My Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Pecan Cranberry Truffles are an easy and healthy recipe made with only 6 clean, real food ingredients. They're the perfect plant-based dessert for Holiday gatherings and it can be prepared in about 10 minutes!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- It's 100% Raw With No Baking Needed
- Can Be Prepared In About 10 Minutes
- Made With Clean, Real Food Ingredients
You can feel good about making my healthy, plant-based recipe because it's raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, no-bake, contains no refined sugar, and paleo-friendly.
"Feel good about what you eat..."
- Karielyn Tillman
Ingredients
Here are the healthy, real food ingredients I used to make this recipe. Try to use organic if possible.
- Pecans
- Medjool Dates
- Cacao Powder
- Coconut Oil
- Vanilla Bean Powder
- Dried Cranberries
That's it! My Pecan Cranberry Truffles recipe is super easy to make!
Frequently Asked Questions
In my opinion, yes!
Other similar recipes use S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) ingredients like these:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Pecan Cranberry Truffle Typical Ingredients: ¾ cup whipping cream, ¾ stick butter, 2 tbs light corn syrup, 3 tbs concentrated cranberry juice cocktail, 12 oz semisweet chocolate, ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup pecans, powdered sugar, etc.
My healthier recipe is made with nutrient-dense ingredients making it a healthier option!
Yes! Feel free to add whatever you'd like but here are a few of my favorite topping options:
Raw Cacao Powder - Add to a small bowl, then gently roll each ball until they are completely covered
Chopped Pecans - Add some pecans to your food processor to break them down into small pieces, then roll the ball in them
Chocolate Drizzle - Use this recipe to make homemade chocolate to drizzle over the top of the truffles.
Yes! I prefer to use vanilla bean powder in my no-bake recipes because I don't like the alcohol flavor from vanilla extract, which is undetectable once the recipe is baked.
However, you can always substitute vanilla bean powder with pure vanilla extract in the same amount.
In general, most brands of dried cranberries contain added sugar and seed oils such as sunflower seed oil, which would make them not optimal in a healthy, real food diet.
However, I found a brand called Honestly Cranberry that is not organic, but it is 100% cranberries with no added sugar or oils.
Karielyn's Expert Tips and Substitutions
Here are some of my expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Pecans: You will need to use "raw" pecans, that are not roasted or seasoned. You can use either whole pieces or chopped pecans because they will go into a food processor to be broken down into tiny pieces.
Medjool Dates: My favorite dates are Medjool dates, but you could use any variety. (1) cup of dates is usually (10) large dates, but they can vary in size so make sure you measure (1) cup packed. And don't forget to remove the seeds from the center before adding them into your food processor!
Cacao Powder: If you don't have raw cacao powder on hand, it can be substituted with regular cocoa powder.
Coconut Oil: I used this ingredient as a binder and it's what holds the truffles together. If you don't like the taste or smell of coconut oil, use refined coconut oil which has zero coconut oil taste or smell.
Vanilla Bean Powder: In no-bake recipes, I like to use vanilla bean powder to avoid the alcohol flavor in vanilla extract. However, vanilla bean powder can always be substituted with pure vanilla extract in the same amount.
Dried Cranberries: It's hard to find organic, unsweetened, oil-free dried cranberries. The Honestly Cranberry Brand is non-GMO and not organic, but it is 100% cranberries with no added sweetener or oils.
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Vegan Chocolate No-Bake Pecan Cranberry Truffles
Ingredients
For the truffles:
- 2 cups organic pecans
- 1 cup organic Medjool dates (pitted)
- ¼ cup organic raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon organic ground vanilla bean powder
For the add-in:
- 1 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened, oil-free)
Instructions
- Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then set aside.
Prepare the truffles:
- Add all ingredients for the truffles to a food processor and process until it becomes a moist, crumbly texture.
- Add the dried cranberries and pulse a couple of times, only long enough to break the cranberries down into small pieces, taking care not to overprocess.
- Take out a spoonful at a time, squeeze the mixture in the palm of your hand, then roll them into a round ball shape between your hands.
- Optional: Roll the truffles in a small bowl with raw cacao powder to dress them up.
- Place the truffles onto the prepared cookie sheet, then place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow them to firm.
- Store in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator until ready to serve because they will get soft if left out at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
More Healthy Vegan Pecan Recipes
- Pecan Pie Truffles
- Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Granola
- Pecan Praline Ice Cream
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based no-bake dessert recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Sarah says
Do you think it would work without the cacao? Thanks.
Karielyn says
Hi there Sarah! Yes, you could make these without the cacao powder. You might need to add something else to compensate for the 1/4 dry powder if they seem too moist and won't hold together. I would try something neutral like almond flour, cashew flour or even an unflavored protein powder, but only if you need it.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Karielyn Tillman says
Hi Sarah, I came across another option for you if you'd like to make pecan balls without chocolate. You could try my Pecan Pie Truffles recipe which is similar but doesn't contain cacao and taste like pecan pie!
Hope that helps! Karielyn 🙂
Olga says
Made it today - so yummy! Thank you for the recipe.
Karielyn says
Hi there Olga! Thanks so much and I'm go glad to hear that you enjoyed them!
Thanks for trying out the recipe and for taking the time to let me know you liked it...I really appreciate it 🙂