Easy Microwave Fudge ~ the fast track to classic, melt-in-your-mouth homemade chocolate fudge.
microwave fudge ~ no kitchen required!
Yesterday my youngest chirpped in from college with a request. She was in the mood to cook something, but her dorm only has a microwave, no stove or oven. My first suggestion was microwave fudge. You can do that, she asked? Yup, I responded, and copied and pasted a couple of quick links her way. After a few back and forths…she wanted real chocolate, not cocoa powder, no marshmallow, etc…we came up with the perfect recipe.
My microwave fudge is:
- Quick easy and foolproof ~ it sets reliably every time, no thermometer or tricky timing involved. If you’ve ever suffered through a failed batch of fudge, you’ll appreciate this!
- Creamier, almost truffle like texture ~ never grainy.
- Easy to add extras like nuts etc. because it sets up slowly, giving you time to fold them in and spread out the fudge before it starts to solidify.
ingredients for microwave fudge
- chocolate
- choose whatever chocolate you like, can be chips, bar chocolate, melting wafers, or fancy French stuff. It will all work. You can even combine. I cleaned out my chocolate stash and mixed several different varieties. Yum!
- sweetened condensed milk
- The concentrated milk solids in sweetened condensed milk keep large crystals from forming, so the fudge sets smooth and creamy instead of grainy.
- butter
- I use salted butter.
- nuts
- pecans, walnuts, a combination, or leave them out! Toast them first for added flavor.
- vanilla
how to make microwave fudge
- Line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper or heavy duty plastic (spray plastic with cooking spray.)
- In a large microwave safe bowl put the chocolate, the butter and the condensed milk. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Remove and stir.
- If the chocolate is not completely melted, put in back in the microwave for another 15 seconds and stir again, letting the residual heat in the bowl finish melting the chocolate.
- When it’s completely smooth, add in the vanilla and nuts and stir to combine.
- Spread into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours or until nice and firm.
- Remove the hardened fudge from the pan and carefully remove your paper or plastic.
- Cut into squares with a sharp knife.
you asked…
Mine is 1200 Watts (look inside the door of your microwave, or on the back to check yours) If your machine is more or less powerful than mine you can still make fudge, just adjust your melting time.
No, you need to use sweetened condensed milk for microwave fudge.
Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the ingredients before microwaving.
You can but expect a very sweet fudge. I like to use semi-sweet or bittersweet to counter the sweetness of the condensed milk.
Microwave fudge can be slightly softer and more truffle-like than cooked fudge, but this recipe is guaranteed to firm up in the fridge after 2 hours. Make sure you follow exactly: use sweetened condensed milk (not regular milk, or evaporated milk!) and use the full amount of chocolate.
You overheated your mixture. Try microwaving for less time, and allow the heat of the bowl to finish the melting as you stir.
Yes ~ just flash freeze the pieces on a tray until firm, then pack them into a zip-top bag so they don’t stick.
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Microwave Fudge
Equipment
- microwave oven (mine is 1200 watts)
Ingredients
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 18 ounces* chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate, semi sweet or bittersweet preferred
- 1/4 cup salted butter, cut in pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla
optional
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, or pecans
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper or heavy duty plastic wrap. If using plastic spray with cooking spray.
- In a large microwave safe bowl put the chopped chocolate or chips, the butter and the condensed milk.
- Microwave on high 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and stir until smooth and lump free.
- If the chocolate is not completely melted, put in back in the microwave for another 15 seconds and stir again, letting the residual heat in the bowl finish melting the chocolate.
- When it’s completely smooth, add in the vanilla and nuts, if using, and stir to combine.
- Spread into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Remove fudge from the pan and carefully peel off your liner. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.
Notes
Nutrition
what else can the microwave do?
The microwave is an amazing thing. If you’ve got a potato hanging around you can make Easy Microwave Potato Chips Recipe. If you’re in the mood for pancakes, how about trying a Microwave Pancake in a Mug? You can Dry Herbs in the Microwave. You can even make Instant Microwave Macaroni and Cheese!
In the first part of your instructions you say to line with parchment paper. I the second half, you say remove foil sling. Which is it?
You can use either, but currently I prefer parchment paper.
Can I use unsalted butter?
Sure, but I’d add a pinch just for flavor.
This turned out fantastic, so easy I will be making more. This definitely one to keep.
Waiting for an answer about the fudge not getting hard.. I want to make it again, but I need to know what to correct.
I could only share with my good friends. (Due to it being soft)
It was really good. Thank You
I made the fudge on the stove top, real easy. It taste really good. But it will not harden up, What did I do wrong???
You used your stove top and not the microwave. This is specifically made for the microwave. That is where you went wrong since the two are very different I would search her website for stove top fudge if that’s what you want or try it in the microwave as the recipe is intended for
The only reason I can think that your fudge did not harden is that you didn’t use enough chocolate, Joan. The chocolate naturally hardens up as it chills. If you follow the exact recipe you shouldn’t have any problems.
I used a 12 oz can of carnation milk and added 2 oz of heavy cream to make 14 oz. I couldn’t get the fudge to harden. I was going to add the rest of the bag of milk chips and put it back in the microwave for another minute. What did I do wrong?
Make sure you use sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. And make sure you use the full amount of chocolate. It will firm up after chilling.
considering those ingredients, this is probably some of the best fudge ever.
It’s been far too long since I made fudge! After seeing this, I’ll have to remedy that asap! And you’re right, there is something fulfilling about making something from scratch. 🙂
Wow! that was easy! I can’t wait to try this