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These chocolate truffles are oh so decadent and rich, not to mention super stunning. They’re also vegan, paleo, healthy, and dairy free, made with only four simple ingredients! Whether you dip them in chocolate or roll them in cocoa powder or chocolate jimmies, these chocolate truffles are a fantastic vegan chocolate dessert or snack that you won’t feel guilty about at all.
Here’s how writing this post has gone so far:
*Write a lot of stuff about how clean eating and healthy these truffles are*
*Realize that the best part of these truffles is actually how crazy rich and decadent they are and ohmygod the chocolate shell and did see you the flake salt on the tippity top? Oh-oh-oh.*
*Delete everything and begin post recounting error of ways*
OK, because, really, the best thing about these healthy vegan chocolate truffles is not that they’re healthy or vegan or paleo or dairy free or gluten free or refined sugar-free or PHEW. Nah, that part is totally amazing, don’t get me wrong!
I can pop a couple into my mouth without even the faintest whiff of guilt, knowing I’m eating fruit, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, AKA the pod of a damn flower. But I digress…
No, the very best part of this vegan chocolate truffles recipe is that the truffles themselves are so damn good. They’re dense but not overly so, and they’re moist and chocolatey and crazy rich.
Some are rolled in dark cocoa powder, some shimmy in a bowl of jimmies, some are dunked and coated in a rich chocolate shell, topped with a pinch of flake salt or more little jimmies. Like, how fancy are we?
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- They’re intensely chocolatey and perfectly sweet, thanks to dark cocoa powder and tender Medjool dates.
- They’re quite easy to make and very difficult to mess up!
- This recipe only has 4 ingredients and is made quickly.
- These healthy chocolate truffles are vegan, paleo, dairy free, and refined-sugar free.
How to Make Them
While it’s really very easy to make these vegan chocolate truffles, there are a few tips that will help you do it perfectly every single time!
Start by soaking your Medjool dates in hot water, covering the dates, for a few minutes, until softened. Next, drain the dates and remove the woody ends, as well as the pits.
Place the dates, cocoa powder softened coconut oil and vanilla extract in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture becomes a paste. Continue processing until the mixture pulls together to form a ball.
Remove mixture from the food processor, scraping the bottom and sides with a spatula to assist. Place in a bowl.
Scoop out rounded teaspoons until all mixture has been divided. It helps to dip your fingers in a small bowl of warm water to get the sticky mixture out of the teaspoon. Place each ball on a plate, ideally lined with a piece of parchment paper, and freeze for a few minutes, about 5-10 minutes.
After briefly frozen, roll the pieces into even spheres. Wetting your hands is not helpful here and will only cause a giant mess! Keep your hands dry.
Coating Options
Chocolate
In a small bowl, microwave together chocolate chips and coconut oil in 30-second bursts, stirring well in between each round, until just melted and completely smooth. Place a truffle in the bowl of melted chocolate and roll around with a fork to completely coat. Lift coated truffle out of chocolate with the fork, allowing excess to drip off. Scrape bottom of fork against the edge of the bowl to assist, then carefully slide truffle off the fork onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Let the truffles set for a minute or so then sprinkle with flake salt or jimmies. Chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes to set or let sit at room temperature until fully set.
Cocoa Powder
Do this right before serving, as the cocoa will become saturated with the moisture from the truffle and become discolored over time. Drop a rolled ball into a small bowl of dark cocoa powder and toss with your fingers or a fork to coat. Remove, shaking off excess.
Jimmies
Dip truffles briefly into a small bowl of water and set aside on a plate to dry for a few minutes. This process allows the truffles to become tacky and lets the jimmies really stick. After truffles have been dunked and dried, roll into a bowl full of jimmies, lightly pressing into the truffle surface. These can be made ahead.
Topping Suggestions
Fine, I’ll play favorites. The chocolate-dipped truffles are the absolute best. What’s even cooler is that you can sprinkle them with all sorts of things!
I absolutely love a decent sprinkling of flake salt, like Maldon, as I do with my Perfect Paleo Brownies. I also love sprinkling them with a few chocolate jimmies. They’re just so fun and add such great texture!
If you’re getting gourmet, try minced crystallized ginger, minced bacon (YES!), chili powder, crushed peppermint candies, etc.
Dark Cocoa Powder vs. Regular Cocoa Powder
I love, love, love the intense depth from dark cocoa powder and highly recommend it in this recipe. You can also use black cocoa powder for a super stunning healthy vegan chocolate truffle! You can use regular cocoa powder, but I much prefer dark cocoa or black cocoa powders here.
Can I use different dates?
I mean, you can, but I highly recommend Medjool dates. The flavor is richer, and the texture is better than other dates like Deglet Noor.
Finding Paleo Chocolate
It can be difficult to find chocolate bars or chips that are totally free of refined sugar, but there are options! I usually use Enjoy Life chocolate chips, which are free of the top 8 allergens but do contain cane sugar.
- These chocolate bars from Thrive Market are totally paleo and vegan and a great option for dipping these vegan chocolate truffles.
- If you eat stevia-sweetened chocolate, these chocolate chips from Lily’s are excellent.
- Finally, these chocolate chips are totally unsweetened and a great option.
Other Recipes You’ll Love:
- Perfect Paleo Brownies
- Best Chocolate Paleo Cupcakes Ever with Dark Chocolate Frosting (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Paleo Microwave Cookie with Chocolate Chips (Paleo Microwave Dessert)
Hey – you’ve made it this far, and now we’re best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!
Healthy Vegan Chocolate Truffles (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 14 Medjool dates about 1 1/2 cups
- 6 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons refined coconut oil softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Dipped Coating
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
- flake salt for topping
- chocolate jimmies for topping
Other Coatings
- cocoa powder
- chocolate jimmies
Instructions
- Place the dates in a medium bowl and pour hot water over them. Let sit about 5 minutes until softened, then drain. Remove pits and stems.
- Place dates in the bowl of a food processor, along with cocoa powder, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Secure lid and process until a completely smooth paste. Continue processing until mixture forms a ball. Scrape out of food processor with a spatula into a medium bowl.
- Scoop out rounded teaspoons of the truffle mixture and place balls, without rolling, on a parchment-lined plate. Repeat until all mixture has been divided. Keep a small bowl of warm water near your workstation. Dip your fingers in the water to help remove the mixture from the teaspoon.
- Place truffle balls in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes to firm up. Remove from the freezer then roll all pieces between your palms to create even spheres.
Coat the Truffles
Chocolate Dipped Truffles
- Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well in between each round, until just melted and completely smooth.
- Place a truffle in the bowl with melted chocolate and turn around with a fork to completely coat. Lift out of the bowl with the fork and let excess fall off, scraping the bottom of the fork along the edge of the bowl to assist. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let set about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flake salt, chocolate jimmies, or any other topping you'd like.
Jimmies
- To coat in jimmies, dip truffle balls in a small bowl of water briefly, shaking off excess. Let the truffles sit on a plate for a couple of minutes to dry slightly and become tacky. Roll in a bowl of chocolate jimmies, lightly pressing the jimmies into the surface of the truffle to fully coat.
Cocoa Powder
- Right before serving, roll truffles in a bowl of dark cocoa powder, tossing to coat. Remove from the bowl with fingers or a fork, tapping to remove excess.
Using chocolate jimmies will incorporate some refined sugar here. If you strictly do not eat any refined sugar, avoid this coating. Note 2
These keep best in the refrigerator, up to 5-7 days. Note 3
Make sure to roll cocoa-coated truffles in cocoa powder right before serving. Letting them sit after rolling will cause the cocoa powder to saturate from the moisture in the truffle and will discolor their appearance. You can roll them when making all the truffles, but re-roll them right ahead of serving for the best appearance. Note 4
You can incorporate different flavors into these truffles by simply adding new ingredients to the food processor. Try a dash of peppermint oil during the holidays, a couple of tablespoons of crystallized or about 1 teaspoon powdered ginger, or even a teaspoon or two of chili powder.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Hi could you please give me a conversion of cups to grams? How many grams is 1 cup?
That should be 128 grams, or 4.5 ounces
I made these for my husband for Valentine’s Day and they turned out so well! I didn’t have enough cocoa powder so I sub’d in some flour until it turned into a ball in the food processor. For the dipping sauce I used a dark Swiss chocolate bar instead of choco chips and it worked great. So cute with crushed up cinnamon hearts on top, and they are truly fudgy and sweet without being too sweet. Will definitely be using this recipe for my Christmas baking.