You won’t believe how easy it is to make this decadent dairy free fudge. Find out how to make rich, chocolatey fudge step by step. This is a holiday recipe you’re sure to turn to again and again.
Every once in a while, I ask my readers what recipes they really miss now that they are living with food allergies. One time I had a reader 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! That was a few years ago, and we love this recipe so much, we make it every year. It’s become one of our favorite allergy friendly desserts.
The coconut milk makes this vegan fudge silky smooth and absolutely decadent and delicious.
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Ingredients
- a can of full fat coconut milk
- dairy free chocolate chips
- powdered sugar
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 works very well.
I’ve tried this recipe with various brands of coconut milk, and it works the best when the coconut milk has guar gum in it, like Native Forest 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.
Specific Brands to Use
I prefer a dark chocolate fudge, so I use dark chocolate chips (the 85% bittersweet chips from PASCHA), or Enjoy Life Dairy Chocolate Morsels. Both work well.
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.
This fudge recipe will 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. This recipe has worked every time I use that brand. Native Forest Brand Coconut Milk also works well.
I prefer Wholesome brand powdered sugar that is made with tapioca starch, not cornstarch. (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).
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.
Step By Step Instructions
- Line a square pan with parchment paper.
2. Steam the coconut milk in the pan, then add the powdered sugar and stir. Add the chocolate chips, and stir until they melt.
3. Spread the fudge into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
4. Use the parchment paper to pull the fudge out of the pan. Use a sharp knife to slice the fudge into squares.
Tips
- Line the pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over two sides. This will enable you to be able to pull the slab of fudge out of the pan and slice it into neat squares.
- Allow the fudge to cool in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.
- Please use the ingredient brands that I suggest. I have tested this recipe many times. You need to use the brands suggested for the fudge to firm up and turn out correctly.
Watch the video below to see how easy this recipe is.
Taste
This fudge is decadent but not overpoweringly sugary and sweet. When I’ve eaten normal fudge in the past, it always tasted 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.
More Dairy Free Chocolate Desserts
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
3 Ingredient Dairy Free Fudge.
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces canned full fat coconut milk Taste of Thai brand or Native Forest brand
- ¾ 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
- Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment paper so that there is an overhang on two sides.
- If your can of coconut milk has a lot of excess liquid on the top, pour that out before proceeding.
- Place the coconut milk in a sauce pan and heat over medium low heat, just until it starts to steam a little bit. Sift in the confectioner's sugar and whisk to combine. Do not overheat or boil.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir well until fully melted. This will happen quickly, don’t burn the chocolate.
- Pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly with a spatula. Let it cool for about 30 minutes on the counter.
- Place in the refrigerator for two to three hours or until the fudge is firm.
- Use the parchment paper to remove the fudge from the pan, then slice into squares.
- Store in an airtight container the refrigerator.
Notes
- Native Forest or Taste of Thai full fat, unsweetened coconut milk
- Powdered sugar that is corn free, like Wholesome brand
- Dairy free, dark chocolate chips – Enjoy Life Dark Morsels or PASCHA brand 85% cocoa work well
Nutrition
Do you have a favorite recipe that you’d like to see an allergy friendly version of? Let me know in the comments!
Follow along:
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet
Can you please send a whole box of these to my house?! YUMM!!
Kelly
You bet! :)
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
I love simple dairy-free dessert recipes!
Kathrine
I tried this, I followed the recipe exactly and used the “Taste of Thai” full fat coconut milk and Hershey’s special dark chocolate chips and then put in in the freezer to cool it’s been in there for four hours but still hasn’t set up I’m not sure what went wrong, any suggestions?
Kelly
I just looked at the ingredients, and those chocolate chips contain milk and some other additives. The recipe does say dairy free chocolate chips, so I’m really not sure how those extra ingredients would change the outcome of this recipe. I’m sorry you had this experience!
omama
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
Kelly
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.
Deborah Wilson
Hello, could u please tell me why this won’t work with the mini chocolate chips ? They were the only ones I found !!!
Mom24boys
Minis should work fine.
Brooke Nungesser
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!
Kelly
I hope you try it and love it!
Souhail Chabat
Can I substitute the Coconut milk with coconut cream?
Sharon
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?
Kelly
Hmmm, I haven’t had that trouble, except when I used coconut milk that didn’t contain gum. What brand did you use?
Kimberly Davila
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?
Kelly
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?
Kimberly
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.
Kelly
That would be my guess. But I did use the Taste of Thai brand milk, so maybe that is part of it.
Kimberly
Thanks so much for your response!
Elle
The same thing happened to me. I followedthe recipe to a T (which actually don’t usually do so that’s really good for me!) it’s just a sticky mess. I’m even stuck it in the freezer for two ours after taking it out of the fridge and finding it didn’t set. I tried to reprocess and add arrowroot powder (thickener). I have a cross between taffy and mud.
Kelly Roenicke
Can you tell me what chocolate chips, sugar and canned coconut milk you used? Sorry you had issues. It is surprising to me because I just made it a few days ago and it sliced beautifully.
The Kiwi Fruit
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! :)
Kelly
Oh, I hope she loves it! :)
The Kiwi Fruit
I know she will!
Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen
This looks so rich and fudgy! I love how simple it is to make!
Kelly
Thanks, Kristine!
nikki
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….
Kelly
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.
Emmi
Hi can i use cornstarch instead?
Emmi
I dont hav topoica starch… N dont know either whats that
Kelly Roenicke
The powdered sugar is what has the starch in it – most brands of powdered sugar have cornstarch, so yes, that is fine!
Amy
Perfect, I am lactose intolerant and I can’t wait to make these!!!
Kelly
I hope you love it!
The Hungry Mum
Can’t believe this is vegan! Looks so creamy and lush #want
Kelly
Thank you!
Amber @ Homemade Nutrition
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!
Kelly
I hope you love it!
athleticavocado
3 ingredients?? say what!!!! yum!
Kelly
Easy as pie! :)
susan
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.
RunnerGirl
I wondered the same thing – please let us know if it worked!
susan
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.
Kelly
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.
Kelly
Let me know if it works! That’s a great idea!
Rachel @ Bakerita
LOVE this!! I totally need to try this fudge. So perfect for the holidays :)
Kelly
Thank you! :)
fittingintovegan
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!
Kelly
Thank you! :)
omama
can i use condensed milk instead of coconut milk
Strength and Sunshine
I’ve always wanted to rekindle my love for good fudge! Perfect vegan goodness right here!
Kelly
Thanks, Rebecca!
Chelsey
This looks insanely delicious! And a great gift for a holiday party host too! Pinned!
Kelly
Thanks for pinning!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
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!
Kelly
Thanks, Gayle!