The best vegan hot fudge recipe! Thick, creamy, and rich. Perfect for dairy-free ice cream sundaes, as a fruit dip, or to drizzle on brownies. Cacao makes this hot fudge super healthy and rich. Dairy-free, paleo, and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar! 

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I’m in love with this vegan hot fudge recipe. It’s the perfect balance of sweet, creamy, and rich.

Try pairing it with my caramel sauce to make the most incredible vegan ice cream sundae, or drizzle it on these brownies. 

This vegan hot fudge recipe is perfectly thick and creamy, much different than a thin chocolate sauce (which I can’t stand). Well ok, it’s not like chocolate sauce is bad but why have thin watery chocolate sauce when you could have gooey, rich, thick hot fudge instead? 

This vegan and paleo hot fudge recipe is made with wholesome ingredients and sweetened with coconut sugar.

Ingredients: 

Cacao: They don’t call it a superfood for nothin’. Cacao is an incredible source of antioxidants. It’s also rich in magnesium, iron, and flavonoids for heart health and energy!

Coconut sugar: One of my favorite natural sweeteners! It’s pure, wholesome, and packed with nutrients and antioxidents. Coconut sugar is simply the evaporated sap from coconuts. 

Cacao butter: Cacao butter gives this vegan / paleo hot fudge recipe its creaminess and structure. Its also packed with phytochemicals that keep our skin and bodies healthy.

Salt: Feel free to use whichever type of salt you’d like here. You can omit it, but I think it both contrasts and brings out the sweetness in this vegan fudge. 

Coconut cream: Coconut cream creates a decadent creaminess in this vegan hot fudge, without any dairy! It’s a super wholesome and healthy source of fat. 

How to enjoy vegan hot fudge: 

By itself drizzled on ice-cream

As part of an ‘ultimate sundae’– think caramel, coconut whipped cream, nuts, and cherry? 

A dip for strawberries, apples, bananas – or whatever fruit you like 

As a rich drizzle on top of brownies or skillet cookies 

How to make vegan hot fudge recipe: 

You’ll start off by using a chilled can of coconut cream (see notes below). Scoop the white hardenened cream that has settled at the top of the can into a medium sauce pan along with the cacao butter. Melt together. 

When almost fully melted, add in the cacao powder. Whisk together and cook for few minutes over medium-high heat. 

Next, you’ll add in your sugar and salt and whisk to combine. Continue whisking occasionally and cook for about 5 minutes – until it starts to bubble. 

Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Taste and adjust flavors as needed to your liking*.  

Let cool slightly then use immediately or transfer to a glass jar with a lid for future use. 

Tips for great vegan hot fudge: 

Brand is important when it comes to successfully using coconut cream in cooking. A good brand will create a creamy, not hard and greasy, layer of white cream on top of the can when chilled. Some brands I love are Wholefoods 360, Thai Kitchen, Savoy, and Arroy-D. 

When adjusting flavors of this fudge to your preference after it‘s off the heat, the fudge may “break” or wet and dry ingredients may separate. You can try a few fixes for this: 

How to fix a broken / separated fudge: 

Whisk: This is the easiest way, but won’t always work. You can try vigorously whisking the mixture with a little bit of almond milk and see if it again becomes smooth / properly combined. 

Emersion blender: If you have a hand mixer or emersion blender you can try that. Add a little bit of almond milk if needed. 

High-speed blender: If all else fails, this is the method I’ve found to be most effective. I have a Nutribullet and it works perfectly. I just put the fudge in and blend, sometimes with a little almond milk if needed, until its smooth and creamy once again. 

I’d love to hear about how your fudge turned out, comment below what you put it on, or any substitutions you had success with! Take a picture of your fudge and tag me @wholesomehedonista!

Nutrition Notes: Serving Size: 2 tablespoons Total Servings: 12 (24 Tablespoons). Calories per serving: 141. Fat: 8.1g Carbs: 19.7g Fiber 1.9g Sugars: 16.8g Protein 1.5g

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