Soft, tender, and loaded with chocolate flavour, these melt-in-your-mouth no-bake chocolate fudge bites taste ridiculously decadent while being made with good-for-you ingredients. Gluten-free, vegan, and customizable depending on your dietary needs, this is a healthy treat that everyone will love!
Some ideas are better in theory than they are in execution. Case in point — today’s recipe.
The original plan was to make chocolate chia bites, which sounded like a great idea seeing as chia seeds are little nutritional powerhouses that boast an impressive list of health benefits. I had all sorts of grandiose notions of calling them little superfood bites (I know, I know — humour me), but those notions fizzled and died about an hour after I had my first bite.
See, along with their impressive list of health benefits, chia seeds also boast the uncanny ability to get stuck in the most unfortunate of places, with teeth being their hangout of choice. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve found a rogue chia seed hanging out around my gum line long after I’ve finished eating; silently doing its little gel-ly thing and making itself even harder to detect. With luck, it’ll be hanging out in the back with the molars… but I’m usually not that lucky.
So the sneaky little seedlings got the sack.
They did not pass “GO;” they did not collect $200; they did not get one free phone call home.
They simply went back into their baggie to do whatever it is that chia seeds do when they’re not being annoying; and what started out as chocolate chia bites became chocolate fudge bites…
Quite a trade up, if I do say so myself.
These bites are soft, tender, and loaded with chocolate flavour. They boast the coveted ability to melt in your mouth [without leaving anything stuck in your teeth], and straight up feel like eating a piece of sweet, chocolatey fudge.
Only… without all the butter and sugar. Which isn’t bad in moderation, but becomes a little less desirable when you’re eating 2 3 4 5 pieces a day… which may or may not have been the case with these bites.
Thankfully, they’re made with simple good-for-you ingredients like dates (I know, I know… you’re not surprised), nut butter, oats, and cacao powder. That’s it. 4 ingredients and roughly 7 minutes is all that stands between you and these decadent bites… and you can even customize them based on your individual needs, so no excuses.
They’re already vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, but you can easily make them grain-free by replacing the oats with some almond flour, or give them a little pop of protein by swapping in your favourite protein powder. No matter which way you go, I have a feeling you’ll become hopelessly addicted to love these!
Happy eating!
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Healthy Chocolate Fudge Bites
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 16 bites 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (40 g) rolled oats*
- 1/4 cup (20 g) cacao powder**
- 1 cup Medjool dates (about 12 dates or 180g)
- 3 Tbsp (48 g) nut butter***
Instructions
- Add oats to food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until they reach the consistency of a fine powder.
- Add dates, nut butter, and cacao powder, and continue processing until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of your processor as needed.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop out dough and roll each portion into 1-inch balls. If desired, coat with extra cacao, coconut, nuts, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, etc.
- Store bites in a sealed container either in the fridge or at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
* to make these grain-free, you can sub the oats for an equal amount of almond flour or protein powder. ** or unsweetened cocoa powder. *** I used a creamy almond, but feel free to use whichever nut/seed butter is your favourite. You can also cut back the nut butter to 2 Tbsp. and add 1 tsp. of maple syrup or agave to add a little extra sweetness.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
Looking for more healthy no bake recipes? Try one of these!
No Bake Vegan Oatmeal Fudge Bars
No Bake Double Chocolate Fudge Protein Bites
No Bake Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Granola Bars
No Bake Sweet & Salty Trail Mix Bites
No Bake Brownie Batter Truffles
Boy oh boy do these look good. We love chocolate at our house so these would be a big hit. Thanks so much for sharing !!
I made these yesterday and they turned out kinda crumbly. I had to mash them together to make the balls what did I do wrong?? I’m going to try again maybe I need more dates and PB? I used regular PB not AB. I tasted one and they aren’t horrible but they are dry. Booooo.
It definitely could have been the dates depending on how dry/plump they were. If they’re on the drier side, you could try soaking them in water for 10 minutes prior to blending to get them to soften up. Or, you could just add a spoonful or two of almond milk to the final mixture to make it less dry. Not too much at first — just to the point where the dough becomes easy to work with.
OK – thanks, Amanda! I will definitely try again.
I made these and they’re ACTUALLY AMAZING!
The hardest part is trying not to eat them all at once. You have literally saved me with a healthy alternative to satisfy sweet afternoon and after-dinner cravings… as well as SERIOUS period hunger/chocolate cravings! xxxxxx
Hahaha chia seeds really can be annoying can’t they? One time I had one stuck in one of my molars and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it because I thought it was a giant cavity lol!
This page is a dangerous place for me to be right now — no lunch and craving chocolate! These look wonderful, and I may just have to make a run for dates to try them today!
Beautiful pics my Dear. And they totally remind me of that little sad truffle I shared with Meg after our dinner at Whole Foods. Except that these include my favorite ingredients!!
omg this looks amazing!! can’t wait to try it at home 🙂
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Chia seeds. I can’t honestly say that I like them for their flavour (because I don’t really notice any) but I appreciate their nutritional value and how much they volumize an otherwise-dense bowl of oats. Although I can’t do those chia-drink things…I tried once and I legit almost threw up, the texture was so weird and slimy and just ughhhh.
You’re a lot braver than I am. I’ve been seeing a lot more of those pop up, but I just can’t. Sooo goopy.
STAAAAPPITT with this. NO, no don’t. Just send me all the leftovers. By that I obviously mean make me a separate batch because we both know leftovers is a word we don’t speak.
FUDGE. Oooo girl, yes. I am kind of glad you ditched the chia idea because these sound SO good. I am 100% single when it comes to chia seeds. I know they are supposedly great for me, but I cannot do it.
I love making little fudgey balls (hahaha) with dates. But then again, I just love dates so I guess I am a biased opinion. I have a complicated relationship with a lot of things… Mostly Chipotle bowls (my stomach does NOT like a lot of corn to be digested at once, apparently), Dairy Queen blizzards, and kale. I love them all, but my stomach not so much. I pretty much have to pencil in a day of stomach woes after I eat them. Or maybe I should just chew my food better. 😉
I feel ya on the food chewing — I have the same problem sometimes. But you could always leave the corn out of the Chipotle bowls? I would -not- be okay with going without them if we had Chipotle up here 😥
What a simple and beautiful recipe 🙂 I have all of these ingredients…don’t you love it when that happens?! Can’t wait to try these!
Dates are my new favorite way to make fudgy anything! They are so versatile and give the exact texture for perfect mouth feel. This look GREAT!
when i saw these on instagram, i knew they’d be exceptional. yup, made two batches of these babies today (one with almond butter, the other with peanut butter). both are uh-may-zing!! thanks so much for sharing these, miss Amanda! and i feel the same way about ch-ch-ch-chia. I’m glad that you chose not to use them in this recipe.
I’m glad you liked them, Maria! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
okay THIS may change my mind on dates.
Hope Mamma is okay!
She’s better — I cured her with magical smoothies 😉
These look great! Like little healthy chocolate truffles! Yum
Ok – so – I know chia is good for me and all that jazz – but, I will take fudge over chia anyday – and girl – these are only 4 ingredients! WOW!!!
Chia seeds and me- hard to say. Let’s go with non- committed. I also hate their uncanny ability to lodge themselves in between teeth.
These chocolate bites sound so good. I think I would have a hard time not eating half of the batch in one giant ball form ( a la your picture yesterday).
😆 You’re definitely not the only one. I literally did eat half the batch 😯
I love chia seeds and actually have a 1 T a day of them whether it’s in my smoothie, protein pancakes, or oatmeal…Today I’m having 2 T…HAHA! These look marvelous! XOXO
I’ve never tried chia seeds. I really want to though. I really want a whole bowl of these fudge bites more than chia seeds though! You kinda sorta NAILED that fudge factor Amanda.
Damn pesky chia seeds! I’ve found them stuck in my teeth so many times and one even got stuck around the drain of my sink for a while. Every time I would go to brush my teeth I would see it hanging out there, lol.
I think these were a fantastic trade-off for the superfood bites. It’s almost hard to believe they’re healthy. They look so decadent!
I am not the biggest fan of chia seeds. Mainly because I don’t really know what to do with them. You have gotten me obsessed with dates though!
I’ve realized I’m really picky about dates – I hate it when they’re soft & squishy (unless I’m pureeing them for something). I need them to be firm & hard when I eat the classic date + spoonful of AB snack.
You should try sticking the soft and squishy ones in the freezer — that way they firm up just right 🙂
I love this combo because it’s so versatile! With the same basic ratio you can tweak the flavors/kinds of nut butter, oats etc. to fit whatever mood you’re in!
these look amazing!
Love chia seeds (in oatmeals!) and any cocoa! and AH! Fudge….when I see that word, I know I’ll love the recipe!
OMG these are really similar to the catering company’s truffles that does our food on the weekends at my job. The only issue I have is that I know they are loaded with unhealthy ingredients so I always feel guilty. This is a MUCH better alternative. Just might have to make these tonight so that I have them on hand this weekend. 🙂
Let me know if you do! Hope you’re enjoying your long weekend 🙂
YUM! These look perfect for a bite size Memorial Day weekend dessert when you don’t want to heat up the house with an oven.
These look soo good! i’ve tried something similar to this before.
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Another awesome recipe. Trying these this weekend!
Mmmm…love who ooey and gooey these are! I love chia seeds! I like adding them to smoothies, oatmeal, cereal, etc. Chia seed pudding is also pretty tasty!
I really enjoy anything with chocolate. I could seriously snack on that sort of stuff for every meal. These look quick and easy to make. Thanks for sharing Amanda!
IN LOVE with chia seeds. I use them all the time! Especially in smoothies. You have really been baking for my sweet tooth recently! Going to get me in trouble with all these delicious treats : ) And I love cacao it’s so so good. And combined with dates is a real treat. This recipe is CLEARLY right up my alley! Hope you have a great long weekend!!!
It’s actually just another normal weekend for us up here in Canada, but we had a long one last week 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying yours, Jamie!
You just reminded me about the fudge bites I was making every week…until I stopped for no reason lol. They were so good, remember, with the sweet potato?! I gotta make them again!
Yess. You had me at dates (and chocolate). I know what you mean about chia seeds; they can be such a pain! I usually only use them in my smoothies and that way they are blended and won’t hide out in my mouth all day long.
These look awesome btw.
That’s pretty much the only way I can use them too. Did you see that you can actually buy them in powdered form? That would probably make them easier to incorporate into things…
Chia seeds are a pain to clean up. Once I spilled just a spoonful in my kitchen and it went everywhere. I picked up some dates just to make some of your recipes… and these fudge bites look delectable!
I saw that you made them! Glad you liked ’em 😀
Chia seeds, for whatever reason, completely gross me out. The idea of chia pudding is honestly enough to make me want to hurl. No idea why!
….so thanks for not using chia seeds in this recipe ;).
Honestly these are more appealing to me without the chia! I don’t know why but I haven’t been able to embrace those seeds! The teeth thing is part of it, I find them a bit annoying. I should get over it though because they are so nutritious.
I find the only way I really like them is when they’re added into smoothies, so they’re basically blended up. I know you can get them in powdered form, which might be a little easier to add into things.
Hi Amanda! What’s that saying? You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince? Well, same goes for creating fun bite recipes? hahah! These looks delish!