The easiest, most fool-proof, rich, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth Salted Maple Pecan Vegan Fudge. Punctuated with crunchy pecan pieces and a smattering of sea salt crystals, it’s like salty, sweet perfection!
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Let’s get right to the point. If you have any degree of sweet tooth, this Salted Maple Pecan Vegan Fudge is your friend. Like your BEST friend.
I’ll spare you the details, but I was trying to create another recipe and it did not go to plan. Out of the darkness though, came this and let’s be real here, I don’t mind if I do.
This Vegan Fudge is made with minimal ingredients and there is no cooking involved. It is super easy!
Plus, did I mention that it’s gluten-free, refined sugar free and oil-free too? 🙌
The only fat occurring here is that which is naturally present in the cashew nuts. The healthy, good stuff!
HOW TO MAKE EASY VEGAN FUDGE
SEE MY VIDEO FOR A VISUAL GUIDE. FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Ok, be prepared to be under-whelmed. This whole process is super easy, super quick and totally fool proof!
STEP 1
Mix the cashew butter, salt and maple syrup together until combined well.
STEP 2
Stir in the coconut flour, pecans and vanilla
STEP 3
Spoon into a cling wrap or parchment paper lined loaf pan, dish or individual muffin cups and smooth out the top, then sprinkle with chopped pecans and sea salt flakes or small crystals.
I am totally in love with these Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.
STEP 4
Place in the freezer and allow to set for at least 20 minutes.
STEP 5
Remove from the freezer and cut into nice sized chunks.
HOW TO STORE VEGAN FUDGE
You can store the vegan fudge in the fridge or the freezer after the initial set. If kept in the fridge it will stay quite soft but still firm enough to hold and bite into, whereas from the freezer, it will be harder but not completely solid. I like it both ways. try both and see what you prefer!
OPTIONAL FUDGE ADD-INS
The pecans and the scattering of salt on top, is so good, but if you wanted to play around there are many other flavour combos you could use like:
- any other chopped nuts or seeds
- raisins or other dried fruit
- chocolate chips
- freeze dried fruit
- candy
- shredded coconut
- coffee extract
- cinnamon
- cookie pieces
ummm please stop me….or there will be nothing but fudge recipes here for the next 6 months 😂
I AM LOVING THIS SALTED MAPLE PECAN VEGAN FUDGE BECAUSE IT’S:
- totally fool proof!
- salty-sweet
- fudgy
- quick
- rich and decadent
- oil-free
- gluten-free
- naturally sweetened
- & ridiculously delicious!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you did, be a ☆ and let me know what you think by rating it and commenting below. Tag me on Instagram too. I am @avirtualvegan and my hashtag is #avirtualvegan
Salted Maple Pecan Vegan Fudge
The easiest, most fool-proof, rich, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth Salted Maple Pecan Vegan Fudge. Punctuated with crunchy pecan pieces and a smattering of sea salt crystals, it’s like salty, sweet perfection!
Ingredients
- 256g / 1 cup creamy cashew butter , be sure to mix the natural oils which rise to the top, well into the butter when you open it so it's nice and creamy. See recipe notes for alternatives including nut-free option*
- 120mls / ½ cup maple syrup , make sure it's real maple syrup and not the cheap flavoured stuff
- ½ teaspoon salt , fine
- 70g / ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon coconut flour , see recipe notes for substitutions**
- 50g / ½ cup chopped pecan nuts , see recipe notes for nut-free options***
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- OPTIONAL extra pecans and sea salt flakes for sprinkling
Instructions
Add the cashew butter, maple syrup and salt to a bowl and mix together really well.
Add the coconut flour, vanilla and pecan nuts to the cashew butter mixture and stir really well again until there is no dry flour showing at all. Be very thorough and make sure you scrape into the bottom of the bowl with the spatula. It gets pretty thick and hard to stir. That's normal.
Line a 1lb loaf pan (or other similar size container) with either cling wrap or parchment paper. Cling wrap I found is a tighter fit and makes it look neater when you turn it out. If you don't have anything suitable you can make them in muffin cases instead.
Pack the fudge mixture into the loaf pan and flatten out the top so it's neat. Get a mug of water and dip a spatula in it then shake it off to remove any excess, before spreading the top of the fudge and you will find that it won't stick all over the spatula and will make your job much easier. You can dip in the water every few spreads to keep the effect up.
Once the top is level sprinkle some more pecans and some sea salt flakes on the top for decoration and press them really lightly with your fingers into the fudge so they stick.
Put the whole pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then remove, lift out of the pan and cut into pieces.
The fudge can be stored in the freezer or in the fridge after the initial set. If kept in the fridge it will stay quite soft but still firm enough to hold and bite into, whereas from the freezer, it will be harder but not completely solid. When it's frozen it's best just to leave it for a minute or two before eating. It's great both ways so try both and see which you prefer. Or go 50/50!
Recipe Notes
*Cashew butter gives by far the best flavour here because it's so neutral and the flavour of the maple and the pecans really comes through well. You can use almond butter but it isn't quite as maple-y then and the almond flavour really comes through. Not a bad thing if you like almonds but now how it's intended to be.
**Coconut flour gives the best results. DO NOT try substituting regular flour because it will not work and it will taste horrible. If you are allergic to coconuts or cannot get coconut flour, a fine almond flour works well but it does change the flavour. Not in a bad way, it just tastes almond-y and the maple doesn't come through so well. Another option is to use powdered sugar but that will make the fudge extremely sweet.
***If you have a nut allergy use sun butter instead of cashew butter. You can either totally omit the pecans (it's still really lovely) or use any add-ins that you like instead. Some ideas:
- any other chopped nuts or seeds
- raisins or other dried fruit
- chocolate chips
- freeze dried fruit
- candy
- shredded coconut
- coffee extract
- cinnamon
- cookie pieces
Joanne Kucinskas says
I made this yesterday. I followed the recipe as written, no substitutions. It so easy to make that the most challenging step was getting the cling wrap in the loaf pan.
The finished product looks exactly like the recipe photos. And the best part…so decadently delicious! I cut into squares and stored them in the freezer. They are the perfect after dinner treat. I love the perfect balance of salty and sweet.
Thank you for this amazing recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
I agree about the cling wrap. That is the most challenging part! I’m so glad you enjoyed them Joanne and thank you so much for stopping by to leave feedback. It’s much appreciated!