I’d like to introduce you to a little recipe that we make at our house all the time—coconut oil vegan chocolate fudge. It’s our absolute favorite healthier dessert, and we almost always have all the ingredients we need to make it stocked in our pantry.
This fudge is different from regular fudge in that it is naturally sweetened, totally dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free, and packed with healthy fats, thanks to a good chunk of coconut oil. It is packed with nutrients and good-for-you stuff.
Table of Contents
Do I need chocolate or cocoa powder?
For this recipe, we’re going to use cocoa powder. Not only does it give the recipe tons of rich, chocolatey-flavor, but cocoa powder is also easy to keep on hand in the pantry!
What is vegan fudge made of?
Coconut oil. The idea behind this fudge is that property that all coconut oil users know well—coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but anything above that, and it’s a velvety smooth liquid oil.
Honey or maple syrup. If you want to make this fudge vegan, make sure you stick with maple syrup. Honey works if you are eating animal products.
Unsweetened cocoa powder. We recommend using Dutch-process cocoa powder for the best, rich dark chocolate flavor, but standard cocoa powder also does the trick!
Vanilla extract and salt. To get a fully-rounded flavor, you need some vanilla and salt. The salt will help amplify the chocolate flavor.
To make this fudge, you simply warm and melt the coconut oil, stir it with cocoa and sweetener, and then pour it into a pan. Then you chill that sucker in the fridge, and out pops the most velvety, dense, and smooth fudge you’ve ever had—without a single second of cooking time.
No boiling hot sugar on the stove and fussing with a candy thermometer. No sticking something in the microwave for 10 minutes. Just five minute, deeply chocolatey fudge—with a gloriously awesome hint of coconut flavor.
Why is my fudge crumbly?
If you used honey, sometimes crystallized honey can cause issues with separation and make the fudge crumbly. Maple syrup gives a consistently creamy result!
If you are struggling with crumbling, bring the fudge back up to room temperature, and see if that helps soften the fudge.
Is dark chocolate vegan?
This recipe is vegan because we’re using pure unsweetened cocoa powder. However, some dark chocolate bars do occasionally contain animal products like milk or honey.
Can I make other flavors of this vegan fudge recipe?
Absolutely! You can make peanut butter fudge, though adding peanut butter will make it a little less solid—but not less delicious.
You could also stir in some orange zest for a wonderful orange chocolate flavor!
Vegan Chocolate Fudge Recipe
Yield: 9 servings
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour3 minutes
This Easy Vegan Chocolate Fudge Recipe is a breeze to make. It's a delicious homemade healthy vegan snack that’s naturally sweetened, and uses just 5 simple ingredients!
In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, honey or maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt until very smooth. If the mixture doesn’t come together, heat over very low heat in a small saucepan until very smooth.
Pour mixture into the prepared dish. Refrigerate until solid, about an hour, then sprinkle the shredded coconut on top, and cut into 9 small pieces. If you're in a hurry, pop it in the freezer and you'll be ready to go in about half the time—although you might need to use a knife run under hot water to cut through it.
Notes
I don't recommend making this in any of the "regular" size baking pans, because the resulting fudge will be very thin (this is a small batch recipe). I like using asmall square food storage container. If you happen to have a mini muffin tin, you can also use that for pre-portioned fudge bites.
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
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Monitor the Temperature with a Candy Thermometer. If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. ...
Avoid Stirring Once the Mixture Comes to a Simmer. ...
If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).
The very best substitute for coconut oil in baking is the same amount of butter! Because butter is also solid at room temperature, the properties are similar. Vegan butter works as a plant-based option, and there lots of great vegan butter brands on the market (Miyokos and others).
So, the key to smooth yet firm fudge, pralines, and fondant is to first bring the mixture to a high enough concentration and then let it cool off somewhat before starting to stir. And once you do start to stir, stir fanatically and without stopping for the finest, creamiest texture.
You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).
OPTION 3) Sieve together some powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reaches the consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll in powdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).
Conversely, if the cooking time is too brief and there is not enough evaporation, too much water will remain and the fudge will be too soft. A temperature of 112°C to 114°C (234°F to 237°F) must be maintained. This will ensure the fudge has the ideal concentration of water and sugar. Fudge is difficult to make.
However, homemade fudge doesn't always set up into a semi-firm, melt-in-your-mouth confection. If your fudge doesn't firm up after a few hours, you either have too high an amount of liquid to sugar, or your mixture hasn't reached the soft-ball stage. Using a candy thermometer can help home cooks avoid this problem.
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
If the fudge looks oily and separated or is too stiff to stir, vigorously stir in up to 6 teaspoons warm water a teaspoon at a time; stop adding as soon the mixture smooths out and looks creamy.
Candy that isn't cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard. High-quality fudge has many small crystals. If the process of crystallization begins too early, fewer crystals form and they become much larger.
The high saturation of fat explains why these oils solidify at lower temperatures than unsaturated oils like olive oil. These highly saturated oils, as well as whipped oils, usually make adequate butter substitutes for any sort of shortening, fudge, and no-bake cookies.
Adding a tablespoon of coconut oil or vegetable oil while microwaving helps the chocolate melt more smoothly and makes it the perfect consistency for dipping! The caveat here is that once cool, the chocolate won't set up quite as hard as it did to begin with due to the added fat content.
When it comes to baking, coconut oil makes a wonderful substitute for butter and other oils, like olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil. Regardless of the type of fat used in a recipe, you can swap in an equal amount of coconut oil.
Stir Constantly: Stir the fudge mixture continuously, especially during the melting process, to prevent burning and ensure even cooking. Use Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and creaminess to fudge, creating a smooth texture.
Brush the sides of the pan with a wet brush at the beginning of cooking to dissolve sugar crystals stuck to the sides. Never stir the mixture during cooking or sugar could crystallize again. The mixture may seize and become grainy. Use a candy thermometer or conduct a cold water test to check if the fudge is done.
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.
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