The Best Dairy-free Chocolate Dip
This chocolate fruit dip is a crowd pleasing treat with a light and airy texture that’s as smooth as silk. Everyone will be shocked that it’s dairy-free!
I like to call this “munchie food”. You know, things that you take a little sample of and then sneakily go back for fifteen times over the next couple of hours. Then when it’s all gone, no one knows that it was you who ate it all…muahahaha!
Normal people might call these finger foods but I personally like the term munchie. And this chocolate dip? It’s easily one of my favorite munchie foods of all time.
Dairy-free Chocolate Fruit Dip Ingredients and Substitutions
- Raw Cashews- Move over tofu and garbanzo beans, cashews make for the creamiest dreamiest dairy-free dip you’ve ever put in your mouth. The higher fat content (ahem…healthy fat content) creates the most luxurious texture and the flavor profile of cashews is like a blank slate, perfect for pairing with chocolate. The only substitute I would consider here is blanched almonds as they have a similar creaminess to them when blended.
- Cocoa Powder- All of the chocolate flavor comes from the cocoa powder so it’s a must here. I recommend using unsweetened cocoa powder and then adding your own sweetener so that you can better control the sugar content. Cacao powder is also an option (it essentially just unprocessed cocoa powder) but it tends to be more bitter which will require more sweetener.
- Dates- Just a few pitted dates help sweeten the dip while also adding a punch of nutrition. You can omit them if you want but you will likely need more maple syrup to offset the sugar they provide.
- Pure Maple Syrup- Outside of the dates, this is is our main sweetener in the recipe. Feel free to taste test while the dip is still in the blender so that you can add more syrup, if you desire a sweeter flavor. Possible substitutions would be honey, date syrup or agave nectar. I haven’t experimented with stevia or other low calorie sweeteners so unfortunately I can’t advise on that.
- Vanilla Extract- just a hint of vanilla rounds out the flavor profile. Careful not to use too much if your vanilla is alcohol based.
- Non-dairy Milk- Any kind of milk will work here. If you use vanilla flavored milk then feel free to omit the vanilla extract. Chocolate milk would also make for an extra decadent dip, although you may want to reduce the syrup since most chocolate milk is sweetened.
- Pinch of Salt- I personally have to add a little salt to all of my dessert recipes but it balances the sweetness in the best way possible. Feel free to taste test it without the salt if you’re opposed to adding any but I don’t recommend skipping it!
How to Make Dairy-free Chocolate Fruit Dip
My favorite part of this recipe is that all you have to do is toss everything in a blender and blend until smooth! Could not be easier.
Tips for an extra smooth dip
- Soak your cashews. Whether you soak them in room temperature water for 8-hours (or overnight) or in boiling water for 30-minutes, they do need to be soaked beforehand to assure they break down properly when blended.
- Use a high speed blender. While a fancy Vitamix is great for breaking down cashews into smooth silkiness, it is not required here. I’ve used my NutriBullet with great results and they’re typically less than $100.
It’s clearly a great option for those that can’t have dairy but I honestly think it blows dairy-based chocolate dips out of the water. I’d feel confident serving it to the biggest of dairy lovers out there!
Looking for more dairy-free desserts?
- Best-Ever Chocolate Quinoa Cake
- Hot Fudge Chocolate Avocado Cake
- Vegan Silk Chocolate Pie
- Easy Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Brownies
- Flourless Vegan Tahini Brownies
The Best Dairy-free Chocolate Fruit Dip
Made with simple pantry ingredients, this chocolate dip is so decadent and creamy, no one would ever guess it's dairy-free!
Servings: 12 ounces
Ingredients
- 1½ cups raw cashews, soaked*
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk
- 3-4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 dates, pitted
- 3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. You will likely need to scrape down the sides in between blending. Taste test to adjust with more maple syrup or salt, as desired.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Leftovers will last for 1-2 weeks when sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!
Protein-packed healthy fruit dip?! Sign me up for allll the football gatherings you go to this year! :D I’ve never made fruit dip and I’m itching to try this one out. Bring on those cashews!
Wowy! This is my kinda dip – love that it’s lactose free – but, I might not need all those “dippables” I think I’d just need a spoon!
This is definitely going to be on my menu for our next family gathering! My table full of no-dairy, no refined-sugar members will love this! thanks.
Oh MY this looks good! YUMMY!
I just need a spoon for this!! So good!
This dip looks so delicious! Love the cashew milk :)
this is pretty much like a healthy fondue!!! yum!
This looks SO good! I’ve made a “lightened” nutella dip before and it was perfect for parties! This recipe looks fantastic!
haha I think I like the term munchie better too – it’s much more fun to say! And this chocolate dip looks fantastic! It looks so smooth and creamy!!
YES to munchies! I do happen to love sports, but the food is what makes it really fun. :) This dip looks so creamy and amazing — I wouldn’t share this with anyone.
This sounds so good! I was scrolling through this post thinking, “Ahh no don’t let it be filled with silken tofu…” because I get kind of scared of desserts and snacks that use that, and then I saw that it’s packed with delicious cashews and I was all YAYYY! Bookmarking now :)
Ah, cashew milk! It’s so creamy isn’t it?! Love the idea of this chocolate dip- still a treat, but no empty calories :)
Oh.my.GOSH. The texture of this looks out of this world, Sarah! I definitely think this blows any dairy-based dips out of the water, and I’m honestly not sure I’d even bother with any sort of fruit or cookie — I’d just go straight for the spoon ;)
Wow! I would never have known this was dairy free in just looking at it! And I’m all about those munchies! Such a great way to sneak food away without feeling too guilty!
ermergerddd this looks INSANE. i want to sleep on this dip haha…. it looks sooo soft. definitely going to make this!!
This might be incredibly odd but what are those amazing looking crackers? I’ve never seen anything like them before haha! That dip though…Dairy free? No. whey. (ha, get it).
You’re so clever. :)
They’re graham cracker sticks and they’re freakin’ delicious. Back to Nature is the brand!
I’m pretty sure I would eat all of this at a party. like I wouldn’t even bother looking at the other food. This might be dangerous! The ingredients are spot on :) Pinning!
Is this vegan?
Hi Vicky! Yes, this recipe is vegan and it is SO good. I hope you get a chance to try it! :)
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Way too expensive to make and takes a very long time to get creamy. I probably will not make again.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! I’m not sure what you used to blend it but a Vitamix or a NutriBullet works best. Either of those will achieve a creamy texture within minutes.
As far as the price of cashews, unfortunately I can’t change that. Tofu might be a better option if you aren’t averse to soy.
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