Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

Since this recipe calls for just three ingredients, try to use the best quality possible. The chocolate should be one that you enjoy eating plain – not chocolate chips – with full-fat coconut cream and real vanilla. It makes such a difference. These are notes and recommendations from my testing over the last decade and a half, but you can find the full recipe card below.

• Chocolate: choose a decent dark chocolate bar for good truffles. Pictured is the cheap organic grocery store-brand chocolate bar, but we like the taste, so it works here even though it’s the least expensive option. Not only will chocolate chips not taste as nice, but they also contain stabilisers that prevent them from melting fully.
• Coconut cream: this is scooped from a can of full-fat coconut milk. Discard the water or use it in smoothies or to thin out a curry. This makes for an indistinguishable texture compared to heavy cream truffles and just the slightest trace of coconut flavour. I don’t recommend using coconut milk that comes in a tetra pack or carton, because the cream and water usually aren’t separated like in a can.
• Vanilla: I always use homemade vanilla extract. Vanilla powder and paste are just as good, using half the amount as called for of extract.

How to Make Vegan Truffles

Your hands will get covered in chocolate while rolling the truffles, and that’s just part of the fun. Start with clean hands and you’ll be fine.

Step 1: heat the milk in a small saucepan, then pour over the chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Make sure to chop the chocolate finely so that it melts fully when the milk is added. Let this rest for about a minute.

Step 2: whisk to combine, and stir in the vanilla extract. This is when you’ll add any other flavourings as outlined below, if using.

Step 3: refrigerate until set, usually around four hours. If you have time, I recommend setting overnight. If you have a space that’s cool but not as cold as a refrigerator, that’s even better – it gets a little too solid when fully chilled.

Step 4: roll the truffles into balls with your hands, then roll in cocoa powder. If dipping in chocolate instead, make sure to refrigerate or freeze the truffles again first.

Expert Tips for the Best Truffles

Trust me, I’ve been making vegan truffles for ages! They’re just like standard truffles, really, but there are some tips to keep in mind for the best results (coconut milk and dark chocolate aren’t cheap).

• Heat the milk, not the chocolate: for any ganache, the milk should be heated and then poured over the chocolate. This way you don’t risk burning the chocolate and ruining the taste and texture.
• Roll the truffles twice: for rounder truffles, roll once, refrigerate to set, and then roll again to make for evenly round balls before coating in the cocoa powder.
• Stick with dark chocolate: something with less cocoa solids, like milk or white chocolate, won’t set like dark chocolate does. Note the percentage values in the recipe card below and stick to a dark chocolate that fits within that range. Any less and the truffles will be too soft.
• Use a double boiler: if your milk isn’t warm enough when added to the chocolate, it won’t fully melt. If that happens, don’t put the mixture directly on the stove top – you risk burning it. Use a heat-safe glass bowl and place it over a small saucepan of simmering water (it shouldn’t touch the water) to gently melt.
• Do a shake test: if you hear the liquid sloshing around in the can of coconut milk in the store, the cream and water are combined, and no good for truffles.

Best Truffle Additions

This is a base recipe for chocolate truffles. You can add any number of flavourings or inclusions depending on what you like, and even use different types of chocolate. These are my tried and tested add-ins.

• Orange zest: use an unwaxed orange and finely zest into the truffle mixture. Add to taste. Other citrus fruits, like bergamot, are also good. Don’t add orange juice. Orange oil for baking can be added if you don’t want the texture of the zest. See my recipe for chocolate orange truffles.
• Peppermint: my personal favourite. I use peppermint oil specifically for baking (not essential oil) and just add a few drops, to taste. Too far and the truffles will taste like toothpaste.
• Coconut: stir in some desiccated coconut while the truffle mixture is still warm, and coat in more coconut. Use toasted for a stronger taste.
• Almond: add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract and taste before adding any more. It’s a very strong flavouring so be cautious. Coat the truffles in crushed almonds or top with a couple almond slices.
• Hazelnut: this is a bit trickier but I sometimes add a whole toasted hazelnut to the middle of my truffles and then roll in cocoa. You can add hazelnut butter too but that’s a whole other recipe – to add the nut, you have to press it into truffle and then use your hands to squeeze the chocolate around it to cover before rolling into a ball.
• Freeze-dried fruit: try adding crushed freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries to the ganache, or mix some fruit powder into the cocoa that you roll the truffles in. In my experience, rolling them in only fruit powder is a bit overwhelming.

More Holiday Sweets

There are some treats I make every December without fail, no matter where I am. These are the recipes I make every year no matter what, in addition to the vegan truffles.

• Cookies, of course! These coconut sugar cookies and vegan lebkuchen for us, and then a selection of different recipes (mostly from my baking website) for my cousins as Christmas gifts.
• This is a bit earlier in the month but I always make these vegan saffron buns at the beginning of December for Santa Lucia day. That’s a more recent tradition from living in Sweden but they’re so good. Another treat I only started making a few years ago are these no bake chocolate coconut balls, a lower sugar version of chokladbollar.
• Also great to bring as a gift or to thank friends or family for hosting, these honey roasted almonds and vegan star bread are my go-to presents.

If you make this Vegan Truffles recipe or any other dairy-free chocolate recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.