What if I told you my absolute favorite homemade fudge of all time contains no dairy whatsoever? What if I told you it even uses everyday pantry ingredients, and takes just minutes to prepare? Now what if I said the version I make is even soy-free, gluten-free, and vegan? Would you believe me? Well, it really is true. This vegan fudge is a 5 or 10 minute recipe that is positively delicious.
The Best Holiday Fudge Ever, and It Just Happens to be Vegan
Thanks to creative bakers like Hannah Kaminsky, splurging at the holidays is fast becoming a reality for almost every special diet. From Caramel Sweet Potato Pie to Cookie Butter Pinwheel Cookies, Hannah has a sweet recipe for every occasion in her repertoire. So it comes as no surprise that Hannah has written numerous vegan dessert cookbooks.
This vegan fudge recipe was originally printed in her very first cookbook, My Sweet Vegan. She called it Five-Minute Coconut Fudge.
Hannah recently published the second edition of My Sweet Vegan with a new name. It’s now called Sweet Vegan Treats, but her vegan fudge recipe has remained untouched. It’s perfect as is. However, Hannah couldn’t resist taking new photos to show off this time-tested treat.
Special Diet Notes: The Best Vegan Fudge
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- 1 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3½ cups powdered confectioner’s sugar
- ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ cup regular, full-fat canned coconut milk (do NOT substitute dairy-free milk beverage; can sub coconut cream)
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free buttery spread
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted (optional)
- Lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Put the coconut milk and buttery spread in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, while stirring, until the buttery spread has melted and bubbles just begin to break at the surface.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and immediately pour the coconut mixture over the chocolate mixture. Let sit for a few minutes to melt the chocolate, and then vigorously stir until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla.
- Quickly pour the chocolate mixture into your prepared pan. Smooth out the top and evenly sprinkle it with the toasted coconut (if using). Gently press the coconut into the fudge.
- Let the fudge cool completely before cutting it into squares. To hasten the process, you can cover and refrigerate the fudge until set.
Pecan-Pumpkin Spice Option: Whisk 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in with the sugar and cocoa. Omit the flaked coconut topping, and instead press maple-glazed pecans into the top of the fudge before placing it in the fridge.
This recipe is lightly adapted and reprinted with permissions from Sweet Vegan Treats by Hannah Kaminsky.
More Sweet Holiday Treats from Hannah Kaminsky
Cranberry Red Velvet Cake
Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie
No-Bake Candied Apple Flan
104 Comments
Can I still make without the chocolate chips ? I have everything but that
You can chop up chocolate – but no, it won’t work without chocolate.
The only problem is that it is not vegan, or even vegetarian. Confectioners sugar is made with bone char.
Hi Camela,
Fortunately, there are many brands of vegan sugar, powdered sugar included, that do not use bone char in the processing. Most organic brands – such as Wholesome Sweeteners – do not use bone char in the processing, and brands made from beet sugar. So enjoy!!
I made a couple batches (ginger and peppermint, each) of this fudge last night to send in for a potluck today. I found that the full recipe made too flat a fudge, so I ended up scootching the fudge into only 2/3s of the pan for the ginger fudge, and then made 1.5x the recipe for the peppermint, which resulted in a thicker piece. I found as others before me that the hot coconut milk and buttery stick mixture did not have enough residual heat to melt the chocolate completely, so with the first batch I popped the whole bowl over boiling water until it mixed smooth, and with the second batch I added the chocolate alone to the hot milk mixture and made a ganache that I folded into the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture. Both set up properly, have a nice consistency and flavor, so I think there is some leeway in how you follow this recipe. Thanks for the great vegan alternative to regular fudge!
Would love a vanilla version!
I have made this fudge a few times now, though I need to use more milk or cream then required in the recipe; typically, I use 2/3 cup to 1 cup instead of 1/2 cup. I have also used less sugar, no extract, unsweeted chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate, natural cocoa powder instead of dutch cocoa powder, and coconut cream instead of coconut milk all with good results. I can’t tell the difference between this fudge and regular chocolate fudge. I am allergic to dairy, eggs, wheat, and soy, so this fudge is a gift from Heaven.
Do you have a recipe for plain fudge? I tried using a basic recipe of condensed milk, butter, and sugar, but with coconut cream and coconut oil instead of condensed milk and butter. The end results were both decisively not fudgey, but I am admittedly a complete newbie to this type of activity.
Hi Jonathan, what are you seeking in terms of a “plain” fudge? Is there a particular recipe that you are trying to convert?
I mean a fudge not made with chocolate, like vanilla fudge. I tried some recipes which basically just called for sugar, milk, butter, salt, and vanilla extract which I omitted.
Ah yes, still working on that! 🙂
I used what we had in the pantry – coconut manna (butter) and coco nibs instead of chips. Because the nips didn’t melt I added another 1/2 C regular (love that creme on top) coconut milk. Delicious!! Thank you, I have my contribution to the next bake sale.
What a fun adaptation Nana – thanks for sharing!
I tried this, and I like it!! It just seems a little too sweet for me, and I had to use more coconut milk then required in the directions. It also seemed a little grainy, but that is probably because I made my own “powdered sugar” with a blender and cane sugar and cornstarch. Next time I might try melting the sugar into the milk! I really liked it though 😀 Where would you recommend buying dairy free chocolate chips from that aren’t ridiculously expensive? Or is there a way to make your own chocolate bars using cocoa?
Ashley, you can make your own chocolate. But for store-bought do you need allergy-safe chocolate chips (are you dealing with a life-threatening milk allergy or extreme sensitivity) or are you okay with the possibility of trace amounts of dairy in the chocolate?
In my experience, you are correct about the powdered sugar; I use confectioner sugar from Shoppers or Trader Joe’s powdered sugar, and the result is a very smooth fudge.
Do you think I could use peanut butter in place of the margarine in preparing the “Five Minute Coconut Fudge”?
Hi Gail, it would leave it softer and would change the flavor. If you want a PB flavor, but also want the same firmness, I would use part peanut butter and part coconut oil.
You might want to try using PB2 in the dry mixture instead
Are you suppose to put it in the fridge and for how long?
I prefer to keep it in the fridge. It never lasts past a few days in our house, so it’s hard to say! You can freeze leftovers for longer, if concerned.
I left mine in the fridge for a week, and it tasted no different.
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Ooohhh…my this is so good! I had tried another vegan fudge recipe at the beginning of the month – and it didn’t turn out. With hesitation – I decided to try this recipe. It is so long since I have had fudge. This rocks – and I can only hope there is still some left for Christmas. I can’t believe how fast and easy it was – I practically had tears! Thanks again Alisa – and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!
So glad you like it Kim! Luckily, it is easy, so you can make another batch for the holiday 🙂 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
For anyone at the mercy of their pantry, using trader joes reduced fat coconut milk plus a tablespoon of coconut oil worked for me.
Thanks for sharing Heather!
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Yum! Thank you for the recipe. Coconut milk makes such creamy fudge. I did find that for me it was sweeter than necessary, so I made it a second time and only used 2 cups of powdered sugar instead of 3 1/2 and it actually turned out a little creamier this way (but still set) and still plenty sweet for my taste. I may try using bittersweet chocolate next time. I made the peppermint variety minus the candy canes because I found that it will keep longer this way (the candy canes start to get gooey after awhile).
Thanks for sharing your version Laura. Great to know that it still sets up well with less sugar!
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Just a little suggestion for anyone having anyone having trouble with the fudge setting. Could it be you used spread instead of margerine? They have a higher moisture content. This has been a problem for me in the past. I am a mom with a teenage daughter who is allergic all nuts, egg, and dairy.
This recipe is fabulous. I measured out the confectioners sugar and the cocoa, then sifted them together. Everything melted perfectly. I made the peppermint version for Christmas. It was a huge hit. Someone said, “You made this? You should sell it, seriously!” 🙂
That’s great! So glad everyone enjoyed it Wendy!
I love this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it! I can finally make vegan fudge for my friends as holiday gifts =]
Like Rachel, my chocolate (EL minis) didn’t melt either when I poured over the hot coconut milk mixture. It seemed like it cooled too fast; I kept stirring, but the chips stayed intact. I ended up putting my mixing bowl over pot of simmering water until the chocolate melted. I’m still waiting for it to cool, but it looks great!
Thanks so much for that print-or-PDF function on your website! Great to find recipes on line, but it’s often a hassle to save or print the recipe (and I’m just too messy to have a laptop or a pad in the kitchen!).
Great recipe, by the way. We’re all done with baking for awhile, but are going to try this for a New Year treat
So glad it’s helpful for you Elizaveta. Happy Holidays!