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
I am in love with freezer fudges! So excited to try this one 🙂
About how many pieces does this recipe make? The nutrition info says per 18 g, but what fraction of the recipe would that be?
Smores fudge!
Boo! Out of bananas and coconut oil! Time to build a new grocery list!!! So excited to try this!!! Might test it with Nutella too… Although I’ll have to wait to try both of them until my husband is home so I can’t eat all of the fudgy deliciousness by myself… 😉 any idea how many servings are in one batch?
Oh my, there is nothing like a vacation to bring out the best flavors to make the day.
is pizza fudge too daring? 😀
Has anyone tried it with PB2? I am wondering if the consistency would be the same.
I would love to know too!!!
Yum yum. I am going to try these tonight. In the next hour. Probably with either trivia or honey since I don’t have Stevia or maple syrup.
I ended up using two packets of trivia. I liked it. Then I added cocopowder because I could. And I loved it. Yum. Chocolate peaunut butter; tried and true. Peppermint fudge would be good. Or is it t early for my mint cravings?
These look amazing! All I need is a banana and these will definitely be made this week. The fudge looks so decadent.
This looks so good!!! 😀
I work at “The Fudgery”, and we don’t make any vegan fudges or candies for that matter, so I can never sample anything we make. :/ I’d say my dream flavor would be anything chocolatey (duh, haha!) and of course there’s cookies n’ creme fudge and dreamsicle fudge (both I used to sample at Tillamook’s factory in Oregon when I was little, before I became a vegan). I bet you could make a really good version of those flavors!!! 😉
Hi there, You’ve done a great job. I will certainly digg it and
personally recommend to my friends. I’m confident they’ll be benefited from this website.
I think cappuccino toffee fudge would be dreamy!!
So intrigued by the banana in this recipe! What a great combination. Thanks for sharing!
ZOMG why have I never eaten peanut butter fudge before? Must. Make. Now!
Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Love this recipe! It seems quite simple and I will give it a try:)
aniqadreams.blogspot.com
Katie- beautiful photo.
Katie did ask commentators for modification of the recipe for better shelf life. I attempted one http://lulucooksandtells.blogspot.com/2014/09/healthier-peanut-butter-fudge.html. Ignore the rustic picture and see the one from the blog that I adapted it from.
i have included a new version of this modified recipe due to a request of a friend who loves bananas.
http://lulucooksandtells.blogspot.com/2014/10/banana-peanut-butter-fudge.html
I just caved in to buying a jar of coconut oil on impulse… now I need to know what to do with it all! I guess I’ll have to make this PB fudge since I ABSOLUTELY LOVE everything peanut butter- thanks Katie!!
I used to have a fudge shop downtown; my all-time favorite dream fudge was candycane white chocolate. And the maple bar one. And the peanut crunch. Can I have three favorites?:)