5 Ingredient Fudge
Today we are making an easy recipe that’s oh-so-delicious! 5 Ingredient Fudge with a twist: S’mores flavor! So you’re out by the campfire, singing the campfire song (C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G-SONG – if you know, you know). The smell of burning wood, the warmth of the fire in the crisp autumn air (or the humidity of a warm summer night party in the backyard), your over-toasted marshmallow staring at you in the face. Stick your hands in and open up a package of No Name graham crackers, pick up that bar of chocolate, and slap everything together. Now that’s the way to s’more!
There’s so many things you can do with the combination of chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. Milkshakes, ice cream, cookies, brownies … and fudge, DUH! No decadent dessert is complete without some chocolate, at least for me. And a dessert that’s solely based off of it, with s’mores add-ins? No wonder I love fudge so much.
Feel free to add in anything though – if you don’t like s’mores toppings, add in walnuts, pecans, white chocolate chips, slivered almonds and so much more.
Why You’ll Love This 5 Ingredient Fudge
Two Ingredient Base: This 5 ingredient chocolate fudge only uses a base of two ingredients, which isn’t the sweetened condensed milk that is usually used (so healthier ingredients)! One of which you may not even have thought of: Coconut cream!
Coconut cream is the fat that comes from coconut milk. You can buy entire cans of this stuff, or you can set a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight (not the carton type, it has to be in a can). In the morning, the fat in the coconut milk will separate and rise to the top, forming the cream that you can then use for this. Having the higher fat content in the coconut cream rather than using the coconut milk makes for a creamier fudge. Higher fat = more creamy in any recipe!
This is one of my easiest go-to desserts. Make this easy chocolate fudge recipe when you get home from work (single serving anybody?), set it in the fridge and have it ready in the evening for dessert, or bring this to holiday parties! It also requires minimal equipment and it doesn’t need a candy thermometer to check the chocolate mixture, which some recipes use to make sure the fudge is just right.
Substitutions: Chocolate
Chocolate Chips: Check the ingredient label to confirm whether they are vegan, as not all semi-sweet chocolate chips are vegan (some have milk or milk powder added). You can also find chocolate chips made from natural sugars, which is a healthier option like these from Enjoy Life (which may be at health food stores or in the natural section of your grocery store).
You can use dark chocolate if you don’t want a super sweet fudge recipe. It also doesn’t have to be chocolate chips. Chocolate chunks or a full chocolate bar (like a block of baker’s chocolate) will do as well. Bittersweet chocolate also works if you’re looking to use a darker chocolate. Vegan milk chocolate can be another substitute, although regular milk chocolate chips are not vegan.
For a peanut butter fudge, use vegan peanut butter chips! Or for butterscotch fudge, use vegan butterscotch chips.
Substitutions: Other Ingredients
Coconut Cream: Perfect for homemade fudge, this comes from a can of full-fat coconut milk which has been refrigerated overnight (or at least for a few hours). After refrigerating, do not shake the can. Once you open it up, the coconut water and coconut cream will have separated, with a thick white layer at the top. Scoop this out to use as coconut cream! Alternatively, there may also be cans of just coconut cream that you can buy.
For a coconut-free option, you can use vegan heavy cream. I haven’t used vegan heavy cream in this recipe before though. It may not be as readily available at the store as a can of coconut milk is.
Refined coconut oil may work here to harden up the chocolate like the coconut cream does. This would be the type of oil that doesn’t smell like coconuts (so not virgin or extra-virgin)! When it comes to vegan fudge recipes, fats such as almond butter or peanut butter (for a peanut butter fudge recipe!) may work for a creamy fudge. Since coconut cream is high in fat, other oils or nut butters can mimic this.
Graham Crackers: You can find vegan graham crackers in the natural section of grocery stores. Regular graham crackers are not vegan if they contain honey! If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, check the ingredient label to check whether they contain gluten. I found vegan and gluten-free crackers at my local grocery store.
Marshmallows: Dandies brand makes awesome vegan marshmallows! I got their mini marshmallows in the peppermint flavor. It made this simple recipe so much more festive for the holiday season!
Vanilla Extract: Can be omitted, but vanilla always makes everything taste better!
5 Ingredient Fudge Recipe Notes
- These will get too soft at room temperature, so for best results store them in the refrigerator or freezer, covered with parchment paper / wax paper in an airtight container. I don’t love to cover my fudge with plastic wrap because the chocolate may stick to the wrapper when opening it up, unless the fudge is fully frozen when wrapping it.
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
Peppermint Matcha Nanaimo Bars
If you make this 5 Ingredient Fudge, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
5 Ingredient Fudge
Equipment
- Stovetop Pan
- Small Rectangular Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegan graham crackers crushed
- ¼ cup mini vegan marshmallows I used the candycane flavor of Dandies brand
- 1 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup coconut cream
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a small rectangular tray with wax paper that hangs off the sides, so you can pull the fudge out easily later.
- In a stovetop pan over medium-low heat, add the coconut cream and chocolate chips. Continuously stir it until it is completely melted. Chocolate burns quickly so make sure you don't stop stirring!
- Once melted, pour this into the tray. Add the marshmallows and graham cracker toppings immediately, and stir them around with a knife or toothpick. You could also pour half the mixture, then stir in some toppings, then rest of the mixture on top and then more toppings. The toppings will be more evenly distributed on the bottom too then.
- Freeze the tray for 30 minutes. You can also keep it in the fridge, but it'll take longer to set. Also, freezer fudge tastes so much better!
- Once it's set, cut into 8 squares and serve! It'll start to get very soft at room temperature, so store it in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
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Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or three months in the freezer. You can use parchment paper / wax paper to separate the pieces.
