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Oh yeah, it’s here…..October 1, 2012….
Cartoon courtesy of yours truly. I have mad skillz.
I assume you are all here for the deliciousness that is this….
While I prefer to carve pumpkins rather than eat them, this (and pumpkin pie) are major exceptions. Truth be told, I’m allergic to pumpkin in large quantities, but I had to make this fudge! It literally beckoned to be made. I told my husband about it a while back, and I think he’s glad this post is finally over….teehee.
My goal in all my creations is to make something that is as healthy as possible, without sacrificing taste, and, while this is quite difficult to accomplish with something like fudge, I believe I’ve done it!
I have to tell you that because pumpkin naturally has no fat, these babies are not quite as rich as their chocolate counterparts, but they are still deeeee-licious! This fudge has all the health benefits of pumpkin without all of the usual processed sugar and overabundance of fat.
One of the ingredients I use is homemade vegan condensed milk (recipe below), but feel free to use your own store-bought or homemade version. Just use the same amount! 
VEGAN CONDENSED MILK
Adapted from this site
14 oz. can light coconut milk (you can obviously use full-fat here as well to add more richness)
2 T. barley malt (honey, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup would also work)
6 drops liquid stevia
1/2 t. vanilla
dash salt (remember, salt enhances sweetness, so don’t skip it!)
Pour the milk into a saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Whisk in the sweetener, salt, and stevia. Lower the heat, and simmer the mixture until it reduces by about half (about 45 minutes to an hour). Stir in the vanilla last. Allow to cool before using.
- 12 T. canned pumpkin puree
- ⅛-1/4 t. salt (for pumpkin reduction)
- 2-4 T. coconut oil, melted (I was able to make it work with only 2, but it doesn’t keep as well out of the freezer)
- 2 T. coconut sugar, ground to a powder in a coffee grinder
- 1 t. pie spice
- 8 T. condensed milk (recipe above)
- scant ½ t. salt
- Though the recipe calls for 12 tablespoons of pumpkin, the first crucial step is to cook the 12 tablespoons plus ⅛-1/4 teaspoon of salt down to half of that amount (or 6 tablespoons).
- Do this by bringing the mix to a low simmer in a saucepan. It takes about 20-30 minutes to reduce. Pumpkin is very low fat and has a high water content. This reduction concentrates the pumpkin more (by evaporating the water), allowing for a denser, more fudge-like result!
- Mix the reduced (and cooled) pumpkin (you should have about 6 tablespoons) with the coconut oil.
- Add the rest and combine thoroughly.
- Pour into a small-ish dish (I use one by Pyrex that’s 7 in. x 5 in.) and freeze until firm.
- This should be kept frozen to maintain shape.
Happy October.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy pumpkin?
Is there any recipe you’d like to see ‘healthified’?
I’m always on the lookout for healthy cookies and pancakes!
Shared with: Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Healthy 2day Wednesdays, Gluten-free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesday, The Pennywise Platter, Keep It Real Thursday, Gluten-free Fridays, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Wellness Weekend, Wheat Free Wednesday
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Tagged: Coconut, Fudge, Gluten-free, Halloween, Healthy, Low sugar, No-bake, Pumpkin, Vegan
Welcome! I'm Lauren, a business graduate with a penchant for all things culinary. It is my goal to create the healthiest recipes possible without sacrificing taste. I eat a little bit of everything, so you will find a vast variety of delicious recipes to choose from. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy! 
you already know i’ve been anxiously awaiting this recipe! I really must get to the store soon to get myself some coconut milk!
jessielovestorun recently posted..New Smoothie + Foodie Penpal
You can use regular condensed milk, but to keep it vegan and dairy-free (and a bit healthier
), make your own! 
oh gosh drool.
Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..MIMM: Time to Start the Countdown
This sounds SO good! I will definitely be giving your recipe a try. I love that you managed to health-ify fudge!
Amanda (@PicklesNHoney) recently posted..Hearty Pumpkin Potato Soup with Tofu
Thanks Amanda! Let me know what you think!
Oh Lauren I have been waiting for this recipe! And I have never made my own sweetened condensed milk so I want to try it too! Once we get all settled in I will be making these babies ASAP
Natalie @ freshlifefindings recently posted..Making Time for You + This Is Sweat!
Amazing Lauren! I am seriously slacking on the pumpkin recipes, I need to step it up! Although with your great ideas I hardly need to worry- people everywhere are set for pumpking
Gabby @ the veggie nook recently posted..wiaw- random foodie photos
Here I thought I’ve tried everything pumpkin! Never had pumpkin fudge before. I have tons of pumpkin on hand. I’m going to give this a try later this week. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa Marie @ MidwestVeg recently posted..Pumpkin spice bagels
That’s great! Let me know what you think….
Lauren these look divine!!! I would want to eat the whole batch way too fast! lol
Heather recently posted..Raw Caramel Apple Cheesecake
I love pumpkin too, but I’ve never seen a recipe for pumpkin fudge until now! It looks amazing. Can’t wait to try!
-Dana
Dana recently posted..Lime Tarragon Cookies Gluten Free
Love pumpkin and I have vegan condensed milk in the freezer that I made during the summer. This sounds like a Thanksgiving treat to me!
I adore pumpkin, and this is so darn creative! Featuring our recipe on AFW this week!
Oh my goodness! This sounds and looks too good to be true! I am so excited to have leftover pumpkin that is totally going to be turned into this fudge. I can barely contain myself!
Erin @ The Goodness Life recently posted..Flourless Almond Ginger Molasses Cookies – Gluten-Free & Vegan
Hehehe…I hope you love it!
Regular powdered sugar is ok in place of coconut sugar? Same amount i assume?
That should work fine! Yes, same amount.
Awww I LOVE fudge and this recipe looks great, but I was hoping for a pumpkin recipe…from a pumpkin, not a can. I’ve never eaten one, you see, except for the seeds. Has anyone else?
This seems like a great tutorial! http://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/10/how-to-roast-a-sugar-pumpkin-make-fresh-pumpkin-puree-a-step-by-step-photo-tutorial/
Oh, I love pumpkin lots of different ways. I cook and freeze pumpkin in October for the rest of the year. Of course I love all the traditional pumpkin sweets, but I also love savory dishes such as soup and pasta with pumpkin. I tried pumpkin granola for the first time this year it was good.
Rogene recently posted..Thought for Today and I Goofed — AGAIN!
Okay, so I made this the other night and the flavour was amazing! I am so thrilled by how good the condensed coconut milk is. I used brown rice syrup and I swear it tasted like caramel! After freezing it though, the texture was a little grainy. Any ideas there? I thawed it and re-heated it with some agar flakes to try and get it to firm up a bit more without having to freeze it and it worked out alright. I will definitely be experimenting with getting the texture more dense/firm/fudge-like without it having to be so cold on my teeth (can’t eat it fast enough, haha). It was also a little on the sweet side for me, but bf just gobbled it up happily… and the flavour is really fantastic, such a creative recipe!! Thanks so much for this one, Lauren!
Erin @ The Goodness Life recently posted..Kamut Salad with Kale, Pistachios, and Cranberries
I’m actually happy that it was too sweet for you! I often fear my desserts won’t be sweet enough for readers. As for the texture, yes because pumpkin has virtually no fat, it lacks the traditional richness of real fudge, but you nailed it with the addition of a thickener! Using full-fat coconut milk for the condensed milk will help, as will adding more oil and less pumpkin, but to keep the fat lower, agar or arrowroot or even thickening herbs, such as marshmallow root or slippery elm powder, will help the density. Thank you for the feedback Erin!
I have been looking for a good dairy-free condensed milk recipe!! I cannot wait to try this. It looks fabulous and so easy too!
Alaine @ My GF & DF Living recently posted..In Love with Fall
Look great!
May I ask how do you know you are allergic to pumpkin? Just curious…
Hi Christina! I actually get a reaction on my hand when I clean them out for carving, and I get the same reaction whenever I eat a lot of ANY orange food…carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. Weird, I know!
I know what you mean. Since going Paleo and eating more orange type veges and fish oil my skin is actually yellowing! But I don’t want to take them out – really the only starchy type carbs I am eating…
I love the idea of pumpkin fudge. Thanks for posting!
–Eileen
Eileen Beran recently posted..Caramel corn, for gift-giving or holiday get-togethers
Thank you Eileen!
Do you think real pumpkin or even butternut squash cooked down might work instead of canned pumpking? Thank you!
I do! Just be sure it’s pureed really well and that when you’re reducing it, you’re watching it closely so that it doesn’t scorch. Keeping it at a low temperature helps also.
Any nutritional stats?
I’ll get the nutrition info for both this and the carrot nog by the end of the day!
Hi Chris! Both recipes have been updated with the nutrition info. Let me know if there are any others you’d like to see!