Vegan Rum Balls
on Nov 23, 2020, Updated Dec 18, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links.
These no-bake vegan rum balls are easy to make with wholesome ingredients like cocoa, dates, nuts, almond butter and dark chocolate for a healthier take on the classic Christmas dessert. No rum or condensed milk needed.
About the Recipe
- Vegan and gluten-free.
- Rich and decadent taste and texture.
- Made with wholesome ingredients.
- No alcohol – kid-friendly!
- Quick and easy to make.
- No baking is required.
- Perfect for Christmas!
For more homemade Christmas treats, don’t miss these Easy Vegan Turtles, No-Bake Vegan Nanaimo Bars, Pecan Snowball Cookies and Homemde Vegan Ferrero Rocher!
Ingredients
- Pecans: Use plain, raw pecans without added oil or salt. These can be substituted with walnuts or almonds but I like pecans best in this recipe. You could also do a mixture of nuts.
- Dates: Any variety works as long as they’re soft and moist. If you only have dry dates, you can soak them before use. We’ll go over that below.
- Rum Extract: Imitation rum extract works or you can use natural rum essence. You can also use dark rum.
- Almond Butter: Use natural almond butter that’s not overly dry. You could substitute another nut or seed butter if needed but I would suggest sticking to something mild like almond butter or cashew butter.
- Maple Syrup: Agave syrup would work as a substitute.
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate or dairy-free chocolate chips work.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add the pecans to a food processor and blend them into grainy flour. It’s okay if there are a few large pieces left behind but they should be mostly broken down.
Step 2: Add the dates, rum extract, cocoa powder and vanilla to the food processor and blend into a crumbly but dough.
Step 3: Melt the dark chocolate stovetop or in the microwave in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy then stir in the maple syrup and almond butter.
Quick Tip: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler until smooth or in 15-second increments in the microwave, stirring between increments. When most of the chocolate is melted, stir to mix in any remaining pieces.
Step 4: Pour the chocolate mixture into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Mix into a thick, sticky dough you can easily press together between your fingers.
If the mixture seems to dry (this can happen if the dates were too dry), add 1-2 tbsp warm water and process again. That should do the trick.
Step 5: Use your hands to roll the dough into balls. I got 22 rum balls but the size or amount doesn’t have to be exact!
If you like, roll each ball in cocoa powder, sprinkles, coconut or powdered sugar.
FAQs
Yes. To use real rum, omit the rum extract and start with 2 tbsp dark rum. Adjust to taste. If the dough is too sticky or wet, add a little bit of extra cocoa powder to adjust the consistency.
To make this recipe sugar-free, omit the maple syrup and use sugar-free chocolate chips such as Lily’s or use dark chocolate for a lower-sugar recipe.
Recipe Notes
- Coating Options: You can leave your rum balls plain or coat them in cacao powder, coconut, coconut sugar, cinnamon, powdered sugar, crushed vanilla wafers or graham crackers, or vegan chocolate sprinkles.
- Rum Extract: I could only find imitation rum extract to make these and it didn’t have that strong of a flavour. Even with 2 1/2 tbsp of the rum extract the flavour was is still very subtle. If you can find natural rum essence (also called flavour or extract), start with 1 tbsp then add more to taste if desired.
- Dates: It’s important to use soft dates in this recipe. If your dates seem too dry. Soak them in hot water (pitted) for 15 minutes then drain well before use.
Storing
- Fridge: Store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer (Recommended): Store in a sealed container for 3 months. They’re amazing straight from the freezer!
- Room Temperature: They’re ok at room temperature for an hour or two but will start to get soft. I’d recommend storing them in the freezer until just before serving.
More Christmas Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No-Bake Vegan Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans (or almonds), 180 g
- 1 1/2 cups packed, pitted soft dates, 300 g
- 2 1/2 tbsp rum extract, see notes
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup cacao powder, 35 g
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, 30 mL
- 2 tbsp almond butter, 30 g
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate or dairy-free chocolate chips, 85 g
Instructions
- Place the pecans in a food processor and process until they form a fine flour.
- Add the dates, rum extract, cacao powder and vanilla extract and blend to combine.
- Melt the dark chocolate, almond butter and maple syrup together in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop until smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture to the food processor and process until it forms a thick dough.
- Roll into approximately 22 balls (if it's too sticky, place the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes before rolling). Roll the balls in shredded coconut or cacao powder, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published December 17, 2017.
I used maple wine instead of rum. It was great!
Hi Deryn,
Thanks for this lovely recipe. I just made them and they taste absolutely devine (and I even forgot to add the almond butter, but they’re still great). I do have a kind remark: you say you got 22 balls out of of the dough, which I thought was really enough, but it turned out that I rolled 55 balls out of the dough….and they don’t look any smaller than yours on the picture. I followed your measurements very precisely. It is a lot, though, 300 grams of dates and 180 grams of pecans…..
I don’t mind, of course, I’ll put them in the freezer, but I just thought you might wanted to know this.
But thanks for all your beautiful recipes, a lot of them ended up in my personal cooking book. 😊
Kind regards,
Linda Weller (the Netherlands, just so you know how far your recipes stretch)
Hi Linda, I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for the review and feedback on the serving size. I haven’t made these for sometime so I’d have to remake them to double check!
These rum balls were so delicious! They made a wonderful holiday treat. The texture and flavour were spot on. Next time, I might try them with bourbon instead of rum for fun.
Delicious! A guilt free holiday treat that satisfy’s quickly so you won’t over indulge.
I was a bit unsure of what the appropriate texture was but they still turned out great and were very enjoyable with a coconut finish.
So glad you enjoyed them, Sarah! Thanks for the review!
omg! Sooooooo good!
So glad you enjoyed them, Diane! Thank you for the review.
Sooo good…I had to hide them in the freezer!