This recipe is one of the first recipes on this blog, and one I still love very much to this day... because it's hard not to love the chocolate & peanut butter combo, right? I created it while in the mood for a brownie of sorts, but also in the mood for something quick & easy, rich and chocolatey, and with no-baking (as with brownies) or standing over the stove (as with fudge) required because it was super hot, and this chocolate peanut butter fudge didn't disappoint. It's super easy to throw together, wholesome ingredients, and all the chocolate!
I also love how versatile it is. You can play around with a lot of the things going on here. For instance:
- make it fully raw fudge by using a raw sweetener (like raw coconut nectar, agave, etc.) and raw cacao powder (instead of cocoa powder)
- make it (vegan) paleo-friendly fudge by using roasted almond butter or coconut butter (manna)
- top it with other toppings, like hemp seeds, chocolate drizzle, chopped nuts, or a peanut butter drizzle
- make it coconut-free by using cacao butter instead of coconut oil
- make it nut-free by using a seed butter (sunflower seed, tahini, etc.) or go with the coconut butter suggestion
- make it oil-free by using avocado instead of the coconut oil -- this is one I have not yet tried myself, but one of my readers shared it worked well for her in comments, and I can totally see it working
- don't like peanut butter? Try it with cashew butter, pecan, hazelnut, almond, etc. butter of your choice
- kick it up a notch by adding a pinch of chili powder, or maybe spice things up with a dash of cinnamon...
You get the gist... Lots of room to modify it to your needs and create a delicious dessert out of stuff already in your pantry any time. My kind of recipe! Just keep in mind that as you swap things around you might need to adjust the flavors a little to your taste (as some nut butters, like peanut and cashew, are naturally sweeter, for example).
But I do hope you give the original chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe a try (if you can, of course), because there's no beating that richness and flavor in this treat in my opinion.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Sweet, creamy fudge made with peanut butter and topped with crunchy cacao nibs. A quick & easy freezer recipe! Dairy-free and gluten-free, with paleo & nut-free option.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 9 squares
- Category: Chocolate
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Brownie Fudge Base:
- 1 ½ cups smooth natural peanut butter*
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 6 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, liquefied**
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Toppings:
- ¼ cup raw cacao nibs
Instructions
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before getting started***. Place all brownie fudge base ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth mixture forms.
- Line a small freezer-safe container (I used a 6 × 6" container, but anything of a similar size will do) with some parchment paper. Transfer the mixture into the container and spread it into an even layer.
- Sprinkle with cacao nibs on top. Cover container and freeze for 4 hours to set (or overnight). Cut into squares and enjoy! Keep the brownie fudge in the freezer until serving time.
Notes
*Cashew butter works great in these brownies, as does hazelnut butter, pecan butter, almond butter, etc. And you can use a seed butter if you prefer for a nut-free option. Though keep in mind that you might need to adjust the sweetness depending on the type of butter you use as they all lend their unique flavor and sweetness level to the recipe (peanut butter and cashew butter are naturally on the sweeter side of nut butters).
**You can also use non-dairy butter if you prefer, just add less salt to the recipe if that's the case, since most non-dairy butters tend to be on the salty side.
***You want the ingredients to be room temp, and neither too cold (as that can make your mixture seize up due to the cold making the coconut oil solidify in the food processor) nor too hot (as that can make the mixture chunk up and become separated due to the maple syrup getting inadvertently cooked). So make sure your syrup and non-dairy milk aren't straight from the fridge and that your coconut oil isn't super hot for best results.
Henri says
Hey Audrey, nice to meet you I really enjoy to discover and subcribe to your Channel! Many great recipes 🤩
I plan to make many of them for my daughter birthday coming soon she loves Chocolate and Brownies especially 😍🥳
But Caco Nibs could be a bit strong taste for her, so is it possible to substitute with Cacao Chips?
Then is it possible to use Coconut Cream/Milk (Solid part?) Instead of Coconut oil?
Many thanks
Henri 🙂
Audrey says
Hi Henri. I hope she enjoys all the special treats :)
Definitely can use chocolate chips instead of cacao nibs. I'd even recommend as an alternative to just finely chop a chocolate bar that she likes or make chocolate shavings (like the ones on top of this cake https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/vegan-chocolate-espresso-fudge-cake/) for a softer melt-in-your-mouth sort of treat.
As for the coconut milk, unfortunately it won't firm up solid enough to make these bars firm, so I'd say it's not the best swap (unless you simply put the filling in little jars and have it like a soft mousse treat rather than firm bars). Not sure if it helps but you can use melted cacao butter instead (can use a bit less than coconut oil as it solidifies more firmly). But if you're looking for oil-free recipes altogether, I've got tons if you look on the recipes page here: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/all-recipes/ and select oil-free in the tab options on the page.
Cera says
Hi Audrey, thanks for the reply! In that case, I would try dates instead. Thanks!
Cera says
Hi Audrey, may I check if I have to use maple syrup. If i use sugar, would the texture be somewhat affected?
Audrey says
Hi Cera, I think if you use straight sugar the texture will be more crumbly and dry / less fudgey. I'd go with another liquid sweetener instead if that's something you can get (like coconut nectar, rice syrup, etc. -- keeping in mind that each sweetener has its own flavor and sweetness level). If you did want to try just sugar, I'd increase the coconut oil and almond milk a little to make sure the mixture blends well. You can start with just the sugar and keep everything else as is and process, and if it looks too dry add a bit more liquid and coconut oil to help things blend better. If you give that a try, would love to hear what ended up working for you :)
Sue says
These are amazing. I made these a couple of times. I made these for my family that are non vegan and loved it. My mom ran home and made sure she had all of the ingredients to make for herself. I just saw the substitution for avocado for oil . I would love to know how much should I use? This is so very decadent! The cocao nibs really top it off!
Audrey says
Aw, my favorite kind of feedback :) Thanks Sue. I'm glad your family enjoyed these. As for the avocado, I'm guessing you're referring to Ali's comment below -- I believe she used whole avocado, not oil, but am not sure what quantity she used it at. I suppose you can just get experimental and see what works :)
Sue says
The was so good and decadent. Wow gluten free and vegan! Thank you. The presentation of your recipes are outstanding. I can't wait to try some!
Audrey says
You're welcome, Sue. I'm glad you like this recipe :)
melissa says
how many carbs is in it pls n ty
Audrey says
Hi Melissa. Sorry, I don't usually track nutritional values for treats personally. Plus the figures will vary somewhat depending on the ingredients you use when you actually make the recipe and the recipe portions you'll be using. However you can easily check carbs or any other values you're looking for by running the recipe through one of the many free online recipe nutrition calculators out there (that's what I do if I ever want to know something about a recipe). Hope this helps!
Ali says
Just made these with the kids - turned out amazing and have now been added to one of our go to recipes! I snuck in some chia seeds and decided to use avocado (needed to use it before it went bad) instead of coconut oil and seemed to go unnoticed by the kids. Topped with raspberries, dark chocolate and walnuts ?
Audrey says
Thanks for sharing, Ali. Your version sounds amazingly delicious. And I love that you tested it out with the avocado. That's one I haven't tried yet, but I know many of the blog readers will appreciate the option to replace the oil here.
Sue says
Avocado fantastic idea and substitution! How much did you use? Thank you!
Eli sur la Lune says
Super !!!! Trop bon !!!!
I did it with peanut butter and on the top, a mix of cacao nibs and chopped cashew nut. B, The cacao nibs really make it better !
Kids and husband totally found of it. Very very very good. Thanks so much.
For adults, a very good match with Montbazillac wine ( not paleo though, nobody's perfect)
Audrey says
Oh, so glad you all liked this, Eli! :) It's one of my favorites still.
B says
This is now my go-to raw treat! Have made it 3 or 4 times now. I cut the pieces quite small, leave in the freezer and it lasts for ages. Everyone is super impressed each time. Great for dinner parties too, people just demolish them & ask for the recipe.
I've used peanut butter each time as I already have it in the cupboard (I just make half the recipe if I don't already have enough PB haha), use honey and/or rice malt syrup for the sweeter & coconut or soy for the milk. I actually have never added the cacao nibs on top as I never have them... will try that one day!
Thank you for creating this divine treat!! :)
Audrey says
I'm so happy to hear that, B!! :) The kind of feedback that makes my day. I love this fudge too, especially with peanut butter. The cacao nibs take it to a whole new level though :)
Olivia says
A friend made these for me for my birthday.... I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Audrey says
Aw, that's awesome :) So glad you liked them and happy birthday!
kelly saunders says
made these on Bank Holiday Monday. Took approximately 5 minutes to make. I love them, my daughter loves them so much she wants me to make some for her to take to work for her colleagues to try on Friday which is their office bake day. . Thanks they are fab.
Audrey says
That's so awesome, Kelly! So happy to hear. I love this fudge so much. I trust her colleagues will love it too :)
Erin G. says
This was so yummy! My husband, wasn't sure about it & he loved it! Thank you!
Audrey says
Hi Erin. Thanks so much for your feedback. So happy to hear your husband loved it! :)
Chantelle Swayne says
Wow, this looks delicious and so easy! Thanks for sharing! :)
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Chantelle! Happy to share :)
Michelle says
Yum! Tahini might work too! And I am gonna use Rice Milk.
Audrey says
Sounds good, Michelle! I'd love to hear how it turns out with tahini.
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
Two of my favorites! Man, these treats look amazing, Audrey! I find that almond butter is magical for recipes like this one. I need to stock up or order some safe, high quality almonds so I can make my own. ;-)
Sharing ... xo,
Shirley
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Shirley! :) These brownies were really good. I had a hard time not eating them all in one go ;)
ita says
thanx!!! its look amazing!!
Audrey says
Thanks a lot, ita! Enjoy it :)