Oh do I have a fun treat for you today. It showcases one of my old favourites – carob. Have you tried carob powder before? The pods of the tropical carob tree contain a sweet pulp which is dried, roasted, and ground into powder form. Carob is caffeine-free and contains antioxidants as well as calcium, iron, potassium, and fibre. I love mixing a spoonful of it into my vegan overnight oats, banana soft serve, homemade almond milk, or tossing some into a smoothie for a natural sweetener. I usually buy it in bulk from Bulk Barn (a great way to sample it if you are on the fence), but certain brands like Bobs Red Mill also sell it by the bag in many grocery stores and you can also find it online.
Here’s the kicker –
carob powder is naturally sweet which reduces the need for a lot of added sweeteners in a recipe – a total bonus if you ask me. If you can get over the fact that carob doesn’t taste like chocolate, you are golden. Some people say carob has a flavour similar to dates. I think that’s a better comparison, but you really just have to try it for yourself!
The makings of freezer fudge…
In this recipe, I paired carob with a touch of cocoa powder to add some chocolate flavour. You really can’t go wrong when these two powders are combined as you get the sweetness from the carob and the rich chocolate flavour of the cocoa powder. Of course, if you want to skip the cocoa powder all together you can do that too. Or if you want to use all cocoa powder you can try that, although you’ll need to add more liquid sweetener to the recipe to make up for carob’s lost sweetness.
I worked off my favourite Seductive Raw Chocolate Walnut Freezer Fudge and this carob variation was born. This recipe has a fraction of the added sugar (about 75% less), but I promise you won’t notice anything is missing. Now that’s my kind of treat. Best of all it takes 10 minutes to whip up and only another 20 minutes to set in the freezer. The only downside is that the hubby keeps eating it all on me!
Carob Almond Freezer Fudge
Yield
10 large or 16 smaller squares
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
20 minutes
Total time
Ready in 30 minutes, this carob freezer fudge is low in sugar while still tasting quite decadent. Feel free to change up the nut butter, sweetener, and mix-ins as you see fit. The coconut oil is necessary in this recipe though as it helps solidify the fudge when chilled. It melts quickly so be sure to enjoy it straight from the freezer and don't let it sit on the counter for more than a couple minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup creamy natural almond butter (roasted or raw are both fine)
- 1/4 cup carob powder, sifted
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice), to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rice crisp cereal (to add crunch - optional)
Directions
- Line a very small loaf pan (4" x 8") with plastic wrap for easy removal.
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
- With a spatula, scoop the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out.
- Freeze for about 20 minutes, or until solid.
- Slice into squares and enjoy! Store leftovers in a container in the freezer as it melts quickly at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
pssst – Bonus recipe alert! Carob powder makes a healthy “frosty” too. Just blend 1 large frozen banana, 1 1/2 tbsp carob powder, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tsp cocoa powder, 1 ice cube, and 1 tbsp chia seeds until smooth, icy, and thick. Absolutely delish! It reminds me of the Wendy’s frosty drinks of my youth.
Hey! I’d love to make this but I can only get my hands on carob chips. How many cups of carob chips would you as a substitute? Has anyone tried this? 1/3 cup?
Hi, I’m allergic to cocoa (which is why I am after a carob recipe). Would this fudge work without adding the cocoa powder? Thanks.
Hi Sarah, it will! Feel free to skip the cocoa; it just adds a little extra, richer touch of chocolate flavour to the fudge, but it’ll still taste good without. :)
The frosty sounds delicious, although I can’t eat bananas,. What do you suggest as a subsitute?
Hey Wanda, I’m sorry I don’t have a sub in this recipe since it forms the base of the frosty. Vegan vanilla ice cream would work, but I assume you were looking for a healthy option. ;)
Coconut cream set in the freezer. Same consistency.
These were so good I will never be out of any of the ingredients. My mother in law has had many of carob fudge and says this was the best she’s ever had. If I wasn’t so tired from pregnancy I would have already Made and eaten this again three times over. The only thing I didn’t have was the crispy cereal, but I subbed slivered almonds. I did leave out the cocoa powder.
tried it. GOOD!
Thank You <3
To call it raw is not right since teh rice crisipies probobly have been processed in a very high temperature.
I can’t have cocoa…can I put extra carob?
Hey Danielle, I can’t see why not!
Wowsers soon good! and so easy. I used all carob (no cocoa) and added just a touch more salt. I also added more brown rice crisp cereal. What I love about this dessert is that it is quite quick to make and difficult to mess up. I accidentally added extra maple syrup and thought it would not set but no problem. Had a friend’s (who is gluten free) going away party and the person hosting it did not make a GF dessert for her. I was able to start this and finish it ready to take it out the door in under 30 minutes. I also paired it with fresh pears and it is divine… Thank you so much, this is my go to last minute dessert. If you are caught unawares and have to make a last minute and GF dessert, you can make this put it in a pyrex dish run out the door and place it in a friend’s freezer and it will be ready long before you get to dessert. I am sure you could even pack in it ice and have it mostly ready to go.
I subbed coconut flakes for the rice puffs and omgggg it was heavenly!!!
Hi!! Do I have to use unsweetened cocoa powder to because I can’t have caffeine that’s why I’m using Cara powder!! Thank u !!
The Carob Almond Fudge is delicious as a Coronavirus quarantine treat. However, I double- and triple-checked my measurements and it does not scoop, it pours. Has anyone else noticed that? It was decadent even then. I had a little extra crisp rice, cacao nibs, bone broth protein powder, oatmeal, flax seed meal, and chia seeds. I added all that and it was still runny but I put it in the pan anyway. It is in the freezer right now and I can’t wait to try it, although I snuck a spoonful of it before I put it in and it is going to be yummy!
I made both the fudge and ‘frosty’ smoothie. They were both delicious. I’ve still got quite a bit of carob powder to use up. Do you have anymore dessert recipes using carob?
Should I bring the vanilla extract and syrup to room temperature? Seeing that this recipe uses coconut oil
Carob is not tropical–the trees are native to the Mediterranean and other temperate zones. It’s also delicious!!
I tried this out today and I have to say: YUMMMMM! I did make some adjustments. Since I didn’t have any rice crispies I added raisins and Grape Nuts (LOL Grape Nuts has a fabulous crunch). My husband who doesn’t much care for healthy things said he wouldn’t have known it had carob in it without me telling him. I’m definitely keeping this in the rotation when I need something sweet!