Easy Salted Oat Fudge
This delicious fudge recipe is healthier than most and lighter in calories, thanks to oat flour! It tastes like a cross between fudge and no-bake cookies.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
This fudge happened by accident. Back when I was perfecting my granola bar recipe, I decided to warm up the almond butter mixture for one of the test batches. When I stirred in the chocolate chips, they melted—as chocolate chips do when they’re stirred into warm liquids. Head smack.
The chocolatey mix tasted great, but I cursed those chips for melting because I wasn’t trying to make solid chocolate bars. I couldn’t waste a precious blend of chocolate, honey and almond butter blends, however, so I carried on with the recipe and served it as a makeshift dessert at girls’ night. Jordan, Tessa and Alissa are always good sports.
We all enjoyed the chocolatey bars that night, but I was still mad at them for not being what I wanted them to be. “Off you go!” I declared, and sent the rest home with Jordan. She texted me a couple of days later to tell me that she and her husband had polished off the whole batch already and she was craving more. She called it “salted oat fudge” and suggested I publish the recipe, so here we are!
These delicious, easy, wholesome chocolate squares taste like a cross between fudge and no-bake cookies. You can’t go wrong with a hybrid between fudge and no-bake cookies, am I right?
The version I’m sharing here uses oat flour instead of whole oats. The oat flour disappears into the fudge and absorbs excess moisture, so the bars are firm at room temperature. You can taste a subtle oaty-ness in the fudge, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Feel free to play with the fudge mix-ins; I made notes in the recipe to help you along. I added pecans and finished the fudge with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Delicious!
More Chocolate Peanut Butter Treats
If you enjoy this flavor combination like I do, try one of these recipes next:
Please let me know how your fudge turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you.
Easy Salted Oat Fudge
This delicious fudge recipe is healthier than most and lighter, too, thanks to oat flour! It tastes like a cross between fudge and no-bake cookies. Feel free to play with the mix-ins to suit your preferences.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup creamy unsalted almond butter or peanut butter
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
- 4 tablespoons butter, sliced into small cubes, or ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt (scale back, to taste, if your nut butter is salted)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups old-fashioned oats ground into flour, see step 1
- 1 cup whole pecans or other nuts
- Optional: Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Prep work: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut two strips of parchment paper to fit across the interior of an 8 to 9-inch square baker. Criss-cross the papers at the bottom of the baker and fold the ends up the sides of the baker (see photos). If you need to make your own oat flour, blend 1 and ¾ cups oats in a blender or food processor until ground into a fine flour.
- Toast the nuts: Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a small, rimmed baking sheet (I used parchment paper for easy clean-up). Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until fragrant (7 minutes for thinner/smaller/chopped nuts and about 10 for whole pecans). If you’re using large nuts like pecans, transfer them to a cutting board and chop them into small pieces with a chef’s knife.
- Make the fudge: In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the nut butter, chocolate chips, sweetener, butter, salt and cinnamon. Warm the pot over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is melted throughout. Remove the pot from heat.
- Stir the vanilla extract into the pot, followed by the oat flour and finally, the chopped pecans. The mixture will have thickened up at this point, so you might have to put some muscle into it to mix in those pecans. You can do it!
- Carefully dump the fudge mixture into your lined square baker. Use the back of a sturdy mixing spoon to push the mixture across the baker so it’s roughly evenly distributed. Cover the bottom side of a thick, heavy-bottomed drinking glass or mason jar with parchment paper and press it down on the fudge repeatedly until the fudge is evenly packed. If you’re finishing the fudge with flaky sea salt, lightly sprinkle some on top now and gently press it into place with the bottom of your parchment-covered glass.
- Cover and freeze the fudge for 30 to 45 minutes, until it’s firm to the touch and no longer shiny in the middle. If you’re not in a hurry, you can refrigerate the fudge for a couple of hours or longer.
- Use a chef’s knife to slice the fudge into 1 ¼-inch wide columns and rows. Fudge will keep well for a couple of days at room temperature, or for a few weeks in the freezer, sealed in an air-tight freezer bag.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my chocolate chip granola bars.
Make it dairy free and vegan: Use dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut oil in place of the butter.
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oat flour or oats.
Change it up: If you want to include whole oats in the fudge for texture, use 1 ¼ cups old-fashioned oats and ¾ to 1 cup oat flour (add oat flour until you can hardly mix in any more).
Need more holiday recipes? I got you covered over here.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi Kate,
I am a private chef for a acupuncturist…also my best friend.
She is very picky! I have to have recipes they can easily pack for lunch. I am really impressed with your recipes. Veggie burbers are some of their favorites…i make them black bean burgers and spinach feta burgers. They loved your spicy lentil soup! Love your recipes ! Thanks,
Carol
Yum! I used peanut butter and found that this tastes a lot like an eat more bar. Chewy and salty. Love that there is oaty goodness in here.
Sounds so good, Kelsey!
First dessert recipe of yours I have tried. The hardest part was cutting the bars after refrigeration, the easy part was eating them. I was apprehensive about the oat flour (I made my own with a Vitamix). I used coconut oil, maple syrup, and pecans and it came out great.
Perfect! Thanks, Alison.
Just made these – one word review – DELICIOUS!!!! So incredibly yummy and very easy to make. I added a 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and a sprinkle of bee pollen pressed on top with the salt. These will be a staple in the freezer from now on!
Thank you, Christine!
this recipe is so delicious! i’m amazed – the combination of ingredients is spot on and is so incredibly yummy it is hard to believe. it does taste exactly like cookie dough mixture – amazing without any refined sugar. love it a lot – are there any other ideas for desserts that could be made with this same combination of ingredients
I’m glad you like it!
why not keep the oats whole? Esp. if you use the quick-cooking variety, it seems they’d be fine. Or would the mixture not hold together as well?
Hi Marya! Great question. You really want this to act almost like a flour so it will bind correctly. Does that make sense? Blending the oats and using oat flour will get you the result you want. I hope this helps!
I cannot tell you how many times I have made this fudge! It has seriously become my Sunday routine to make this for my mom because she has a bit of an obsession with it!
I’m glad you love it, Heather! Thanks so much for the review.
This was addicitive. I love that it’s better for you than traditional fudge (and no candy thermometer)! The only thing I changed was toasting the pecans in a skillet rather than the oven – just thought it was easier and quicker. I made it on Saturday and it’s already gone!
I’m glad you loved it, Hayley! Thanks for your review.
This fudge is amazing. I saw it in one of your recent emails and decided to make it in place of the fudge I usually make for Christmas. I made a test batch today and it turned out perfect. So delicious and I love how it’s not as dense and super sweet as the traditional marshmallow fluff fudge I’ve been making for years. Not to say it isn’t rich and indulgent. Just in a better way. Thanks for the recipe, I will be bringing this and your excellent granola to pass for Christmas this year! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
I’m happy to hear that! I love that you made a test batch. A cook after my own heart. I love testing recipes! Thanks for sharing your feedback and review, Anna.
Made this recipe last night to have a quick little chocolate fix with some healthy ingredients mixed in. Big hit with the whole family. Made as per the recipe with coconut oil and maple syrup. Roasted pecans and lightly salted almond butter complement each other nicely to make melt in your mouth goodness! Will try adding non pulverised oats as well next time but love it as is already! Thanks for this delicious recipe. Great to have in the freezer.
Thank you for commenting, Helene!
I just love this recipe plus your others. Keep them coming Karla
why does it say to preheat the oven if there is no baking?
I thought you’re not supposed to eat raw flour….. help
Hi Robin, it’s ok to eat raw oats, and this recipe calls for oat flour. The recipe calls for preheating the oven because you’ll toast the nuts in the oven before stirring them into the fudge mixture.
These fudge squares are so delicious,, I added toasted sesame seeds too . Thank you !
My whole family loved this, fab!thanks for a great recipe
Hi there!
Going to make this today!
I already have oat flour (from old fashioned oats I ground a while ago). How many cups should I be using? Thank you!
-Shubha
Hi! It tends to come out similar, but I don’t have the exact measurements right now, sorry. Let me know how it goes!
Looking forward to trying this! I was wondering if I could make this with peanut oil or does it need to be a solid like coconut oil or butter?
Hi Erin, I’m not sure about using peanut oil. You want it liquid form melted coconut oil, for example.
I’ve made this recipe several times already! Easy and always a hit! Thank you Kate!
You’re welcome, Carina!
When printing (large), the writing is not large at all. The text is not easy to follow.
P.S. Sweet puppy ;)
your recipes are great