These No-Bake Coconut Bars are the easy, healthy version of your favorite bounty – or almond joy – candy bars with no refined sugar.
It’s a 5-ingredient no-bake vegan dessert with a melt-in-your-mouth coconut layer topped with crunchy dark chocolate.
Coconut lovers, this is for you! If you love bounty candy bars or almond joy bars but are looking for a healthier version of your favorite treat, this is the vegan dessert recipe to try!
I love no-bake recipes, so much so that I have made several dozen no-bake snacks like my No-Bake Almond Butter Cookies, No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars, No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.
This no-bake experience allowed me to perfect this coconut bar recipe for the ideal balance of taste and texture.
How To Make No-Bake Coconut Bars
No-bake coconut bars are very easy, raw, vegan desserts that you can make with only 5 ingredients and a food processor.
Ingredients
All you need to make them are 5 simple pantry ingredients:
- Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut – You can also use shredded coconut or coconut chips, but it would take you longer to process them into a sticky coconut batter.
- Melted Coconut Oil – unrefined or refined. You need to use coconut oil because it’s the only oil that solidifies at room temperature. Consequently, it holds ingredients together without baking.
- Maple Syrup – or any other liquid sweetener. The best natural options are agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or coconut nectar.
- Dark Chocolate – I am using 85% dark chocolate. It’s vegan as it doesn’t contain milk or dairy. You can also use any other vegan chocolate you like. Anything with more than 70% cocoa is lower in sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are an almond joy lover, you can easily turn these no-bake coconut bars into almond joy bars.
In fact, all you have to do is to add 16 almonds, one on top of each of the 16 coconut bars, to add the lovely almond crunch!
Yes, you can freeze any no-bake dessert, including this one. I recommend freezing the bars individually. This way, you can defrost them one by one. The best way to freeze them is in an airtight box.
Place a piece of baking paper between each square. This will prevent them from sticking together.
More No-Bake Vegan Desserts
No-bake vegan desserts are easy nourishing desserts that everyone loves. I recommend you also try:
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No-Bake Coconut Bars
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cups Desiccated Coconut - – ultra thin
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup - or liquid sweetener of your choice like agave syrup, rice syrup or coconut nectar
- ⅓ cup Coconut Milk - canned, unsweetened, light or full fat)
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil - melted
Chocolate layer
- 4.2 oz Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips - I used 85 % cocoa chocolate
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients: unsweetened coconut, maple syrup, unsweetened coconut milk, and melted coconut. The order doesn't matter.
- Stir until it sticks together, if too dry, add a bit more maple syrup or melted coconut oil. You can also bring all the ingredients in a food processor and blend on high speed 1 minute to help break coconut and make the batter sticky.
- Cover a baking tray 8 inches x 8 inches with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Spread the coconut batter evenly in the tray, using your hands or a spatula to press the batter firmly all over the bottom of the tray. If you want to make almond joy bars, press 16 raw almonds, one per square you will cut.
- Freeze the tray for 10 minutes.
- In another bowl, add dark chocolate pieces and coconut oil.
- Melt either in the microwave or bain-marie.
- Remove tray from the freezer, pour the melted chocolate on top of the coconut bar, using a spatula to evenly spread the melted chocolate.
- Freeze again 5-10 minutes to set the chocolate layer.
- Remove from the freezer and cut into 16 bars of the same size.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks or freeze for 3 months. Make sure you place a piece of parchment paper between each square to prevent them from sticking to each other when you want to defrost them individually. Defrost at room temperature, it should take 30-45 minutes.
Hi! Almonds seem like a no brainer… thoughts on walnuts or other nuts?
I haven’t tried it with walnuts, it might be a bit too much walnuts if I’m honest!
These look great but what size baking tray?
So you mean a jelly roll pan or a pyrex dish?
THANKS!
Pam
I am recommending a square baking pan 8 inches x 8 inches, enjoy the recipe Pam, Carine
Hmmm, looks delicious. Ingredients are on counter now. Will be making either tonight or tomorrow.
I can’t wait to read your feedback on these coconut bars. Enjoy! XOXO Carine
Hi!
I have cooked these coconut bars twice already and this is my favourite recipe of all!
Thank you so much for sharing this heavenly tasty sweet. I love all your recipes!
Bonjour,
Combien y a t’ il de calorie pour 100gr svp ? Car vous indiquez 183 calorie pour une barre mais tout dépends du poids de la barre ?
Les informations nutritionnel sont donnees pour 1 barre, vous avez la taille du plat et le plat se divise en 16 barres. Par consequent, avec ces informations vous n’avez pas besoin de peser la barre
Amazing!!!!! This never lasted more than 2 days
Easy and really good! 🙂 Have to stop myself from eating more than 1 bar at a time!!
I know that feeling 🙂 Thanks for being here with me and enjoy the recipes around here XOXO Carine