My easy fudge recipe without condensed milk is amazing! Deliciously creamy no cook no fail fudge, made with powdered sugar. Make it for Christmas- it only takes 15 minutes!

OK, who doesn’t love chocolate desserts? I can’t resist them, especially during the holidays. My mom made this Christmas fudge every year and it’s a family favorite recipe. The consistency reminds me a lot of the popular See’s fudge. Beyond the creaminess, there are many other things to love about this dessert, though.

Why make this easy fudge recipe?

There are thousands of other fudge recipes out there, so why make this one? Well, because my recipe really is the easiest one that doesn’t use condensed milk. It’s also the creamiest, and best tasting chocolate fudge that I’ve eaten.

• Rich and creamy

If you’ve eaten rich desserts before, just wait until you try this one. This chocolate fudge is sinfully decadent! Keep reading to learn what the secrets are to creating that super-rich chocolatey flavor and creamy consistency.

By the way, if you’re crazy for decadent desserts like I am, be sure to check out my recipes for chewy chocolate peanut butter cookies and chocolate creme brulee. All I have to say is, be sure to have a tall glass of milk on standby.

• No condensed milk

I should note that this fudge recipe without condensed milk is NOT dairy free. There is butter involved, as well as chocolate, but you can easily substitute plant-based ingredients for the dairy products.

Plant based butter is a great option, and there are a few brands of dairy free chocolate available. If you want or need a completely dairy free vegan fudge, check out this recipe for mocha almond fudge. It’s gluten free too.

• No cook, no fail fudge

Learning how to make fudge the traditional way takes a lot of practice. You have to cook the sugar and chocolate with precise measurements, and the timing is crucial.

Also, you need the sugar to crystallize just enough to make a creamy fudge, but overcooking sugar is easy to do, and it has tragic results.

I’m telling you, this is a no fail fudge, because there’s no cooking involved. It’s so quick, you can have a batch ready in 15 minutes; perfect for Christmas!

Ready to make fudge the easy way? Let’s do this!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Chocolate – There aren’t very many ingredients in this fudge recipe, so be sure to use the best quality chocolate you can afford. I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could also grate down a bar or block. If you prefer dark chocolate, go for it; any type or variety works fine.
  
• Powdered sugar – This is also known as confectioner’s sugar. The non-granulated consistency of the sugar is one of the reasons why this is such a creamy chocolate fudge.

• Eggs – This is where all of you seasoned Christmas fudge makers will start shaking your head in disbelief. EGGS in fudge? Say what?
  
  I can’t explain the science behind how or why using eggs instead of condensed milk works. All I can say is that making a fudge recipe without condensed milk and with eggs will get you plenty of attention… and requests for the recipe.

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• Nuts – These are completely optional because sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t. Walnuts, pecans, cashews, or any other nut of your choice works.
  
  Just be sure to chop the nuts into very small pieces so they don’t overpower the flavor of your chocolate fudge.
  
  You could even customize this easy fudge recipe with other add-ins like mini marshmallows, dried fruit, or candies like mini M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces. It’s Christmas fudge… go crazy and use whatever will strike Santa’s fancy.

Another flavorful Christmas fudge recipe

If you’re into experimenting with traditional flavors of fudge, be sure to check out my recipe for pumpkin rocky road microwave fudge. Instead of using traditional rocky road ingredients, I use holiday inspired ingredients like pumpkin, dried cranberries and nuts. It’s SO good, and it’s made in the microwave!

Easy fudge recipe notes

• Stir gently – Remember that the fudge has powdered sugar in it, so stir slowly to avoid a sweet sugar dust storm.
  
• Chill for at least 3 hours – Yes, this easy fudge recipe without condensed milk does take a while to set up. If you’re the impatient type, you can pop it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to start setting it up, but don’t freeze it completely.
  
• Keep it refrigerated – Keeping it chilled is key to its creaminess. It dries out quickly if it’s left out at room temperature.
  
• It’s VERY rich! To give you an idea of how rich this chocolate dessert is, the pan size is 8 x 8 inches, and I cut the fudge into 64 squares. They’re tiny but sinfully delicious!

Enjoy, and happy holidays!

This post, originally published on Kevin is Cooking Feb. 17, 2013, was last updated with new content on Dec. 3, 2021.