It's that time of the year when Fudge is a must. Indulge in a piece of this chocolate heaven!
The next time you have that insatiable craving for chocolate, take a little time to make our decadent yet guilt-free Slow Cooker Fudge. This clean-eating recipe is made with dark chocolate and coconut milk, creating a dessert that’s as nutritious as it is delicious. And, since each bite contains only 114 calories, it makes a perfect portion-sized treat when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Just like most slow cooker recipes, the process is so easy. It’s just a matter of tossing the ingredients in the pot and letting the slow cooker do the rest. You could whip up a batch before you go to bed and they’ll be ready to put away in the morning. Or, start it before you go to work and it’ll be ready to eat when you get home. Because it’s so easy (and it turns out to be so delicious), this Slow Cooker Fudge recipe quickly becomes a favorite for most families. No one will even notice that it happens to be a healthier version of fudge!
The Power of Dark Chocolate
Chocolate gets a bad rap as an unhealthy ingredient. On the one hand, it’s true that sugary processed bars (or, even worse, those that use high-fructose corn syrup) aren’t great for your health. On the other hand, darker, less processed chocolate is actually pretty good for you!
Dark chocolate helps lower blood pressure, increase blood flow to throughout the body, and maintain level blood sugar. Instead of starting with sugary chocolate, we’d recommend you find the darkest chocolate you can buy. Then, sweeten up the fudge with a touch of honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar: Your choice. That makes our Slow Cooker Fudge perfectly sweet without adding any refined sugar.
If you want to keep things dairy free, you have a few options when it comes to chocolate. There are Enjoy Life chocolate chips, which also happen to be Soy free, Nut free, Gluten free, Non GMO, Vegan, and Paleo. Talk about a clean chocolate chip! You could also use raw chocolate (sometimes called cacao nibs) if you prefer. But, since cacao isn’t sweetened at all, you may need to add a little more honey in the recipe to make it taste just right.
Why We Love Coconut Milk
As for coconut milk, it’s an excellent alternative to dairy. You’ll find a number of beneficial vitamins and nutrients in coconut milk, including Vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and potassium. It is high in fat, but it contains all the good, healthy fats. Many people say that the medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) fats found in coconut milk help boost your metabolism and promote weight loss!
Plus, coconut milk just tastes really good. When it cooks down in the slow cooker with your chocolate, it creates a rich mixture that has the perfect mouthfeel. You’ll notice it immediately as you bite into one of these rich and decadent Slow Cooker Fudge bites.
Slow Cooker Fudge
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chocolate chips Enjoy Life is a vegan brand
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (canned, not in a carton)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (optional honey or maple syrup)
- dash of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add chocolate chips, coconut milk, coconut sugar, salt, and coconut oil, stir to combine. Next, cover and cook on low 2 hours without stirring. It's important that the lid remains on during the 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, turn the slow cooker off, uncover, and add vanilla. IMPORTANT; Do not stir fudge mixture at this point. Allow to cool to room temperature, or it reaches 110 degrees with a candy thermometer.
- Once cooled, use a large spoon, stir vigorously for 5-10 minutes until it loses some the gloss.
- Lightly oil an "8x8" square pan. Pour fudge into pan, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. This fudge is very rich and meant to be eaten on occasion as a treat.
- Canned coconut milk can be found in the Asian or organic sections of most grocery stores.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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How is this refined sugar free when there will be sugar in the chocolate chips?
Do you have any idea how much unsweetened chocolate (in bar form) I could use to replace the chocolate chips?
Penny, Yes you can use unsweetened chocolate but then you must add at least 1/2 cup more honey to the recipe.
When you say canned coconut milk do you mean the thick cream on the top. Some cans have thick tops and others just runny coconut milk.
Thanks
Sophie, Yes the kind of coconut milk with the thick cream on the top.
I'm allergic to coconut and most tree nuts. Would this recipe work with coconut substitutions? Such as – soy milk, rice milk, and a healthy oil not derived from coconut?
Angela, The milk has to be really thick. Unflavored soy creamer might work in place of the coconut milk. Or if you get vanilla creamer, just don't add the vanilla. Also heavy cream (dairy) would work. Then in place of the coconut oil, organic palm shortening, butter or canola oil should work.
what kind of oil do you suggest in the pan for cooling? Coconut oil?
Gina, Yes you can use the coconut oil to lightly grease the pan. You can also use canola oil or a mild (not extra virgin olive oil) or a spray.
Trader Joe's sells a coconut oil spray if you prefer to use coconut oil for greasing your pans 🙂
I'm making this fudge now, just finished the two hour portion and added my vanilla. I didn't touch anything but is it normal that my chocolate chips haven't completely melted? By the way, my house smells wonderful!
Gina, Yes it's okay that the chips haven't completely melted. Let us know how it turns out!
they should rename it fudge for dummies
This looks like a great fudge recipe! I was wondering if other types of baking chips would work like say for example would white chocolate chips work if you want white chocolate fudge? Or peanut butter chips if you want peanut butter fudge (or combination of chocolate and peanut butter chips for chocolate-PB fudge)?
Also would canned lite coconut milk work? It's still pretty fatty, fattier than the stuff in a carton but not as fatty as canned regular coconut milk. And also: Olivio brand makes a vegan non-GMO coconut oil spread that's not as fatty as regular coconut oil. Would that work or does it have to be full-fat coconut oil for it to set properly?
Joseph, The coconut milk has to be full fat. Not sure about the spread, but I would say use regular full fat coconut oil. Other types of chips should work. Enjoy:)!
I see. Actually in another comment you said to someone else that the milk just has to be really thick. Perhaps fat-free condensed milk would work? I also have a recipe for making your own condensed milk in the crockpot from almond milk (the stuff in the cartons, coconut milk beverage in the carton might work too) plus sugar….and it's less WW points than fat-free condensed milk from the store. As for the coconut oil I could try it with the coconut oil spread from Olivio and if it doesn't set then I at least have a hot fudge sauce I can put over ice cream 😛
One is cautioned not to stir "at this point" after adding the vanilla – does that mean to stir in the vanilla & then no stirring OR just pour the vanilla on top of the mixture so there is no stirring at all at that step? Thanks for this clarification. The fudge sounds decadent & wonderful!
Toni, Good question. The last time you stir the fudge is when you stir in the vanilla when it's still very hot. Once it starts cooling, do not stir it at all.
Thanks! 🙂
We just made a batch and love it! I am trying to make some for my sister that has a corn allergy. I need to use 100% cocoa, chocolate chips. I think I should add more sugar to compensate, any ideas about how much?
Thea, You can add a touch of sweetener, taste the batter, and add more as you go to get the level of sweetness desired.
what can I use in place of coconut milk, I am allergic to coconut and tree nuts
You could substitute whole milk, half-and-half, or goat's milk in place of coconut milk to ensure that the fudge has enough fat to remain solid.
I'm thinking this might work better if it was stirred every 15 mins or so, same as you would do with a dairy based fudge. When I tried it with the 2 hours without stirring it burnt onto the base and sides of the slow cooker (yes it was on low). It tasted nice, I just had to throw part of it away because it was burnt.
Hi Jennifer, Try the same recipe but use these instructions https://skinnyms.com/peppermint-fudge/. The taste is just as good. 🙂
Question: What size of slow cooker is recommended for this?
Also, could we use soy milk instead of coconut? I have an anti-coconut fanatic in the house…
Thank you!
You can use a 4-6 quart slow cooker. I've never used soy milk in this recipes so I can't say for sure what the results will be. Keep in mind, there does need
to be some fat in whatever liquid you go with. Keep us posted! 🙂
Making 3rd batch tonight! Love this fudge. It does take about an hour to get to room temperature. Stir & stir until your hand & arm get tired (JK), no glossy chocolate & then put it in a glass 8 x8 pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnite. When ready to cut into squares, let pan sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn out fudge onto cutting board & cut with sharp knife. It goes farther by cutting each square (20 pieces per recipe) into half & then you have 40 pieces to share. Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips are the best. May try honey next time instead of coconut sugar.
Can this be frozen?
Ali, Yes, just be sure to thaw in the fridge.
I have limited arm strength-can you use a hand mixer, and if so, what speed and time?
Diane, Yes, low-medium speed for about 5 minutes should do it!