Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge is the ultimate chocolate no-bake recipe for Eastertime. Packed with good for you ingredients, this fudge is no bake, naturally sweetened, vegan and gluten-free.

I love a slice of chocolate fudge, it’s one of my favourite things to make as it’s rich, indulgent and melts in your mouth. Nothing beats it, well, maybe one that’s actually good for you and made with natural whole-food ingredients. This is the best way to do Easter fudge, in my opinion. We all loved these at home and I hope you will too.

What is this fudge like?

This fudge is really special, it’s:

• Rich and decadent
• Indulgent and melts in your mouth
• Dark yet sweet
• Smooth yet crunchy and sticky
• Naturally vegan and gluten-free with nut-free options
• No bake and comes together in 20 minutes
• Fun to make with little ones
• Great to make all year round (not just for Easter)

If you already love this Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge, then skip ahead to the recipe card, or we can discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

Here is everything that goes into these fudge squares (no condensed milk or coconut cream, you’ll notice!) and let’s start with the base:

• Medjool dates: these are the key ingredient to achieve the fudgy melt-in-your-mouth texture. other dates will also work, although the squdgier the better. We soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes first to make them even softer.
• Cashew butter: I like the natural sweetness and mellow flavour of cashew butter but any smooth, runny nut or seed butter is great. You can choose almond, hazelnut or peanut butter or opt for tahini or sunflower seed butter, too.
• Raw cacao powder: or regular cocoa powder is just as good, as long as it’s 100% cacao or cocoa, this recipe will be great.
• Plant-based milk: just a splash to help the ingredients blend together and form a lovely fudgy texture. Any milk like oat, almond or (carton) coconut milk is perfect, the key thing is that the milk is room temperature so that it isn’t too cold.
• Coconut oil: melt the coconut oil and allow it to cool slightly so that the temperature difference with the milk isn’t too great (they could seize up and not allow the mix to blend as well). This is important for the texture when the fudge sets, so do not skip it. The Vegan Chocolate Easter Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge are firm enough to cut but still lovely and fudgy.
• Salt: to enhance the flavours.
• Vanilla essence: for a little vanilla sweetness.
• Dairy free mini eggs: or similar small easter chocolates, chopped up. Other chocolates will be great if you are making these at any other time of year, like chocolate covered peanuts, smartie or M&M-style chocolates (the ones from Doisy and Dam are my favourites).
• Chocolate goldenberries: I am obsessed with the dark chocolate goldenberries from Natures Heart, who inspired this recipe. The chocolates are tangy and sharp from the dried goldenberries, but rich and indulgent thanks to the chocolate coating. They add a lovely chewiness to the fudge, too. Failing that, other chocolate covered or regular dried fruit are great here.
• Freeze dried raspberries: I love the tartness and fruitiness these add but they are optional. Do not swap for regular raspberries, just skip them all together if you don’t have any. Or, you can use other freeze-dried fruits like blueberries, strawberries or mango.

And for the top layer:

• Dark chocolate: the richer and darker the better for me, but dairy-free milk chocolate will be delicious here, too.
• White chocolate: the dairy-free white chocolate is so delicious swirled into the dark chocolate. You can find dairy-free white chocolate in most supermarkets or health food shops, or the brands iChoc and Pana Chocolate do delicious ones.
• Coconut oil: add a little to both the chocolates as they melt to ensure that you can slice the Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge neatly and more easily.
• Extra chocolates: I add more of the mini eggs and dark chocolate goldenberries on top and also some extra freeze-dried raspberries.

How do I make these Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge?

They are really easy to make in a couple of steps:

• Soak the dates for 10 minutes: to make them easier to blend and then drain.
• Blend together the dates, nut butter, cacao powder, milk, coconut oil, salt and vanilla: to a sticky mix.
• Fold in the chocolates and freeze-dried berries: until evenly mixed through.
• Press into a lined 6-inch dish: to make an even base layer and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Melt the chocolates separately: with the coconut oil.
• Take turns to drop spoonfuls of the dark and white chocolate: over the fudge base layer.
• Swirl through the chocolates: to make pretty patterns.
• Add on more chocolates: and chill again for 1-2 hours or until set.
• Slice using a sharp hot knife into squares: and dig in.

Are these fudge bites gluten-free and nut-free?

These are naturally gluten-free (just check your plant milk and chocolates are gluten-free) and to make these easily nut-free, swap the cashew butter for tahini or sunflower seed butter. Also check that your chocolate and plant-based milk are nut-free.

How long do these last for?

These disappear very quickly for some delicious reason but they will keep for 1 week in a sealed container in the fridge (the mini eggs may start to lose their colour as they “bleed” and turn sticker but this is normal) and you can eat them cold from the fridge or they are more fudgy at room temperature.

I love no bake recipes, what others can I make?

I hope you are going to love these Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge and for more no bake recipes, how about my:

• No Bake Almond Caramel Brownies
• Mini Chocolate Mousse Pecan Tarts
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Oat Bars
• No Bake Cookie Dough Bites
• Fig Tahini and Chocolate Bliss Balls

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Vegan Chocolate Easter Fudge so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make these fudge bites, I’d love to see them so please tag me in them, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With fudgy love x

p.s. this fudge recipe was made with Natures Heart as part of our ongoing collaboration although this post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.