This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
Learn How to Make Chocolate Fudge without Sweetened Condensed Milk with these 3 easy recipes! I’ve got a basic one that is easy (but a bit advanced), an easier version, and the easiest version possible! All are totally delicious.
What I love about not being stuck with using sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk, is that if you need to make a dairy free fudge or vegan fudge, these recipes totally lend themselves to some easy swaps to fit those dietary needs. I’m not saying I never make gourmet fudge recipes with these tasty ingredients, but sometimes I just don’t want to be stuck with only one recipe option.
I tried so many different recipes for fudge that didn’t use sweetened condensed milk and I had so many failed attempts that I knew I had to share the techniques that actually worked and tasted really good! Make sure to click through to learn how to make chocolate fudge without sweetened condensed milk. Which method will you try?
Click to Continue to Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe —–>
(or pick your skill level Easy, Easier, Easiest)
Join the Club!
Get delicious recipes delivered straight to your inbox each week! Plus learn how to take back suppertime in your home.
And get started with my NEW Take Back Suppertime 5-Day Jump Start Guide.
Hi I just made your fudge, I made the second recipe with just four ingredients, it tastes amazing so creamy almost like a ganache or the centre of a truffle. I even made a second batch and put in mini marshmallows and walnuts for a rocky road fudge. But my only question is it turned out pretty soft, even after being in the fridge for an hour. Like you probably shouldn’t leave it out at room temperature because it’ll just start melting in your hands. Is there anything I might have done wrong? Should I omit the milk next time? Thank you, what an awesome recipe.
Hi Lilly, So glad you like the fudge…it’s so good. I’m sorry to hear you had issue with the second batch. I would add more powdered sugar if it’s feeling extra runny. Sometimes measurements can be slightly off depending on how fluffy your sugar is or how you scoop it. I hope you’ll try it again. w-
Hi, I was looking for another fudge recipe to round out a fudge platter that I’m taking to a Christmas dinner, and I found this. It will be a perfect addition. I’m sure everyone will love it, especially my daughter.
Please, when you say white sugar are you referring to granular or powered? Thank you.
Hello!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I was just wondering whether you store it in the fridge or at room temperature, and how long it lasts?
Thanks!
I store it in the fridge. And it will probably last about a week. w-
Thank you!
Thankyou, this fudge was good and easy, I followed your instructions but I didnt have coco so I used chocolate chips 1 cup and simmered like you said till it formed soft ball in cold water, delicious!!
Glad you like it! w-
This recipe was a disaster. You say turn down heat and simmer, which is what I did (2 on my stove says simmer) for 10 min and never got the ball to form in cold water. Now I have glorified chocolate syrup for ice cream.
Hi Sara, simmer refers to a very very low boil and not a temperature on the stove. I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you…I’ll double check the instructions to make them clearer. w-
Wow, I always thought to make a fudge was tough! This is something I can try by myself… Thanks for sharing!
Mmmmmmmmmmmm I have recommended this to my nan, I have made it so many times!!!! It is so nice, a and I don’t even have to measure it now! Thankyou Thankyou thankyou!!!!!!
Can you substitute chocolate chips for the coco?
Hi Kaitlyn, which of the 3 recipes are you wanting to use chocolate chips? w-
I am doing the easy
Just made your fudge yesterday, and your easy recipe beats every other recipe for fudge that I have made. Thank you! Your recipe is now my favorite!
So glad you loved it Kate! w-
Just tried to make your fudge. It turned out great and my whole family loved it.
just finished making a batch of the easy one. It was hard to figure out, as the balls didnt form for me. I just winged it, and waited till it just turned stiff in the cup, and just as i was ready to put it in the tray added about half a cup of coconut……..amazing!!!
So glad you liked it Jane. w-
I doubled the easier one and did it on the stove top, around medium low. I added some salt and vanilla and it tastes good to me. I’ll stick it in the fridge after it cools some more. Thanks for the recipe not matter how it turns out. I wanted fudge and didn’t have any evaporated or condensed milk.
Can’t wait to hear what you think, Laurie. 🙂 -w
The easiest fudge recipe I know is: 2 packs of crème drops, microwaved–add a tsp of butter. Stir. Cut when set.
I love it! But what are creme drops? w-
Crème drops are an old fashioned (store bought) chocolate candy ball with white candy cream in the middle. You can buy them online. I find them in local stores during Thanksgiving and especially Christmas. They are usually packaged in a paper bag.
What are you supposed to do with the first two pans?
Oh my gosh..I just looked and see that my recipe widget is all messed up. So sorry for the inconvenience. I’m working on getting it fixed right now. Thanks for letting me know. w-
Would it be ok to put in the fridge?
Of course! 🙂 w-
Sounds amazing!!
The “easier” one is setting in the fridge as I’m typing this…I’ve made multiple types of fudge in the past, but some only set partially and turned out like taffy, while others were gritty and weren’t smooth and creamy. Crossing my fires that this one works, if not I’m going to continue my hunt for the perfect fudge recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Let me know how it turns out for ya! w-
It turned out hard but still an edible fudge, next time I’ll read more carefully. In all it did work out well. I used peppermint extract in place of vanilla and it was enjoyable. I remember thinking I’d never make a good fudge but a good thermometer is a game changer 🙂
Sadly I missed that the butter and vanilla go in together :\ I’m going to continue as per the rest of the directions, so wish me luck…I’m used to butter being melted with everything at the beginning.
How did it turn out for you Michelle?
I tried this recipe and cooked the milk sugar and cocoa for about 20 minutes. It bubbled and bubbled but never reached soft ball stage. I gave up and added the butter and mixed like it said, but it’s more of a liquid toffee than a fudge. Why do you think it didn’t work out? Thanks 🙂
How strange Abbey, did you make any substitutions or changes to the ingredients?
Thanks for your reply, I didn’t make any changes to the recipe.
I have had trouble with two batches in terms of getting to the Softball stage. I live in Brisbane Queensland and it is a very humid place. I found this useful, but still have to try a third batch after buying the ingredients over.
That’s part of what makes fudge such a challenge. The temperature stays static for such a long time that you start worrying that something has to be going wrong — hence, the temptation to turn the heat up. But once the temperature starts moving, it moves quickly. It’s all part of the process. And if you’ve turned the heat up, the fudge *will* burn before it hits the soft ball stage.
How long it sits at that “static” point depends on a lot of factors, mostly to do with the moisture in the air (which is why cookbook writers always advise not cooking fudge on humid days). If your air is drier than usual, or more humid than usual, if you have a dishwasher and have just run a load of dishes, if you’ve made tea — all of these can have an effect. But as a basic rule, I’ve found that when the temperature plateaus, it takes a minimum of 20 minutes for the temperature to move. I use both an instant-read thermometer and the cold-water test, because humidity levels can also affect whether the soft ball stage occurs at 234F. (Usually it does, but at least once I had to cook it to 238 before it would achieve soft-ball — this was on an atypically humid day, though.)
Wide pan, lowest heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, use a wet pastry brush to wash any sugar crystals off the side of the pan, and once the sugar is fully dissolved, stop stirring. If you keep stirring, the whole batch will crystallize — especially if you don’t use a crystallization inhibitor like corn syrup or cream of tartar — and you’ll be left with a sugary mess. (For the same reason, when you pour the fudge from the cooking pan into the “serving” pan, do not scrape the bottom of the cooking pan. I managed to turn what would have been a perfect batch of fudge to oily sand this way. Do not be like me.) And because you can’t stir the mixture while it’s cooking, you have to keep the temperature low to keep it from burning.
goodest fudge i ever seen
In the easier recipe, it says milk of your choice except never tells when to put in the milk. When do you put it in?
Ack! Sorry about that…it’s updated now. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
I love how easy all three recipes are, especially the “easier”. I like this one because it goes in the fridge! 🙂
I’m going to share this recipe with my Mom. It looks like a great easy recipe and looks delicious.
What an easy fudge recipe, will have to try this out.
I love making fudge. The first few times I tried, I failed miserably. Took me many attempts and different recipe’s to finally succeed. I love this recipe not using condensed milk, definitely going to bookmark this and try it next weekend.
We love fudge in our home! Sometimes we need simple recipes and great that you have them in a categories of skill levels.
I never knew you could make fudge without condensed milk. I am very interested in making this recipe.
I love making fudge every year and this one without sweetened condensed milk looks easy and delicious. I will have to try this one for the Holidays!