This paleo fudge is made healthier with almond butter and maple syrup and has the most amazingly creamy texture! It’s also vegan, dairy-free and no cooking is required.
I already have a recipe for paleo vegan fudge. That one is pretty much exactly like traditional fudge in taste, texture and the ability to keep it at room temperature.
But it uses a bunch of chocolate chips.
I wanted to offer an alternative that is naturally sweetened so today’s paleo fudge recipe is sweetened with just maple syrup. By the way, I tried two keto versions and they were inedible. There are more details in the questions section below!
It doesn’t taste exactly like traditional fudge – it has a more refined taste! I actually much prefer this recipe. The maple syrup + almond butter come together to make something really delicious.
Today’s recipe is also creamier. On the off-chance that anyone reading this has had Viba Nougat, a creamy German chocolate hazelnut bar (that is not at all similar to what we call nougat in English), it tastes really close and it has the same texture, too! Everyone I’ve brought Viba Nougat to in the US has been obsessed with it.
Nothing like Viba exists in the US so I’m going to try this recipe soon with hazelnut butter to see if I can recreate Viba for my non-German-readers (and for my German readers who want a healthier alternative!).
You sadly can’t tell by the photos what a great texture this dairy-free fudge has. It starts getting pretty soft a few minutes out of the freezer so it doesn’t really hold up well while taking photos in a hot room, rearranging it, etc.
This fudge can’t be kept at room temperature. You’ve got to keep it in the freezer – and you can eat it straight from there. No thawing required. It’s a bummer, I know, but it doesn’t stop me from making it.
You’ll want to be sure to use refined coconut oil, unless you want to have coconut flavored chocolate fudge. There’s something about unrefined coconut oil in chocolate flavored goodies that I just can’t stand.
I don’t even use it in my chocolate coconut granola or chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars and those recipes both have coconut in them. 🤷 Is it just me?
The base of this vegan fudge recipe is almond butter. You need a whole cup for the full recipe. Here’s how to make almond butter.
Just in case you happen to read this recipe during a future lockdown and ALL the nut butters are gone for two months, as they were when I worked on this recipe.
I almost always make my own nut butters to cut down on costs but during lockdown, I didn’t have a minute to spare and needed to take every shortcut possible. So the lack of nut butters was annoying. I’m now stocked with all kinds of nut butters for next time!
I’m normally a big fan of making fudge in mini muffin liners (a usually failed attempt at portion control!) but thought I’d change things up and use a 9″x5″ pan this time.
I’ve tested paper and silicone muffin liners and both work well. Use whichever method is easiest for you!
If you try out this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. :)
Questions about this healthy fudge recipe?
- Can I use something instead of almond butter?
You can definitely experiment, though if you use a different nut butter, the result won’t be exactly the same. For example, I find that when using sunflower seed butter, you need to add quite a bit of extra salt and sweetener.
I also find it runnier than almond butter.
If you want something with hazelnut butter, try my hazelnut fudge! I’ve also got this amazing peanut butter fudge, which is also maple-sweetened.
As is this lemon fudge, which uses cashew butter. I feel like I’ve got all the nut butter fudges covered now. ;) - Can I use a different sweetener?
I actually tried making this with Lakanto’s Sugar-free Maple Flavored Syrup and it worked texturally but the taste was awful. Nobody could eat it.
Then I tried it with granulated sugar-free sweeteners (and attempted to dissolve it in the coconut oil) but it was of course grainy. A keto version will have to wait for another day!
Honey should work (if you don’t care about this fudge being vegan) but it’ll likely have a very noticeable honey taste and not be as balanced as the maple version. I’m sure it’d still be delicious! - Can I use something instead of coconut oil or butter?
I suppose butter would work if you can have dairy. Liquid oil like olive oil, avocado oil, etc. would definitely not work.
- Does it taste like coconut?
Not if you use refined coconut oil. If you unrefined, it definitely has a coconut taste to it.
- Can I use a different type of cocoa powder?
I use normally use Dutch-process cocoa powder for its deep chocolaty taste. That’s what I used the first few times I made this recipe and loved it. But I tried it with the regular stuff and loved it even more. I’m pretty sure you can use whatever cocoa / cacao powder you’d like.
Paleo Fudge (vegan, no-bake)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 18-24 pieces
Ingredients
- 1 cup (256 grams) natural almond butter (the kind with just almonds)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons (84 grams) melted refined coconut oil (make sure it's totally melted with no lumps of oil)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (86 grams) cocoa powder
Directions
- Mix the almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract together until smooth and no more lumps of coconut oil remain. Add the salt and cocoa powder and mix until combined. If you taste it now and it doesn't taste quite perfect, don't fear as it takes some time for the flavors to blend.
- Line a 9"x5" loaf pan with parchment paper and pour the fudge in. You can also use muffin liners (silicone or paper) if you prefer. Freeze for about 2-3 hours or until firm.
- Store in the freezer.
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12 comments on “Paleo Fudge (vegan and incredibly creamy!)” — Add one!
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We tried this recipe the other day. My dairy free child says it tastes like dairy free chocolate cake to me. I love how creamy it is and has way less sugar in it than traditional fudge. We want to try the caramel fudge you have next.
I’m so glad that he liked it! I have some in the freezer right now and love having a piece every night. :D I hope you’ll enjoy the caramel fudge! Thanks as always for your feedback. :)
The kids and I made this fudge in the food processor yesterday, and they wanted to “sample” all of it before I put it in the pan. I was obsessed with the gooey texture when I spread it in the pan, and I’m still obsessed with the texture every time I take a bite. This beats real fudge any day! Thank you for the amazing paleo recipes! I would absolutely buy a cookbook with all of your paleo recipes!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment! I’m so glad that you and your kids enjoyed the fudge. What’s funny is that this recipe started off as a spread, like homemade Nutella. Then I thought, “Oooh! I bet I could turn this into fudge!” I’ll be posting the spread recipe at some point. But all you do is omit the coconut oil. Then you’ll get chocolate almond butter. :D Thanks for the nice words! I’m happy you’re enjoying the paleo recipes. :)
Yummmmm can wait to make this one!!!
Can you be more specific on why you liked the regular cocoa powder over the Dutch in this recipe? I don’t like bitterness in a chocolate recipe and I don’t know enough about the chemistry of cooking (or not cooking!) to understand why that happens in some recipes and not others even though I’m using the same cocoa powder. Those are the same recipes other people say have a very deep chocolatey flavor. Maybe it’s my cocoa powder but I buy really good stuff (90% of the time I use organic Dutch process). I guess I’m wondering if you could distinguish which version had less bitterness or was more sweet maybe..? I always find your recipes have the perfect amount of sweetness for my taste and for my family’s. Thanks Erin!
What a great question! The natural cocoa version had less of a dark chocolate taste. So it tasted sweeter. But neither version was bitter at all. You can easily make a fourth batch with your favorite cocoa and see how you like it before buying a different one. :) I went to a special taste loss clinic yesterday and did some taste tests. The doctor said that a lot of people can’t properly taste bitter. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone telling me that my recipe turned out bitter but I’m wondering if the bitter-tasting chocolate recipes are from people that have that issue. I came up with this recipe (and all the other new, non-adapted ones I’ve posted lately) a long time ago and still can’t come up with anything totally new until I’m back at 100%. The doctor said he’s very hopeful I’ll get my full taste back (yay!) but it’ll likely taste a few months (booo). I’m very glad that the recipes have the perfect sweetness for you and our family! :) I hope you’ll enjoy the fudge if you try it.
Just curious…did the doctor say why you lost your sense of taste? As I mentioned this has happened to not only me but some of my friends/family over the years however I’ve never seen it last as long as it has with you.
I am going to be praying for you about this that the Lord heals you! I know it’s politically incorrect to mention politics or religion, especially nowadays but I don’t really care. You have so much talent and I don’t want it to go to waste. This has got to be terribly frustrating for you. One thing I know for sure is Faith can move mountains!
On another note, what do you think raw cacao would do to this recipe? I don’t see you use it much and I don’t use it much either but I do have some in my pantry. I would have to order regular cocoa powder because all I have right now is dutched.
Post-viral anosmia. I lost it the day a cold started so it makes sense! He said the results of my taste tests are pretty good compared to other patients (but still not as good as they should be) so I don’t have that far to go. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers. :) It is frustrating but I’m happy that I can at least taste enough to enjoy my food now. I think raw cacao powder would work well. I think any type of cocoa powder would! But seriously, you can try with Dutch-process. :D I made it a ton of times (just because I liked it and was craving it) with that before I even tried the regular stuff.
This was outstanding! I used regular cocoa powder. The perfect amount of sweetness.
Yay! I’m glad to hear that. Thanks, as always, for your feedback! I hope you have a great weekend. :)
Look yummy! (And healthy 😉)
Thank you! I hope you’ll get a chance to try it out. :)