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.
- 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!
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.
- 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!
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
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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.
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Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Leftovers will last for 1-2 weeks when sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
