Silky Smooth Bean Fudge
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Yes, you read it right. “Bean Fudge.” This Black Bean Fudge is so super rich and flavorful that no one will expect that it's made from beans. Get ready to be amazed.
Yes, it's true. This healthy fudge is a HUGE hit with everyone who tries it! It's a dairy-free fudge that even doubles as a healthy frosting and is loaded with nourishing ingredients. You can eat this fudge anytime–guilt-free.
Fudge is one of those comfort foods that make you “not too comfortable” after you've eaten it. And fudge isn't good for you anyway right?– evaporated milk and tons of sugar. But then, you knew that.
Well, you can now change your thinking about fudge, because I have a healthy fudge recipe for you that you can feel good about eating and serving to your kids. Plus, it's a dairy-free fudge.
I've been known to offer it to my kids for breakfast and snacks without batting an eye — and while having a piece or two myself :-).
Anyway, this healthy fudge recipe is so good that there is no reason to be “secretive” about what the main ingredient is. Beans! Even some non-real-foodie folks have even asked for the recipe!
Why This Bean Fudge Is Great
- It contains lots of coconut oil
- It is easily adaptable to special diets (sugar free, nut free). Actually, all of my recipes are.
- It is a simple sweet treat for your family. No need to bake, easy preparation, and the pan is simple to clean. Just combine all of the ingredients, smoosh them into a pan and presto! You have a wonderful, healthy fudge treat for your family. You could even make it simpler by just free-forming the fudge on a plate and letting it firm up just like that in the fridge.
- Besides being adaptable to special diets, it is also easy to change ingredients around to make different varieties.Even changing the beans around makes a difference. The above photo is black bean fudge, but we've also made Adzuki Bean Fudge and Pinto Bean Fudge. Really any kind of bean should work!
One final reason this healthy fudge is great….it makes a great edible face paint :)! (They couldn't resist!)
Most recently, I revised this recipe and found that doubling the cocoa / carob tastes much closer to the real thing.
Carob has an inherent sweetness so you will probably need more sweetener if you use cocoa. And if you choose to double the cocoa, don't eat it too close to bedtime :-).
Whatever adjustments you make. you will be getting lots of coconut oil goodness into your family while giving them a treat!
Special Thanks to Affairs of Living for the inspiration for this recipe.
More Healthy Treats
– Sugar-free Peppermint Fudge (keto & vegan)
– Almond Joy Bars
– Almond Butter Cups
– Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips
– Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
– Homemade “Jello”
– “Phat Fudge” Copycat
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Cocoa and Carob: Feel free to adjust the amount of carob or cocoa that you use to your taste. Using the full amount gives a really rich taste, while half of it provides a nice mellow flavor. If you really want to “go for the gusto,” double it. You can use organic carob powder instead of cocoa if you like.
- Beans: I typically use organic black beans for this, but technically you could use any bean you like. I have friends who have used organic pintos, and organic kidneys would work as well. Really, there isn't any reason any type of bean that would not work. Please try to de-gas your beans.
- Coconut Oil Information: Use coconut oil w/o either coconut flavor or taste – i.e. expeller pressed – to avoid excessive coconut flavor.
- Sweetener Options: You can substitute any granulated or liquid sweetener for the “low carb sweetener” mentioned in the recipe card. This recipe is very forgiving. You can really use whatever sweetener you like–liquid ones might make the resulting fudge a little soft, however.
If using stevia, 3/16 stevia is the equivalent of 3/4 cup sugar, so you can substitute for that as well if you'd like. See How to Use Stevia or this post on Substituting Sweeteners for more ideas. - Trim Healthy Mama: If you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this is a crossover.
- Make sure to De-Gas Your Beans– this will make everyone who eats this yummy fudge happier ;).
- Handy Measuring Spoon Tips: If using stevia, stevia extract is 32 times as strong as sugar, so getting something like these stainless steel mini measuring spoons is super helpful. The 2nd smallest is 1/32 of a teaspoon so you can easily measure stevia extract powder (or monk powder).
These are the spoons I love and recommend for measuring stevia extract powder and other tads and dashes of things:
Silky Smooth Bean Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups cooked black beans (the equivalent of 2 cans. See Recipe Notes for alternatives)
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup low carb sweetener (or to taste–see Recipe Notes for alternatives)
- 3/16 teaspoons stevia extract (see Recipe Notes for alternative)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) or food processor and process until totally smooth. Adjust sweetener to taste at this point.
- Spread the mixture in an 8×8 pan, pressing down firmly.
- Place in refrigerator(if you do not eat it all :-)), for at least one hour or until firm. Slice into squares and serve.
- Store in the refrigerator or in the freezer for longer storage or for a frozen fudgey treat. It will defrost nicely on the counter or in the refrigerator. Do not use the microwave (you're backing off using that anyway, aren't you?) or you will have fudge sauce. Well, then, maybe you want fudge sauce :-).
Notes
- Cocoa and Carob: Feel free to adjust the amount of carob or cocoa that you use to your taste. Using the full amount gives a really rich taste, while half of it provides a nice mellow flavor. If you really want to “go for the gusto,” double it. You can use organic carob powder instead of cocoa if you like.
- Beans: I typically use organic black beans for this, but technically you could use any bean you like. I have friends who have used organic pintos, and organic kidneys would work as well. Really, there isn't any reason any type of bean that would not work. Please try to de-gas your beans.
- Coconut Oil Information: Use coconut oil w/o either coconut flavor or taste – i.e. expeller pressed – to avoid excessive coconut flavor.
- Sweetener Options: You can substitute any granulated or liquid sweetener for the “low carb sweetener” mentioned in the recipe card. This recipe is very forgiving. You can really use whatever sweetener you like–liquid ones might make the resulting fudge a little soft, however.
If using stevia, 3/16 stevia is the equivalent of 3/4 cup sugar, so you can substitute for that as well if you'd like. See How to Use Stevia or this post on Substituting Sweeteners for more ideas. - Trim Healthy Mama: If you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this is a crossover.
- Make sure to De-Gas Your Beans– this will make everyone who eats this yummy fudge happier ;).
- Handy Measuring Spoon Tips: If using stevia, stevia extract is 32 times as strong as sugar, so getting something like these stainless steel mini measuring spoons is super helpful. The 2nd smallest is 1/32 of a teaspoon so you can easily measure stevia extract powder (or monk powder).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
Would you…Could You…Eat. Bean. Fudge?
Of course you will :)!
Please watch the “sweet poison” in youtube – or google for aspartame which is the component in artificial sweeteners that causes lot of nerve related problems & is really slow poison at best.
Love the kids smearing the fudge ! Adorable picture !
Thanks – that stuff is awful!!!
Beans? No way! As you know, I’m Mexican. And I remember as a kid eating beans with chocolate. They were blended, of course. So yummy! I can’t wait to make this for my little guy.
I so hope he likes it Maggie!! I didn’t know beans blended with chocolate was a typical food.
I really like this healthy fudge, perfect treat for the summer! It seemed a bit thick with powdered stevia, so added a little Torani sugar free chocolate syrup and it is wonderful. I read that the health benefits of cocoa are increased by eating it with fiber, so this recipe is perfect, especially since I am also increasing coconut oil in my diet. Thanks for posting, I am enjoying your blog (my first time here).
Welcome and thanks!
So grateful for this recipe! How would I substitute the cooked black beans with black bean flour?
Hmmmm…you would need to add water to rehydrate but it should work otherwise. Thanks!
Thank you for this recipe! If I were to substitute cooked black beans for black bean flour what would you suggest?
I think I just answered that in your other comment :).
I love the sound if this recipe, I am trying to get my mom and dad to eat healthier because they are diabetic. Only problem is dad, my sister and I are all allergic to cocoanut. Is there a substitute that we could use instead. Maybe peanut butter. If you could let me know I can’t wait to try this.
Any solid fat could work – maybe a nut butter. Palm shortening or butter :)?
I’m confused by NuNaturals. I see it in packets, I see it in unbelievably expensive 1 oz, 4oz etc. I see that it says it has maltodextrin which I thought was bad for people like me with Candida. Which one should I buy? I want to bake things so badly especially with the holidays coming up but haven’t been able to figure out how to get the right owns. Also when I use Xylitol I can’t get it to dissolve in coconut oil and so my foods are grainy. So frustrated. Can you help me?
Thanks
Amber
Don’t buy the one w/ Maltodextrin. You can buy it in a 1 lb size here if you like. Super frugal. (referral and affiliate link): https://www.iherb.com/nunaturals-nustevia-white-stevia-pure-extract-1-lb-454-g/7875/?rcode=rur466 You can use code RUR466 at checkout to get $10 off your $30 or more order.
You can powder the xylitol before using it. That helps. And don’t heat the coconut oil that much at all. Hope that helps :).
If you’re saying to use expeller pressed coco oil then there really aren’t any health benefits left to speak of, right? If you want the benefits of the oil, it’s got to be the real deal. So yes it will taste like coconut. The only time to use expeller pressed is if you’re going to fry and need to high burn point of coco oil without changing the taste of your food.
No, actually in this case TT’s expeller pressed coconut oil still has good benefits – just not as good as the organic pressed from fresh. I haven’t looked at other brands but I suspect they are the same. Thanks!
Fantastic, Adrienne! I made this, referencing your updated version, and had to sprinkle some mini chocolate chips on top. 😉
My beans were homemade and had been in the fridge for a bit, so I found that I had to add some warm water to get everything all mixed up. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Hi there! So glad to hear it!!! Love the chips idea!
Success! Toddler eating beans like they are going out of style. That said, we boosted the sweetener a tidge … Because I used the blackest, bitterest cocoa I forgot I had ever found nigh-inedible.