Secret Ingredient Healthy Nutella Fudge
Do you like/love-so-much-you-could-marry Nutella? Yes? Me too! So I made it in fudge form 😉
This Healthy Nutella Fudge is sweet, chocolatey and satisfying. Oh, and it’s healthy too. It’s made with a surprising secret ingredient that might just gross you out but don’t worry, you can’t taste it. Trust me, nobody knew it was there! This fudge is packed full of protein, fiber and healthy fats, and none of the added sugar or artificial flavors. BOOM! I’ll take seven.
Two Christmases ago, I was a pretty darn lucky girl and (finally) got a Vitamix! You know, basically the most sought-after, powerful blender on the market? A Vitamix had been on my wishlist for over three years at the time and I quietly envied everyone who had one. They could puree green smoothies (sans the spinach chunks), grind up smooth and creamy nut butters, and of course, they can blend up this Secret Ingredient Healthy Nutella Fudge!!
This recipe required a few trials to perfect, though. Let me walk you through each trial:
In the first trial, I used 1 cup of my Homemade Nutella and no black beans. Sadly, the fudge didn’t firm up (it was like a pudding), it wasn’t nearly sweet enough, and it wasn’t hazelnutty enough.
In the second trial, I added a can of black beans and ⅓ cup more Nutella. I blended the “batter” in my food processor. While the beans pureed well, the bean skins left small black flecks throughout the fudge. While the bean flecks didn’t affect the flavor at all, it sure wasn’t attractive to look at. I wanted a super smooth and uniform fudge so no one would suspect the sneaky ingredient.
In the third and final trial, instead of adding the ingredients in my food processor, I added them to my Vitamix. Problem solved. I got a perfect fudge batter without the black flecks! This fudge is suuuper addicting. You won’t be able to stop at one. And that’s okay, because this fudge is secretly GOOD for you 😉
Why, hello gorgeous little cube of fudge! I think I’ll go ahead and dive in…
THIS. IS. THE. BOMB!
Words cannot even begin to describe how amazing this Healthy Nutella Fudge is. It’s so chocolatey and sweet and spongy and fluffy. You can’t detect the beans or cottage cheese at all (trust me, I’m not a huge fan of beans OR cottage cheese, and they were thankfully overpowered by the sweet Nutella and soul-warming vanilla). This will fulfill your wildest dessert-filled dreams 🙂
Secret Ingredient Healthy Nutella Fudge
Ingredients
- 396g (1½ cups) Homemade Nutella
- 24 (3 cups) Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- one 15oz can Black Beans (drained and rinsed well!**)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1½ tsp Vanilla Creme-Flavored Stevia Extract
- 140g (1 cup Powdered Erythritol
- 50g (5 tbs Psyllium Husk Powder
Instructions
- Line a 9" brownie pan with parchment paper both ways.
- In a high-speed blender (I used my Vitamix), add the Nutella, cottage cheese, beans, vanilla extract, and stevia extract. Blend until completely smooth. Pour the mixture into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn mixer on low speed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the erythritol and psyllium husk powder. Slowly add this to the stand mixer. Increase the mixer speed to medium, then high. Mix until completely even. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix one last time.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared pans and spread it out. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, slice, serve, and enjoy! Keeps for ~1 week.
Recipe Notes
The nutrition label is for FOUR pieces, so each piece has got just 55 calories! WHOOP WHOOP!
Compared to 4 pieces of typical Nutella fudge, 4 pieces of my Healthy Nutella Fudge has:
- 340 less calories
- 11g less fat
- 77g less sugar (you save yourself from more than ⅓ CUP of sugar!)
- 8g more fiber
- 10g more protein
I’ve literally been eating about 6 pieces of this fudge every day. If I turn into a little Nutella fudge cube, you’ll know why 😉
Enjoy!
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With love and good eats,
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
You know, I’ve never had nutella?! I have the hazelnuts now sitting in the cabinet to make your version though! Oh my god, I would LOVE this vitamix!! I doubt my processors could hold up lol.
Inez-
Oh, I know what you mean! The first thing I made with my new mini food processor was hazelnut butter and it overheated and took about 30 minutes haha. I probably almost broke the thing 😉
I sure hope you get to try (HEALTHY) Nutella soon though! Good luck 😀
-Jess
i would make a fruit smoothie
This Nutella fudge looks so yummy. Since I’ve been able to correctly make your homemade nutella (after several tries, LOL), I definitely need to try this. This is amazing!!
The fudge looks amazing!
Just discovered your site, can’t wait to try something. Homemade Nutella would be the first thing I made with a Vitamix, so that I could immediately follow it with the Nutella Fudge recipe!
I love making my own nut butters! I bought a food processor specifically for that purpose to save myself some money because I go through so much. I’d love the vitamix to see if it’s faster and also for puréed soups I like now that it’s cold.
Question, do you think tofu would work in place of cottage cheese for a vegan version?
Gaby-
It’s crazy how much money you can save by making nut butters at home! I once found a 16oz jar of almond butter for about $18… I was shocked. I go through nut butters pretty quickly like you, so a food processor/blender pretty much pays for itself after a while 😉
I haven’t tried using tofu in this recipe, but it might just work! I would recommend using firm tofu, and drain as much liquid out as possible between some paper towels. Since cottage cheese comes already has some salt in it, I didn’t add any salt to the recipe. If you use tofu, you’ll need to add ~1/4 tsp of salt to the recipe 🙂
I hope this substitution works for you!
-Jess
Wow. I tried to make a fudge with black beans, but it was kind of a flop. Can’t wait to try it with your recipe! This looks AMAZING!! SERIOUSLY.
Stephanie K-
Thanks so much! I hope you like the fudge recipe 🙂
Black beans are definitely a little difficult to work with, but I’m sure with some recipe adjustments you can make your original fudge work! I still can’t get over how nobody could taste the beans, I’m definitely gonna start making a few more secret-ingredient recipes for my taste tester guinea pigs mwahahaha 😉
-Jess
I can’t wait to make this!!
The cubes of joy….fudge!!!
This looks amazing. I made your nutella once before and ate the whole jar in one weekend!!
Love Nutella but cant have it as much as it is loaded with sugars. I am definitely going to try this recipe. Would you recommend substituting Erythritol with Stevia? I am bookmarking this recipe.
Divya Rajendiran-
Thanks so much! I hope you get to try the recipe 😀
Though, I wouldn’t recommend substituting the erythritol for stevia… I find that the erythritol is what really makes it taste like fudge, since it tastes just like sugar. Using stevia alone will change the flavor and texture as well.
Good luck!
-Jess
Great Recipe. Def going to try it out!!
I would make my own fudge sauce.
mmmmmm this looks so good!
I would make the healthy nutella for this fudge and THEN make the entire recipe! 🙂
Marina D-
That sounds like the best plan EVER! 😉
Good luck!
-Jess
I would make nut butter!
I’d make Tomato Basil soup since its so cold and rainy today.
Always wanted one!
I’ve been wanting to make your Nutella recipe but haven’t been able to with my pathetic blender. Guess that’s what I would make first.
I would make a fruit smoothie.
I would make a Big Boy Smoothie from Trim Healthy Mama.
I would make your healthy carrot cake milkshake!!!
Looks delicious love using beans in creative ways
This looks amazing!!
You know, it’s funny because I used to eat Nutella by the (multiple) spoonful!! So bad for my body aha >.<
But now, I haven't had it in forever and I really don't miss it a all!
Thanks so much for doing this giveaway, very kind of you to do another one so soon after your protein bar one! (:
I'd love a vitamix, as I'm sure anyone would (including my mum)! The perfect health foodie Christmas gift for my mum, as she has been saving up fo rone for awhile now (:
Abbie-
That’s AWESOME!! I feel the same way, I don’t really crave storebought Nutella anymore now that I have my own healthy version. I currently have a jar of it in the fridge… I think I always have one on hand 😉
Good luck!
-Jess
This looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
A giant green monster smoothie with homemade “healthy nutella fudge nut butter.”
Nut butters are number one on my list!
Looks delicious! It’s a little boring, but I would make a smoothie with my Vitamix. The one I have currently has difficulty blending ice and frozen berries, so my smoothies sometimes turn out gritty and chunky 🙁
Lily-
My old blender did the same thing! 🙁
I actually just used my Vitamix today to make 2 recipes (PB&J and Fluffernutter… because I’m a PB addict) and I’m still in awe when I see the ice blended in. Probably takes 10-15 seconds tops. Good luck! 🙂
-Jess
Yum!! I would make a smoothie!!
I would make almond butter!
Black beans and cottage cheese?! Your creativity never ceases to amaze me. This sounds delicious! And the fact that it’s super healthy is awesome!
Mandie-
Oh gosh, black beans and cottage cheese alone sound absolutely nasty, but it’s DELICIOUS in this fudge, I SWEAR!! 😉
Good luck!
-Jess
Would it be alright to sub in some peanut butter? 😀
Tiffany-
OH MY GOSH YOU READ MY MIND!! I really wanted to make this recipe again using PB instead of Nutella but I used up my last can of beans… I’m sure it’ll work out just fine. Now I’m drooling. I need to run over to the grocery store ASAP! 😀
-Jess
wow – i cannot wait to make that!!! my blendtec is kinda old now(its an older version) and makes nut butters a little to chunky- i’m sure a vitamix would do that!
I would make homemade coconut butter or a blended soup! Your fudge recipe does sound very tempting though!
Thanks Jordan! Homemade coconut butter is always fun to make! 😀
I wonder if this recipe would work with coconut butter… I’m dying to try it with PB, but a coconut version sounds good too 🙂
I could make so much, I would start with a spicy ranch dip, then make some apple butter, and some marinades.
Well..I were to get the Vitamix I will start a detox routine with http://dessertswithbenefits.flywheelsites.com/veggie-shots-fruit-chasers/
🙂
First I would make coconut butter. After that there are so many recipes I have eye on (mosly raw desserts, which require nuts blending). Thank you for the opportunity.
Daniela T-
Homemade coconut butter is SOOOO much fun to make! 😀
I’m dying to try out a raw cheesecake recipe. Those always require a ton of blending, but they look too good to pass up 🙂
Good luck!
-Jess
I love all things Nutella! This looks great!
The first recipe I’d make with my new Vitamix blender is a creamy soup (maybe cream of broccoli?) with soaked cashews blended in for creaminess! Also, this fudge would have to be the dessert!
I would make some yummy green smoothies and nut milks for my dairy allergic little boy!
I would love a vitamix to make smoothies!
I would make the Nutella Fudge!! I haven’t had Nutella in a long time.
I would make nut butters.
I would make peanut butter. IT costs too much to purchase, and it has too many additives. I want just peanut butter, not additives.
Kim @ Heart of a Philanthropist-
I feel the SAME exact way! I love peanut butter, but I hate the PHOs and sugar and oil and artificial ingredients. PB is super fun to make at home too 🙂
Good luck!
-Jess
I think I would try and make a smoothie with bananas,chocolate, and almond butter!
My good friend loves loves loves Nutella. This will make an awesome Christmas present for her.
nut butter!!
I’d definitely try my hand at cashew mac and “cheese”!
I’d definitely make the peanut butter fudge! I currently make it in my roommate’s bullet, but maaaaaaan is it a struggle. Worth it, but it’d be way better in a vitamix!
I would love to make the peanut butter fudge and maybe some green smoothies! I am a college student and my blender is pretty low quality.
Karen-
Nice to meet another college student! I’ve gone through quite a few blenders in my lifetime, and now I finally found THE ONE 🙂
Good luck!
-Jess
I would make blender pancakes, and this delicious sounding fudge!