Vegan fudgesicles are creamy, healthy, and delicious. Made with only 6 ingredients, this vegan fudgesicle recipe is sugar-free and fabulous. So, if you're craving a frozen chocolate treat, look no further. The secret ingredient is sweet potatoes!
When the weather warms up, I crave frozen treats like fudgesicles. But, of course, most fudgesicles aren't vegan, and even worse, they aren't healthy. So, I took my Chocolate Vegan Pudding recipe and tweaked it a little to make healthy vegan fudgesicles. Not only did I try to create vegan fudgesicles, but I also aimed to make them healthy and sugar-free. So, if you're craving a creamy, frozen chocolate treat, look no further.
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What Ingredients are in a Typical Fudgesicle?
The ingredients in the original Fudgesicle recipe I used to eat as a kid shocked me. Parents don't read labels. Since transitioning to a plant-based diet, I now read labels. Generally, I search for products with few ingredients and always ingredients with familiar meanings. These ingredients, however disturbing, exist.
- Non-fat milk
- Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Whey: is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Water
- Palm OIl: Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp of the fruit of the oil palms
- Cocoa Processed with Alkali: Dutch-process or alkalized cocoa is chemically processed to reduce the acidity and harshness of natural cocoa.
- Mono-and Diglycerides: are emulsifiers, which means they help oil and water to blend.
- Cellulose Gum: which comes from the cell walls of plants such as wood pulp and cottonseeds, is used to make foods thick and creamy.
- Guar Gum: is a galactomannan polysaccharide extracted from guar beans with thickening and stabilizing properties useful in food, feed, and industrial applications.
- Malted Barley Extract
- Salt
- Polysorbate 80: Polysorbate 80 is a nonionic surfactant and emulsifier often used in foods and cosmetics.
- Polysorbate 65: one of many chemical compounds in a Twinkie. One ingredient is ethylene oxide, a highly flammable material that's toxic if consumed in extremely high amounts.
- Carrageenan: is an extract from a red seaweed known as Irish Moss. This edible seaweed is native to the British Isles, where it's been used in traditional cooking for hundreds of years. It's also widely used in the food industry as a thickener and gelling agent.
Surprisingly, Fudgesicle brand chocolate pops fill the frozen popsicle section in stores.
Vegan Fudgesicle Recipe Ingredients
Instead, opt for vegan fudgesicles with only six ingredients! Believe it or not, these fudgesicles taste better than any processed fudge pop on the market.
- Sweet Potatoes: I used standard orange-colored sweet potatoes.
- Unsweetened Unflavored Plant Milk: I prefer oat milk because it's naturally creamy.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is rich in theobromine, which helps to reduce inflammation and can protect you from diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Since cocoa is rich in phytonutrients but low in fat and sugar, the calories you get from cocoa powder will be packed with healthy chemicals.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is a natural sweetener without refined sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: To be considered a “pure vanilla extract,” it needs a minimum of 35 percent alcohol and at least 100 grams of vanilla beans per liter.
- Medjool Dates: Native to Morocco, Medjool dates are just one of hundreds of varieties of dates, but they're the only one known as “the fruit of kings.” With a sweet, caramel taste and chewy texture, Medjool dates were originally eaten by royalty and thought to fend off fatigue
Vegan Fudgesicle Ingredient Substitutions
- Choose any sweet potato you prefer. The sweeter, the better.
- Any unsweetened, unflavored plant milk works as a substitute for oat milk.
- The five best substitutes for cocoa powder include powdered peanut butter, carob powder, vegan baking chocolate, or vegan chocolate chips.
- Date syrup is an excellent substitute for maple syrup in recipes.
- Use vanilla-flavored plant milk instead of adding vanilla extract (replaces plant milk and the vanilla extract).
- The Deglet Noor date has a similar flavor as the Medjool date and is a good alternative for Medjool dates in recipes.
How to Make Vegan Fudgesicles
- First, peel and cut the sweet potatoes into the same sized pieces, place the sweet potato pieces in a pot, and cover with water.
- Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
- Then reduce to simmer, and cover for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
- Drain and set aside.
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender.
- If dates aren't soft, see the directions below for softening BEFORE blending.
- Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
How to Soften Dates
- Although most dates are soft enough for blending, sometimes dates harden a bit.
- To soften dates quickly, boil a cup of water.
- Soak the dates for 10 minutes, drain them, and add them to the fudgesicle ingredients.
For this vegan fudgesicle recipe, I chose popsicle molds. Because molds are often different in size, the amount of the fudgesicles varies. So, depending on the type of mold, the amount of fudgesicle liquid differs.
If, for some reason, you end up with too much liquid, place the leftovers in dessert bowls and refrigerate until chilled for vegan chocolate pudding.
- Once blended, pour the chocolate liquid into the molds and pop the sticks into place.
- Then place the molds in the freezer overnight.
- Now, remove the fudgesicles from the molds and enjoy!
Fudgesicle Variations for Different Flavors
- Add 2 Tablespoons PBFit for a peanut butter/chocolate variation
- Blend in 1 banana for a banana chocolate flair
- Exchange almond extract for a nuttier taste
- Switch the vanilla extract with coconut extract for a coconut flavor
- Include 2 tablespoons of coffee for a coffee mocha flavor
Now, remove the fudgesicles from the molds and enjoy!
Tips
- Wait until the sweet potatoes cool completely before blending for the smoothest fudgesicle liquid.
- Peel the sweet potatoes!
- Purple and white sweet potatoes are not as sweet as orange sweet potatoes.
- Instead of popsicle molds, use ice cube trays with toothpicks for a bite-sized treat.
- Stir in fresh fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or cut strawberries.
- Or, add a banana for added nutrients.
- Serve as vegan chocolate pudding instead of fudgesicles by pouring into dessert cups and refrigerating.
For a healthy, tasty treat, make some vegan fudgesicles. Kids LOVE this chocolate treat as much as adults!
Vegan Desserts You Will Love!
If you love this vegan fudgesicle recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Fudgesicles
Ingredients
Fudgesicles
- 2 sweet potatoes (yield 2 ½ cups), peeled and cut into equal-sized chunks.
- 2 cups unsweetened oat milk or plant milk of choice
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or date syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 Medjool dates pitted
Instructions
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes into equal-sized chunks.
- Place cut and peeled potato chunks in a pot and cover with water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cover for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are soft and pierced with a fork.
- In the meantime, in a glass measuring cup, boil one cup of water in the microwave and place the pitted dates in the water to soften for easier blending.
- Drain dates.
- Drain potatoes and allow to cool to the touch.
- In a high-speed blender, add the plant milk first, followed by the sweet potatoes, pitted dates, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Then, transfer the contents of the blender to the popsicle molds and add the sticks.
- Freeze Overnight.
Notes
- Wait until the sweet potatoes cool completely before blending for the smoothest fudgesicle liquid.
- Peel the sweet potatoes!
- Purple and white sweet potatoes are less sweet than orange sweet potatoes.
- Instead of popsicle molds, use ice cube trays with toothpicks for a bite-sized treat.
- Stir in fresh fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or cut strawberries.
- Or, add a banana for added nutrients.
- Serve as vegan chocolate pudding instead of fudgesicles by pouring into dessert cups and refrigerating.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Rebekah
Love the rich flavor of these! Creamy and cannot tell there are sweet potatoes in them! Family staple now 👏
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Rebekah, I'm so glad your family liked them. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Polly
Hi again Kathy. I wrote you an email asking what brand popsicle mold you use. The review on amazon are all bad. Seemingly, people have a hard time getting the item out ofbthe mold after freezing. Please advise. Thanks.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Polly, I like the Oynx stainless steel ones. The fudgesickles come out easily if you warm with your hands or run under hot water for a few seconds. https://amzn.to/3XaqmU4
Sarah
I was wondering how many dates you would recommend using if you are using noor dates? I've seen people use as much as double the amount of dates if using those since they are so much smaller than medjool ones. Just wondering if you've ever made them with those and how many you think would do it. I don't want the texture to be wrong because I used too many or too few. Thanks.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Sarah, I usually don't use noor dates because they have a subtle sweetness compared to Medjool dates. I suggest using 2-3 noor dates for each Medjool date in the recipe. I would also add more maple syrup (about 1 Tablespoon) to accommodate the sweetness difference.
Amelia
Thank you for the recipe! Do you think baked and peeled sweet potatoes would work as well?
Kathy Carmichael
Amelia, yes you can bake peeled sweet potatoes instead. Boiling is just quicker. I hope you enjoy the fudgesicles.