This smooth, sweet, salty, secretly healthy peanut butter fudge melts in your mouth!
Healthy peanut butter fudge recipe
Did you know it’s possible to make the most delicious homemade fudge with no butter, no heavy cream, and no high fructose corn syrup required?
Only five plant based healthy ingredients, and it tastes just like traditional fudge.
It really and truly does!
Each bite of soft peanut butter fudge is rich, velvety, and so creamy.
This is one snack you’ll find yourself making over and over (and over and over) again.
Also try 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Truffles
A few years ago, while on a beach vacation in Delaware, I discovered a little candy shop along the boardwalk.
The store offered an array of enticing flavors like Chocolate Pecan, Sea Salt Caramel, Toasted Coconut, Pumpkin Walnut, and Classic Peanut Butter.
It would’ve been impossible to leave that shop not craving fudge. The second I returned home from the trip, I turned my kitchen into its own confectionary factory, whipping up healthy peanut butter fudge from scratch.
My original plan had been to make many different flavors of fudge… but peanut butter tasted so good that I never got to the others!
Trending now: Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
Healthy peanut butter fudge recipe video
Key ingredients
Peanut butter – I love the fun texture of crunchy peanut butter, or you can go with smooth peanut butter for a creamier fudge.
Both natural peanut butter and conventional brands (like Jif or Skippy) work here.
Almond butter is a tasty alternative to peanut butter. Or for those on a nut free diet, try sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter.
Coconut oil – Either refined or unrefined coconut oil should be readily available at regular grocery chains as well as stores like Target, Marshall’s, and Whole Foods.
Do not omit or substitute vegetable oil for the coconut, because it does not harden when cold and therefore your fudge will never solidify.
Sweetener – Liquid sweeteners like honey or pure maple syrup are the best options for the smoothest fudge. You can substitute liquid sweetener for granulated sugar or powdered sugar if you wish.
For keto fudge, use low carb syrup, monk fruit, erythritol, or stevia drops to taste.
Banana (optional) – As a huge peanut butter banana fan, I add one ripe banana to naturally sweeten the fudge. If you prefer your recipe to be banana free, you do not need to add the fruit.
How to make the vegan fudge
- Measure out your peanut butter. If using natural nut butter, gently warm it up on the stove top or in the microwave until soft and easy to stir.
- Mash the banana (if using), then whip all of your ingredients together with a spoon or in a food processor until completely smooth.
- Use a spoon or spatula to spread the mixture into a plastic container, glass container, or small baking pan.
- Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips or chopped walnuts if desired.
- Freeze until firm and easy to slice.
- Due to the melty nature of the coconut oil, this freezer fudge is best kept frozen. Store leftovers in an airtight covered container for up to a month.
Want a fun alternative to traditional fudge squares? Freeze the peanut butter mixture in candy molds or mini cupcake liners!
What makes this healthy peanut butter fudge?
Refined sugar free. If you go with the banana option or any of the sugar free options included in the recipe below, this fudge can be entirely free of refined sugars.
Protein in each bite. Just one piece provides over four times the amount of protein found in traditional peanut butter fudge.
No corn syrup, no shortening. Many peanut butter fudge recipes call for high fructose corn syrup, butter or shortening, sweetened condensed milk, or sometimes even marshmallows. You won’t find any of those ingredients in this healthier version.
Vegan + dairy free. The healthy snack can also be gluten free, egg free, and soy free.
More healthy fudge flavors
What would be your dream fudge flavor? Chocolate Banana Bread? Caramel Popcorn? Sugar Cookie Dough? Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Fudge?
Please feel free to list as many ideas as you wish, and you might just see your dream flavor up here on my blog in the near future.
Healthy Peanut Butter Fudge
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peanut butter or nut or seed butter of choice (120g)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil (36g)
- 2 tbsp sweetener of choice (30g) or stevia drops to taste
- 1 banana (optional)
- 1 handful mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- If peanut butter is not already soft, gently heat until easy to stir. Either combine all ingredients in a small blender or stir together by hand until completely smooth. Spread into a small container or mini cupcake liners. Freeze until firm. To keep the peanut butter fudge from melting, store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Healthy Peanut Butter Recipes
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Healthy Girl Scout Cookie Tagalongs
Not sure if this question was asked already but how many servings does this make? (Trying to reference the nutrition facts but I don’t have a scale.)
They turned out amazing! I’m trying not to eat then all in one go.
Dearest Katie,
Your recipes motivate me to eat better! However, I am allergic to coconut and nuts (not peanuts! Woot!)! I wanted to make the healthy PB fudge. What should I use instead of the coconut oil!?
Thanks so much! I love reading your recipes!
Dear Katie: My recipe does not get solid, it’s just creamy… I’ve used homemade PB, and 2 tbs of this to replace coconut oil, ripe banana and powdered sugar. Could you please give me some advice to fix it?
Following the recipe would give you the best chance to get the desired result. I’ve made this several times, and never had a problem.
This almost didn’t make it to my freezer! Its so delicious I licked every spoon I used. Thank you 🙂
We made this recipe, and it blew my mind!! It’s so good! I sort of want to skip putting it in the freezer and just eat it all raw. It’s super easy and it is so delicious!
Definitely make it.
My absolute FAVORITE is brown sugar fudge. It is a specialty of New England and Canada.
This recipe tastes exactly like a peanut butter banana smoothie in fudge form! I expected it to be firm after 30 minutes so I ate half of it with a spoon because I couldn’t wait. So delicious!
This fudge looks so delicious. Can I sub another oil for the coconut oil, since I would rather not have a coconut flavor to the fudge ?
Unfortunately it needs to be coconut because coconut oil or coconut butter are solid when chilled. But they do not have a strong coconut flavor at all! You could try a non-hydrogenated shortening if you’d prefer, but we haven’t tried it yet.
Miss Paula
I loved watching you on tv now I watch on my phone . I’m a country girl myself and dont know squat about these fancy thingamagigger my kids showed me how to text on the phone.lol . Mam I watched you make your peach cobbler I dont care for peaches or apples after they’re cooked I love them fresh but not cooked will you please show us how to make a pineapple cobbler? Thank you and God Bless
Love from Cathy Bounds in Cleveland Tx
These are SOOOOOO good! The taste and texture remind me of Perfect Bars but I like these even more ~ and that’s saying a lot. Thanks, Katie, for another AMAZING recipe that my whole family loves!
Thank you so much for making it 🙂