Rich & gooey homemade vegan chocolate caramels. So decadent, delicious, just 6 ingredients, and surprisingly easy to make. Perfect as a treat or gift for someone special!
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Okay, there are a few essential things I look for in my vegan chocolate caramels...Thick chocolate and appropriate gooeyness. And yes, these have both of those in abundance!
We're taking melted chocolate and filling it with vegan caramel. Not really sickly-sweet caramel but just-right, slightly nutty, soft, gooey, silky caramel that you made yourself in less than 5 minutes, 'cause you’re clever like that.
And when you bite into them the chocolate will crack and the caramel center will come oozing out....So good, and the perfect treat for Valentine's Day!
Ingredients
You need just 6 ingredients to make these naturally gluten-free and vegan chocolate caramels:
- Chocolate chips - Many semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips are naturally vegan and easy to find in any grocery store.
- Tahini or nut butter - This sounds like an odd addition to caramel but trust me it works and it's necessary in this super quick and easy caramel recipe. It makes it really rich, flavorful, buttery, and thick. Make them with either tahini or seed butter to keep them nut-free.
- Coconut oil - Use refined coconut oil if you don't want any coconut taste or unrefined/virgin if you do want to taste it. Either works great.
- Salt - I recommend a good quality salt, not table salt. It enhances the sweetness and flavor of the chocolate and the caramel.
- Sugar - Brown or coconut sugar for the rich caramel flavor it gives. You can use light or dark brown sugar but dark will give a much richer, deeper flavor.
- Vanilla - I always recommend vanilla extract and not vanilla essence. The difference in flavor is huge.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Caramels
Before you make your chocolate covered caramels you need to get yourself a mold. It can be any shape. You can pick them up from craft shops, some big grocery stores or on Amazon. Mine looks like this:
And then:
- Make the dairy-free caramel. It's as simple as adding all of the ingredients to a pan and melting them together. You don't need thermometers or any fancy pants knowledge like you do when making regular caramel. It's so simple! Once it's done let it cool.
- Melt the chocolate and spread it around the inside of the mold with a teaspoon.
- Add a dollop of caramel to each one.
- Put a small amount of chocolate over the top of the caramel and spread out so it's flat.
- Pop in the freezer until set.
Done! Who could resist that ooey-gooey caramel?
Tip For Storing
Once you've made the caramels and they've had their initial set in the freezer they can then be stored either in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months. From the fridge the caramel is softer and oozier. Straight from the freezer it's a little chewier.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers in a jar in the fridge. It will firm up as it chills but will turn soft and oozy again when warmed gently. It's great served with ice-cream, waffles, pancakes, popcorn and baked bananas.
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Caramels
Author:Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 grams) dark brown or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons tahini or nut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil , or vegan butter
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (300 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips , or the same quantity from bars
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the sugar and water to a small pan. Place over a medium heat and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved and is just starting to bubble. Swirl the pan a bit if needed. It will take 2- 3 minutes max. Do not leave it unattended as it will burn very easily if left too long.
- Remove from the heat and add the coconut oil, tahini, salt and vanilla. Stir very well until it is all combined. It is normal to see a few light flecks through it. If you have trouble getting it to come together put it over a very low heat again for 30 seconds or so.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool. It will be very runny at first but will thicken up nicely as it cools.
- When the caramel is cool melt the chocolate either in a mixing bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, or very gently in a microwave.
- Spoon some melted chocolate into the bottom of each mold and use a teaspoon to spread it around the bottom and up the sides. You need a depth of about 3 mms on the bottom so they are strong enough to remove when set. No need to be too exact. Just eyeball it.
- Leave the chocolate for a couple of minutes, then spoon some caramel into each mold. You need to leave room for about 2-3mm of chocolate to be poured on the top.
- Now cover the caramel with some more chocolate and use a pallet knife or the back of a regular knife to run along the top and level everything off nicely.
- Pop the mold into the freezer. Make sure it is kept flat. I put mine on a baking tray. Within 30 minutes they will be hard enough to turn out of the mold.
- If you only have one mold you will need to repeat the process. Your chocolate should still be melted enough to continue but if it isn't just warm it slightly again.
NOTES
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Tammy says
I made these subbing only the coconut oil for vegan butter and they were divine! They store nicely in the freezer when you want a little treat. I made a (vegan) cheesecake today and decided to use the caramel sauce for the topping... yum. :-) Thanks for the easy, delicious recipe!
Tahira says
Hi can I use this caramel recipe for millionaire shortbread?
Melanie McDonald says
It would probably be a little too loose for holding its shape and slicing, but you could increase the coconut oil a bit so it sets up better. Maybe double it? It's hard to say without trying it though.
Millie says
Could I replace the nut butter with vegan caramel? I'm excited ~ I'm about to make these today!
A Virtual Vegan says
I wouldn't replace the nut butter with vegan caramel as you'll just end up with runny extra sweet vegan caramel. If you've got vegan caramel just use that to fill the chocolate. This caramel recipe is super delicious though so I recommend sticking to the recipe!
Sarah says
My boyfriend is very excited about this recipe as he often tells me his favourite childhood sweet was chocolate caramels, the pic looks like their not chewy and he says he wants them chewy, can you recommend a method to make them chewy.
Much appreciated
Sarah
A Virtual Vegan says
The recipe will only yield a soft caramel filling. To make a chewy caramel you'd need to use a different caramel recipe. One with lots of sugar and where you boil it up to about 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C). You would need a candy thermometer. I don't have any recipes like that.
Naz says
What could I use instead of tahini?
A Virtual Vegan says
Any nut butter would work instead of the tahini.
Natasha says
I just tasted one of the chocolates from the freezer and it's incredible! I made three different fillings, but now I wish I stuck to caramel. It tastes so rich and buttery when paired with chocolate. I'm happy I waited until just before Valentine's to make them because I already dread having to ignore them the whole night :D
Dee Fedor says
Any sub for the Tahini? Not something I would use for anything else. What does it do to the recipe?
A Virtual Vegan says
You can use any other nut or seed butter instead.