Creamy, dreamy, three ingredient dairy free fudge. This recipe is the perfect way to indulge your holiday sweet tooth!
Every once in a while, I ask my readers what recipes they really miss now that they are gluten/dairy/nut/egg/whatever free. One of the last times I asked, I had a reader on my Facebook page share that she really misses fudge, and that she thought it was impossible to make a good fudge without dairy.
Well, I love a good challenge, and after a few tries, I came up with a recipe that’s super easy – it only requires three ingredients!
To make this delicious dairy free fudge, you’ll need:
- a can of full fat coconut milk
- some dairy free chocolate chips
- powdered sugar
Easy dairy free chocolate crunch bars are a kid friendly favorite!
This fudge is decadent but not overpoweringly sugary and sweet. When I’ve eaten normal fudge in the past, to me, it was too sweet. The sugary quality was a bit too much for my taste buds. This dairy free version is everything I think fudge should be – rich, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, and very chocolatey.
I remembered that sweetened condensed milk is often an ingredient in easy fudge recipes, so I wanted to come up with a good substitution for that ingredient. I found that using full fat coconut milk and whisking in some powdered sugar worked very well.
I’ve tried this recipe with various brands of coconut milk, and it really works the best when the coconut milk has guar gum in it, like So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk or Taste of Thai brand. The gum seems to help the fudge solidify and hold its shape better. It will not set up right when you use a coconut milk without gum.
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I prefer a dark chocolate fudge, so I did use dark chocolate chips (the 85% bittersweet chips from PASCHA). Some chocolate chips contain extra oils and more sugar, and I do not know for sure how they would work in this fudge. The darker the chocolate the better.
UPDATE: I have made this a few different times now with varying ingredients. This recipe DOES work with the PASCHA chips I mentioned above, as well as the Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels. It does NOT work with the Enjoy Life Mini Chips. Other readers have confirmed that milk chocolate chips do NOT work.
I use Taste of Thai brand coconut milk. It has worked everytime I used that brand. I also use powdered sugar from Whole Foods or Target that is made with tapioca starch, not cornstarch. I don’t know if that makes a difference, but we avoid lots of corn in our diet, so that’s what we have in our pantry. (A reader confirmed that she made it with powdered sugar with corn, and also with tapioca starch, and the pan using cornstarch powdered sugar did NOT firm up).
Another tip: You must line the pan with parchment paper if you want to be able to remove the slab of fudge and cut it into neat squares.
If you deviate from these specific ingredients, you will probably not have success with this recipe. You can’t use any other type of plant based milk. You can’t use melted chocolate bars. You can’t use regular sugar. If you try those substitutions, please know that your dairy free fudge will likely stay liquid and will not firm up into fudge that you can slice.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
3 Ingredient Dairy Free Fudge.
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces canned full fat coconut milk Taste of Thai brand, or the 11 ounce container of So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar I use corn free confectioner's sugar
- 3 cups dairy free dark chocolate chips - PASCHA 85% Bittersweet chips or Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels
Instructions
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Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper so that there is an overhang on two sides.
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If your can of coconut milk has a lot of excess liquid on the top, pour that out before proceeding.
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Place the coconut milk in a sauce pan and heat over medium low heat, just until it starts to stem a little bit. Sift in the confectioner's sugar and whisk to combine. Do not overheat or boil.
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Add the chocolate chips and stir well until fully melted. This will happen quickly, don't burn the chocolate.
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Pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly with a spatula. Let it cool for about 30 minutes on the counter.
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Place in the refrigerator for two hours or until the fudge is firm.
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Use the parchment paper to remove the fudge from the pan, then slice into squares.
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Store in the refrigerator.
Do you have a favorite recipe that you’d like to see an allergy friendly version of? Let me know in the comments!
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Follow The Pretty Bee (Allergy Friendly Eats)’s board Dairy Free Food and Recipes. on Pinterest.
Follow along:
can i use condensed mild instead of coconut milk?
oh and by the way i found this on buzzfeed you made it all the way there
Glad you found me on BuzzFeed! :) I think condensed milk would work, but I’m not sure because I haven’t tried it that way.
i am so excited to see this…living in europe, chocolate chips are hard to get—but there is plenty of dark chocolate out there that i can break apart and use instead! thanks for this recipe! #momofallergykid #peanutfree #dairyfree YIKES! and YEA!
I hope you try it and love it!
Can I substitute the Coconut milk with coconut cream?
mine turned out kind of sticky and not very firm. I added cornstarch and xanthum gum at the end but it didn’t work. Any sugestions?
Hmmm, I haven’t had that trouble, except when I used coconut milk that didn’t contain gum. What brand did you use?
I had the same problem. The only thing I did differently was use enjoy life semi sweet morsels. I followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions?
If it was the mini chips, I wonder if it would be due to the chocolate liquor, which is not contained in the Enjoy Life Dark Morsels, or the PASCHA bittersweet morsels. I’m sorry you had this experience! I have made this a couple of times now with no trouble and I am going to make it again this week for gifts. Just for my research, because I want everyone to be able to make this, what brand of coconut milk did you use?
It was Thai kitchen coconut milk, which has the gum in it. Should I look for morsels without liquor in them? The taste was amazing but not hard at all.
That would be my guess. But I did use the Taste of Thai brand milk, so maybe that is part of it.
Thanks so much for your response!
Oh yummy this looks like perfect fudge!! Coconut cream is such a magic ingredient. My friend has recently become very strict dairy free in her diet and she is going to love this recipe and you for making it! :)
Oh, I hope she loves it! :)
I know she will!
This looks so rich and fudgy! I love how simple it is to make!
Thanks, Kristine!
Will it work at all without the guar gum?
My little has a legume allergy as well as dairy, so guar gum is out for us….
It will work but it may not be quite as firm. Can you have tapoica starch? If so, just try whisking in a teaspoon when you heat the coconut milk. That should help it stay firmer.
Hi can i use cornstarch instead?
I dont hav topoica starch… N dont know either whats that
The powdered sugar is what has the starch in it – most brands of powdered sugar have cornstarch, so yes, that is fine!
Perfect, I am lactose intolerant and I can’t wait to make these!!!
I hope you love it!
Can’t believe this is vegan! Looks so creamy and lush #want
Thank you!
This looks amazing! I love that it’s so simple and I bet the coconut milk adds a really great flavor. I can’t wait to try this one!
I hope you love it!
3 ingredients?? say what!!!! yum!
Easy as pie! :)
Instead of using confectioner’s sugar, I wonder if this would work by using coconut sugar that has been blended until it is powdery. I am going to try that.
I wondered the same thing – please let us know if it worked!
Since I made a chocolate cake, last night (a healthyish one, but still chocolate cake), I will need to wait a bit before making another dessert, but will post the results when I do.
Great! Thanks! You may need to add a little cornstarch or tapioca starch when you grind the sugar, since that’s an ingredient of powdered sugar. It helps the fudge thicken.
Let me know if it works! That’s a great idea!
LOVE this!! I totally need to try this fudge. So perfect for the holidays :)
Thank you! :)
Oh yum! I want to eat all of these right now!! And I love that this recipe doesn’t use coconut oil, just the milk!
Thank you! :)
can i use condensed milk instead of coconut milk
I’ve always wanted to rekindle my love for good fudge! Perfect vegan goodness right here!
Thanks, Rebecca!
This looks insanely delicious! And a great gift for a holiday party host too! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
I can never resist fudge, especially when it’s only three ingredients. This dairy free version looks fantastic, Kelly! I think I could devour this entire batch!
Thanks, Gayle!