Keto rocky road fudge is a divine low carb sweet treat. Creamy smooth and full of marshmallows and pecans, and no one would ever guess that it’s sugar-free.
Did someone say keto fudge? Wait, hang on. Did someone say keto rocky road fudge? Those words are music to my ears and I bet they are to yours too.
Ever since I perfected my recipe for sugar-free marshmallows, I’ve been dying to try it in some rocky road fudge. Because who doesn’t love their fudge filled with lots of extras like sweet tender marshmallows and pecans?
Remember back when you were a kid, passing by a fudge shop and it practically made you weak in the knees? I always seemed to stumble up on these places on vacation. Every tourist destination seems to have their fair share of fudge and candy stores. And I always wanted the most tricked out fudge, the kind that had lots of tasty inclusions. This rocky road fudge would have been high up there on my list.
But I also shudder to think how sweet that fudge was, and how even a few small bites would have me feeling a little sick to my stomach. So it was definitely time to try to recreate it in a keto friendly way.
I actually made this keto fudge recipe back in December, and I took it to a Christmas party. I was invited to speak at a women physicians keto cookie exchange, and I thought I ought to bring along a sweet treat or two of my own. Do I even need to say what a hit this was? I put it out on a platter and it was gone in a matter of minutes.
Not surprisingly, my kids went wild for it too.
How To Make Keto Fudge
There are any number of approaches for making keto-friendly fudge. Some are easy, some are a little more complex. This rocky road fudge recipe falls into the easier category.
Some keto fudge recipes use cream cheese as a base. This is not my favorite approach, since your fudge tastes distinctly of cream cheese. Which for me, isn’t very fudgy and doesn’t satisfy that craving for the real thing.
I’ve made several variations of fudge using chocolate ganache, such as low carb peanut butter cup fudge and low carb andes mint fudge. Those recipes are super easy but they are definitely on the soft side and need to be kept refrigerated.
I took a stab at the old fashioned method for fudge-making back when I made my low carb peanut butter fudge. It was more work but definitely worth the effort.
One great way to make easy keto fudge is to start with sugar-free sweetened condensed milk. And that’s essentially what I did here, with a few minor modifications. It produces a perfect fudge consistency, without all the extra whipping and paddling that traditional fudge requires.
Tips for Making Rocky Road Fudge
For sugar-free rocky road fudge, you clearly have to put in a bit of advanced prep work. Here are my best tips for success:
Make and Freeze the Sugar-Free Marshmallows
These really need to be made one day ahead, so that they dry out properly. When first made, they are a bit tacky to the touch. It takes about a day, totally exposed to the air, for them to become like regular marshmallows. You then want to chop them up and freeze them so that they will mix with the chocolate, without becoming complete goo again.
Be sure to use vanilla extract in place of the peppermint for this batch of marshmallows. Unless you want peppermint rocky road fudge…
Use a mix of sweeteners
This is important for both the marshmallows and the fudge itself. Just using an erythritol based sweetener like Swerve is insufficient, as it will re-crystallize too much. But using another sweetener alone will make the marshmallows and the fudge too goopy and it won’t firm up properly. Swerve provides the substance and the other sweetener provides the softness. This combo just works!
For your other sweetener, you have a few options:
- Bocha Sweet (this is what I prefer to use)
- Allulose (unfortunately, this upsets my stomach a lot. It apparently doesn’t do so for everyone)
- Xylitol (be forewarned, this is highly toxic to dogs and I don’t recommend if you have pups)
Please please please please do not ask me if you can use Lakanto in place of the Bocha Sweet. You can’t. Even though it calls itself a “monk fruit sweetener”, it is essentially erythritol. That is the main ingredient and just like Swerve, it will recrystallize too much.
Make the Condensed Milk
The base of this rocky road fudge is essentially an extra sweet version of my sugar-free condensed milk recipe. It needs the extra sweetener to stand up to the unsweetened chocolate. I also added a bit more butter for a smoother, glossier fudge.
Remember, you want it to simmer continuously. I find that I have to turn up and down the heat frequently on my gas stove, to keep those little bubbles going along the edge and to keep it from boiling.
Use unsweetened chocolate
This is not the same thing as sugar-free chocolate! Be sure you are purchasing 100% cacao chocolate that contains no sweeteners. Do not use Lily’s or ChocZero here. Unsweetened chocolate contains more fiber than sweetened versions and will help the fudge thicken properly.
I also highly suggest using a good quality unsweetened chocolate like Ghirardelli, Scharffenberger, or Guittard. Baker’s chocolate is more prone to seizing and it’s hard to rescue the fudge if the chocolate seizes.
Use with your favorite nut
I used pecans because I love them. But I’ve seen rocky road fudge made with peanuts or cashews instead. Cashews tend to be a little high carb to be truly keto. You could also try macadamia nuts…now that would be decadent.
What about plain keto fudge?
Don’t feel like putting all the work into making the marshmallows? Prefer plain fudge? No problem! You can totally skip the add-ins here and just make good old keto chocolate fudge. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended.
Want more delicious keto fudge recipes?
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Keto Rocky Road Fudge
Ingredients
- ¾ recipe homemade sugar-free marshmallows (replace peppermint extract with vanilla extract)
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoon Bocha Sweet (can use allulose or xylitol)
- 6 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ cup butter
- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (100% cacao chocolate)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Make the marshmallows according to the directions, but replace the peppermint extract with vanilla extract. These will need to be made a day ahead in order to dry out properly. Cut the marshmallows into ½ inch chunks and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
- Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the cream and sweeteners. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Watch carefully as you want it to simmer but not continue to boil. There should be little bubbles along the edges the whole time.
- Remove from heat and add the butter, chopped chocolate, and vanilla extract. Let sit 5 minutes, until the butter and chocolate have melted, then whisk until smooth.
- Working quickly, stir in the frozen marshmallows and the pecans. Spread the whole mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours, before cutting into squares.
Notes
Claire says
I wimped out and bought sugar free marshmellows. They are pretty firm on their own so would I still need to freeze or could I just fold them in like you would for regular marshmellows ? Thank and Regards
Carolyn says
I haven’t ever used them but if you think it’s good, I’d go with it.
Rene johnson says
Can I use sugar free chocolate chips instead of cocoa? If so would I just subtract sugars?
Carolyn says
No, you don’t use cocoa or sugar-free chocolate, you use only unsweetened chocolate. Changing it would affect the consistency.
Karien says
Please tell me what the amount of the marshmallows are eg. weight or cups.
I see that one can purchase sugar free low carb marshmallows at one of our local stores.
Carolyn says
Sorry, I honestly didn’t measure them. It probably comes to 4 or 5 cups if you chop them up.
Julie says
Rocky road is the best of all flavors! This fudge is delicious and it definitely didn’t last long in my house. Guess I’m going to have to be making this often.
Anna says
My favorite fudge to make for the holidays!
Sara Welch says
This was just the treat I was looking for and it didn’t throw me off my diet! Loved every bite; purely delicious!
Krissy Allori says
I’m pretty sure that these are going to be an instant hit at my house!
cothroman says
These are amazing! Well received by all who tried them. Sooooo happy to have marshmallows in my life again.
Sharon Rausch says
That was a great article thank you so much.
Estelle says
The xylitol worked perfectly in both the marshmallow and condensed milk for the fudge. I did not have unsweetened chocolate and used a mix of 99% and 85% Lindt that worked well. Absolutely lovely !
Bonny Millet says
I have made this three times this week! (Minus the marshmallows, because I am not patient enough to make them ahead of time.) My chocoholic husband loves it and he is so picky about chocolate. Thank you!
Carolyn says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Bear says
Any way to do with this with cacao/cocoa powder + some type of fat (cacao butter, coconut oil, unsalted butter, etc.) instead of unsweetened chocolate? I always have cocoa powder on hand, but not unsweetened chocolate.
Carolyn says
The rule of thumb is 3 tbsp cocoa powder to 1 tbsp fat for every ounce of unsweetened chocolate. But I can’t guarantee how it will work out.
Kathi Saage says
Carolyn, Looks like you’ve worked your magic again! I love fudge and agree with you that the recipes using cream cheese taste mostly of cream cheese (I love cream cheese, mind you, but I want my fudge to taste like chocolate!) I wonder, do you have a measured amount or weight for the cream/sweetener mixture after it’s been reduced? That would help me know if I’ve reduced it enough. Or maybe a description of how thick it should be — such as “a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pot will leave a trail that takes 2 seconds to fill it.” Thank you for your keto genius creativity!
Carolyn says
No, I don’t have that and you don’t need to worry about it. It works with the half hour perfectly, as long as you make sure it’s got tiny bubbles on the edges the whole time. I find I have to turn up my heat and turn it down constantly to get the perfect simmer.
Kathi says
Thank you for such a quick reply. Now, off to the grocery for some cream and some 100% chocolate.
DeltaErin says
Howdy! I’m in the middle of making these 15 minutes left stirring the sweetened condensed milk. Is it really a 9” x 13” pan? That seems really big, that they’ll only be about a centimetre high is this correct? I’m so excited about these!! And I hope you don’t say the correct size is 8” x 8” pan because I’ve got a batch of your marshmallows flavoured with mango extract in that pan Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah!!
pdx girl says
I didn’t even read anything expect rocky road. I’m going to make this for my husband. He totally isn’t low carb – so I’m not going to tell him, honestly he won’t know the difference 🙂
Maggy says
I’m a huge fan of that fudge recipe found on the back of the marshmallow jar. I wonder if, instead of freezing the marshmallow, you mix it right into the batter? Have you ever tried that? Do you think it would work?
Carolyn says
No, I don’t think it would work at all. Marshmallow fluff and marshmallows are a bit different and the marshmallow mixture here firms up very quickly. There’s no way it would mix into the chocolate properly.
Melissa L says
Did I miss the instructions for storing this fudge? How would you store it?
Carolyn says
Really? You plan on storing it??? It’s gonna be gone in seconds. 😉
Fridge, for sure. Cut it up first.
Allison G says
OMG! I must make these! They’re gorgeous!
Karen says
Dayyyuuum. The End.
Deborah says
Carolyn, would you recommend using your SF condensed milk recipe for the peanut butter fudge as well? I have been hesitant to try the original given all the paddling it requires to work the butter back in at the end. Would SF condensed milk work for that recipe?
Definitely want to try this one….may skip the marshmallows and go straight for the nuts. Looks yummy.
Carolyn says
No, I wouldn’t. It’s a very different kind of recipe and it was designed to be like old fashioned fudge. Peanut butter can clump up when added to a warm liquid and the the whole thing might separate into goo.
Tyler says
This separated instantly when poured in the pan and looks Terrible. Utter waste of time.
Carolyn says
Not really sure why it would do that. It hasn’t for anyone else. Usually if chocolate separates, it happens in the pan and it happens because of the heat being too high, some accidental liquid getting in there, or your chocolate wasn’t good quality.
Doris Litman says
Mine separated as well and didn’t set up like it should. It’s still very soft. Tastes delicious though. I know I didn’t get water in it so maybe my heat was too high? But it tried to be very careful to make sure it simmered.
I’ll try it again but it was a little disappointing that it separated like that.
Carolyn says
All you have to do to bring it together again is transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend on high.
Tracy says
This looks amazing! Can’t wait until I have the opportunity to make it. I had been holding out on getting Bocha sweet but this and your alaflorjes (sp?) will probably put me over the edge. Thank you so much for everything you do.