Dairy-free chocolate fudge. So rich and creamy, you’d never know it was made with coconut milk. A delicious low carb treat!
I think it’s fairly safe to say that you will never get me to give up dairy. I’ve had to give up so many other foods in my life and most of the time, I am okay with that. I’ve been able to create wonderful alternatives and I don’t miss many of the foods I once consumed with abandon. On occasion, when confronted with a food I once loved and can’t makeover to be low carb, like a mango or a pineapple, I feel some regret. But I accept my lot in life and I hope I can say that I’ve made a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. However, I’d be hardpressed to give up my dairy and I sincerely hope I never have to do so. Cheese, yogurt, cream…these are the foundations of a happy low carb life! At least for me they are.
I will readily admit, however, that there are some pretty wonderful dairy-free alternatives out there, and being that I really do dream about food all day, I am more than happy to play around and experiment with these things. It’s fun getting a little bee in my bonnett about how I might use something like coconut milk to replicate a treat typically made with milk and cream. As several of my readers have tried making my Low Carb Condensed Milk with coconut milk, and have reported good results, I began thinking about fudge made with coconut milk. I figured that at the very least, I would end up with some tasty, dairy-free chocolate goo that I could spoon out of the pan and into my mouth.
Instead of going through the whole process of making the condensed milk, and then making the fudge, I just decided to do it all in one go. I boiled the coconut milk with the sweetener, and then thickened it slightly with a little xanthan gum. In went the chopped chocolate and I let it sit for a minute or two to melt before I stirred. It seemed about the right consistency, so I spread it in the pan. I sprinkled half with shredded coconut as garnish, but figured my kids would prefer the side with no coconut. And then I popped it into the fridge to chill. It seemed to take a bit longer to firm up than my Fruit and Nut Fudge, but once it was firm, it was perfect. The only thing I would do differently is spread it into a loaf pan so that I could cut it into smaller, thicker pieces.
You may not be able to make me give up dairy altogether, but this was a delicious dairy-free treat my whole family loved.
- 1 can coconut milk full fat
- 3/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp xanthan gum
- 6 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 1/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
- Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with waxed paper or parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring coconut milk and powdered erythritol to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until mixture is thickened and reduced almost by half.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and quickly whisk in xanthan gum.
- Add chopped chocolate and let stand 5 minutes, until melted. Stir in until well combined and mixture is smooth.
- Spread mixture in prepared pan and sprinkle with unsweetened coconut, if using.
- Chill 4 to 5 hours until firm.
Serves 16. Each serving has 3.9 g of carbs and 1.5 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.4 g.
Pamela says
Hi Carolyn. Love your website and have been an avid follower of yours on Pinterest. I’ve made your pumpkin cheesecake perhaps once too often. 😉
I live in the Netherlands, and I’m not sure your can of coconut milk would be the same as ours. What is the volume of the can?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
I think it was about 14 to 15 ounces. I am not at home so I can’t look up the ml right now but remind me when I am back on Tuesday and I will! 🙂
arlene says
Yum! OK, that was worth the wait. Looks fantastic!
Kalyn says
Definitely looks delicious.
Leslie says
Oh my, these look divine! I’m not a dairy free girl, but I do love my coconut milk, and I enjoy shaking it up with some dairy free alternatives. This is definitely getting put on the “make it soon” list. Thanks!
Alison | a girl defloured says
That coconut fudge looks absolutely divine. I think I’ll have to make them for my daughter who is just crazy about anything coconut+chocolate. <3
JanetFCTC says
This sounds delicious, Carolyn! I hear you about giving up dairy but this looks like a tasty alternative, that’s for sure.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
This is such a pretty and decadent looking fudge, Carolyn! Love that you put your tasty, low-carb magic wand on a classic favorite! Thanks for sharing.
Haggus says
I could sooner make piles of real fudge with my willpower fully intact than make this and not act on eating the whole thing in one shot. Sigh…
Sue in CA says
This looks and sounds yummy … wondering if, along with the xanthum gum, some chia seeds could go in this recipe? I think I will give that a try
thanks so much
Carolyn says
I don’t see why not!
Darija says
Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what else could be used instead of xanthan? I don’t think it’s sold here where I live, and I really want to try this recipe. I would be grateful for any ideas 🙂 Have a good day.
Carolyn says
You could use a little starch to thicken it. Hold back about 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and mix it with 1 tbsp corn or arrowroot starch. Then add that to the cooking coconut milk about 1 minute before you take it off the heat. That should help.
Esther R. says
I am going to try this. YUM!!! I’m D/F .
[email protected] says
I am addicted to coconut milk!! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
I love coconut milk and so does my family!
Heather says
Could I use coconut cream instead of milk? I have it in my cupboard so i thought I’d check before i start 🙂
S. Harris says
I’m sure you get this annoying question all the time…..but, is there any acceptable substitution for the powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol? I have no way of getting either one where I live and this looks too yummy to pass up! I’m open to any type of sugar/sweetener/substitute that might work. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Hi there. You could use almost any sweetener but Swerve has oligosaccharides which are a fiber. That’s going to help thicken the fudge. So if you use something else, you may need to add some additional xanthan to get it to thicken properly.
Can you get erythritol at all? If so, I’ve heard some people have good luck grinding it in a coffee grinder to get a finer sweetener (although it’s not really powdered). It may still be a touch gritty but it will taste good.
ashley - baker by nature says
Mmmmmm, that fudge looks FANTASTIC!
nichole says
LOVE this! I am allergic to dairy, so I must use coconut milk. I thank you for trying this using xanthan gum though!!! I am definitely trying this later today, and I will report back!!!
Edith Patchan says
I made this fudge as directed using a 24 count “daisy” treat silicone pan (found at Dillard’s). I used the new sweetner Nectresse instead of my usual Truvia (just because I wanted to try it out.) Didn’t use coconut just slightly pushed in a walnut half on each one. Came out great! Only had to freeze them and they popped out easily. My husband really liked them. He’s not a candy person but he loves dark chocolate. Very strong chocolate taste might be better with 1-2 oz less chocolate. Or not? Thanks for the recipe Carolyn—You’re my go to favorite “Chef”.
Rick says
Hi there. The fudge looks great and the recipe sounds doable for me. Just wondering how much coconut milk is used, because I have a half-gallon from Trader Joe’s and not a can.
Thanks, Rick
Carolyn says
The cans contain 13.5 ounces. I hope that helps!
Rick says
Thanks Carolyn
Laura S says
Hi,
Loving your blog and pinning away! Could you tell me if this fudge, once set, can stay out of the fridge? Or must it stay in there?
Thanks
Carolyn says
It can, it gets pretty sticky but it doesn’t melt completely
Joanna says
Just made the jalapeño popper casserole!! Amazing! So tasty and creamy! These bars caught my eye and hope to make them soon….though, wish your recipes had calories listed as well.
Joanna says
oopps, sorry that was a different person’s recipe! So sorry, sometimes I get lost on my tablet, Im still so used to using a computer. But the cajun crab cakes I made last week were awesome. I think a few people at work were jealous of my lunch. haha. Your recipes make things much more tasty while doing aktins induction. And yet there are still many more I want to make after I am off the low carb! They look too yummy.
Terri says
I made this for myself for Christmas. I absolutely love the consistency. It’s a little too dark chocolate for my taste. I’m hoping I can use at least two ounces less chocolate and it still have the same consistency. Great recipe, though. Thank you!
beth says
How long will this last in the fridge? I made it and it’s wonderful, but I’m worried about it spoiling.
Carolyn says
Hi Beth…sorry for the delayed reply. They can last for at least a week in the fridge, assuming your coconut milk is good!
Cappy says
I just made this last night, and while they are delicious and the consistency is perfect, they are a very intense dark chocolate flavor, which I usually love, but in fudge I guess I’m looking for more sweet, less intense chocolate. Have you made this recipe with cream instead of coconut milk? I’m wondering if that would mellow out the intense chocolate flavor. Also wondering if stirring in some peanut butter would work, or cutting back on the amount of unsweetened chocolate added, as some commenters have suggested.
Cappy says
OK, I experimented with part of the batch of fudge I made last night. I softened a few cubes of the fudge in the microwave for a few second, then stirred in an approximately equal amount of natural peanut butter (the kind that is just peanuts and salt). The resulting spread was delicious! I then formed the remainder of the peanut butter fudge concoction back into a cube-like shape, wrapped it in wax paper, and put it in the fridge. In a few hours it had set back into a firm, fudge-like consistency, and was a little creamier than the original recipe. I’m definitely going to make this again as peanut butter chocolate fudge! Now I’ve taken another portion of the fudge and mixed it with pureed roasted hazelnuts and put it back in the fridge. We’ll see if that works in a few hours. 🙂
beth says
How long can this be frozen for?
Carolyn says
I never froze mine but at least a month, I would imagine.
Carolyn says
Sounds yummy!
Cappy says
The homemade hazelnut butter didn’t work as well as the peanut butter. I think when I made the hazelnut butter I processed it too long and the oil started to separate. Also, once the hazelnut butter was added into the fudge, it needed additional sweetener to balance out the slight bitterness of the hazelnuts. So I re-melted the rest of my original batch of fudge briefly in the microwave, warmed up some natural peanut butter (about a cup), and stirred them both together. Poured it all back into an 8″ x 8″ pan that had been greased with olive oil and let it sit in the fridge overnight. It set back up perfectly, and may even be a little smoother than the original batch. It definitely pleases my taste buds more than the original recipe! Thank you!
Cappy says
Edit: sorry, I used coconut oil to grease the pan, not olive oil!
Kim says
Hi Carolyn,
I love your blog & recipes & I always look forward to trying out your recipes, this one being no different! But I was curious what brand of unsweetened chocolate you use or prefer?
Carolyn says
Ghirardelli usually, for unsweetened. It’s a higher quality than Baker’s. If I can get my hands on it, I also like Scharffen Berger or Dagoba.
Kim says
Awesome! I have some Ghirardelli on hand too! Thank you for the response. 🙂
Cappy says
Cook’s Illustrated did a blind taste test of unsweetened chocolate, and surprisingly, Hershey’s Unsweetened Baking Bar came out as the winner. Ghirardelli’s was in their top five picks as well. I buy whichever of those two is on sale. 🙂
Anna Fergus says
I try to avoid all sugar substitutes for our family. Would regular sugar or powdered sugar work with this recipe?
Carolyn says
I don’t know for sure as I haven’t tested it but powdered sugar would probably work.
Anna Fergus says
Thank you. Maybe I’ll give it a try. 😉
Patricia says
Anna, have you tried it already? Or maybe you, Carolyn? Anyone else?
I’ve just discovered this yummy recipe, and my little boys love anything chocolate+coconut, but we don’t use any sugar substitutes either…
Anna Fergus says
I liked it but texture wasn’t quite “traditional”; not off putting, just not what I was expecting. It’s definitely worth a try
AJ says
Would this be considered a fat bomb? Cant wait to try it! Thanks!
Carolyn says
At the time that I made them, I’d never heard of fat bombs, but sure! I think this would fit the bill!
Jennifer says
I am new to the gluten and dairy free diet. My 4 mth old has shown food allergies to these two things so far. 🙁 I am looking forward to making this sweet treat for Christmas so I don’t miss out in these yummy deserts. 😉
Kelly @ Nosh and Nourish says
I haven’t taken the plunge to buy xanthan gum. Is it worth buying? What other stuff would I use it in?
Carolyn says
It’s useful in a lot of low carb baked goods. Helps gluten-free things hold together a bit better! And a bag lasts a looooong time. Like 2 years long. I keep mine in a jar in the freezer.
Anonymous says
Can you just ground normal (not powdered) in a food processor and use that? I don’t have powdered erithritol or Swerve Confectioners.
Carolyn says
Some people have done that but I do think you get a little grittiness.
Angela says
Can this be made with cocoa powder instead of chocolate bars? If so, how much should I use?
Angela says
Made these today. So good! Toasted the coconut though. I didn’t have enough unswt chocolate bar so I subbed half of it for 2tbspcocoa and 1 tbsp coconut oil mixed together, worked beautifully. Whole family loved it.
Carolyn says
So glad it worked out!
heather pennel says
Hi! I made this recipe today and was so excited. I made the fugde in silicon muffin holders and halfway through and a few bites in i had an epiphany. I had half the fudge still in the pan i added a handful of unsweet coconut and some sugarless peanut butter and it tasted just like a no bake cookie. My husband even like it!! Thank you for the start!
yesenia says
I notice a lot of homemade low-carb fudge turns out thin pieces and not like traditional thick fudge. Will this recipe still hold up well to making it a thicker layer?
Carolyn says
Yep. Just do it in a loaf pan instead of an 8×8 pan.
Sandra says
Can I use baker’s unsweetened chocolates?
Carolyn says
Baker’s is not great quality so it may seize, but it’s worth a try.
HANDE HAMMETT says
I know this is an old post but I wanted to THANK YOU! So simple, yet so satisfying and delicious. I don’t find myself going for seconds, thirds. A little treat after lunch with coffee, sits in the fridge for a whole week. So hard to find good low carb recipes.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!