It’s September folks and you know what that means? 3+ months of all things pumpkin! This delicious salted pumpkin fudge is my paleo and vegan alternative to a normal high sugar fudge recipe.
Fudge is one of the most popular forms of candy, especially around holiday time. There is even a national candy day in November!
This salted pumpkin fudge is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, paleo and tastes great, too! It is the perfect sweet treat for Carve a Pumpkin Day or for your Halloween party table to give your clean eating friends something tasty to enjoy.
The fudge would also be a nice treat to bring to a Thanksgiving celebration, because pumpkins are one of the six main symbols of Thanksgiving.
This salted pumpkin fudge is really easy to make
Making fudge can be tricky, especially when it comes to having it set well. (See my tips for perfect fudge making here.) This fudge sets well and has a lovely crisp texture that I find most appealing in fudge recipes.
But how on earth do you make a clean eating fudge, when the normal ingredients are butter and refined sugar? Easy – it’s food substitutes time! For this fudge recipe, I used pure maple syrup in place of granulated sugar, and coconut butter and coconut oil in place of butter.
The rest of the ingredients are a great blend of spices, some pure vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. I also used a bit of tapioca flour to help it thicken well.
I started by combining my maple syrup, vanilla extract and coconut butter over low heat in a saucepan. It just took about a minute to get it to a nice caramel looking stage.
Now comes the pumpkin. Canned pumpkin puree and coconut oil get added to the mixture. I cooked it over medium heat for about 5 minutes, whisking all the time. Look at that pumpkin color!
No self respecting pumpkin anything is worth its name without a great spice mixture. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice get added along with a dash of sea salt and some tapioca flour.
You’ll get a few lumps from the tapioca flour and the coconut oil will rise to the top. Don’t worry about that. Just let it come to room temp and give it a whisk for a few seconds with an immersion blender (or hand mixer) and it will end up smooth and thick.
Pour the mixture into an 8 x 8″ pan that is line with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy removal. Add a bit of pink sea salt and place in the fridge for a few hours to set.
If you are in a hurry, you put it in the freezer for an hour instead.
Once the fudge has set, remove from the pan and slice into 25 squares.
This amazing salted pumpkin fudge has the most delightful taste. It is not overly sweet, which pleases my husband (who doesn’t normally like fudge) and has the perfect consistency.
Time to taste this salted pumpkin fudge!
The pink sea salt gives the texture a lovely salty crunch and compliments the flavors well. Every bite is just full of the flavors of fall!
One would think, with both coconut butter and coconut oil in the recipe, that the fudge would taste coconuty, but it doesn’t. The spice blend does a great job of complimenting the pumpkin puree well.
And the maple syrup gives the fudge the perfect taste of sweetness without giving your blood sugar the spikes.
I cut my fudge into 25 pieces, which gives a nice sized bite, each coming out at about 81 calories each. And look how low the sugar count is! Clean eating at its best. Who says you can’t have goodies in a healthy diet?
Pumpkin Fudge - Vegan and Paleo Treat
This delicious salted pumpkin fudge is my paleo and vegan alternative to a normal high sugar fudge recipe.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup coconut butter
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- pinch sea salt and extra sea salt granules for the top
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine the coconut butter, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract and cook over medium heat until the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree, and melted coconut oil. Heat over a low heat, whisking constantly for 3-5 minutes or until all ingredients have melted together. and you end up with a nice smooth mixture that looks a bit like caramel topping.
- In a small bowl, combine the tapioca flour, spices, and pinch of sea salt.
- Stir this mixture into the saucepan with the pumpkin mixture and stir until well combined. You will need to mix well, since the tapioca flour will cause a few clumps to form. A quick whisk with an immersion blender will make it smooth.
- Remove from the heat and allow it to come to close to room temperature and stir well again until smooth. (The coconut oil will harden as it sits.)
- Line an 8" square dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil and pour the fudge mixture to the pan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula to get all the mixture. Smooth the top of the fudge with the spatula and sprinkle with pink sea salt..
- Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or, in the freezer for about an hour until the fudge is solid.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
The fudge will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. The texture will be creamy if you keep it in the fridge but you can also store it in the freezer for up to a month for a more firm consistency.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Serving Size:
1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 81.5Total Fat: 7.3gSaturated Fat: 6.4gUnsaturated Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 0.0mgSodium: 8.4mgCarbohydrates: 4.5gFiber: 1.0gSugar: 2.7gProtein: 0.4g