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.
Thanks to creative bakers like Hannah Kaminsky, splurging at the holidays is fast becoming a reality for almost every special diet. From Crustless Sweet Potato Pie to Peppermint Crush Ice Cream, Hannah has a sweet recipe for all occasions in her repertoire.
In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, sugar, and cocoa. Separately, place the margarine and coconut milk in a small saucepan, and stir together over medium heat. Cook the mixture until the margarine has melted, and bubbles just begin to break at the surface. Remove it from the stove, and immediately pour over the chocolate mixture. Let everything sit for a couple of minutes, and then stir vigorously to melt the chocolate and incorporate the dry ingredients. Continue stirring until a completely smooth mixture forms. Mix in the vanilla, and quickly pour everything into your prepared pan. Smooth out the top and sprinkle the flaked coconut evenly over the entire exposed surface. Press the coconut gently into the fudge with the palm of your hand. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
Soy-Free Fudge: Use Earth Balance Soy-Free Margarine or substitute 2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil for the margarine. Many brands of chocolate chips contain soy lecithin. If this is a problem for you, choose a “safe” brand like Enjoy Life Foods.
Ginger Fudge: Omit the flaked coconut, and stir 3/4 cup of minced / finely diced crystalized ginger into the fudge just after the vanilla. The ginger chunks infuse the surrounding fudge with a pleasantly sweet ginger flavor.
Pecan-Pumpkin Spice Fudge: From Nicole at Another One Bites the Crust, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (depending on how spicy you like it!) with the vanilla extract. Omit the flaked coconut topping, and instead press glazed pecans (easy recipe for the pecans) into the top of the fudge before placing it in the fridge.
Peppermint Fudge: Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract with the vanilla extract and stir in 4 smashed candy canes. Omit the flaked coconut and top the fudge with the crumbs of 5 additional crushed candy canes instead.
This is a third pary review by Alisa Fleming (author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook). My Sweet Vegan is available to purchase on Amazon.
Was wondering if it would mess up the recipe if I substituted the vegan margarine with butter? We are not vegan but we are vegetarian. 🙂 I really wanted to make a fudge my daughter could eat since my Grandmother’s recipe calls for marshmallow in the jar. Not only is it filled with chemicals but it has food coloring that my daughter is allergic too. Thanks for posting this recipe! I am excited to try it!
Well, I probably shouldn’t be saying so on a dairy-free site, but yes, butter could be used 🙂 Enjoy!
I used butter once with great results. Be careful if you are allergic to casein and/or lactose though, as you may actually be reacting badly to the butter, even if you can’t tell at the time, as I unfortunately learned.
Hello–does this have a noticeable coconut flavor? I’m wondering if I can slip it by people who usually turn down coconut desserts. Thanks for the recipe!
I haven’t had anyone comment on a coconut flavor – it’s just good fudge!
The coconut flavor is subtle if even noticeable. My family does not notice.
Update- made the ginger… Wow!! My kids devoured it!!
Just curious if I can use natural cocoa powder versus Dutch processed? We are having a terrible blizzard and I can’t get to the store!
Yes. No change in procedure is required to make this fudge.
I used almond milk because I don’t like the flavor of coconut. Is this going to ruin the fudge?
Hi Ashley, it probably won’t set up very well. The recipe calls for canned, full-fat coconut milk, which has a consistency of heavy dairy cream. Milk alternatives from a carton are very thin compared to this. You can add more chocolate to help firm it up, but it will be a different recipe at that point, so I can’t totally advise. Sorry!
I have a 9 year old granddaughter, Alyssa, who has never had fudge. She has a severe milk protein allergy. Until this holiday season we have avoided having fudge in the house or eating it around her. A new neighbor made a wonderful batch of fudge and presented it as a Christmas gift…poor Alyssa isn’t able to eat any of it! I am trying this recipe asap! Thank you a thousand times! Merry Christmas!!
I couldn’t get my chocolate chips to melt! I used enjoy life minis. Is that normal?
Rachel, how long did you try to melt them for? Since they are minis, they should melt very quickly and could quickly scorch (turn from melted to clumpy). If using a double broiler, stir continuously. If using the microwave method, cook only in 15 second intervals, stirring vigorously in between.
for allergen-free melting, the EL chunks or Dream chips are larger and may be easier for melting.
The recipe specifies combining the chips with the powder. I stirred chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder together, then added the butter and milk. If we are meant to melt the chocolate chips, that makes more sense, but the recipe could be clearer.
Hi Rachel, I’m sorry for any confusion. You do combined the chips, sugar, and cocoa powder (whisk them together – the chips help to break up any clumps). Then you pour the hot melted ingredients over top, let sit, and then whisk until smooth. This is a safer way to melt chocolate chips without overheating them.
To make the chocolate melt, I mix heated coconut milk or cream twice and use more of it. If I pour all in at once, there will be chunks of chocolate in the finished fudge.
This fudge looks deliciously amazing and I have decided that this is the homemade gift I am giving all my relatives this year! I’m at a high altitude, so I’m crossing my fingers that I don’ t have any problems making it set. I am envisioning little boxes filled with a fudge variety. How long does the fudge keep after it is made?
Melanie, I’ve made this fudge a few times myself and have never had trouble with it setting up, but I usually use coconut oil or food-grade cocoa butter in place of the margarine (personal preference, but those fats are also more solid). For great fudge storage / shelf-life advice, see this post – http://www.ehow.com/way_5712561_way-store-fudge.html.
I made 2 batches of this fudge and it is completely soft. What can I do to make it set harder?I don’t want to waste all the ingredients.
Sherry, melt a little coconut oil or food grade cocoa butter and stir it in. Either will go nicely and will help to make a firmer fudge. I would use start with about 2 tablespoons (For the double batch) and add more if needed. Make sure you are using full fat canned coconut milk, which is very thick.
Thank you for the post of the 29 Novemver. No, I don’t live in a high altitude area, but thanks for taking the tme to reply. . Perhaps I should be asking what brand of coconut milk I should buy or does it matter?
Donna, you need to use a full fat canned coconut milk (not coconut milk beverage and not light coconut milk). Most should work, but some brands aren’t as thick as others. For example, Whole Food’s brand (365 organic) has decreased in quality and is now very liquid. When you open the can, it should have a very thick cream on top. You can see my recommendations of brands here – http://www.godairyfree.org/news/how-to-use-coconut-milk.
This was so delicious! I was worried that I’d have to forego my usual Christmas fudge since I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy earlier this year. Thanks to this recipe, I won’t miss it at all! I added crushed pecans to my first batch but I can’t wait to try out the peppermint version.
Can the fudge be frozen?
Do I need to incorporate the solid part of the coconut milk or just use the milk itself?
Sally, I think your coconut milk has just settled. Give it a stir or shake before using.
Just to let you know. I have now tried this fudge twice, and cannot get it to set as it should. how long does it take to set?. I have even placed it in the fridge overnight and it remains like a soft paste. Don’t think I did anything wrong, as I followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions.
This is very odd. Your using full fat canned coconut milk right? Not light or the coconut “beverage” in the carton.
Thank you for the reply. Yes, I used full fat canned coconut milk.
Donna, I wish I could tell you what is going on, but I’ve made this recipe many times myself, and have received dozens of emails from viewers who’ve enjoyed this recipe. Not a one has mentioned trouble with it setting up, and looking at the proportions again, I’m not sure how it wouldn’t set up. Perhaps try reducing the coconut milk in half. That is the only true liquid in the recipe, so the only thing that you could adjust. You can also use coconut oil in place of the margarine, which will make for a firmer fudge. Sorry it didn’t work as is for you!
Donna, do you by chance live at high altitude? When I moved to New Mexico I couldn’t get any fudge recipe to set well, ever again. The temps needed to “melt” in the mountains were just different enough that when added to firm ingrdients I ended up with bricks, or mush, depending on how hard I tried to get it right. After a couple of years I just went for cookies and brownies instead of fudge! Wish I had a better answer for you.
So glad you enjoyed it Sarah! Yes, vanilla is just that extra touch!
I made this fudge today and it is soooo good! Creamy, smooth, and VERY rich and chocolatey. I would never guess it’s made without milk or cream. I’m not vegan so I used butter instead of margarine. I will never mess around with candy thermometers and failed batches of fudge again!
The coconut fudge is wonderful! I got an amazing response from my non vegan friends, who couldn’t believe it was vegan. I also replaced half the margarine with coconut oil, which worked well, and added a little more coconut flavor. So thank you for this recipe!
That is wonderful Paula, and thanks for the feedback on coconut oil!
Could you use coconut cream instead of coconut milk?
Yes, but not creme of coconut (which is sweetened).