Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

chocolate peanut butter fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

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Low-carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge is a great dessert! It’s healthy enough to eat for a snack, yet decadent enough to put in holiday treat baskets for Christmas and Hanukkah.

I love fudge, I do. The only trouble with it is that most fudge is so sweet I usually feel sick to my stomach after eating it. That’s not the case with this low-carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge. This easy dessert recipe is made with 5 ingredients! All you need to whip up a batch is chocolate, peanut butter, xylitol, vanilla, and salt.

I used to make fudge every Thanksgiving and Christmas, back when I was in grade school. During the holidays, I would pack it up in cute little boxes, tie them with ribbons and give them out to all of our family friends. I loved experimenting with different types of fudge, and peanut butter fudge was one of my favorites!

Print Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Serves:24
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Melt chocolate in a medium pot
  2. Remove from heat then stir in peanut butter and xylitol
  3. Once xylitol is incorporated, stir in vanilla and salt
  4. Spread into a 1.5 quart loaf dish
  5. Refrigerate for 2 hours
  6. Serve

My low-carb fudge recipe was inspired by this Peanut Butter Fudge by Laura Dolson. When I saw it I knew I could have my fudge and eat it too! While her recipe uses close to 2 cups of sugar alternatives, in my version I have reduced this to only 2 tablespoons of xylitol. I think this recipe could work also with agave, honey or any other number of sweeteners, if you are willing to take the time to experiment.

Here are some of my other healthy fudge recipes for you!

Comments

  1. Elana, I just made your 3 ingredient fudge with sunflower butter. It was a tremendous hit and my grandchildren even loved it!! I used raw honey, 1 tbsp. And the sweetness was perfect. My new favorite fudge forever! Thank you so much.

    Reply

  2. I made this today with the following substitutions- 1 cup Guittard Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Wafers ( one of my pantry staples) and 3 teas. Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener. Some of the “batter” went into my trusty 1″ silicone ice cube tray and the remaining “batter” into mini cupcake liners on a dinner plate to set up in the fridge. This is so delicious and it may be my #1 favorite with the low carb 3 ingredient fudge as #2! Now, I just need to figure out how to keep from eating the whole batch!! Thanks Elana :)

    Reply

  3. Hi, can anyone tell me if they have tried carob chips ? I am going to try this but with Stevia,
    I have Candiases so have to really watch carbs and sugars.
    Thank you for your blog Elana! I am really enjoying many of your recipes!

    Reply

    • Hi Stef, any brand of chocolate that is around 70% cacao will work well in this recipe. If you find a brand you love please stop back by and leave a comment to let us know about it.

      Reply

  5. Just made this. Made peanut butter first with roasted, salted peanuts and coconut oil (to avoid added sugar and other gunk). I omitted the salt since it was in the peanuts. May sprinkle some sea salt on top if necessary afterwards. Himalayan may even be pretty. Used Lily’s dark choc chips sweetened with stevia. I blended in the xylitol with an immersion blender as my chocolate began to get solid again (seizing?) and my xylitol wasn’t as fine as I’d prefer. Next time I’d grind it in a coffee grinder to get it finer. I was surprised at how quickly it began to set up. Fortunately, I had my parchment paper in my loaf pan, ready to go. Licking the spoon =) the taste was fabulous,. The xylitol made it a bit grainy in texture and gave it a cooling sensation, which made me think it would go great in a chocolate peppermint fudge recipe. Thanks, Elana, for the recipe. I’d make it again.

    Reply

  8. This looks amazing! This is our first year going Paleo – and Christmas treats have had me a bit overwhelmed. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  11. will give this recipe a xmas try but would substitute peanut butter for almond butter as what i know is peanuts are carcinogenic will let you know how it works

    Reply

  12. Thank you so much for the lovely recipe! Made it last week with a few modifications and it turned out really well. It works well with about 1/3 cup liquid sweetener instead of xylitol. Going to make an almond butter version today and see how it goes. So many possibilities with a recipe like this :)

    Reply

    • Thanks for the substitute, I was debating on using pure maple syrup and now I won’t have to play around with it so much.
      I have subbed almond butter for pb in other recipes, I have had to add coconut oil.

      Reply

  14. You should try making lemon fudge. There a recipe that I find, but the amount of sugar sounds like a lot to use in the recipe (3 3/4 cup of powdered sugar). Plus, am afraid of using that much amount of xylitol cause last time, I did it was too strong for my taste. I have weight loss surgery two years ago, and my taste has changed. I can’t have sugar anymore which end up giving me heart burn.

    Reply

  15. I made the fudge without any sweetener and used 1/2cup of chunky peanut butter and a 1/2 cup of almond butter-it’s awesome!

    Reply

  16. My 14 y/o GF/CF daughter was in the mood for chocolate PB fudge. She said, “Mom, you just don’t understand how much I need some right now.” :) So I did a google search and it came up with your recipe as an option. I told her, “Elana is one of my favorites. Her recipes rock. Try it and I’m sure you’ll like it.” And she did!! THANKS for creating recipes that bring our bellies happiness and brighten our day :)

    Reply

  17. Heavenly! Used agave instead of xylitol. My husband and I have 5 daughters 21, 19, 14, 10 and 7. We were all glad that the oldest wasn’t visiting that night. We cut the fudge into 12 pieces and well… We were pleased to each have 2.:)

    Reply

  20. I am so excited that you are starting to try xylitol in your recipes, Elana! My sisters and I have been experimenting with xylitol in your recipes, including chocolate chip cookies and pancakes for several months now. Right now when we replace agave in a recipe with xylitol, we are using an equal amount of xylitol. To replace the lost moisture (xylitol is totally dry, like sugar), we also add one egg to the recipe. We really like the way xylitol cooks, tastes like sugar, and has a low glycemic index.

    Reply

  21. I just made this fudge. I haven’t had any yet but the melted “goo” tasted great. It’s in the fridge chilling now…HURRY UP!

    Anyway, just wanted to say that I made this with regular Chipits dark chocolate chips and natural PB..but I ran out of natural smooth PB at around the 1/2 cup mark so I subbed in the other 1/2 cup with natural crunchy PB. Because the chips are already so sweet I did not add any sweetener whatsoever. The sea salt I ground in I left slightly course so that you get that new “in style” flavour of sweet/salty just a tad.

    That being said – I came up with the nutrition info for this fudge as I have made it.
    Per Piece (if you cut it into 28)
    67 calories, 5g fat, 5g carbs (1g Fibre, 4g sugar), 2g protein.

    Reply

  22. Great sounding recipe!
    I will make it substituting sugar-free chocolate chips (from nutsonline.com), and add a bit of coconut oil and a touch of coconut flour just for the health benefits. I eat low-carb and am finding lots of great ideas here. Thank you! :)

    Reply

  23. I’m going to give these a go with sunbutter instead of peanut so I can send them to school with my son. Hope they work!

    Reply

    • Rommel, if you click on the green text in the ingredients portion of the recipe that says “xylitol” you will be given that info :-)

      Reply

  26. I substituted raw almond butter for the peanut butter, and unsweetened Callebaut chocolate for the chocolate chips, plus I used only stevia for the sweetener, and the fudge turned out really well for sugar-free. It yields a rich chocolatey flavor with a nice mild almond complement. Since the nut flavor isn’t as prominent, I think it will also serve as a good base for experimenting with additional flavors :-)

    Reply

  27. my name is skylar and i’m an 11 year old girl. i have this obsession with cooking that came out of nowhere about two months ago. the only problem was that everything at the grocery store had gluten. my dad found this website and showed it to me, and now i cook things from here about 2-3 times a week. i enjoy it, and although what i cook is not always so good, i enjoy the process of making it. i made the fundge squares 4 days ago, and i loved them–being the humongous peanut butter fan i am. i am doing a math project involving fractions, so now i am cooking these for my whole class. thank you Elana for your wonderful recipies!!!!

    Reply

  29. Elana – I made this almost immediately after you posted it. We loved it! I used brown sugar instead of xylitol (due to the cost), but my husband and I could still tell the difference between the brown sugar and white/refined or powdered sugar. That and the dark chocolate really make a difference in how light and tasty this fudge is. It’s super simple and perfect for any occasion – a planned party or oops-guests-are-coming-and-I-need-something-to-serve-them. Thanks for posting/creating!!

    Reply

  31. I was inspired by this recipe! Just melted chocolate and then added the peanut butter , let it set and then..yummo!

    Reply

  32. Elana, this is great! I made it yesterday, with the following substitutions:

    -smooth roasted along butter in place of peanut butter

    -agave in place of the xylitol, probably 1 1/2 tbsp

    -added chopped walnuts to the mix and pressed chopped walnuts into the top of the fudge

    It was fantastic. And it’s just as you say, delicious without being overly sweet like most fudge is.

    Reply

  33. This is fabulous, Elana, thank you! I used dark almond butter and 85% chocolate, plus a xylitol (from Germany) that claims to contain 0 calories – the brands I buy in the UK have 240 cal/100 grams. Does anyone have an explanation for this? The almond butter worked very well, and the mix firmed up in the fridge very quickly.

    Reply

  34. These little fudgey treats look to die for! I’d like to reach right through my computer screen and grab one. Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply

  35. Yummy and easy! I used semi-sweet chips, skipped on the xylitol, added walnuts, and used almond butter instead of peanut.

    I’ve always had the same problem with most fudge being too sweet, even as a kid I would dislike my moms fudge (the ton of sugar, marshmallow cream, sweetened condensed milk, etc. kind), cause it made me nauseous. But this is perfect!

    Reply

  36. I didn’t read through all the comments here but just read that some xylitol (generally the less expensive options) is made from corn, some GMO corn as well. Apparently, the other option is a brand made from birch tree bark.
    I thought I’d post this in the event others are not able to eat corn based products.

    p.s.
    I’m making the fudge now but skipped the xylitol and went straight for my raw honey. I’m sure it’s going to be yummy!

    Reply

  40. I love the Nestle chocolate chip marshmallow fudge. It’s easy, and my grandmother used to make it, I think those are the reasons it’s my favorite. I’d love to try this recipe, though–thank you for adapting it! Lisa

    Reply

  41. Oh yum! And this looks so much easier than conventional fudge too! I pretty much love all fudge…I don’t really discriminate :) Though it is awfully sweet for even me.

    Reply

  42. I got this recipe in your email and it looked so easy that I tried it right away. I changed the recipe a bit based on what I had on hand. I used Ghirardelli Bittersweet double chocolate chips and since the chips and the peanut butter are sweetened a little, I only used 1 Tbsp Xylitol. The fudge came out perfectly. I’ve never made fudge before and now that I have this awesome recipe, I’m sure I’ll be making it for many parties in the future. Thanks Elana!

    Reply

  43. These sound great! Way simpler than my recipe which contains cream and butter. I love the fact that there is so little sweetener, traditional fudge is way too sweet. Do you use natural peanut butter? I LOVE your site!

    Reply

  44. Can anyone tell me what a cup of these chocolate chips weighs? I want to sub in cocoa powder + shortening but need to do it based on weight.

    Reply

  45. Thanks for this recipe, Elana. I love the fact that it’s healthy and not too sweet. Thanks everyone else for their comments; they give us unlimited options, i.e. using almond butter, etc. I bought a couple of jars of almond butter at different times, by mistake (forgot I had one jar already), so this is a good way to use it up.

    Reply

  46. We’re on the same wavelength, Elana. I just made peanut butter fudge this week, but a simple version that I just leave in the bowl and eat with a spoon! Great when it’s only me eating it :) I just blend peanut butter with some water and palm sugar, then blend in 3 T Penzy’s gourmet cocoa powder. If too runny I heat it a little and it thickens. YUM!

    I want to try yours so I can cut it into blocks and share it. Or maybe not…

    Pat
    PS: Almond butter works great too!

    Reply

  47. One of my grandmother’s was known for her fudge. She used the Nestle recipe. After she passed, I made it again and again as comfort food. Now that I’ve stayed away from sugar, and have adopted agave, I’m more sensitive to sweets. Even Nutella is too sweet for me. It tastes more like frosting. However, I wonder if it would be just right in this recipe instead of peanut butter and xylitol? Hmmm…. curiosity is building.

    Reply

  49. I remember a delectable Rockyroad Fudge that we got one Christmas. My brother and I only got one piece each and my dad ate the rest. I will have to experiment with this recipe and see if Stevia will work as a sub.

    Reply

  50. One of my all-time favorite fudges is very similar to this one, with cashew (or macadamia) butter in place of the PB and agave nectar as the sweetener (I’ve never used xylitol). I made two versions–one with ginger, and one with orange zest and both were phenomenal. At the time, I was using chocolate chips (with barley malt), but I’ve since made it again with unsweetened chocolate and it’s equally good (now that my own taste buds are used to less sweetness as well). :)

    Reply

  51. Elana,

    No favorite recipe for the reasons you’ve cited. I would LOVE a good peanut butter fudge…I’ll take my chocolate on top instead of mixed in. Any chance of a recipe for that coming up. Something peanutty but not so sweet it makes my teeth hurt? Please?

    Reply

  52. I love PB and chocolate! I did look at the original recipe out of curiosity (I wondered why would it need 2 cups more sweetener) and did notice that it uses unsweetened chocolate, vs the cane sugar likely lurking in the chocolate chips.

    Reply

  54. I love fudge, and I absolutely love peanut butter. I try not to eat it often, but when I do –look out! I will definitely have to make this for the spring holidays so I can divide it out amongst my family members and friends.

    Recently I’ve used almond butter in place of the peanut butter, and used cocoa powder combined with coconut oil, using a stevia and xylitol sweetener mix. Very good!

    Reply

  55. Over the holidays I was on a fudge kick and made a batch with rich dark chocolate, a bit of coconut milk, some agave syrup, a bit of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne. My husband was so in love with the stuff and told me that it was a perfect accompaniment to a cup of steaming coffee. Yours looks lovely Elana.

    Reply

  56. Yumm! That looks amazing. My most recent fudge attempt turned out more like a ganache, but I could still eat it with a spoon! Going to have to give this recipe a try!

    Reply

  57. i’ve been playing with variations of Blue OK’s raw vegan fudge- with raw cacao, coconut oil and maple syrup. i always add vanilla- must have vanilla to give it that rich je ne sais quoi….

    i use the entire cacao nib so i get the yummy healthy cocoa butter too. also playing with unsweetened baking chocolate, coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup. might try that w/ peanut butter.

    4 squares baking chocolate
    1/2 cup coconut oil
    1 tsp vanilla
    1/4 cup maple syrup (i always use a little less)-
    and peanut butter!!! yum!

    Reply

  59. Adding in a tsp or two of coconut flour and then using a liquid sweetener would probably work really well. I want to try this with some almond butter now. I avoid peanut butter.

    Reply

  61. Just don’t forget that xylitol is deadly to dogs. Their body thinks that it is being overdosed on sugar and so puts out a burst of insulin. Their blood sugars can get dangerously low and it is an emergancy if your dogs eats any xylitol. I used to use xylitol toothpaste until my puppy got a hold of the cap and had to spend several hours in the ER.

    Reply

  62. Thanks for contributing to my holiday round-up Elana! These look awesome! I used to love rocky road fudge with marshmallows, back in the day when I ate fudge myself. There was a place in downtown Annapolis, where we lived, that made it. It was on Main Street I think, and it had this huge storefront window, where you could see them making it as you walked by.

    Love, Kelly

    Reply

  64. Like the previous comments, I was wondering how almond butter would work instead. If anyone tries it and it’s successful, it’d be great to hear about!

    Reply

  65. Almond butter came to mind when I read your recipe because the type of peanut butter I use isn’t usually smooth. I like the combination of almonds and fudge anyway. I also like pieces of walnut in my fudge, so I’ll add some of those.
    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  67. I’m currently working on a raw vegan fudge recipe. I’ll let you know if I get it right. ;) I can’t wait to try it… I think I might do an almond butter variation. Yum!

    Reply

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