Gluten-Free Vegan Cacao and Walnut Holiday Truffles
Here's why this recipe works - my top 3 reasons:
- Ready in about 10 minutes
- Cutomizable topping options
- Made with only 6 clean, real food ingredients
Ready In About 10 Minutes
They are super easy to make and all you need is a good food processor and your hands to roll them.
You can have these ready to enjoy in about 10 minutes!
Customizable Topping Options
I dressed these plant-based truffles up for the holidays by rolling them in ground pistachios and ground goji berries so they have the colors of the holiday season.
However, here are some other options you may want to try:
- White - Use organic unrefined cane sugar for a white "sparkly" topping
- Red - Substitute ground freeze-dried strawberries, like in my Chocolate Covered Strawberry Truffles recipe
- Green - Substitute matcha for a pretty green color, like in my Matcha Chocolate Avocado Truffles recipe
Made With Only 6 Clean, Real Food Ingredients
You'll love how the truffles only need 4 easily accesible ingredients to make them, like walnuts, Medjool dates, raw cacao and vanilla bean powder.
Then, the other two ingredients are your toppings - ground pistachios and ground goji berries.
My healthy recipe is plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, no-bake, paleo-friendly and contains no refined sugar.
Expert Tips + Substitutions for Cacao and Walnut Holiday Truffles
Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Tip #1: These are not a really sweet treat but are rich and intense. If you prefer a sweeter truffle, you can add extra sweetener to taste to the truffle mixture.
Tip #2: The goji berries did not roll on as easily as the pistachios but I found if you wet your fingers and rubbed them over the truffles before rolling them, the goji berries stuck better that way.
Tip #3: Using 1/2 cup of raw cacao powder will give them a deep, dark chocolate taste, so if you may want to reduce the amount of cacao powder if you prefer.
Tip #4: The recipe will make approximately 32 small truffles.
Want More Healthy Plant-Based Dessert Recipes?
Check out these:
- Dark Chocolate Cups with Pistachios and Goji Berries
- Healthy Holiday Fudge
- Chocolate Crunch Bars
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based vegan + gluten-free no-bake desserts made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Gluten-Free Vegan Cacao and Walnut Holiday Truffles
Equipment
Ingredients
For the truffles:
- 2 cups organic walnuts
- 2 cups organic medjool dates (pitted)
- 1/2 cup organic raw cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon organic pure vanilla extract
For the toppings:
- 1/2 cup organic pistachios
- 1/2 cup organic goji berries
Instructions
Prepare the toppings:
- Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse/process until they are finely ground. Transfer the ground pistachios to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the goji berries to a food processor and pulse/process until they are finely ground. Transfer the ground goji berries to a small bowl and set aside.
Prepare the truffles:
- Add all ingredients for the truffles to a food processor and process until well combined.
- Scoop out about a tablespoon at a time, squeeze the mixture in your fist to make it compact, then roll it into a ball shape in the palm of your hand.
Assembly:
- Dip the truffles into the bowls containing ground pistachios and ground goji berries and gently toss until they are completely covered.
- Store in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
zosia says
how many does it yield?
Karielyn says
Hi Zosia! It will make approximately 32 small truffles.
Thanks for your question! 🙂