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This 5 Ingredient Fudge is prepped in just 5 minutes for a festive vegan treat that is flavoured with rich chocolate and fresh orange zest. There are no complicated steps and no special equipment; this perfect silky smooth fudge is a breeze to make.
If you’re looking for a Christmas fudge recipe that is easy to make, completely vegan and involves none of the difficult or time-consuming steps of a traditional fudge, you’ve come to the right place!
Our vegan Chocolate Orange Fudge is made with 5 basic ingredients, takes just 5 minutes to make and involves no complicated steps such as boiling sugar or beating the mixture until your arm drops off.
This easy vegan fudge is super smooth and sets to perfection in the fridge so you don’t need to worry about gritty fudge or fudge that won’t set.
Package these little squares of silky smooth perfection into sweet gift bags tied with ribbon for a delicious homemade gift, or pop them on your Christmas party table adorned with glistening, bright candied orange peel (find the simple recipe here).
Quick links:
- The written recipe
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Success tips
- Step by step instructions with photos
- FAQs
- Other incredible recipes like this one
Why you’ll love this 5 Ingredient Fudge recipe
Quick and Easy. This easy fudge recipe uses only 5 simple ingredients and takes just 5 minutes to prep. Beat everything together in one bowl until smooth and glossy, transfer it to a lined baking dish and pop in the fridge to set. That’s it!
Festive Flavours. Chocolate and orange are a beautiful pairing. In this easy homemade fudge recipe you’ve got the richness of the cocoa and the freshness of the orange, wrapped up in a sweet bite-size piece of creamy chocolate fudge.
Great for Customising. There are many different ways you can customise your fudge! If you’d like a bit of crunch to your fudge, adding chopped nuts makes a wonderful addition. You could also add dried fruit such as cranberries.
Perfect for Christmas gifting. This recipe makes a big batch of vegan chocolate orange fudge (64 pieces) so it’s a quick and easy gift to make at Christmas. Package a few squares in a Christmas bag and tie with red and white striped ribbon for a Christmas gift for a friend or loved one.
Success Tips
- Sift the dry ingredients. Both cocoa and icing sugar are prone to clumping, so we always recommend sifting these two ingredients in the first step of the recipe. This will help to ensure a smooth finish to the fudge.
- Add your liquids at room temperature. Bring the coconut oil and dairy-free cream to room temperature before adding them to the bowl. If the cream is cold, it will likely solidify the coconut oil and this could cause your fudge to have little lumps of solid coconut oil in it!
- Variations. Chopped nuts and dried fruit are a wonderful addition to this easy vegan fudge recipe. Nuts in particular add a little bit of bite to the fudge – we have tried this fudge with chopped hazelnuts and can recommend it!
- Chill fully before cutting. Make sure the fudge has completely set before you attempt to cut it. This should take around 2 hours in the fridge.
- Serving. We highly recommend serving this fudge topped with candied orange, which you can find a recipe for here. Cut the peel a little thicker than the recipe calls for, and you can skewer it on top of the fudge bites with a cocktail pick to make a bitesize treat for party guests this holiday season.
- Storing. This fudge should be stored in the fridge so if you’re gifting it, be sure to add a little note to the gift tag to let the recipient know.
How to make this 5 Ingredient Fudge
Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe and instructions!
Ingredients
Icing Sugar. We use icing sugar (powdered sugar) for the smoothest possible finish to the fudge. Don’t substitute for any form of granulated or liquid sweetener such as maple syrup.
Cocoa Powder. Opt for plain cocoa powder without any sweetener added, otherwise the fudge will be too sweet.
Orange Zest. We add a generous amount of orange zest to give this fudge a beautiful, fresh, orange flavour. You’ll need 3 tbsp of zest (30g), which is the zest from approximately 6 oranges.
Coconut Oil. You’ll need the coconut oil to be in its melted state (a clear liquid) rather than solid (white and firm). Coconut oil is easy to melt, just pop it in a microwave-safe dish and microwave in 20 second increments. Bring it to room temperature before using it, don’t use it hot.
Dairy Free Cream. We used a long-life soya cream for this easy chocolate fudge recipe. You could use any long-life dairy free cream alternative that is a pourable consistency. We don’t recommend coconut milk or coconut cream for this recipe as it tends to be solid rather than a pourable consistency.
Equipment
Traditional fudge requires a candy thermometer but you don’t need any special equipment for this easy recipe – just a bowl, spoon and a baking tin (approx 20cm x 20cm / 8-inch pan) lined with parchment paper.
You can vary the size of the baking tin you use, it doesn’t have to be exact but try to opt for one that is close in size to our recommendation.
Steps
Gather together your ingredients. Melt the coconut oil and then let it cool. Bring the dairy free cream to room temperature.
Line a 20cm x 20cm (8” x 8”) or similarly sized baking tin with non-stick parchment paper.
Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a large bowl. Add the orange zest and stir together.
Add the coconut oil and dairy free cream. Stir together until combined and then beat the mixture for around 30 seconds until it is smooth.
Tip: At this point you can stir in some optional extras, like chopped hazelnuts!
Press the chocolate mixture into the prepared baking pan. Press it down to compress the mixture and smooth out the top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil or eco plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
Once the fudge has set, use a sharp knife to cut it into bite-sized pieces. With a 20cm x 20cm pan (8″ x 8″) we find that between 49 and 64 pieces works well so that’s either 7 or 8 rows wide by 7 or 8 rows tall.
Tip: To slice the fudge as cleanly as possible, we recommend running the knife under hot water and then drying it between each cut. The warmth of the knife will make it easier to cut the fudge in a clean line.
Decorate it with candied peel, which you can get the recipe for here. Store the fudge in the fridge in an airtight container.
FAQs
What are the ingredients of fudge?
Traditional Cornish fudge is made with clotted cream, sugar and vanilla (other non-Cornish recipes call for sweetened condensed milk). The ingredients are boiled to 116 °C (240 °F) and the mixture is then beaten until it becomes thick. The fudge is then poured into a dish to set.
Our 5 ingredient ‘quick’ fudge uses sugar, cocoa, vanilla extract and cream, combined with coconut oil which sets the mixture to a fudge-like consistency. No sugar thermometers are needed!
How do you make fudge smooth and not grainy?
As long as you sift the icing sugar and cocoa, our 5 Ingredient Fudge recipe should be silky smooth to eat.
Traditional old-fashioned fudge can be tricky to make, with a finish that is grainy or that doesn’t set if a wrong turn has been made during the recipe. That’s why we’ve opted for a simple ‘quick’ fudge for this recipe – to remove the hassle and risk of a grainy fudge.
Can I substitute the icing sugar for another sugar?
No, we don’t recommend substituting the icing sugar (powdered sugar) for a granulated or liquid sugar. Using a granulated sugar could result in a grainy fudge and using a liquid sweetener could prevent the fudge from setting correctly.
How should I serve this 5 Ingredient chocolate Fudge?
We highly recommend serving this vegan chocolate orange fudge topped with candied orange, which you can find a recipe for here. Cut the peel a little thicker than the recipe calls for, and you can skewer it on top of the fudge with a cocktail pick to make a bitesize treat for party guests.
How do I store this 5 Ingredient Fudge?
Store this fudge in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. We don’t recommend freezing this fudge.
Loved this 5 Ingredient Chocolate Orange Fudge? Here are some more delicious vegan sweet treats to try
I hope you LOVE this recipe for vegan Chocolate Orange Fudge! Please share this recipe with someone you think will love it because it’s our goal to encourage as many people as possible to try plant based eating.
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The Written Recipe:
5 Ingredient Chocolate Orange Fudge (Easy Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 550 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 100 g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 3 tbsp orange zest (30g, approx zest from 6 large oranges)
- 200 g coconut oil (melted and then cooled to room temperature)
- 100 g dairy free cream (long life variety (we used soya))
Optional Topping:
- candied orange peel
Equipment
Instructions
- Line a 20cm x 20cm (8” x 8”) baking tin or dish with non-stick parchment paper.Note: The size of the dish does not have to be exact but opt for one that is a similar size so that your fudge does not turn out too thick or too thin.
- In a large bowl, sift in the icing sugar and cocoa. Add the orange zest and stir together.550 g icing sugar, 100 g cocoa powder, 3 tbsp orange zest
- Add the room-temperature melted coconut oil and dairy free cream to the bowl. Stir until combined and then beat the mixture for 30 seconds until it is smooth.Optional: At this point you can stir in a handful of roasted chopped hazelnuts if you’d like a bit of crunch to your fudge.200 g coconut oil, 100 g dairy free cream
- Pour the chocolate orange fudge mixture into the lined baking tin/dish and cover it with tin foil or a reusable wrap. Place the tin in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.
- Once the fudge has fully set, cut it into bite-sized pieces using a sharp knife.Tip: To slice the fudge as cleanly as possible, we recommend running the knife under hot water and then drying it between each cut. The warmth of the knife will make it easier to cut the fudge in a clean line.Note: We recommend cutting this recipe into 49 or 64 pieces, which is either 7 or 8 rows tall by 7 or 8 rows wide.
- We recommend decorating the fudge with candied peel for added colour and citrus flavour. You can get a recipe for homemade candied peel here.candied orange peel
- Store the fudge in the fridge in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
