Vegan Truffles
Make the chocolate lover in your life ecstatic with these decadent vegan truffles. It’s a super-easy recipe with only 4 ingredients, plus toppings. Enjoy these creamy, smooth vegan chocolate truffles for the holidays, Valentine’s Day, or any time of year you’re ready for some chocolate indulgence.
Want more vegan chocolate treats? Make these Peanut Butter Balls Dipped in Chocolate!
I’ve seen so many delicious chocolate truffles recipes that it seemed like an easy one to veganize. I love chocolate truffles so the idea of having some homemade vegan truffles was definitely too tempting to ignore!
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Using dates adds a smooth texture while also making these treats a healthy option because there are minimal refined sugars
- High-quality dark chocolate is easily accessible and makes this recipe rich and delicious
- Adding full-fat coconut milk adds the perfect creamy texture to these vegan truffles, making every bite irresistible!
Vegan Truffles
At the very core, these truffles are basically a ganache, chocolate melted with cream. I’ve shared an assortment of vegan ganache recipes here, including this vegan chocolate pie.
Of course, we’ll roll this “ganache” into balls and a variety of toppings, like nuts, sprinkles, and more. That’s what makes chocolate truffles so special!
What You Need
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Let’s talk about the ingredients.
- Unsweetened chocolate — You can find this in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. I love using high-quality chocolate like Guittard. Look at the ingredients to make sure they’re vegan, but most are made without dairy.
- Full-fat coconut milk — This coconut milk is from a can. The ingredients should indicate 12+ grams of fat. That’s how you’ll know it’s full fat.
- Medjool dates — These are the big dates that make everything so deliciously sweet. It also means this recipe is made without any added sugar because the dates add a bit of texture and sweetness. I buy my dates at Costco, but they can also be found in most health food stores and even some grocery stores.
- Toppings — The truffles can be rolled in cocoa powder. See below for some more ideas on toppings.
These are naturally gluten-free truffles. However, if you are serving them to people with serious gluten issues, I recommend buying certified gluten-free ingredients.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Truffles
I love making these dairy-free truffles, so let’s go over some of the key steps involved.
- Chop the chocolate bars and transfer the pieces into a heat-resistant bowl.
- Cream the coconut milk by pouring it into a blender and pulsing to combine. Then measure out 1 1/4 cups and pour back into the blender along with the pitted dates.
- Create the sweet cream by pulsing coconut milk and dates together until smooth.
- Heat the coconut date mixture in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Use oven mitts to remove it from the microwave and pour it over the chopped chocolate.
- Cover the chocolate and set aside for up to 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Then stir it all together.
- Cover the chocolate mixture and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or up to overnight.
- Measure the truffles by using a cookie dough scoop. Place scoops on a prepared pan.
- Roll each scoop into a rough ball shape and place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
- Roll the chilled balls again to create a more precise ball shape. Then dredge balls in your favorite toppings, like cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, sprinkles, and more.
Here’s a step-by-step guide.
Step One: Prepare the Chocolate
Cut the chocolate into bits and then transfer them into a microwave-safe bowl.
Quick Fix Tip
Chop the chocolate into smaller bits to help it melt quicker.
Step Two: Prepare the Sweet Coconut Milk:
Add the coconut milk and dates to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Then you’ll want to heat up this sweet mixture. So, transfer it to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute. Be sure to use oven mitts to remove it from the microwave because the bowl will be hot.
Marly’s Tips
If your dates are older and/or dried out, heat them up in the microwave for 20 seconds or so. Or you can also let them sit in hot water for 10 minutes.
Step Three: Pour Sweet Milk Over Dark Chocolate
Pour the coconut milk mixture over the chopped chocolate. Cover and set aside for 1 to 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
Then stir it all together. Voila! Vegan chocolate ganache!
Step Four: Chill the Truffle Batter
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the truffles dough for 4 to 6 hours or up to overnight. This will firm up the chocolate and make it easier to roll into balls.
Step Five: Roll Truffle Balls
Once the dough has chilled, it’s time to roll it into balls.
I recommend using a cookie dough scoop to scoop the chocolate. Fill each scoop a little more than halfway to create approximately 22 balls.
Next, place scoops on a pan and roll each scoop into a rough ball shape.
Rolling Tip – If you find the scoops of chocolate are too soft to roll, simply transfer the pan to the fridge for 30 minutes to help firm up the chocolate. Then re-roll the balls after they’re chilled.
Adding Flavor
You can add a variety of flavors to your vegan truffles. Use any of these extracts:
- vanilla
- coconut
- peppermint
- hazelnut
- rum
- coffee
- orange
Boozy Homemade Truffles
Add any of these to make your chocolate vegan truffles flavorful and boozy:
- Grand Marnier for an orange flavor
- Chambord for a raspberry flavor
- Kahlua for a coffee flavor
- Rum is a great flavor for truffles, too
Favorite Truffle Toppings
Roll those truffle balls in your favorite toppings.
Here are some of the best toppings for vegan truffles:
- Cocoa powder — take a more natural look with simple cocoa powder.
- Nuts — Finely-chopped nuts, like walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.
- Himalayan Salt — combining chopped almonds with Himalayan salt is so good!
- Coconut flakes — pulse coconut flakes in a food processor to make them smaller.
- Cookie crumbs — these can add a sweet touch and texture as well.
- Sprinkles — colorful truffles can be a lot of fun!
Why are they called Truffles?
These small chocolate confections are often unevenly shaped and, when dipped in cocoa powder, resemble the expensive delicacy truffles (a fungus) that grow near the base of trees.
What is a truffle?
A truffle is basically a chocolate ganache that’s been rolled in an assortment of toppings, such as cocoa powder or chopped nuts.
Can vegans eat dark chocolate?
Vegans can eat any chocolate as long as it’s made without dairy or other animal products. High-quality dark chocolate with more than 50% chocolate is a great option. Always read the labels to ensure it’s made without dairy.
Making Vegan Lindt Chocolates
If you fancy vegan chocolate candies, you can dip the vegan truffles in melted dark chocolate.
To make a dark chocolate candy coating, combine 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips with a teaspoon of coconut oil (the kind that’s firm at room temperature). Melt these two together and dip the chilled truffle balls in the melted chocolate.
Set them on a pan covered in waxed paper for the chocolate to set. I usually put them in the fridge to speed the setting process.
Notes
- One cup of dates usually means 8–12 dates, depending on their size.
- I always keep paper towels nearby to wipe my hands as needed.
Vegan Chocolate Candy Favorites
If you love dark chocolate, you’ll want to give these vegan truffles a try.
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Chocolate Vegan Truffles
Ingredients
For the Ganache:
- 8 ounces Unsweetened chocolate squares (see note)
- 1 ¼ cups full fat coconut milk (see note)
- 1 cup Medjool dates (8 – 12 dates, pitted)
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract (or vanilla)
- Topping ideas: cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, shredded coconut, sprinkles. (see note)
Instructions
- Use a serrated knife to chop the chocolate bars. The smaller pieces, the faster the chocolate will melt. Transfer the chopped chocolate into a heat-resistant bowl.
- Canned coconut milk usually has the fat separated from the milk part. So, pour and scoop it all into a blender and pulse a few times to combine it. Then measure out 1 ¼ cups. You can use the unused portion of the milk in smoothies or other recipes. Pour the measured quantity back into the blender.
- Remove the pits from the dates and add them to the blender. Note: If your dates are older and thus dried out a little, it helps to heat them up in the microwave for 20 seconds. Or you can also let them sit in hot water for 10 minutes.
- Pulse the coconut milk and dates together. Remove the lid and use a rubber spatula to push down contents from the side of the bowl. Pulse again. Continue this process until the mixture is relatively smooth.
- Transfer the coconut date mixture to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute. Be sure to use oven mitts to remove it from the microwave because the bowl will be hot. Pour this mixture over the chopped chocolate. Cover the chocolate and set aside for 1 to 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Then stir it all together. If the chocolate isn't entirely melted, place the bowl in the microwave and heat for 1 minute. Stir again. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or up to overnight.
- When you're ready to roll the truffles, place a sheet of parchment paper over a pan. Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop the chocolate. I filled each scoop about a little more than halfway. Place scoops on prepared pan. Roll each scoop into a rough ball shape. Place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
- Once the balls have chilled, roll them again to create a more precise ball shape. Then roll balls in your favorite toppings, like cocoa powder, finely-chopped nuts, sprinkles, and more.
- Store truffles in the fridge. They will keep up to 5 days there. They can also be frozen where they'll keep up to 2 months.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy!
This post was originally published in 2009 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.
These truffles are so smooth and chocolatey! I made a double batch for the holidays!
Okay, these sound delicious and I don’t really even care for truffles! Maybe I should try the vegan version…although I don’t really need any additional food addictions! =)
Mindy
So glad you like these! I agree with you, life’s too short, we should enjoy good food!