Oat milk gives this healthy vegan chocolate sauce a natural creaminess with NO added fat. It's silky smooth, made with 4 ingredients, and has a decadent hot fudge flavor you'll want to drizzle on everything! Made without nuts, oil, dairy, gluten, or refined sugar.
Truth? This chocolate sauce is blowing my mind. It is every bit as rich and delicious as it looks in the photos, yet it's made with just 4 wholesome ingredients. I honestly didn't know it was so easy to make such an epic and versatile chocolate syrup!
This recipe comes to us courtesy of author Kim Lutz and her latest work The Oat Milk Cookbook. Big thanks to Kim and Sterling Publishing for allowing me to review the book and share a recipe with you.
If you've visited my blog before you may be familiar with my obsession with oats, from this popular Vanilla-Maple Oat Ice Cream to blending oatmeal into pecan pie filling to using oat flour in baked goods like Banana Bread and Apple Cinnamon Scones. Oats are a total superstar in the vegan kitchen.
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The Oat Milk Cookbook highlights this as well. It features more than 100 delicious, dairy-free recipes that prove the versatility of oat milk for everything from cheesy sauces and soups to coffee drinks and desserts.
I love that the first chapter includes information about the benefits of oat milk over dairy, such as the health, environmental, and animal cruelty issues. Kim also gives great tips about kitchen tools you'll need to make many of the recipes.
I've already marked SO many pages throughout the book. Here are a few recipes I can't wait to try:
- Frozen Pineapple Iced Tea
- Holiday Spiced Coffee
- Almond Butter Snack Cake
- Red Lentil Dip
- Cauliflower Oat Cream
And check out this gorgeous Oat Milk Sandwich Bread that Sarah of Bad to the Bowl made and shared.
See the Notes section of the recipe to learn how to make oat milk. Don't be intimidated! I promise it's easier than you might think.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Sauce
The pure, simple genius of this chocolate sauce is why I chose it over all the other recipes in the book as the one I wanted to share. I mean, look at it! How can you not want to keep a jar of this heavenly sauce in the fridge at all times?!?!
And when chilled it's more like a spreadable ganache. I'm not even kidding. Just wait until you see it. It's actual oat magic.
In fact, I'm working on a healthy ganache frosting recipe right now using this as the starting point.
This recipe has instantly become my go-to chocolate sauce!
To make it all you need is a small saucepan, a whisk, about 10 minutes, and these 4 ingredients:
- cocoa powder
- vanilla extract
- maple syrup
- oat milk - homemade or store-bought
- Whisk together the ingredients in a small sauce pan.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes. You'll see the natural starch of the oat milk beginning to thicken and get ultra creamy.
- And that's it! Serve and enjoy.
Serving Tips
Serve the sauce warm or room temperature. And here's a little perk you might enjoy versus sauces that are made with added saturated fats.... this one doesn't harden as it cools.
In fact, it's fantastic straight out of the fridge the next day! The consistency becomes more like a caramel sauce but with the flavor of deep, dark chocolate fudge. It's ridiculous.
Also, feel free to add a pinch of salt to the pot. Next time I might try it with a bit of smoked sea salt.
How to Store
Store the oat milk chocolate in a lidded jar or other airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. As mentioned, you can use it like a spreadable, thick ganache when chilled. Or reheat it for a saucy consistency.
This low-fat chocolate sauce also freezes beautifully! Feel free to make extra, and store it for a rainy day. Or make in advance for use on a dessert for a party or other special occasion.
Ways to Use Vegan Chocolate Sauce
Pair this healthy vegan chocolate sauce with:
- oat milk ice cream
- oat flour pancakes
- vegan protein cookies
- healthy banana brownies
- chocolate baked oatmeal
- Muffins
- oat flour banana bread
- banana nice cream
- freshly sliced apple, pear, or banana
- chunks of frozen banana (yes, please!)
- you can also make hot chocolate and creamy vegan cocktails with it!
During the week when you (or the kids) want a quick snack, pull the jar of sauce from the fridge and spread some on one half of a peanut butter-banana sandwich. #heaven
Check out this new spreadable Vegan Chocolate Ganache lightly adapted from this recipe!
Grab a copy of The Oat Milk Cookbook, and be sure to let us know in the comments below what you think about this vegan chocolate sauce... and your favorite ways to enjoy it!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Sauce (Oil-Free; Oat Milk)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup - Note: 6 Tbsp is ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp; a double batch is ¾ cup.
- 6 tablespoons oat milk, homemade or store-bought - See Notes for homemade.
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan stir together the cocoa powder, vanilla, maple syrup, and oat milk.
- Simmer the mixture over low heat for 2 minutes, until thick and creamy.
- Serve chocolate sauce warm or at room temperature. (It's delicious both ways.)
Notes
- Combine 1 cup rolled oats with 4 cups of water in a blender. In my Vitamix I like to blend on high for no more than 30 seconds to avoid slimy oat milk. Depending on your blender I recommend experimenting with this to find the perfect blend time.
- Strain the oat milk through several layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.
- Store oat milk in a lidded glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Always shake before using.
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Patricia
Easy recipe. And so delicious!!
Lori F.
This is amazing! After being refrigerated, it's almost like pudding, something that we miss as well. We are long time vegans but trying to eat healthier, WFPB foods. Thank you for this recipe!
Dominique
OMG this is a game changer for chocolate fondue !!!
Lisa
Hi Lori, I just made this for the second time—it’s great! And so quick & easy. I used Oatly oat milk. I’d like to try it with homemade oat milk sometime. It’s strawberry season, and I’ve been loving spreading it right from the fridge onto berries. I’ve also used it in strawberry-chocolate smoothies. A super sauce/spread to make pretty healthy sweet treats with.
paul
Is there an alternative to the Maple Syrup? Trying to keep my sugar intake down.
Lori
Hi Paul,
I've only tested it with maple syrup, but I know there are some sugar-free syrup sweeteners out there made by companies like Lakanto. They have a monk fruit version of maple syrup that might work. If you give it a try let us know!
Jessica S.
This is very tasty. My family loved it. I used store bought oat milk ("Malk" brand, minimal ingredients). It took a lot longer than 2 minutes to thicken, maybe because it was cold, but it was worth the wait.
elise
thanks, makin vegan banana splits and this is perfect
Jenessa
This looks awesome- can’t wait to try it. Do you think this could be used in some way as a cake ‘frosting’ or as a layer in a layered chocolate cake? I’d love to know if you have any tips!
Lori
Hi Jenessa, yes definitely. I actually have it on my to-do list to create a spreadable ganache from this recipe. 😀
Once the sauce it chilled it thickens up nicely! You may need to experiment, depending on how you plan to use it. Maybe decrease the milk just a touch to make sure it's thick. One note though, since this is more of a liquid and frosting is solid (fat and sugar) I think it might soak into the cake over time. And you'd need to keep it chilled. I hope that helps!
Lacey
Do you think this could be made using canned coconut milk for a gluten free version?
Lori
Hi Lacey, yes I think coconut milk will work well and I'm sure will taste fantastic, but you might need to whisk in a tiny amount of a GF starch like tapioca. Let us know if you try it!
Katherine D Emerson
Is it possible to substitute another milk for the oat milk (since I only have rice milk on hand) or should I wait and buy oat milk? Thanks 🙂
Lori
Hi Katherine, I have made it with other milks and while it still tasted great, the consistency was a little different. It’s the starch in oats that gives the extra creamy quality. If you happen to have old fashioned rolled oats on hand, making homemade oat milk as described in the Notes section is ideal!
Sandi
Hi Lori-can you buy the oat milk or does it change the consistency? Can't wait to try this one!
Lori
Hi Sandi, absolutely, store-bought is fine. It will be slightly less stretchy/gooey (ha sorry, the best descriptors I can think of) only because of the way commercial oat milk is made, but still creamy and delicious.
marquella
Can i store this at room temp?
How long does it last? (:
Lori
Hi Marquella, for freshness I recommend storing it in the refrigerator for up to a week, then briefly reheating it to make it pourable again. But because there aren't any highly perishable ingredients in this sauce I imagine it would be fine at room temperature for a short period. Difficult to say for sure, though.
Faye
OMG, THANK YOU!! I can’t believe how easy and delicious this is!!!!!! I will make this often!!!!
Lori
Hahaha yay! I see you're as excited about it as I am. 😀 So glad you enjoyed it, Faye!