Award Winning Vegan Chocolate Fondue Recipe

This is a recipe my wife created. We took it to a fondue party last night and it won the award for best dessert, hence the title of this post.

One of the other dishes we took to the party was the vegan meatballs I posted the other day. these were served with a fondue pot full of Classico tomato and basil marinara sauce. I recommend this marinara if you don't have time to make your own. Unlike most marinara sauces you can buy these days it is not sweetened. The meatballs didn't win an award but they were all eaten up by the end of the night.

There was one funny thing that happened. We got to the party a little late and there was not much room left on the table to put our food out. We ended up with the crockpot full of chocolate fondue next to the casserole dish full of meatballs. We put a little label card on each that simply read, "vegan". After that we were standing in line and the hostess ran up to us and said that WE NEED TO MOVE THE CHOCOLATE! PEOPLE THINK IT IS BARBECUE SAUCE AND THEY'RE DIPPING THE MEATBALLS IN IT! Apparently people didn't notice the marinara fondue pot, but it seemed obvious that the two things marked "vegan" must go together.
VEGAN CHOCOLATE FONDUE

> 12 oz. semisweet vegan chocolate chips
> 3/4 c. soy milk
> 1 tsp. vanilla extract
> 1/2 tsp. almond extract
> assorted bite size food for dipping (strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pretzels, cookies, brownies, etc.)

Combine the chocolate chips, soy milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a slow cooker. Turn the cooker on "high" and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Serve in a fondue pot, or in the slow cooker set on "low".

My notes on this recipe:

1. You can add extra soy milk to thin the fondue if you want to. You would probably need to do this if you wanted to use it in a chocolate fountain.

2. The fondue is the consistency of a stiff frosting at room temperature.

Vegan "Meatballs" Recipe

This is an easy, great tasting recipe that I developed based on similar recipes that Chef Deb has posted on her discussion forum. These are great to serve at parties. I have seen non-vegetarians scarfing these down at my house.

In the past I have made a huge batch of these and frozen them. They tend to fall apart more after they have been thawed. But the taste and texture are not affected.


This recipe does rely heavily on pre-packaged meat substitutes. These always drive the cost of a recipe up. But they are very convenient and taste good. I have experimented with trying to make vegan "meats" at home but have had mixed results. I will post some of the recipes I have had the most luck with in the near future. If anyone knows of any vegan "meat" recipes that turn out as good as what you can buy, feel free to leave a link or copy of the recipe in the comments.

VEGAN "MEATBALLS"
> 1 package Gimme Lean (Sausage or "Beef" Flavor)
> 6 oz vegan burger crumbles
> 1/2 cup cracker crumbs (saltines)
> 1/2 tsp onion powder
> 1/2 tsp garlic powder
> 1/2 tsp dried oregano
> 1/4 tsp basil
> 1/4 tsp salt
> dash of pepper
> 2 Tbsp olive oil
> additional vegetable oil for cooking

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or electric mixer. Form into any size balls you like. Brown on all sides in oil. Continue heating until hot throughout.
My notes for this recipe:
1. I typically use burger crumbles from Morningstar Farms.

2. These would probably work great in a deep fryer if you are going for maximum juiciness.
3. I have made these with both the "beef" and sausage flavor Gimme Lean. I like both, but I get the most positive feedback with the sausage flavor.
4. I have served these with pasta and marinara, with toothpicks covered with marinara, and with marinara fondue.
5. This recipe has me thinking about the meatball subs I used to get from Subway when I was (not vegan) in college. Maybe meatball subs will be on the menu next week.