This is probably the recipe I get most excited about at Christmas, Easter, or any special occasion - Vegan Chocolate Truffles! A trio of Vegan Christmas Chocolate Truffles with three flavour options to choose from; Orange, Vanilla, and Pecan & Orange. They're rich, delicious and perfect for sharing.
These truffles feel like they've been made by a proper chocolatier and so make a fabulous home-made gift. Wrap them up in some pretty paper and pop into a box, I don't think anyone would refuse these! Of course they are allergy friendly too. They are Dairy free, and are nut free if you choose nut-free chocolate and omit the pecans.
I love making edible Christmas gifts, they're always welcome, no matter who the person is. Some of my other favourites to make are these Vegan Rum Balls, or a lovely Spiced Chutney.
🍫Ingredients
The ingredients are pretty straightforward for these vegan chocolate truffles, especially the basic truffle mix, which you then flavour in three parts for each flavour of truffle.
THE BASIC MIX
- Full fat coconut milk - despite the coconut in this recipe, it doesn't really taste of coconut. The coconut milk forms the base of these vegan chocolate truffles, and makes them super creamy and smooth.
- Coconut oil - for extra creaminess and helps gives them their truffle texture.
- Vegan dark chocolate - this makes them chocolate truffles! You can use any dark chocolate (just makes sure it's vegan). The higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the more bitter the truffles will be. I love lower sugar chocolate, and so often use Green and Blacks 85% dark chocolate. However, some people may find this too bitter and want to a much lower percentage. If you wanted to make more milky or even white chocolate truffles, you could use a vegan milk chocolate or a vegan white chocolate.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE ORANGE TRUFFLES
- Orange essense/extract - this is added to the truffle mix to give that intense orange flavour. We love using high quality orange extract from Steenbergs.
- Vegan dark/milk chocolate - for coating the vegan chocolate truffles. I originally tried this with dark chocolate, which is delicious. Then I discovered you could make the truffles a bit sweeter if I used vegan milk chocolate. It's up to you.
- Candied orange - for decorating the truffles. This looks lovely and can be bought in lots of supermarkets or online. You can use either strips of candied orange and cut them smaller, or small pieces of candied orange peel works just fine.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE ORANGE-PECAN TRUFFLES
You use exactly the same as for the vegan chocolate orange truffles but with the addition of pecans. These need to be finely chopped to go inside the truffles. You also need some whole pecans to cut up for decoration.
FOR THE VANILLA TRUFFLES
- Vanilla essence - this is to flavour the vegan chocolate truffle mix.
- Vegan white chocolate - this is to dip the truffles in. I love using vegan white chocolate, as it's a nice sweet contrast with the truffle centre, and it reminds me of childhood chocolates. These are the favourite in my house! You can also shave the white chocolate to sprinkle on the truffles.
👩🏽🍳How To
So there is a process to making these vegan chocolate truffles, and it goes in a few stages. But it is still a pretty simple process. You don't have to do everything straight after one another; build it around your time. For example, once you've made your truffle mix, you could keep it in the fridge for a couple of days before moving on to the next step.
- Make the basic truffle mix. You do this by melting the chocolate, coconut milk and coconut oil together.
- Flavour your truffle mix. Divide the mixture into three bowls immediately (make sure you know which is which), and add your flavours while the chocolate is still melted; these are vanilla essence, orange essence, and orange essence with finely chopped pecans. Put the bowls in the fridge to set (they'll need at least five hours). If you have chocolate moulds, you could add the mixture to those.
- Roll your truffles. Once your mixtures have set, you need to form them into truffle shapes. Easiest way of doing this is using a spoon to scoop out mixture, then roll into balls with your hands. Don't worry too much about shape and size, the irregularities make them look more interesting! Set them out on a baking tray covered in baking parchment (note which are which).
- Freeze the vegan chocolate truffles. This is done so they don't melt when dipped in chocolate. They'll need at least three hours in the freezer.
- Dip the vegan chocolate truffles in melted chocolate - best to do one flavour at a time here. You can use a spoon to dip them in and cover with the chocolate, or use a fondue dipping set. Once dipped in chocolate, put them on another tray covered with baking parchment.
- Decorate immediately - this needs to be done when the chocolate is still melted so any decoration sticks. So once you've dipped a truffle in the chocolate, decorate it immediately, before dipping any more in the chocolate. For the vanilla ones, sprinkle some grated vegan white chocolate on. For the orange ones, add candied orange, and for the orange and pecan, put a small piece of pecan and candied orange. So have your decoration ingredients ready.
- Let them set - this can be done in the fridge, or just on the counter (in case your fridge is FULL to brim, like mine is at Christmas). But note they need to be stored in the fridge eventually. Once set, you can stack them on top of each other in a container and put in the fridge.
❓FAQs
Some of your most commonly asked questions about these vegan chocolate truffles are right here:
If you don't eat them immediately (very probable), they'll last two weeks in the fridge.
Yes, we do this all the time. We sometimes make loads at Christmas then have some leftover in the freezer for Easter.
Not at all. You can just roll them in some cocoa or cacao powder.
They can be. You don't have to make the pecan flavour. Just leave that out and make half as chocolate orange, and half as the vanilla flavour. Check any other ingredients you use don't contain nuts.
Absolutely. Get creative! You have the basic truffle mix, so flavour it however you want, then dip the truffles in whatever vegan chocolate you want. Then top and decorate with your chosen ingredients. So you could do a vegan raspberry chocolate truffle by adding finely broken freeze-dried raspberries to the truffle mix.
This recipe was developed by Vanessa, one of the original co-founders of this site. Vanessa is now working on her plant based health coaching business, Energise and Thrive Plant Based. She helps people get high energy, great health, and balanced eating with delicious plant-based food.
She’s also brought out her FREE Guide - 5 Steps to Balanced Plant Based Eating which you’re welcome to download. Of course, all the recipes she has created for The Vegan Larder (like this one!) will remain here for you to access.
🍽️Other recipes
If you liked these vegan chocolate truffles, then we think you'll love these other special desserts:
- Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Black Beans
- 4 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Salted Caramel Sauce
- Vegan Chocolate Salted Caramel Pots
- Raspberry, White Chocolate and Pecan Vegan Blondies
📖 Recipe
Vegan Basil Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 55 g (3.¾ oz) Fresh basil (About two big handfuls or one bunch.)
- 75 g (¾ cups) pine nuts (you can also use cashew nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds. )
- 22 g (3 tablespoon) nutritional yeast
- 45 ml (3 tablespoon) Olive oil (e)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon Maldon or Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Wash the basil then dry it really well.55 g Fresh basil
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan, be careful that they don't burn. Let them cool.75 g pine nuts
- Put the pine nuts and garlic into the food processor and blitz to a fine rubble.1 clove garlic, 75 g pine nuts
- Add in all the other ingredients and blitz.55 g Fresh basil, 22 g nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon Maldon or Kosher Salt, 45 ml Olive oil
- Stop every now and then and scrape down the sides of the processer
- Blitz until smooth- taste for salt. Add more olive oil as needed.
- Transfer to a glass jar & add a bit of olive oil over the top
- Keep in the fridge and use in everything!
Notes
Nutrition
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Truffles
Equipment
- Glass bowl (or bowl to melt the chocolate over boiling water)
- Tray
- Baking parchment
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
Basic Truffle Mix
- 300 g (2 cups) dark chocolate, chopped
- 50 g (¼ cup) coconut oil
- 400 ml (1⅔ cups) full fat coconut milk (standard tin/can)
For Chocolate Orange Truffles
- ½ teaspoon orange essence
- 200 g (1⅓ cups) dark chocolate, chopped (for covering the truffles)
- Candied orange (thinly sliced, for decorating)
For Chocolate Orange Pecan Truffles
- ½ teaspoon orange essence
- 40 g (⅓ cup) pecans (very finely chopped)
- 200 g (1⅓ cups) dark chocolate (for covering the truffles)
- Candied orange (thinly sliced, for decorating)
- Extra pecans (cut into small slices, for decorating)
For Vanilla White Chocolate truffles
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 200 g (1⅓ cups) vegan white chocolate (for covering the truffles - check online, healthfood shops or at mainstream supermarkets)
- Extra vegan white chocolate (shaved or grated, for decorating)
Instructions
To make the basic truffle mixture
- To make the basic truffle mix, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a glass dish over boiling water.
- Remove dish from the heat and whisk in the coconut milk.
- Divide the mixture into 3 bowls (one for each of the flavours of truffle).
To flavour your truffles
- For the chocolate orange truffles add the orange essence. Mix well.
- For the chocolate orange and pecan truffles add orange essence and finely chopped pecans. Mix well.
- For the vanilla truffles, add the vanilla essence. Mix well.
- Put all three bowls in the fridge for at least 5 hours to fully firm up.
- After the truffle mixes are firm, use a teaspoon to spoon out the mixture. Roll up each teaspoon of mixture in your hands to make small balls, about half the size of golf balls.
- Set out the truffles on trays covered in baking parchment, making sure you know which flavour is which. Once you have done this, put them all in the freezer for at least 3 hours (this stops them melting when dipped in chocolate).
Covering the truffles in chocolate and decorating
- Put a glass bowl (or heat-proof bowl) over boiling water, and melt the chocolate to cover the truffles in.
- For the orange truffles, or orange and pecan truffles, melt the dark chocolate. For the vanilla truffles, melt white chocolate. Best to do these one at a time.
- Using a fork (or a specialised chocolate dipping tool - you can get these cheaply online) dip the frozen truffles one by one into the melted chocolate, and place on a tray covered with baking parchment.
- Immediately decorate each truffle while the chocolate is still melted. For the orange chocolates, put two thin slices of candied orange across the top. For orange and pecan chocolates put one slice of candied orange and one slice of pecan across the top. For vanilla truffles, sprinkle with grated white chocolate.
- Put all covered and decorated truffles in the fridge for an hour or so to set. Then they can be served.
- The truffles will last in the fridge for around 2 weeks, if not longer. They can also be frozen.
Sharon says
So delicious and beautiful to look at. Well worth the effort. Each step needs to be carefully followed for perfect results. Dipping the truffles in chocolate takes a little skill but is soon mastered, and the contrast of a chocolate shell with soft truffle is amazing. So good.