves this fudge
This was DELICIOUS but it does have a taste of coconut. I tasted it before adding the maple syrup for the last ingredient, and it was VERY coconutty but after adding the maple syrup it was less so. But if you don’t like even the hint of coconut, you need to substitute it with something else. Otherwise this is so quick to make and so great!
This may be the best fudge I have ever tasted! And with ingredients I usually have at home anyway! Thank you!
I just made this and it was awesome. I made a couple of changes do to what I had. I used honey instead of maple syrup , and it still tasted amazing!! I will be making this again. 🙂 Thank for the recipe.
Just made these after running out of Almond Butter Freezer Fudge, very tasty! I used almond butter instead of cashew as it’s what I had on hand. I may have accidentally used 1/3 of a cup of cocoa instead of 1/4, but a little extra richness never hurt anyone!
Quick, easy, and satisfying, thank you. I found the cutest little Pyrex glass dishes with lids and they were perfect for this amount.
I am tweaking the recipe too.
Here are a few options:
Reducing the amount of coconut oil slightly, substituting peanut butter for cashew butter, adding in 1/2 cup peanuts, and exchanging maple syrup for fresh chopped dates soaked in an equal amount of water.
The flavor is very strong with peanut butter, so it masks the taste of almost anything you might want to add, such as powdered nutritional supplements. I’ve also tried soaking chia seeds, which changes the texture to a less fudgy consistency, but it’s still a very good dessert.
Hi- can you please give me an estimate as to how many calories would be in this entire recipe? I made it for a healthy potluck and MANY people are asking….
thank you! They are delish!
this went fine until I added salt–then the oil separated from everything else and is floating on top–what the heck. expensive almond butter–might have to toss it any ideas
How strange! The salt shouldn’t have caused separation, but sometimes oil can be released from the nut butter if you over-mix it. I’d just drain the oil off the top and freeze it anyway.
Hello, do you have a nutritional value for this recipe? Like how many carbs per serving, etc.?
I just made this with sunflower seed butter. I may have not bothered to let it freeze before digging in. Deeeelish! Thanks once again, Megan!