Rich, indulgent, and made with just 5 ingredients – this Healthy Chocolate Fudge is vegan, paleo, oil-free, and sweetened naturally!
When life hands you peanuts and you discover a bag of pretzels in the back of the top shelf of the pantry that you cannot remember when/why you bought…fudge. Fudge is the answer.
Maybe not the only answer, because peanuts + pretzel is a pretty bomb combo that has a lot of recipe potential (peanut pretzel streusel something was a close runner up), but it’s a really really good answer. Adding a deeply dark chocolate, date-sweetened, hunk of no-bake chocolate heaven underneath just makes sense.
I know “healthy” is a tricky adjective – this is not fudge made from kale, sorry to disappoint. But it is also not fudge made from butter or milk marshmallow fluff. This is fudge that falls gracefully somewhere in between leafy greens and candy shop. This is fudge that you can eat two pieces back to back without feeling like you have become sugar. This is fudge that makes me question why I waited so long to make homemade Healthy Chocolate Fudge?
Healthier Fudge Ingredients
I truly could not be happier with this easy lineup. We got:
- Unsweetened chocolate. You can use dark or semi-sweet, but the dates are sweet enough so I recommend 100% cacao a.k.a. unsweetened.
- Medjool dates. And yes you should soak them first unless they are already super squishy, date chunks = NOT dreamy fudge texture.
- Coconut milk. I haven’t tested with other milks, almond might work, but I can tell you for sure that canned coconut milk will yield the best fudge texture.
- Cocoa (or cacao) powder. It is healthy CHOCOLATE fudge after all.
- Salt. Be generous with your pinching.
- Toppings. I topped mine with crush pretzels and toasted peanuts, but I left you some other ideas in the notes section. Also no toppings, just unadulterated fudge flavor, would be delicious.
A Few Fudge Tips
- Soak the dates for easier smoother blending.
- Have all the ingredients at room temp so the melted chocolate doesn’t seize up when mixing.
- Mix the date mixture and cocoa powder first, then add the chocolate. The mixture will thicken quite quickly once you add the melted chocolate.
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Line the pan with parchment (not wax) paper for easier removal.
One of these fudgy squares in the evening post-dinner/pre-bed for a sweet something…HITS THE SPOT. It’s something so much better experienced than written about, so happy fudge making to you!
P.S. If you are tiptoe-ing into the pumpkin mood already, I got fall fudge for you too.
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Healthy Chocolate Fudge
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours (chilling time)
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 squares 1x
- Category: chocolate
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: american
Description
Rich, indulgent, and made with just 5 ingredients – this Healthy Chocolate Fudge is vegan, paleo, oil-free, and sweetened naturally!
Ingredients
- 8oz unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup (200g) pitted medjool dates
- 2/3 cup (160g) coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- Crushed pretzels and chopped peanuts for topping*
Instructions
- Soak the dates in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain.
- Blend the dates and coconut milk until very smooth.
- Melt the chocolate.
- In a bowl, combine the date paste, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the melted chocolate. It will get quite thick.
- Press into a lined pan (mine was 8×5″), top with peanuts and pretzels, refrigerate overnight.
- Slice and eat. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
*Optional. Leave them off or replace with cacao nibs, chopped hazelnuts, coconut flakes, etc.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 223
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 66mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: vegan, paleo, sugar free, dairy free, easy, peanut, pretzel, salted, dark chocolate, no bake, dessert, medjool dates
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Many thanks for another fab recipe. How did you know I was craving chocolate? I am off to the kitchen to make this right now. Cheers!!
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Hahaha perfect timing…although craving chocolate almost always applies if you are anything like me. Hope you love it Lori😊
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I’ve never commented, but I read every single one of your recipes and drool over them. I’ve shared them with so many friends. We are making this tomorrow! I am *hoping* there will be leftovers for camping, but I bet there won’t be. Love your work!
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Ah Lindsey that means so much to me❤️ Appreciate your ongoing support and sharing, happy fudge making to you and good luck making it last!
All the pictures are so lucrative that i wish i could have it right now.
Thank you for this finger licking deserts. the chocolate fudge seems so yummy .
Let’s hope for the best.
I am so happy you are enjoying the recipes, this one is definitely worth making for yourself😋
Hi, can this fudge be frozen and how long does it keep fresh?? I’m looking for a recipe for Xmas gifts! Looks yummy!
Never tried freezing it and I worry it may mess up the texture (but you can try it!). It lasts in the fridge a good week to week and a half though!
what a delicious recipe! even my little girls licked their plates clean 🙂 i thought it was quite an adult dessert but they loved it.
i would like to make it for my daughterd birthday party do you think it would work if i make it in silicon chocolate molds? like small chocolates?thank you
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I am soooooo happy you guys loved it, best kind of review especially from kiddos too🤗🤗 And yes I love that idea, it will work great in a silicone mold and be adorable. Just make sure you keep them chilled right up until serving!
thank you so much for your quick reply! i’m going to try it and will let you know how it comes out
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Oops totally forgot to get back to you. It came out great only worked when frozen. I had first tried taking it out of the mold after refrigerating it but it didn’t come out so neat. My birthday girl was really happy with it
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I am so happy it was a success, appreciate you taking the time to come back and share❤️
I am so beyond excited to have found your website! I am currently 6 months pregnant and have been gluten free and sugar free since trying to conceive 8 months ago because it is supposed to be the best diet during this time. But man do I miss sweets! I have still been eating fruit, but no foods that have any added sugar in the ingredients (including artificial sweeteners or honey or maple syrup). I made this fudge per the recipe the first time and was so happy to be eating it! My husband and I just made a new batch but this time boiled down strawberries with a little lemon juice until it was around a jam/jelly consistency and then used the blender to add it in with the dates and coconut milk mixture- oh my gosh it is so good! Gave it a more creamy and whipped texture (and who doesn’t like strawberries and chocolate together?!) I did add in a bit more dates and cocoa powder since I was adding in more moisture and did end up needing to throw it in the freezer for a while as the bottom half was on the sticky side just being in the fridge but overall I am so happy with how it turned out!
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Hi Katie! I am so so happy you found me too, because omgggg I can’t imagine going that long without chocolate and dessert. Okay WHOA. Your extra fruity whipped fudge sounds INCREDIBLE😮😮 That is so insanely creative I wish i could’ve been there to taste test but just your description has my creative wheels turning haha. Thank you so very much for sharing and I can’t wait to experiment with that myself. Hope you try many more recipes to come, keep me updated💕
You should definitely try some experimenting with it because it is very yummy! I threw in some walnuts with it too- can’t say I’m not trying to eat well while snacking! I tried your gluten free sugar less pumpkin pie recipe first and that was just fantastic so I started poking around your other recipes and now I have a whole list of ones I want to try! Thank you for you amazing ideas! You have made me one happy mamma to be!!
hi i’m out of cocnut milk do you think i could use cows milk? thank you
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Regular milk doesn’t harden the same way when chilled, so you can try it but you will likely need to freeze (as opposed to fridge) to get it to set into a sliceable consistency. Still will be yummy though 🙂
Thank you will try. It’s such a delicious recipe
Hope you love it!
It came out amazing.i put it in the freezer and couldn’t wait to taste it so tried it after two hours and well let me better not reveal how much I ate 😉 thank you again for your delicious recipes! I’m always checking for new fruit sweetned recipes!
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I am so so happy it turned out so yummy!! Hahaha exact quantity details are not important😉😂 Appreciate your feedback Rachel and I will keep em coming!
Hi, this looks great. Can I replace the chocolate with unsweetened cocoa powder? And if so, how much should I use?
You need the cocoa butter naturally found in chocolate (but removed in cocoa powder) to make the fudge set, so cocoa powder will not work here unfortunately. Sorry!
Okay so I just made this and the fudge is in the fridge. I tried the mix and it tasted like really dark chocolate and was not very sweet. Is that how it is supposed to be? I also didn’t add the cocoa powder because it was already super chocolatey and I didn’t want to make it super bitter. Please help! Normally your recipes turn out really good. Thanks!
Well definitely not going to be as sweet as conventional fudge, so I hope you’re not expecting that. But one cup of dates is quite sweet and should make it not bitter at all in my opinion. How did you measure your dates? By weight or volume?
I did it by weight. Now that it’s actually set it somehow tastes sweeter, but it’s definitely more of dark chocolate than milk chocolate.
Yes it’s definitely not going to be a “milk chocolate” flavor when you’re starting out with unsweetened chocolate and not using any sweeteners. You could try semi sweet chips instead of the unsweetened chocolate to make it sweeter too!
I just made this (twice) for a cooking class–everyone loved it! Since it was for a Valentine’s-themed treats class, I used white, pink and red jimmies on one recipe–so cute! And so easy to make!
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That sounds SO fun and festive, you can totally dress this recipe up for any holiday! I am so happy it was a hit, thanks Juanita💕
What can I sub for coconut milk? Almond milk or evaporated milk?
Coconut milk solidifies when refrigerated which neither of the other two do, so I am a little hesitant to recommend either. But if you want to try it, evaporated would be better I think. It may not set quite right though without the coconut.
The texture of this was spot on for fudge and so creamy. I am trying so hard to eat healthier, but with Christmas it is harder. I love sweets. I printed out the recipe and shopped for organic ingredients. Then when I was ready to make it this morning and saw just how much cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate there was, I got nervous about how sweet it would (or should I say, wouldn’t) taste! I had purchased enough to make a double batch and decided to hold back on doubling it. I know my taste buds, so I added 1/4 tsp. pure stevia powder (no erythritol or such), but it wasn’t enough. This is CHOCOLATE fudge with a capital C. I guess I’m not used to only fruit sweetened yet. I know I will enjoy the strong, somewhat bitter flavor, but nobody else will (who aren’t as happy about healthy eating.) Hmm…maybe that is to my benefit! All for me. lol Anyway, just a heads up for people reading reviews before they make something. It is not super sweet. I still gave it a 5 star rating, because it is exactly as advertised – fruit sweetened.
Also, be aware it is canned coconut milk, not packaged for cereal or drinking. I also melted my chocolate in a stainless steel bowl over a pan of simmering water (be careful, it is hot!) and when I mixed it into the date mixture, it started to stiffen up, so I popped the mixing bowl (also stainless steel) back onto the simmering water pan and kept mixing. That kept the chocolate melty so that it would be more cooperative about mixing together. This fit perfectly into a Pyrex 3 c. rectangle storage glass container pressed into the corners prettily.
Will make again with a little more stevia powder!
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I appreciate your feedback and detailed review, Pixie! You are totally right, fruit-sweetened treats take a bit of adjusting to if you are used to sugar sweetened recipes. More stevia is a great idea, or you could use a bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate instead of the unsweetened to subtly up the sweetness as well. I hope your next batch is even better, and wishing you a very delicious holiday season😊
Can’t wait to make this! How could I incorporate natural peanut butter? Just drizzle on top? Thanks!
You could definitely do a drizzle on top, but you could also add some into the fudge itself. I’d recommend stirring it in really well right before adding the melted chocolate!