This healthy 2-ingredient fudge butternut squash recipe is delicious and nutritious thanks to the butternut squash and mood-boosting quality chocolate. The treat is full of vitamin A and C, fiber and magnesium among other nutrients. Use a canned butternut squash puree or roast and blend up fresh butternut squash. Also the squash can be swapped for pumpkin or sweet potato – although you’ll have to change the name.
Healthy 2-ingredient Fudge Butternut Squash Recipe
This creamy 2-ingredient butternut squash fudge recipe is stuffed with veggies as well as quality mood-boosting chocolate. And incredibly relies on only two ingredients! And you can freeze it if you want that perfect pattern when you pull of the paper, or just let it set refrigerated for 30 minutes or less and stuff your face with ten one piece of a softer fudge.
How Healthy is Butternut Squash?
Butternut squash is full of vitamins, minerals and fiber, according to Healthline. And a great disease-fighter with tons of antioxidants.
It’s tops in Vitamin A, perfect for eyes and skin, and in Vitamin C, strong on immunity but also heart health.
In addition, this creamy dreamy veggie is rich in vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid, and manganese. But it is also considered to be packed with potassium. Just one cup provides 482 mg of potassium, close to that found in a cup of banana (537 mg) and avocado (708 mg).
Finally, butternut squash is also rich in folate, which is important to pregnant women in preventing serious birth defects.
I used canned puree here, but I also give you instructions below on how to cooked a fresh butternut squash in the microwave! Or you can just peel, chop and roast but that’s a lot more work, haha.
Are Canned Foods Healthy?
Fresh foods are wonderfully nutritious, of course, especially organic. But experts say canned foods are right up there if you choose right.
Some articles argue that some canned foods are even more nutritious than fresh because the canning process preserves the nutrition and can even create nutrition. Personally, though, I still consider fresh the best. But when it’s not in season, or not on hand, canned is useful!
I am always adding quality canned brands to my Amazon store here, so feel free to check it out! And be sure to comment your own recommended brands. I am always open to suggestions.
To choose healthier canned foods, look for:
- Low sugar and low sodium. I look for sugars under 10mg and sodium under 250mg, per serving.
- Cans that are BPA-free. BPA is an industrial chemical that you don’t want to be eating.
- Organic if you can. Visit ewg.org to figure out which vegetables and fruits should always be purchased organic because they retain way too many pesticides.
- Read the ingredients and put down that can that lists tons of unpronounceables. Ascorbic acid is probably okay, and maybe tocopherol, but the canning process itself is a preservative so those long lists of chemicals are not necessary – choose cans without them.
Learn more about canned food nutrition here.
How To Make Homemade Butternut Squash Puree?
But perhaps you want to make your own butternut squash puree from scratch?
You can roast it in the oven in the traditional way, or take a short-cut and use your microwave to make butternut squash puree! Here’s how:
Start with a 3-4 lb butternut squash, rinse it off, and poke holes in the skin all over so it doesn’t explode in the microwave. Wrap it loosely in paper towels. Then microwave it for about 8 minutes. Stop and test to see if a knife slides smoothly into it. If not, microwave for another 2 minutes.
Then let it cool because it’s hot and you don’t want to get burned!
Once you can handle it, slice, scoop out the seeds, scoop out the squash and puree in your high speed blender with a bit of water. Store refrigerated for three days. I don’t know if you can freeze it, I assume so.
Use it to make this butternut squash fudge recipe or my butternut squash soup, my cinnamon butternut squash smoothie, or any recipe that requires butternut squash puree. Store refrigerated for 3 days.
How to Make 2-ingredient Butternut Fudge
Well, first gather all those ingredients, so many, haha. A can of organic butternut squash puree and quality dark chocolate.
I use my favorite dark chocolate chips and melt them in the microwave in a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup for about 60 seconds, then again for 30 seconds, and stir until melted. Then I spoon in the butternut squash puree, stir it up and pour into mini paper cups.
I put mine in the freezer for 30 minutes so I could peel and photograph, but I am sure you could just refrigerate and they’d hard. The mixture was hardening up on me as I spooned it.
Just FYI, I tried the recipe increasing the butternut squash puree to 3/4 cup and the mixture became grainy. It was edible but not beautiful and smooth. Still, the more puree there is, the more nutrition, so just letting you know.
Can You Swap the Butternut Squash?
Sure you can. Use either sweet potato or pumpkin puree, and both will probably taste sweeter.
If you like easy holiday desserts, you will love my chocolate protein bars recipe and how-to as well as my recipe for Chocolate Carmel Cakes. It has a bit longer ingredient list, and but so delicious and nutritious!
Also Consider These 3-Ingredient Chocolate Recipes
- Crunch Bars
- Chocolate Covered Chickpea Snack
- Vegan Fudge
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Healthy 2-ingredient Butternut Squash Fudge
Instructions
Prep
- Line a mini cupcake pan with liners
Prepare the Puree
- Either open a can of a high quality butternut squash puree, or microwave or roast a fresh one.
Melt the Chocolate
- Pour the chips into a microwave safe cup and microwave for 60 seconds, stir, and if not all are melted, microwave again for 30 seconds.
Make the Fudge
- Spoon the butternut squash puree into the melted hot chocolate and stir until creamy.
- Spoon a bit more than 1 tbsp of mixture into each mini paper cupcake liner.
- Freeze for 30 minutes if you want to harden it. Or set in in the refrigerator for a softer texture.
- I would freeze if you intend to store long term.
[OPTIONAL] Prepare Butternut Squash in Microwave
- Using a 3-4 lb butternut squash, rinse it off, and poke holes in the skin all over so it doesn't explode in the microwave.
- Wrap it loosely in paper towels.
- Set in microwave and microwave it for about 8 minutes. Stop and test to see if a knife slides smoothly into it.
- If not, put it back in the microwave for another 2 minutes.
- Once you believe it is cooked through, let it cool because it will burn you to handle right now.
- Then slice it in half, scoop out the seeds, and then scoop out the squash and put into your high speed blender. Blend until you have a puree; you may have to add a bit of water.
- Use this fresh puree to make your fudge, or any recipe that requires it. Store refrigerated for 3 days.
Nutrition
Dee Dine is founder of Green Smoothie Gourmet, a plant based recipe blog, and author of the recent cookbook, Crazy Healthy with 4 Ingredients . On this blog you’ll find incredibly easy recipes with hidden veggies for anyone wanting to eat healthier, regardless of diet. Dee has graduate degrees in sciences and journalism. More about Dee Dine here.
Donna Passman
I tried this last night after taking some butternut squash out of the freezer. It was just what I needed for that chocolate craving. So easy to make and delicious.
Dee Dine
Thank you for telling me Donna! This is a family favorite here too!
Ela
Wow, only two ingredients! That’s amazing, Dee! Love the process shots, so helpful! 🙂
Dee Dine
Thanks Ela! Glad you like the process shots! Dee