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Vegan Rum Balls

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They're chocolatey, they're creamy, they're boozy - they're vegan rum balls! Such a phenomenal, flavor-packed treat that's perfect for the holidays. Made with real whole foods, gluten-free, without added oil or added refined sugar (just what's in the chocolate chips or bar). Not doing alcohol? No problem - there's an alcohol-free version included!

Several rum balls on marble with a golden star light behind them.

When I was in high school, my friends and I had a phase when we would run down to the local bakery after school and get a treat.  That's where I discovered that rum balls were a thing.  These babies were golf ball-sized spheres of chocolatey goodness that had kind of a slightly chewy, cakey-cookie dough ganache center and smacked of rum. They were not the chocolate kisses I'd grown up with.  My food world opened up a notch.  I was smitten.  I had to take each one home in a box so that I could slowly savor every bite. Pure bliss.  Yeah, maybe the bakery should have thought to card me - they were pretty potent!  Probably a good thing I waited until I was home to eat it.

Alas, I've never had one since.  I just haven't seen them.  So it's been a delight to create a dairy-free version of that rum ball I remember.  They have that texture and flavor that I recall, soft and a bit like chocolate mousse with a little cake in it.  My husband is particularly drawn to the tiramisu-like finish. 

Did I mention these are nutrient-packed rum balls?  Check out the ingredients.  Yep, nutrient-dense vegan rum balls are now a thing!

Ingredients

Soaked and drained cashews
Kraken rum on marble with a pink napkin behind

I love that these rum balls are made with minimally-processed ingredients.

  • raw cashews
  • almond meal/flour
  • oat flour
  • 70% chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • maple syrup
  • almond butter
  • dark spiced rum
  • cacao powder
  • salt

If making these alcohol-free, you will need the following instead of the rum (choose an alcohol-free version of the extracts, if desired):

  • vanilla extract or powder
  • almond extract
a tray of vegan rum balls

Instructions

I'm also happy to report that these vegan rum balls are easy to make! These are the key steps involved:

  • Soak cashews at least two hours to soften, which adds creaminess
  • Combine the dry ingredients
  • Melt the chocolate
  • Blend the wet ingredients
  • Combine everything
  • Add the rum
  • Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours to set
  • Prepare to shape the set mixture into balls and roll in cacao
  • Serve, refrigerate, or freeze

Helpful tips

Here are some helpful tips to be aware of ahead of time:

  • Have all the ingredients in-hand to prepare the "cookie-dough ganache" the night before. Once all the ingredients are mixed, they set overnight.
  • I life to use Divine 70% Bittersweet Chocolate, the 5.3-oz baking bar. Divine is right! If you can't find it, though, an equal amount of any bittersweet bar or even chocolate chips will work fine - keep in mind semi-sweet chips will tend to have sugar added so the balls will end up sweeter.
  • Any rum in the cupboard will do, but I recommend a dark spiced rum for a full-flavor experience. Have you tried The Kraken? It's a vegan rum and I love it! (Yes, part of my love for it is the packaging, but it's a delicious rum, too!).
  • Want an alcohol-free version? Replace the rum with a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and a ½ teaspoon almond extract along with ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.
  • Heads up: the raw cashews need to soak for a couple hours ahead of time.
  • When it's time to roll the "ganache-dough" in cacao powder, place a few tablespoons of cacao in the center of a dish and roll the ball of ganache-dough in the powder. Once covered in caco, tap the rum ball on an empty spot of the plate to release excess cacao.
  • Size them as you'd like. The figures here are for a bit smaller than a golf ball.
  • These rum balls are soft and easy to eat. The ball holds firm so that you can pick them up, yet they are soft enough to take a bite. They're also very easy to eat with a fork, perfect for a romantic dinner!

Note

Are you surprised to learn that there are wines, beers, and other much-enjoyed drinks that seem like they'd be vegan but aren't? Yeah. I was surprised, too. Rather than getting into the gory details here, I recommend you google it. On a brighter note, I recently came across a website that is dedicated to helping people find their favorite alcohol in animal-free form: Barnivore! Thank you, Barnivore!

a close up of a rum ball on a white plate surrounded by pink flowers

More chocolate:

You can find more tasty chocolate recipes here.

The Recipe

close up view of a chocolate rum ball with a bite out of it

Vegan Rum Balls

They're chocolatey, they're creamy, they're boozy - they're vegan rum balls! Such a phenomenal, flavor-packed treat that's perfect for the holidays. Made with real whole foods, gluten-free, without added oil or added refined sugar (just what's in the chocolate chips or bar). Not doing alcohol? No problem - there's an alcohol-free version included!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: vegan
Key Attributes: balls, chocolate, gluten-free, holiday, rum
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Soak Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 43 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Fiber: 3g
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

  • blender
  • Double-boiler or small pots and pans
  • Mixer (stand or hand)

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cashews raw
  • ¾ cup water filtered, to soak the cashews
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup oat flour
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt pink or sea salt recommended
  • 5.3 oz bittersweet chocolate 70%, or equivalent chocolate chips (about a half bag)
  • ½ cup water
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons almond butter
  • 7 tablespoons rum spiced dark recommended
  • 3-5 tablespoons cacao powder

For an alcohol-free version, replace the rum with the following:

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if needed, use alcohol-free/vanilla powder
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract if needed, use alcohol-free
  • 7 tablespoons maple syrup or ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons

Instructions

  • Soak cashews.  Place the raw cashews in a jar or bowl with enough water to cover, about ¾ cup water.  Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  • Dry ingredients.  Place the almond and oat flours and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  With a fork or the paddle of the stand mixer, stir until mixed.
  • Chocolate.  In a double boiler, melt the chocolate on medium-low. (Don't have one?  You can make one with a small pan or pot sitting in another pan filled with about an inch of water.)  Stir the chocolate until all is melted.
  • Wet ingredients.   Strain the cashews and place them in a blender.  Warm water in a teapot until steaming and add ½ cup to the cashews.  Blend on high until creamy.  Add the maple syrup and almond butter.  If making an alcohol-free version, add the extra maple syrup and extracts now.  Blend until well mixed.
  • Combine.  Place the chocolate on top of the dry ingredients, using a spatula to get as much as possible out of the pan.  Then pour the wet ingredients, with the help of a spatula, over the chocolate and stir with the stand mixer paddle or a hand mixer just until combined.
  • Add rum.  Stir gently while adding the rum, just until well disbursed.
  • Refrigerate.  Place the mixture in the fridge with a towel to cover.  Let set overnight, at least 6 hours.  The ganache should be firm enough to hold a ball form.  If it warms up too much while working, stick it back in the fridge until it's firm again.
  • Cacao station.  Pour a few tablespoons of cacao in the center of a large plate.  Set it next to the ganache-filled mixing bowl.
  • Form the balls.  Have a towel handy for your soon-to-be-chocolatey hands.  Using a measuring tablespoon, scoop two tablespoons of ganache and form into a ball.  Roll the ball in the cacao powder until covered.  Drop the ball on a clean part of the plate a few times to remove excess powder.  Set the finished ball on a serving plate or in a glass container to store in the fridge.  Repeat until all the ganache has been used.  Add more cacao powder to the cacao station if necessary.
  • Serve.  Serve immediately or store in the fridge.  Can be made a day or two ahead, but watch out - they may disappear before then.

Notes

Note:  The time estimates above do not include refrigerating the mixture overnight or at least 6 hours.

Rough Nutrition Estimate provided by WPRM (based on generic ingredients and limited specification options)

Nutrition Facts
Vegan Rum Balls
Amount per Serving
Calories
261.2
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13.1
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
3.7
g
23
%
Trans Fat
 
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1.5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
4.7
g
Cholesterol
 
0.8
mg
0
%
Sodium
 
30.9
mg
1
%
Potassium
 
231
mg
7
%
Carbohydrates
 
28.1
g
9
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
17.8
g
20
%
Protein
 
4.8
g
10
%
Vitamin A
 
6.3
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
 
0.1
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
65.7
mg
7
%
Iron
 
1.9
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Comments

    5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Recipe Rating





  1. Alex says

    November 04, 2024 at 4:46 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is fantastic, it's made from natural ingredients, doesn't go the "cheat" way with crushed biscuits, the flavour is bold and texture is smooth (add more or less oat flour to adjust density). Me and my gf are thrilled about it. It deservers more attention. thank you.

    Reply
    • Kari says

      November 04, 2024 at 6:58 pm

      It's so nice to hear you're enjoying it, Alex! Thanks for taking the time to let others know.

      Reply
      • Alex says

        January 18, 2025 at 3:18 pm

        5 stars
        Sure thing! Also I can add a tip for my blend made for rum lovers, it has a bit of Jamaican rum funk and makes the rum balls flavour pretty complex.
        It's nice to play with the blend if you have a tiki home bar with many rums.

        Rum blend:
        - 40 ml (1,35 oz): Chairman’s Reserve / or any aged gold rum all-rounder
        - 20 ml (0,68 oz): Planteray OFTD / any dark and intense rum with demerara
        - 1 teaspoon Rum Fire Velvet / any overproof un-aged Jamaican
        - 1 teaspoon Bruns Jamaican / any aged golden funky Jamaican
        - 1 teaspoon Curacao
        - 1 teaspoon Allspice Dram
        - 1 teaspoon Falernum Liqueur
        - 2 dashes Orange Bitters

        Reply
        • Kari says

          January 24, 2025 at 3:53 pm

          Ooh, thank you! Sounds so delicious!

          Reply
Kari smelling anise hyssop while standing behind her market basket and fresh produce.

Welcome to a world of beautiful food!

I'm Kari, and this is where I celebrate beautiful ingredients and focus on ways to make eating more plants easier. Recipes are centered around whole foods and are vegan, cooked without the need for oil, mostly refined sugar-free and gluten-free. And so delicious!


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