Secret-Ingredient Chocolate Avocado Truffles with a Kick - keto, paleo, & vegan
These healthy chocolate avocado truffles are a fantastic simple dessert. So easy and delicious, they are certain to become a favorite in your home.
They're also loaded with nutrition so you can feel good about serving them anytime. They're simple enough for every day, but perfect for gifting and special occasions too.
Seriously, I'm so excited to share these chocolate truffles with you all. They are so sooo delicious - even my "I don't like chocolate" hubby was swooning over them.
They are a super easy dessert so you can pull it together quickly to bless your family, someone you love, or just make an indulgence for yourself.
Because treating yourself every once in awhile is a good thing.
Healthier Truffles--The Perfect Treat
I have several truffle recipes on my blog already--Pumpkin Truffles and these Dairy-free Coconut Truffles.
But they clearly weren't enough.
One can never have too many truffles, I say.
First of all, truffles are typically chocolate, which is something we all can agree is a good thing.
Second, they are an easy no-bake dessert so they come together in a flash--perfect when you're in a hurry and in the warmer summer months when the thought of turning on the oven is a bit daunting.
Third, they are yummy.
When you can add "healthy" to the above benefits, we have a real winner.
I used to make chocolate truffles every year as a Christmas gift for friends and loved ones.
Those were loaded with expensive chocolate bars, heavy cream and white sugar.
Alas. They were incredible, but since we started cutting refined sugar out of our diets, these weren't really an option any longer.
Whole Food Keto / Low-carb Truffles
These truffles, however?
That's a different story.
These chocolate avocado truffles are loaded with the healthy goodness of plain cocoa, avocado, coconut butter, and a low carb sweetener--without all the refined sugar of normal truffles.
This much deliciousness with a bunch of health benefits thrown in?
Sold.
I dare say that these give the cream and white sugar laden truffles a real run for their money.
These are that good.
How good? Let me tell you - my husband is NOT a fan of chocolate. It gives him a headache sometimes and he typically passes it up.
But he sure didn't turn down these morsels of yumminess.
He ate one and said:
These. Are. Good. I mean real good.
Health Benefits of Avocado
The base is avocado, which is a nutritional powerhouse:
- loaded with fiber
- high in antioxidants
- high in monounsaturated fats
- high in potassium
- lots of vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, and more (source)
I must say, I will feel especially good about getting my next big bag of avocados at Costco the next time I am there :).
Health Benefits of Coconut
- high in nutrition (like copper, manganese, and iron)
- helpful for blood sugar control
- loaded with antioxidants
(source)
You won't need to convince anyone to gobble down a few of these to boost their health.
That will come naturally :). In fact, I bet you will love these so much that you will either want to make a bunch and freeze them for later, or alternatively you can stock up on avocados when they are on sale and take advantage of my tips for freezing avocados. You're welcome.
What You Will Need
You will need to do the following things to make this recipe:
Avocado
Coconut Butter (here's how to make your own)
Cocoa (use carob for a caffeine free and AIP alternative)
Coconut Sugar (for a low-carb option, use xylitol, erythritol, or my homemade powdered sugar substitute)
Pure Stevia Extract (use powdered or liquid - here's how to make your own liquid stevia - see more about How to Use Stevia here. You can also use another sweetener, which you may wish to do for AIP)
Vanilla Extract
Salt (I recommend Real Salt)
Cayenne or Chipotle Pepper (optional - omit for AIP)
Toppings - options include cocoa powder (use carob for AIP), crushed nuts or seeds (omit for AIP), and shredded coconut
Cookie Scoop or Melon Baller. Of course, you can just use a spoon and roll the balls in your palms.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Choosing Avocados: Truffles are cute, but not if they're gloppy. If you find yours are blobs and not truffles, you might have used avocados that are too ripe. Try using more firm avocados. You can possibly adjust the recipe by adding more cocoa and sweetener to fix it.
- Cocoa: One thing to keep in mind is that cocoa powders vary in quality and strength. Please do taste the recipe prior to forming the truffles to make sure that they taste amazing. If not, you might have to adjust the cocoa or sweetener. More cocoa is (almost) always a good thing :).
- Coconut Butter: If you would like to make your own coconut butter, see my Homemade Coconut Butter.
- Carob: You can use organic carob instead of cocoa for a caffeine-free and AIP alternative. If doing so, you can most likely omit some or all of the sweetener, since carob has an inherent sweetness. A reader of my blog has made these with carob and used no sweetener at all.
- Sweetener: You can use 4 to 5 drops liquid stevia instead of stevia extract (here’s how to make your own liquid stevia). Alternatively, use approx. 6 tablespoons of your sweetener of choice. If AIP, you can use coconut sugar.
- Toppings: Options for toppings include cocoa powder (use carob for AIP), crushed nuts or seeds (soaked and dried) (omit for AIP), and organic shredded coconut. One reader shared the amazing idea of rolling the truffles in coconut flakes toasted with maple syrup and a combination of freeze dried blueberry and raspberry powder.
- THM: This recipe fits in as an "S" on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
- Sweetener Alternatives: A homemade option is this Powdered Sugar Substitute. If you don't want to use a low-carb sweetener, you can use powdered coconut sugar
Recipe
Easy Chocolate Avocado Truffles with a Kick - paleo & vegan
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe avocado (each approx. 4 inches in height ~7 ounces)
- 3/8 cup coconut butter
- 3/8 cup cocoa (see notes for carob sub information)
- 3 tablespoons powdered low-carb sweetener (or alternative--see Special Diet Notes for options)
- 3/32 teaspoon pure stevia extract (3 mini scoops)
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 dashes cayenne (optional - omit for AIP)
- Toppings (crushed pumpkin seeds, coconut, cocoa, powdered sweetener, etc.)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor.
- Process until well mixed.
- Place in a bowl in the refrigerator until fairly firm (approximately 40 minutes), or alternatively use the freezer for 10-20 minutes.
- Using a small cookie scoop or melon baller, scoop out balls of the avocado mixture and roll into balls.
- Roll the balls into desired topping.
- Refrigerate or freeze any remaining truffles for later.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Really - these are just so simple to make. I recommended this recipe to a friend who wanted to make a special treat for a friend of hers who suffers from many food allergies. She made these (and LOVED them, by the way), and said that she will DEFINITELY be making them a lot more now that she knows how simple (and delish) they are!
I really had to work hard to not eat the whole batch of these truffles myself.
I'm watching my chocolate / caffeine intake due to adrenal fatigue, but boy were these calling my name all day.
I think these will be a frequent addition to our healthy snack menu in our home for sure (maybe made with carob next time), but I might need a lock on the refrigerator door :-).
Other healthy truffle recipes you might enjoy:
Pumpkin Truffles {keto, vegan, paleo)
3 Ridiculously-Easy and Delicious Coconut Truffles
Raw Nut Butter Truffles
Will you make these chocolate avocado truffles for yourself -- or gift them?
Or both?
This looks so yummy! I would like to know the approximate weight in grams of the avocado. The other ingredients would be helpful in grams too as measuring cups do not all weigh the same in gram weight. This is important for those of us needing to count the carbs accurately. Love your recipes!
Hi there--I looked up the info and put it in the post. I will say that I haven't weighed my avocados, however but hope to next time I make these!
Thanks!
Is it the unsweetened cocoa powder that this recipe calls for?
Yes, it is - enjoy!
Great recipe, but coconut sugar isn't keto. I used powdered erythritol. Very tasty, thank you
Hi there. So glad you liked it! I actually have xylitol and erythritol listed as optional sweeteners above the recipe. I just added a reference note about that in the recipe as well. I think it got eliminated when we were converting recipes which is a very tedious project! Thanks and again, so glad you enjoyed them!
YES! Fantastic for Valentine's Day!
Thank you! We can't get enough of these!
These turned out wonderful! Very decadent, we made the balls quite a bit smaller because they are so rich. We chose to roll them in coconut flakes that we toasted with maple syrup and a combo of freeze dried blueberry and raspberry powder! I only wish the recipe was measured in weight rather than cups! Will definitely make again though!
Hi there - sorry for the delay in responding. What a fantastic idea! Love it! I am trying to update so much on my blog--I will consider that for the future!
I have been making vegan fudge with smart balance or similar for a decade. This is a treasured recipe among my friends. So, I was sincerely skeptical about coconut butter... but I LOVE coconut. So, I gave it a go... NAILED IT! thanks for saving us all from margarine. Cheers!
YEA!!!!! Thanks for coming back to share!!!
I was wondering what to substitute for the coconut butter? I have a strong reaction to coconut oil and I'm super hesitant to try the coconut butter. Thanks for your help!! 🙂
I'm thinking either straight nut or seed butter or 1/2 nut or seed butter combined with melted cocoa butter perhaps?
Email was typed wrong????
Got it - thanks!
Does the avocado get brown after making these? How long do they last? I've always had to use lemon to keep my avocados fresh.
The truffles are really dark b/c of the chocolate. I don't know about how long they would last but I wouldn't leave them at room temp and maybe not too long in the fridge. They would freeze well for sure!
Can you you cocoa butter instead of coconut butter. I live overseas and can't get the coconut butter.
You could but it will be a harder truffle. Did you see you can make your own coconut butter? https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/make-your-own-coconut-butter/ Does that help?
Any other substitute? I don't have a strong enough machine to make my own. I can buy coconut cream here, what if I whip that longer would that work?
I don't think so but perhaps you could simmer it to reduce the moisture content out since it is just coconut and water I think.
These are absolutely delicious - thanks!
I tried to make the first recipe and it was too soft to roll. How do I make it thinker?
Hi. What do you mean by the first recipe? You mean the other truffle recipe on my site? Thanks :).
Your sweetener ingredients....I don’t use Stevia, Truvia, Xylitol. Any other sweeteners that may work? I love maple, honey, dates, date syrup, coconut sugar.....-any of these work?
Hi there. I just put more options in the post in a way that is a bit more clear. Let me know if that helps and hope you like them!
What can I use in place of the stevia?
Hi there. I just added some alternatives. Thanks for mentioning that!
Thanks for sharing your recipes! These look absolutely amazing and what a great way to get a chocolate fix! I'm going to have to double some of these recipes otherwise I won't get enough since my boys will eat them as quickly as I make them since they love avocado too 🙂 Great ideas!
-S.L. Payne, uncommongrace.net
Thanks so much for the kind words. I ALWAYS at least double everything. In fact, I used to do all recipes making 8 batches, believe it or not :). https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/save-time-in-the-kitchen-baking-in-bulk/
Wonderful!!! And I did not follow your directions but they came out fabulous anyway. Next time I will do HALF the recipe so not to have so much!!!! THANK YOU!!!
Oh my - I used to make 8 batches of every recipe I made so I didn't have to clean the kitchen again :). You're welcome!
Just made these for a Friday night treat. I had to keep licking the spoon before putting it in the fridge. Definitely a keeper! (and my poor avocado was on the brink of getting thrown out... but it's now deliciously disguised! who would have known?!) This comes at a perfect time for healthy needed treats... when the ole pumpkin is at the top of the hill... rolling down so fast... sprouting feathers and gobbling... and before you know it- it's plump and round and decked out in a red suit trimmed in white. Ho Ho!" Or should I say, "Oh No!"
Regardless... chocolate goodness is most welcome this time of year! Thank you Adrienne!
So glad to hear it, Joyce! Love your name - it was my mother's. :).
I love avocado and you are right they are great from a nutritional standpoint as well., can't wait to give these a try.
I hope you like them!!
Can you use more powdered stevia instead of the powdered coconut sugar?
You could do that. Sure - I do find that blending sweeteners works better, but if you can only have stevia then that would work: https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
These look so good! It's been a long time since II've made truffles. You're tempting me! 😉
Go for it, Kelly! You'll love them!
I love your addition of cayenne to these. And every ingredient is so healthy!
Thanks much, Suzy!