Do you know How to Make Vanilla Fudge? It’s easier than you think and is so simple to customize with your favorite candies, nuts and other delicious mix-ins!
Making this vanilla fudge is the perfect base for so many other flavors, including our birthday cake fudge recipe! It’s also the perfect starting point for pink lemonade fudge.
Why this Recipe is Best
Have you ever made fudge before?
Fudge is one of those candies that seems really complicated to make and will impress the heck out of your friends, but is actually really easy!
Fudge is one of my favorite things to make. In fact, I don’t just make it at the holidays –I make it year-round, thanks to my Easy Vanilla Fudge recipe!
If you want to learn how to make vanilla fudge and how to customize it with your favorite flavors, keep on reading -I’m spilling all of my tricks!
Making vanilla fudge –sometimes called “white fudge” –only takes a handful of ingredients that you may already have on hand. You’ll definitely want to keep them around just in case any last-minute fudge cravings hit!
Ingredient Notes
You’ll start with butter and sugar and cream, of course. All of the best candy recipes start with those basic building blocks.
You’ll also need white chocolate chips or morsels.
The key to making easy white fudge in my house is marshmallow cream, sometimes called marshmallow fluff.
I like using marshmallow fluff in my fudge recipes because it cuts out a lot of steps and is what makes my vanilla fudge so easy to make.
That’s it.
5 simple fudge ingredients (or 6 if you count a pinch of salt) are all you need to make an easy vanilla fudge recipe. From there, any other flavors, candies, cookies or nuts are just extras!
To get a deep vanilla flavor, add in vanilla extract, vanilla beans, or vanilla paste!
Step by Step Instructions
If you’ve ever made some “old school” fudge recipes, you know that they have you cook a mixture of sugar, butter and cream to a certain temperature, then wait for it to cool down, then beat it until it’s creamy.
The result is delicious, but kind of a lot of work. When I want fudge, I want it FAST!
So instead I figured out how to make vanilla fudge with an easier method that makes fudge that is just as creamy and delicious.
Step 1. Before you get started, place the white chocolate and the marshmallow cream into a large mixing bowl. Set this aside –you want to do this first because once the butter and sugar is ready, you’ll need to pour it over this mixture right away!
Step 2. In a saucepan, bring the sugar, cream, butter and a pinch of salt to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, keeping it at a steady boil.
Step 3. Remove the pan from the heat and very carefully pour the hot sugar mixture over the prepped white chocolate and marshmallow cream.
Use an electric mixer to blend everything together for about a minute, just until the white chocolate is melted and everything is smooth. Once this is ready, you can fold in any extra mix-ins you might want or simply pour it into a prepped 8-inch pan.
Step 4. After a 2-hour rest, your white fudge is ready to cut and enjoy!
PRO TIP: You can also make white fudge ahead of time, even up to a couple of weeks in advance, making it the perfect candy to make when you’re busy entertaining.
Variations
Once you know how to make vanilla fudge, you can tweak my easy recipe to personalize it in a million different ways!
Simply add in some flavor extract if you want or mix in anything from chopped candy to nuts to sprinkles.
It is also the perfect base if you want to add some food coloring to make it any color you like for a holiday party or even a baby shower!
- Try replacing the heavy cream with eggnog and add a bit of nutmeg and rum flavoring to make Eggnog Fudge.
- Stir in some of your favorite candies such as chopped gumdrops for Gumdrop Fudge, a swirl of caramels for Caramel Fudge, or crushed peppermint candies for Candy Cane Fudge. You can even have Butterfinger Fudge.
- You can even mimic the flavors of other sweet treats with your white fudge! Try adding some vanilla wafers, sprinkles and mini marshmallows to make Birthday Cake Fudge.
- And when in doubt, reach for your favorite cookies or cookie dough. Frozen and crumbled cookie dough makes for White Chocolate Cookie Dough Fudge and crushed Oreos with some peppermint extract make a delicious Mint Oreo Fudge.
See?? One easy vanilla fudge recipe can make you a master of all things fudge! Knowing how to make fudge is easy as can be, and you can even learn how to make chocolate fudge if that’s more your style.
What will you add to your white fudge to make it your own?
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How To Make Vanilla Fudge
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- Pinch of salt
- 11 ounce white chocolate chips
- 1 jar marshmallow cream 7ounce
Instructions
- Prepare an 8-inch square baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add white chocolate chips and marshmallow cream to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, add butter, cream, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Once boiling, continue to boil for a full 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and pour over white chocolate and marshmallow cream. Using an electric mixer, blend for about one minute, until chips or morsels are melted and mixture is smooth.
- Add any desired mix-ins and fold them in with a spoon, gently. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and refrigerate for two hours (or overnight), covered with a piece of plastic wrap.
- Once set, cut into bite sized pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Notes
- You can also make white fudge ahead of time, even up to a couple of weeks in advance, making it the perfect candy to make when you’re busy entertaining.
- Try replacing the heavy cream with eggnog and add a bit of nutmeg and rum flavoring to make Eggnog Fudge.
- Stir in some of your favorite candies such as chopped gumdrops for Gumdrop Fudge, a swirl of caramels for Caramel Fudge, or crushed peppermint candies for Candy Cane Fudge. You can even have Butterfinger Fudge.
- You can even mimic the flavors of other sweet treats with your white fudge! Try adding some vanilla wafers, sprinkles and mini marshmallows to make Birthday Cake Fudge.
Not vanilla fudge at all, clearly this is white chocolate fudge..cmon
This fudge was really easy to make! It turned out pretty yummy also. Make certain that you use good quality white chocolate though, since I used a certain store brand which made the fudge really sticky. The only change I made was adding 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract in Step 5. Very delicious!
Can I add prevails extract? If so, when and how much? TY for a response.
I’m not sure what prevails extract is?
@Kim – it should work okay but you’ll need to make sure you fill the folds quickly and stir every couple minutes or it will start to set. Fudge sets quickly on the outer edges. Also make sure you keep it covered or the outer layers will get hard and flaky. Not what you want. Saran Wrap works good for this. And the great thing is you could make them well in advance and freeze them.
Hello. Im not sure what im doing wrong. My fudge is always too soft when left on the counter. Im following the instructions to a tee. Any suggestions?
@margo Bergen’s – honestly when it comes to fudge it doesn’t truly matter. You cook on medium to medium high heat and the second it hits a rolling boil you start the timer. I always do 4 minutes (stirring constantly) so I can’t attest to the 5 minute direction here. But 4 minutes turns out perfect and to die for every single time without fail. Make sure your chocolate bits are small chips not big or they won’t melt as good and be as smooth in the end. Honestly the most important thing with fudge is to be patient and make sure to continuously stir it.
Hi! Sounds yummy! My son wants to make these in min molds for his classmates. Can we do that or will it set too fast and not work? Thx!!
I’m wondering what temperature I’m aiming for at the end of the 5 min boil?
I know my mom always said making good candy is about the science of how the ingredients react to each other and to heat or cold.
115°C is your target boil tempreture.
How long will this keep in a mason jar on the counter?
I like exact temps too. I timed 5 minutes…and once the timer went off, i inserted my instaread thermometer and it read 236 degree F. Perfect soft ball stage.
Our favourite fudge is Vanilla but I can seldom find recipes for it and then I found yours.
Can I substitute marshmallows for the marshmallow cream? I usually have a package of marshmallows in the cupboard but very seldom have the cream.
I can honestly not stop eating this fudge which is why I usually wait for a special occasion to make it…luckily Easter will be here soon!
Delicious! I love this easy recipe!