Rich, chocolatey, homemade sugar free chocolate fudge.
Hearing the words “sugar free” normally makes me think of cloyingly sweet, sucralose-laden desserts or beverages.
Chemical sugars and I do not get along. As a little kid, I put Sweet-n-Low in my iced tea because my mom said it dissolved better than sugar. However, after a few months of awful stomachaches, we determined Sweet-n-Low didn’t like me very much.
The feeling is mutual. To me, foods with fake sugars tend to taste… well, fake. But this sugar free chocolate fudge has no fake sugar. It only has natural ingredients, which is perhaps why it tastes so completely delicious!
You’ll find no Darth Vaders lurking here in this rich, decadent, melt-in-your-mouth sugar free chocolate fudge.
No, in my little world of chocolate, everything is turned upside down, and dark equals light. The recipe has two options – both options are free of refined sugar, and use the stevia option if you want it to be 100% free of added sugar as well. If you’re used to healthy desserts, some readers even say that the banana is sweetener enough – so it’s up to you!
*If you’d prefer a recipe for healthy fudge without banana, be sure to check out either my Almond Butter Fudge or my Coconut Oil Fudge Recipes.
Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge
Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge
Print This RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup coconut butter (120g)
- 1 overripe banana (or 2/3 cup additional coconut butter) (160g)
- scant 1/8 tsp salt
- pinch uncut stevia OR 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder (40g)
- optional 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- optional 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make sure your coconut butter is melted before starting. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Then smooth the fudge into a container or candy molds. Plastic containers work well, because you can pop the fudge right out. Place in the fridge for a few hours, or freeze for a few minutes. You can freeze it for longer periods of time; just be sure to thaw at least 15-20 minutes prior to eating.
Don’t forget the variations:
Links Of The Day:
Flourless Blender Muffins (Reader Favorite)
I have to admit that when you first posted the Good Girl fudge, I wrote it off because I’m trying to lose weight, and sugar free or not, it’s still fudge! But then, after seeing your peanut butter version the next day, I caved. And ohmygosh I am glad I did!
I ate a huge piece (way bigger than normal fudge) for 100 CALORIES!!! 🙂 🙂 And it took a long time to eat it. I savored every bite, and it melted on my tongue. For those of us trying to lose weight, I gotta tell you, we don’t get to have that enjoyment from eating something so delicious very often.
I made the regular version, but now I’m so excited to try the chocolate! Everything’s better in chocolate, right?
oh ok, you sold me on it. i am so going to have to try this now! and by now, i mean today! 🙂
+1
I’m on this now, too.
I’ve got an unopened jar of coconut butter calling my name (it’s still unopened ’cause once I open it, all bets are off!)
i sometimes use fake sweeteners. bad, i know. but for someone who’s still working on her eating issues, sometimes i fall into the trap of thinking the lower calorie sugar-free syrup is better for me that pure maple stuff. i’m working on it, and sometimes i’m able to eat a little of the real stuff. but i’m still sometimes a slave to the fake sugars.
Go with the stevia or monk fruit sweeteners. Stevia comes in many different “forms” from a super sweet powder, super sweet liquid (I use that for all my drinks like iced tea and smoothies and iced coffee). There is also granular substitutes like Pyure that work.
Keep up the good work!
No Splenda for me. I like REAL sugar 😀
And I didn’t think it was possible for anything to look more delicious than the vanilla version! Oh how wrong I was!
I definitely want to make this with PB 🙂
I’ve been meaning to try the chocolate raspberry fudge version we talked about. Thanks for the reminder! I’ll let you know how it goes :).
I’ve already made peppermint fudge (the “good girl” recipe with peppermint extract), and it was AWESOME!
I’m with you, Katie, fake sweeteners just taste fake! My dad can drink diet Coke like there’s no tomorrow to me it is just disgusting! I actually don’t use sugar in many things, though I love honey in oatmeal and naturally sweet fruits (fresh and dried!).
oh my gosh, this looks so good!!!
Oh excellent, my jaw dropped open whilst reading today’s post. Really. I’ll be making a huge batch and bringing it to ballet class with me today to share. Yum!
Anyway, no fake sugars here for us. I tried some muffins made with splenda once and I got such a bad headache I was stuck in bed for the rest of the day. Not fun. We much prefer the natural sweetness of maple syrup, medjool dates, and fruit.
And you’ll be pleased to know that temperatures here have returned to their regularly scheduled -31C/-24F this morning. Brrr… We ran inside a school this morning. Not kidding: up the stairs, down the corridor, down the stairs, loop around the hallways, and repeat 9 more times. It was fun; way better than a track or treadmill.
Yesterday, it was 75 (F) here. I ran in shorts! Tomorrow, it’ll be 30, with snow. Make up your mind, Texas!!
P.S. I love how we share weather stories :).
Yum! I don’t use a lot of sweetener…..sometimes, but usually I like the real deal or honey just because I’d rather have a few more calories in something than consume tons of artificial crap. =P
I strive to sweeten my baked goods unprocessed sweeteners, like fruit, agave, honey, molasses; none of that artificial stuff. 🙂 Yum!!! I can’t wait to try these. Hehe, I always loved Darth Vader. 😉
Forget the agave its hugely processed – the marketing job they’ve done on that stuff is incredible…they call it nectar, like it just drips out of the flower into the bottle right? Nope. Its the root of the agave plant…heavily processed&refined in order to get that pretty syrup. Sorry to say. And 90% fructose – high fructose corn syrup has got nothing on agave.
definitely not a fan of added sweeteners– the more natural, the more decadent and the happier my body is! i’ve found that dark choc cocoa with a a combo of fruits makes things sweet and delicious!
great recipe katie
I still use sugar-free syrup, but that’s about it.
Gosh, I love your chocolate-covered blog. Every time a chocolate craving hits, and they often hit, I know just where to run ;).
I don’t use artificial sweeteners. I enjoy small amounts of the real stuff: molasses, maple syrup, agave, and yes, table sugar. Everything in moderation!
Ahhh fudge!! A girl after my own heart:)
I love stevia, but that isn’t artificial in any sense so I guess that doesn’t really count:)
Stevia, if you get the natural unprocessed form, is natural not a “fake” sugar.
Stevia, if you get the natural unprocessed form, is natural not a “fake” sweetener.
Fake sugar makes my stomach ache, too! Plus, it skeeves me out–I don’t know a ton about it, but I feel like it cannot be good for anyone. I love regular sugar in all its lovely forms.
I don’t really like the artificial stuff, but if I’m out at a restaurant and having a cup of coffee, sometimes I’ll add in some splenda out of habit. I don’t know why, I just do. I doubt the tiny bit will have any negative effect on me, as I don’t use it at home.
I love this variation Katie! I think I might go carob (love me some carob). Great way to cut the fat a bit, since as mentioned, I would eat the whole batch otherwise, and my tummy can’t handle 1/4 cup of coconut butter at once! We’ll leave that to HEAB 🙂
Yeah, sometimes I don’t feel too hot if I eat too much coconut butter at once… is it the fat? I always assumed it was just an overload of coconut. Interesting!
I think it is the fat, as I noticed when I have other really high fat meals (that is the fat is a really high percentage of what I eat – like these yummer fudge bites) that my tummy doesn’t like me much. I’m thinking perhaps like sugars, fat needs some balance to digest well? At least for some of us anyway! I was reading some writing by a doctor and he was actually saying that they have found some distinct differences in humans … some thrive on high carbohydrate, some on high protein, and some on high fat … mostly likely from the cultures we are descendent from. Anyway, I paraphrase, but it was interesting research.
That really seems to make sense! It would definitely explain why some of us crave more protein-rich foods while others (me!) crave carbs carbs carbs! lol but maybe that also has to do with activity… I’m a runner, so I’m conditioned to think I need carbs. Body builders are conditioned to think “Protein.” 🙂
I can’t wait to try this fudge recipe!! I’m so glad I found your page!!!
But speaking of high fat… Wonder what happens when a person eats a high fat meal? The brachial arteries constrict!
University of Maryland School of Medicine did a test using 3 groups, one taking a placebo; one on Juice Plus Orchard and Garden Blend; and the third taking Orchard, Garden, and Vineyard blends of Juice Plus.
Have you ever heard of Juice Plus? It is fruits, vegetables, and berries in capsule form! Starting with high quality farm fresh produce, working with midsize family farms run by some of the best fruit and vegetable farmers in North America, Juice Plus provides the best quality nutrition.
Results of the test? After only 28 days, the 3 groups ate another high fat meal: the placebo group had the same brachial artery constriction; the Orchard and Garden Blend Juice Plus group’s constriction was reduced by 50%; and the PRIZE… the people taking Orchard, Garden, and Vineyard Blend Juice Plus only had a 2% constriction!!!! Almost nothing!!! Amazing results!
So, enjoy the chocolate! Yum!! But protect yourself… get the nutrients from 25 fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and berries every day! 🙂
See this report at lindaweaver4juiceplus.com, clinical research results, heart health, University of Maryland.
Juice Plus has been called a more important development than antibiotics! See for yourself!
lindaweaver4juiceplus.com
This looks AWESOME…I might have to make 🙂 I have some coconut butter at the moment, so yah, here’s a good use for it!
And NOPE, no Splenda!!! It does NOT NOT NOT agree with me 🙁 Bad tummy problems when I eat it. In fact, I struggles with tummy problems on and off for over a YEAR – tried elimination diets, so much research, thought food allergies or something… nothing worked. I stumbled across some online articles that said some people have tummy issues with sucralose, and the symptoms matched mine! I cut it out completely and BAM no more problems! It’s amazing. And now, if I have any, I know right away, the tummy tells me. It’s nuts.
In a pinch, if I’m thirsty with no other options, I WILL have a diet soda (can’t have all the real sugar/corn syrup/whatever they use -OMG sick), with NutraSweet or whatever, but I haven’t noticed tummy problems with that one (YET!)…
At home, I sweeten almost exclusively with stevia, though occasionally I’ll use agave or date or coconut crystals (for baking). In my coffee, oatmeal, smoothies, etc.. always Stevia 🙂
Hey chica, what’d you mix it in? Your bullet?
Yup, but if you get the banana soft enough, you don’t actually even need a blender! You can fork mash!
Mmmmmm Yummers! I have it in the fridge to harden while I’m at work! Made a variation though… based on your recipe, will let you know what happens!!!!!! I’m so excited!
Ooo me too! hehe 🙂
Great post. I too am weary of artificial sweeteners. Thanks for the pictures and recipe and all flavor variations, too! You’re truly talented at coming up with healthy, decadent recipes. Keep them coming, please!
ok.. confession: i do love sf syrup.. but im trying to keep that to a minimum!!! tHIS IS BANGIN!
just wondering if i missed something? i never noticed where you posted the winners of the coconut butter and stevia giveaways.. where can i find that?
Hi k,
The contest just ended a few days ago, and I haven’t had time to finish choosing winners/posting about it. It’ll be up this week :).
I rarely use sugar, but when I do I go for the real stuff!
Lovin’ this post Katie!! This sinless fudge is amazing
I just made this! Best fudge ever, hands down! Vegan or otherwise :). I added about a T of agave to the mixture, and it really did resemble real fudge! Thanks a ton for a great recipe :).
I think this needs to be at my superbowl party on Sunday. haha
I was addicted to splenda and sweet & low. But I had horrible belly aches and bloating! I recently detoxed from sweeteners which was actually pretty hard, and went with out any sugar substitutes (I don’t do sugar either) but I just go some stevia but its not agree to well with my tummy either. I’m okay as long as I only have one packet a day with my chia tea with a splash of almond milk (yum!) but it was so expensive I really don’t want to just through it out.
I am making some of that fudge once I get the ingredients!
*throw it out rather, haha.
hey emma, thanks for posting this. with all the hoopla surrounding stevia in the blogworld, i always assumed i was the only one who it didn’t sit well with. i’m really glad to know its not just me :). oh, and i also had a hard time with aritficial sweeteners and detoxed. i could’ve written your exact comment! 🙂
Artificial sweetners taste funny to me, and they give me headaches. I need real food lol.
Yum!
Katie! I love you, my sugar-free friend!!!! We need more sugar-free recipes in the world 😉
And, of course, you know my thoughts on sweeteners-blech! and dido for the artificial ones….just stick to REAL food 🙂
How about pistachio fudge? If you’re a fan….
wahhhhhh this sounds AMAZEBALLS!!!! And yet of course, here I am, with three hours left at work.. all I want to do is try this recipe!!!! I need to start only reading your blogs when I am at home and have access to my kitchen, LOL!
YUM! Making this soon.
Interesting question, I’ll be keen to see what others post! When I was restricting my calorie intake a few years back, anything labelled ‘low fat’ or ‘sugar free’ found its way into my diet even if it was made of refined and processed EVERYTHING! I drank so much diet coke and similar stuff that I started getting shaky, headaches, etc. It’s really, really, really, bad in my opinion! Having said that, I am certifiably addicted to Pepsi Max (which has aspartame in it). I only drink it maybe 2 x week but am trying to cut it out altogether. I think some sweeteners are better than others but for me, aspartame is the one that scares me the most. Can you believe I used to put nearly a whole tbsp of splenda/similar on my oatmeal? GROSS!
Interesting about the headaches. I never got headaches from too many artificial sweeteners, but I DID experience an increase in appetite for sweetener. So just like you, I was not able to taste sweetness like a normal person would. I’d need many, many packs of splenda in my foods, an embarrassing amount, before it tasted sweet to me. And then I’d STILL have a craving for sugary foods like baked goods, so in the end I’d ended up eating MORE sugar/calories than I would’ve without using the artificial sweeteners! In other words, I am very wary of the stuff now.
I’m a stevia gal. Once I found the NuNaturals brand (that doesn’t taste like aspartame to me like all the other stevia does!) I was set. I bake with it, etc.
If I had to only pick between sugar/agave/brown rice syrup or artificial stuff, I do the real deal every time. I’d rather have a few more calories than a carcinogenic, animal tested unfood. Blech.
During my eating disorder I avoided sugar like the plague and loaded up on artificial chemical laden substitutes (seriously, 12 packs went into ONE cup of tea). It took me ages to wean off of that crap, especially since I bought only Light versions of anything too. Going vegan actually helped tremendously with this, nit much vegan light stuff over here 😀
I am so thankful to know I’m not the only one! Seriously, that’s about the amount I would use in tea, too! Ten for one cup, sometimes more :-?.
Oh my, this looks amazing!
I’m looking for sugar-free treats – this is awesome!
bah!! i was on a serious chocolate kick last night and really should have just made your vegan fudge, i totally forgot! oh well theres always tonight 🙂 i do NOT use splenda, stevia and raw honey are my sweeteners of choice, and organic sugar in baking!
Hehe I’m always on a chocolate kick :).
Stevia is pretty much the only non-traditional sweetener I will use, but if I have nothing but Splenda or regular sugar there I will usually just grab Splenda, but that is for un-related reasons.
Word! This looks SO good! Making this today!
I have cut my sugar consumption so drastically anyway that fake sugars really aren’t necessary in my life; a little pure maple syrup or honey goes a long way! Plus, I love stevia so if I need something sweetened and don’t wanna use sugar I’m all over that stuff!
Fake sweeteners totally skeeve me out. I have a friend (a non-vegan one) who avoids all sugar, but he’s all about the Splenda. I’ve tried over and over to convince him that real sugar is better for him than that nasty crap. But alas, he will not listen.
I MUST make your fudge asap!
When I was a kid I used to eat packets of sugar when we were out to eat (I know, right? but come on, who didn’t do that…) and one time I grabbed a packet of Sweet n Low by accident. My mom slapped my hand and shrieked “DON’T TOUCH THAT, THAT’S POISON!” Ever since, I’ve been diverted from fake sweeteners. And they do taste totally fake. I’d just rather have the real stuff. Of course, I prefer unsweetened teas and coffees anyway.
LOL are you serious? I used to like the little packets of jam… they were so cute. Oh, and I always wanted to start a sweet-n-low collection after seeing a certain episode of Friends, where the grandma had a sweet-n-low collection. Ok, I’m weird.
My mom told me Sweet N low was rat poison so every time I saw it after that I was terrified to eat it. I still stay away.
I am making your fudge for our super bowl party at work! I think I’ll make the regular flavor since not everyone loves dark chocolate.
I think when you stop eating a lot of processed foods with added sugar and salt, the natural sweetness in foods tastes stronger. For example,I used to love regular peanut butter but now it tastes too sweet to me so I have to get the kind made from just peanuts.
Ooo let me know what people think!! And also, did you see my comment a few days ago? I wanted to thank you for your sweet post on your blog, but it won’t let me comment :(. But I did see it and was so honored!
I hate fake sweeteners! Not only do they taste nasty, but the chemicals in them can’t be healthy. Give me some real/natural sugar over the fake stuff any day!
Your fudge looks fabulous! You’re so creative 🙂
ick, i hate that chemical-y fake sugars! i’m not a fan of real sugar either. i’ve been using mostly fruits and stevia to sweeten my food. i use brown rice syrup quite a bit too.
i made this fudge already by the way, and it is AMAZING!!
Aww Elle, I’m so so excited you made it!! 🙂
I do’t think I’ve ever tried brown rice syrup… it sounds fun!
That looks great, Katie! And I love the title you gave it 🙂 I can only imagine your search term finds with that name. lol
I do use Splenda. Yes, I admit, I do. I also use stevia, white and brown sugar, agave, maple, lucama, succanat..you name it, I cook with it. There are certain times where certain things give just the RIGHT texture or sweetness or desired result in cooking, baking, or uncooking…so I choose based on need/recipe.
🙂
Hehe you’re so much fun… I think your motto should be, “I’ve never met a food I didn’t like.” 🙂
I used to have an unhealthy fixation with fake sugars – five Splendas in each of my six daily cups of coffee. I eventually linked my chemical sweetness OD to excessive gas, and while, sadly, that was not enough to make me give them up, my concern over potential damages to my prospective children proved a solid enough reason. No more fake sugar here (and I’m less gassy – score!)
katie,
i LOVE this idea. Sugar doesn’t sit well on my stomach and i try not to use too many chemicals. I can’t wait to try this out!!!
Bookmarking this and getting my hands on some coconut butter ASAP!
Kattiee!! Open up a sugar-free raw bakery 😀 You could totally do it. I’d eat there every meal. Snacks, too. Fudge makes a good breakfast, right?
Problem is, if I open a bakery, I’d eat all the chocolate merchandise and therefore go out of business ;).
I have some Artisana coconut butter on the way to me. I am literally SO excited I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. I will ATTACK your yummy coconut butter recipes like there is no tomorrow, starting with this! 😀
Ohmigosh yay! I’m so excited to see how you like it!
Looking yummy like always!
Just say NO to artificial sweetners! These look amazing!!
I try to avoid all artificial sweeteners, except today in the cold medicine aisle I was so overwhelmed by all the choices I ended up getting cough syrup with it– blech. I’ve started buying organic white sugar for baking because since it is more expensive I am more conscious about how much I use!
YUMMY!!!! Love this recipe 🙂
Thanks for bringing up artificial sweeteners. I don’t eat them because they make me sick. I used to eat Sorbital all the time and every night my stomach would be so bloated that I looked 6 months pregnant, so I quit cold turkey and my stomach aches stopped almost immediately!
Same with me! 🙂 That stuff is bad news to tummies!
scrum-diddly-um! xoxo
I’ve tried Splenda a few times mostly out of curiosity (and unfortunately I can’t stomach sugar very well), and every single time I got an awful headache. If I want sugar, I want a little bit of the real thing, not a fake wannabe version of it that’s gonna mess up my insides. 😛
& that fudge looks amazing! More reason for me to go bug my mom about getting some coconut butter! 😀
This looks yum-licious!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to try it! I too am skeptical about the words “sugar free,” because that always means fake sweetener. And ick… But, at least I know how to sweeten the natural way (although I am not one for super sweet things).
Yummmmyyyy!
Lotsa love chica!
Aly
😀