Grandma's Healthy Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe
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Time to read: 8 min
Fudge Recipe with Detox Desserts Ingredient Swaps
Sugar-Free Fudge Recipe (Vegan, Keto & Gluten-Free)
5 min
25 min
16
Brownies & Bars
Table of Content
Why you will love this Healthy Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe? Recommended Products for the Best Fudge Recipe How the Sugar-Free Fudge Recipe made with Detox Desserts measures up against other recipes How I Made The Perfect Vegan Fudge Recipe The best ingredients & substitutions for the perfect Sugar Free & Vegan Fudge Recipe Try Our Gluten-free, Vegan, Paleo AND Keto Baking System Step-by-step: How to make Grandmas Old fashioned Fudge with Healthy Ingredients How to store your Vegan Fudge? How to make your Vegan Fudge stand out? Tips for making the best Sugar-Free & Vegan Fudge without canned ingredients. Recipe Card: Sugar Free Fudge (Keto, Vegan & Gluten Free) Nutritional Information Explore more recipes
Why you will love this Healthy Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe?
This detoxed version of a traditional grandma old fashioned fudge recipe is made on the stovetop with clean ingredients. No marshmallow fluff, no canned foods, and no chocolate chips. It’s actually easier to prepare, tastes SO much better, and is a perfect addition to any holiday cookie assortment.
I’ve always thought fudge was too sweet, nor did I appreciate the texture…until I made it the old fashioned way, inspired by how my grandma would prepare hers, but with slightly less sweetener than traditional recipes. I highly recommend adding nuts for a satisfying crunch and an extra boost of nutrition, along with fiber and anti-inflammatory properties. Nuts also balance the intensity of the fudge by itself.
This easy sugar-free fudge recipe channels the charm of a classic grandma recipe while being a low-carb, dairy-free option. It stores and travels well, making it a versatile holiday candy. Use this as a base to create your favorite fudge flavors while keeping that nostalgic homemade touch!
Recommended Products for the Best Fudge Recipe
How the Sugar-Free Fudge Recipe made with Detox Desserts measures up against other recipes
The Detox Desserts Sugar and Egg Swap make it simple to turn this grandma old fashioned fudge recipe into a sugar-free and vegan treat while supporting healthy digestion. The inulin found in these swaps helps feed and increase friendly gut bacteria, promoting a strong immune system and digestive benefits.
As a digestive-resistant fiber, inulin slows down the digestion of this keto fudge, offering blood sugar stability throughout the day. This not only keeps you feeling full and satisfied but also prevents the energy crashes often associated with traditional, carb-loaded candy. It's a modern twist on a classic recipe that’s just as indulgent but far healthier!
How I Made The Perfect Vegan Fudge Recipe?
Fudge is an iconic holiday dessert, and no proper cookie assortment is complete without this rich, chocolatey candy. The issue is that most easy fudge recipes rely on marshmallow fluff, chocolate chips, and sugar-laden canned ingredients. Traditional old-fashioned fudge recipes avoid these shortcuts but can be challenging—they require candy thermometers, precision, and plenty of patience. Because fudge is technically a candy, sugar needs to be heated past boiling until it crystallizes at 238°F, then cooled to 110°F and beaten with a wooden spoon until it loses its sheen. That’s a lot of effort! Thankfully, this stove top fudge recipe skips the hassle, offering a sugar-free, guilt-free alternative that’s just as delicious.
For this recipe, I took inspiration from a few high rated recipes on the stove that avoid canned ingredients to better understand the balance of wet and dry ingredients in traditional fudge. After testing and tweaking it over the years, I found that gently simmering the mixture while stirring frequently for about 25 minutes achieves the perfect texture—no candy thermometer or vigorous stirring required.
This sugar-free fudge is a modern twist on a classic grandma’s old-fashioned fudge recipe, and it’s sure to impress. It’s simple to prepare, rich, and utterly satisfying. Don’t forget, when swapping ingredients in baked goods like cakes, cookies, or muffins, the 1:1 swap method works great, but for candy like fudge, it’s best to follow tested recipes from our index to ensure success.
The best ingredients & substitutions for the perfect Sugar Free & Vegan Fudge Recipe
Key Ingredients of a Traditional Fudge:
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Evaporated Milk
- Marshmallow Creme
- Chocolate Chips
- Butter
- Nuts
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
Key Ingredients of Detox Desserts Fudge:
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Granular Sugar Swap: Our zero-calorie, zero-carb, naturally sweetened sugar substitute is formulated with prebiotics to support healthy digestion.
- Egg Swap: Our vegan egg substitute contains 50% more protein than an egg, added prebiotics for digestive support, and NO cholesterol.
- Butter Swap: Our whole food, plant-based butter substitute that bakes and tastes like butter with added health benefits
- Nuts
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
Try Our Gluten-free, Vegan, Paleo AND Keto Baking System
Step-by-step: How to make Grandmas Old Fashioned Fudge with Healthy Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Granular Sugar Swap
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Egg Swaps
- ¼ cup Butter Swap (or creamy peanut butter for chocolate/PB fudge)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Optional Add-Ins:
- 1-2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted pecans, sprouted pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, raw cacao nibs, peanuts, etc.
1. Line a small tray with parchment paper. Use a 9x5” tray for thick fudge or an 8”x8” square tray for thin fudge.
2. Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and stir well using a wire whisk. Heat on medium/high while stirring constantly until a rolling boil is achieved. Use your whisk to make sure there are no lumps in the boiling fudge.
3. Reduce the heat to low/medium (4/10 on my stovetop) and gently boil for a total of 23-25 minutes. Stir the mixture frequently (about every 1-2 minutes) during the entire cooking time.
4. After about 25 minutes, the fudge will have reduced by more than half and will look very thick, like it’s on the verge of being overdone. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes until barely warm.
5. Add chopped nuts, seeds, or any other desired ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Press the mixture evenly into your parchment lined pan.
6. Refrigerate your sugar free fudge uncovered overnight.
7. Slice and store your finished fudge sealed tightly in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or freeze for long term storage.
For the best taste, texture, and health benefits, refrigerate all Detox Desserts overnight before indulging.
How to store your Vegan Fudge?
Store your clean keto fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. For long term storage, wrap tightly and freeze for 2-3 months.
How to make your Vegan Fudge stand out?
- Use whatever nuts and seeds you have in the house, you really can’t go wrong. I’ve made this fudge with toasted pecans, macadamia nuts, peanuts, raw cacao nibs, and hemp hearts all of which tasted wonderful.
- Use a dash of flavor extract such as hazelnut, mint, or toffee to create lovely holiday fudge flavors.
- Love the combination of peanut butter & chocolate? Substitute ¼ cup of unsweetened creamy peanut butter for the Butter Swap and fold in chopped peanuts to your cooked fudge.
Tips for making the best Sugar-Free & Vegan Fudge without canned ingredients.
- Make sure your Butter Swap is well stirred and at room temperature before making your fudge. Oil separation is normal in the Butter Swap. If you have trouble stirring, pour the entire jar into a high speed blender. Your swap will stay smooth for a couple months after a minute in the blender.
- You must use a wire whisk to stir your fudge. The whisk will ensure the fudge stays smooth during the entire cooking process.
- Stir FREQUENTLY during the entire 23-25 minute cooking time. Don’t let the fudge go more than a couple minutes without stirring, otherwise it may burn.
- After pressing the cooked fudge into your parchment lined tray, refrigerate uncovered overnight to allow any remaining moisture to evaporate. Then slice and store in an airtight container.
- Make this sugar-free fudge recipe a day before you plan to serve it. The overnight chill allows the flavors to settle and slows carbohydrate absorption, making your keto fudge tastier and healthier!
Recipe Card: Sugar Free Fudge (Keto, Vegan & Gluten Free)
| Prep Time | Bake Time | Total Time |
| 5 minutes | 25 minutes | 30 minutes |
Servings: 16
Calories per serving: 120 cal
Although not guaranteed, we have gone above and beyond to provide you with the most accurate nutritional information for this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Granular Sugar Swap
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Egg Swaps
- ¼ cup Butter Swap (or creamy peanut butter for chocolate/PB fudge)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Optional Add-Ins:
- 1-2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted pecans, sprouted pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, raw cacao nibs, peanuts, etc.
Instructions
1. Line a small tray with parchment paper. Use a 9x5” tray for thick fudge or an 8”x8” square tray for thin fudge.
2. Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and stir well using a wire whisk. Heat on medium/high while stirring constantly until a rolling boil is achieved. Use your whisk to make sure there are no lumps in the boiling fudge.
3. Reduce the heat to low/medium (4/10 on my stovetop) and gently boil for a total of 23-25 minutes. Stir the mixture frequently (about every 1-2 minutes) during the entire cooking time.
4. After about 25 minutes, the fudge will have reduced by more than half and will look very thick, like it’s on the verge of being overdone. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes until barely warm.
5. Add chopped nuts, seeds, or any other desired ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Press the mixture evenly into your parchment lined pan.
6. Refrigerate your sugar free fudge uncovered overnight.
7. Slice and store your finished fudge sealed tightly in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or freeze for long term storage.
For the best taste, texture, and health benefits, refrigerate all Detox Desserts overnight before indulging.
Recommended Products
Nutritional Information
*An important note on carbs
Net carbohydrates are the sum total of carbohydrates that convert into glucose (therefore raising blood sugar) in the body. Anyone following a keto or diabetic diet should count net carbs NOT total carbs. To determine net carbs, simply subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates on the nutrition label. Sugar alcohols are considered "carbs" for nutrition labeling purposes but our cells can't use them as energy which renders them inert in the human body. Thus, they are reduced from the total carb count. Fiber also counts towards the total carbohydrates for labeling purposes, but it is roughage. It stays in the intestines, doesn't absorb, and isn't used as energy or converted to glucose in the body. Thus, fiber is also reduced from the total carbohydrate count. Anyone who counts macronutrients (carbs, fats, protein) should always count net carbs, not total carbs.
We love your feedback, please make sure to comment and share your experience with this vegan, sugar free fudge recipe with the healthy baking community!
Cheers to your delicious health,
-Dr. Alexis
