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
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?:)
MAPLE. I already have some maple extract. I bet if I use that instead of vanilla, and use a milder nut butter like cashew instead of peanut, that might do it. MMM.
Yayess peanut butter+fudge= incredible. Making this today!
Oh my goodness Katie! I’m going to try this one TODAY! I actually have all of the ingredients on hand, and since we just got fresh bananas delivered from the farm on Friday, this would be a perfect way to use them instead of my usual freezing method! I don’t have uncut stevia, so I’ll be using the pure organic maple syrup. I’ll be sure and let you know how it turned out! Thanks for all the hard work that’s you put into your blog and your recipes!
I am not normally a huge fudge fan, but I made this today and it was so decadent! I made 2 batches, one as the recipe follows and then the other with nativas cacao powder, cinnamon, maple flakes, maca and hemp. Both were delicious, but when I asked hubby which he preferred, it was the altered recipe. So I’m thinking two of these before our morning workout is perfect! (I poured mine in mini cupcake/candy liners so I could make sure to only add 0.5 oz/14g in weight.) Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!
Looking fabby! I’m into gifting fudge for Chrizzy presents and such, I’m in the mood for some banoffee or Black Forest Gateaux fudge too
This looks delicious!! How much does the banana flavor stand out in this recipe? I want to make it for my husband, because he LOVES peanut butter, but he is not a huge banana fan. Should I just make it with the coconut butter sub?
I just made it (It’s in the freezer as we speak!), and the banana in the recipe is more obvious to me than the peanut butter. I like banana, but I’d really like a stronger pb taste. Next time I will definitely try the substitute. Just hoping that doesn’t make it too “coconutty”.
Thanks for the reply! I will try it with the coconut butter… I’m sure it’ll be very tasty.
Hi Katie 🙂 Just to let you know creamed coconut (that you can get in boxes) is a much cheaper version of coconut butter and it is basically the same thing! Just a helpful hint for some of your readers on a budget 🙂
No butter and no corn syrup, awesome! These fudges look so yummy, the ingredients are simple, healthy and easy to find, thank goodness! 🙂
xoxox
How many servings does it make?
I was wondering the same thing. I only got 17 mini muffin sizes. I made mine with almond butter instead and they are super tasty. I always like to know the nutritional facts and the quantity of the recipes.