This Vegan Chocolate Fudge is incredibly smooth, rich, and chocolatey. It’s made with only four wholesome ingredients, there’s no cooking required, and dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free! It’s the perfect holiday treat.

Back in high school, when I first start started experimenting in the kitchen and churning out tons of treats, I became infatuated with making fudge.
During the holiday season, I would make a ton of batches. I made all sorts of flavors, but most of them got sprinkled with a generous dusting of flaky Maldon sea salt. It was my newest obsession at the time, and one that continues to this day.

My mom would bring the fudge to share with her friends and “Rachel’s salty fudge” always got rave reviews. Everyone loved how creamy and rich it was, and the salt woke up the taste buds just enough to be exciting. Of course, that recipe was far from this Paleo + vegan chocolate fudge. It was loaded with chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Both are delicious things that are pretty far away from healthy.
So this year, in honor of Rachel’s salty fudge, I decided it was time to master a refined sugar-free, vegan chocolate fudge recipe. I immediately looked to my super easy paleo chocolate chunk recipe, thinking it could probably be pretty easily altered into a delicious, easy fudge.

And it turns out I was right! I played with the ratios on that recipe and added a big dose of nut butter. This managed to make an irresistibly good, incredibly easy chocolate fudge.
What do I need for this Vegan Chocolate Fudge?
There are only four main ingredients here!
- Coconut Oil or Coconut Butter: coconut oil leads to a softer, more “melt in your mouth” fudge, but it needs to stay refrigerated. Coconut butter will give you a fudge that stays firmer at room temperature.
- Cocoa Powder: I like to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder here. It gives a deeper color and richer flavor, but no worries if you can’t find any. Regular cocoa powder will also do the trick, it just might not be quite as dark.
- Maple Syrup: for sweetness, which can be switched out for honey if you prefer it.
- Nut Butter: it makes the fudge super-rich and gives it an ultra-creamy texture. I tried it with almond butter, and then peanut butter (not Paleo, but delish). The almond butter flavor blends more into the background, letting the chocolate shine, while the peanut butter is more noticeable. Cashew butter would also do a good job of highlighting the chocolate flavor.

There’s some optional vanilla extract and salt too, which I recommend but aren’t necessary for delicious vegan chocolate fudge. The mixture will be pretty thin and runny when you pour it into the pan, so I don’t recommend using this recipe if you want to mix anything in. It’s not thick enough to suspend anything in it.
Once you let it set though, you can go to town with toppings. I kept it simple and classic with a generous sprinkling of my favorite flaky sea salt: Rachel’s Salty Fudge, Take 2! You could also top it with cacao nibs, or chopped nuts, or really anything your heart desires :) enjoy!

Want more fudgy goodness?!
- Pumpkin Spice Fudge (Paleo & Vegan)
- Mocha Almond Fudge Bars (Paleo & Vegan)
- Chocolate Strawberry Fudge (Paleo & Vegan)
- Chocolate Peppermint Fudge (Paleo & Vegan)

Vegan Chocolate Fudge
Ingredients
- ½ cup 112g refined coconut oil or coconut butter (coconut oil leads to a softer, more “melt in your mouth” fudge, but it needs to stay refrigerated. Coconut butter will give you a fudge that stays firmer at room temperature but has more coconut flavor)
- ¾ cup 72g cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
- ¾ cup 192g creamy almond butter, or nut butter of choice
- ⅓ cup 104g maple syrup, can also use honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, optional
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Line a small baking pan with foil or parchment paper – I used a 9×5” loaf pan for a thick fudge. You can use an 8” square pan if you want thinner pieces.
- Melt coconut oil or coconut butter in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute. Whisk in the cocoa powder, nut butter, maple syrup, and if using, vanilla extract and salt, into the melted coconut oil until completely smooth.
- Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 2 hours.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into squares. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Store at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.

I love how you recreated your salty fudge, Rachel! I’ve never had a paleo version before, but I’m betting it’s even better than the regular kind. This looks SO good and is getting me even more excited for the holidays!
Doesn’t fudge just put you in the holiday spirit? Thanks Gayle!
May I have the sodium nutrition facts please?
Hi Ellie, sodium isn’t listed here because it can vary based on whether your nut butter is salted or not, and how much salt is in there. You can calculate yourself with specific brands on myfitnesspal.com!
This looks amazing! Love that it has nut butter in it.
Thanks so much Becky!!
I love your pics, they are always so mouthwatering. This fudge looks SO creamy!
Thanks so much, Ashley!
Love how simple these are to make. Can’t go wrong with fudge!
This looks so delish! I’ve never made my own fudge before, but looking at these pictures make me drool a bit! The addition of salt flakes is definitely a great way to wake up the taste buds! Pinning for later :)
This fudge looks absolutely perfect!! And I LOVE that it’s vegan!! :D
Chocolate fudge is the best! Love your paleo version and the flaky salt topping!
Thank you so much Laura!
as always, you amaze me with how you can make anything paleo and OH SO DELICIOUS AND DECADENT!!!
Free coconut oil!! What a fabulous gift! Thank you my dear! Fudge perfection, Rachel! So much goodness in these little bites and I love that they are wayyyy healthier than their counterparts! Way to go!
You’re the sweetest – thanks so much Traci!
Hi! Just found your blog :) Can you tell me, would coconut butter work instead of the coconut oil? I have coconut oil, but I’m curious if the butter would help it hold together better? What do you think?
Hi Chantelle. I only tested the recipe with coconut oil so I’m not sure how coconut butter would be, but my guess it that it would work out well and would probably just be a bit richer/more coconutty. Let me know if you try it that way!