2 Ingredient, 5 Minute Plant-Based Fudge [Vegan, Dairy-Free]
With Christmas less than two weeks away, I bet you’re sitting back, reveling in everything you got done months ago, peacefully enjoying your Christmas tree while you listen to Christmas music. If this is you I hope you’ll share your secrets! But I always seem to end up with plenty I’d still like to do and need to find some things I can eliminate or simplify.
If you’re looking for a way to simplify something on your list, I have the perfect recipe for you. It’s so easy my kids can make it, and who doesn’t need the opportunity to delegate one of your holiday to-dos!
Whether you need treats for a party, a little something for your teachers or just a little something sweet, this fudge is perfect. It is easily kept in the freezer (as long as everyone can keep their hands off of it) and can be pulled out whenever the need arises. And although it’s not exactly a kale salad, it is still a much healthier choice than most other fudge recipes out there!
My son has been made this multiple times since he was eight. We really like to take our kids on individual dates as much as we can. It has been such a nice way to not only spend one-on-one time with them, but also get out and do some things that are impossible if not torturous to do with 5 kids. But with busy schedules our dates were often falling by the wayside, or ending up a last minute “barely do enough to check it off” date that was better than nothing but not by much.
When I heard “Parents, please build strong relationships with your children. They need more of your time, not less.” in our last General Conference, I knew this was one thing we needed to focus on to make sure we were being deliberate and not allowing things that come up to crowd out our most important priorities.
So during the past few months we starting keeping a list of all the things they want to do and then choosing one each month. We get them on the calendar in advance, give them a limited budget (ideally they are learning to think of free/low-cost activities many months and saving up for a few favorites) and then decide the time and place.
Now we start with the activity, look ahead at the best date to do it and put it on the calendar. The kids look forward to it and it’s much easier to stick to our plan.
Anyway, as I’m sure you’re wondering what this has to do with the fudge . . . for a while the boys were getting into a rut of always wanting to get fast food for their date. And while I’m not opposed to an occasional departure from our healthy lifestyle, I knew we could find better things to do with our time and money. This child in particular was wanting to earn money for something, so I had him make a good-sized batch of fudge and we kept it in the freezer. We cut and bagged it up and they knew we’d take a few pieces with us for our dates. It made for a fun treat and helped us think of some new date ideas!
Are Chocolate Chips Plant-Based?
The majority of chocolate chips contain milkfat, but they don’t have to be.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can customize it to your tastes depending on which chocolate chips you buy. Enjoy Life are great chocolate chips that are dairy-free and allergy friendly. Simple Truth (at Kroger stores) also has a vegan and allergy friendly chocolate chip. Monkfruit and Stevia-sweetened chocolate chips are becoming more and more available, although they are quite pricey! Thanks to Dr. Greger I am not convinced that either is worth the additional cost..
I chose here not to worry about the sugar and just go with good quality chocolate chips. Semi-sweet or darker has significantly less sugar than milk chocolate, and although my husband would rather have sweeter any day, I am gradually adapting his taste buds and he’s appreciating the darker chocolate a bit more.
My favorite chocolate chips are Guittard. Not only did my mom used to keep these in the freezer (and still does sometimes) and we’d grab a few anytime we needed a treat, but my friend and chocolate-making expert Ashlee said they won her taste test! I agree, AND the semi-sweet are dairy-free (although they are made on the same equipment as their milk chocolate chips, so avoid if you have a severe milk allergy).
These are pure goodness! They are in the middle of the price range (we all know that good chocolate is worth paying a bit more for than the cheap waxy stuff!) and you won’t find them everywhere, but Target or the Amazon Prime Whole Foods Delivery are both around $3.50 a bag last I checked. But stock up because these babies are delicious!
I’ve made these with both peanut butter and almond butter, and I’m sure sun butter would be delicious as well. Just stick to the natural nut butters to avoid those added unhealthy fats. The nut butter does not impart a strong flavor. I’d say the peanut butter flavor comes through a bit more and almond butter is more of a neutral flavor, but both are delicious! Crunchy peanut butter works just fine if you like having a little crunch in your fudge.
After that, all you have to do is melt the chocolate and mix it together. I like to warm both on low heat on the stove top, stirring frequently until the chocolate is melted and they are nicely combined. Pour combination into a parchment-lined loaf pan, stick it in the freezer for about an hour or until firm and you are set!
[NOTE] This recipe calls for a 2:1 ratio of chocolate chips to nut butter. You can reduce the sugar in each piece of fudge by making it with equal parts chocolate chips to nut butter, but will they not hold their shape as well at room temperature, so take that into consideration if you plan to take them somewhere.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
1 inch squares
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- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup natural almond, peanut or sun butter
Ingredients
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- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Make sure you have a place for it in the freezer.
- Combine chocolate chips and nut butter in a saucepan and warm over low heat. Stir frequently until chocolate chips are completely melted and mixture is fully combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and put in the freezer for about 1 hour or until firm. To prevent cracking, allow fudge to rest on counter for 10 minutes after freezing to soften slightly before slicing.