These are the best chocolate almond butter bars. These homemade dessert bars have a delicious almond butter base and are topped with rich dark chocolate. Refined sugar free and gluten free this healthy no bake dessert will have you coming back for seconds and thirds!
Why you will love this recipe:
- These dark chocolate nut butter bars have the best flavour!
- This is a no bake dessert that's surprisingly simple and easy to make.
- These homemade dessert bars are healthy, refined sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, vegan and paleo!
- They store really well and make great leftovers.
- The flavour combination of almond butter and dark chocolate is just perfect!
- This almond butter bars recipe is versatile - instead of almond butter you can use another nut butter such as peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or cashew butter.
- This recipe is kid friendly and made with simple pantry staple ingredients.
- These bars freeze really well.
- You can use these as snack bars, breakfast bars, energy bars or protein bars.
Taste and texture:
These homemade nut butter bars are chewy and soft, slightly sweet and loaded with flavour. The contrast of the dark chocolate topping with the sweet nut butter, coconut and seed layer is just heavenly.
Key ingredients and substitutions:
- Almond butter - I recommend using smooth, unsweetened almond butter for this recipe. If you can't have almonds you could use peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter instead.
- Maple syrup or honey - either of these natural sweeteners will work to make this dessert. If you are vegan be sure to use maple syrup.
- Cocoa powder - cocoa powder is used to make the dark chocolate topping for these dessert bars. You could swap this for cacao powder instead.
- Coconut flakes - coconut flakes are used to give the nut butter layer a delicious crunchy, chewy, texture while keeping these bars gluten free and grain free. Be sure to use coconut flakes, not finely shredded coconut to make these bars.
- Sunflower seeds - sunflower seeds add delicious texture and crunch to the almond butter layer of these dessert bars. I recommend using raw sunflower seeds rather than roasted sunflower seeds for this recipe.
How to make this recipe:
Step one:
Place a medium sized pot on the stove on low heat.
Step two:
Add the almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract to the pot and heat until melted together, stirring often.
Step three:
Once melted together remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sunflower seeds and coconut flakes.
Step four:
Transfer the ingredients to a 9" x 9" baking pan and press down well to form an even layer.
Step five:
Place the pan in the freezer for ~1 hour.
Step six:
Make the chocolate layer while the pan is in the freezer by melting the ingredients together in a small pot on the stove on medium heat, stirring the ingredients together until combined.
Step seven:
Remove the pan from the freezer and add the chocolate layer (pour it on top of the nut butter layer and spread evenly with a spoon or knife).
Step eight:
Now return the pan to the freezer for an additional hour.
Step nine:
Remove from the freezer and cut the bars into desired size pieces. Then enjoy!
Tips and variations:
- If you can't have almond butter you can use cashew butter, peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter instead.
- Either maple syrup or honey will work to sweeten this dessert.
- Be sure to use coconut flakes and not finely shredded coconut to make these almond butter bars with chocolate.
- Be sure to use smooth, unsweetened almond butter.
- Use a hot knife to make cutting these bars easier. Simply run the knife under hot water for a few seconds and dry it off before using it.
How to store:
Store these bars in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 14 days.Â
These bars also freeze really well. You can freeze them in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition info:
One serving of these bars has approximately 411 calories, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 17 grams of net carbs, 9 grams of protein and 36 grams of fat. These snack bars are high in protein, dairy free, gluten free and vegan.
Frequently asked questions:
Almond butter pairs really well with dark chocolate, apple slices, toast. You can use almond butter the same way you would peanut butter or any other nut butter. It's also great for making smoothies and desserts.
To eat almond butter as a snack you can use it to top toast, use it for dipping apple slices in, to make smoothies or to eat it right off the spoon.
No they are not. These bars are not low carb or keto.
Yes! As long as you use maple syrup to sweeten these bars they are vegan and plant based.
No they are not. The Whole30 program doesn't allow foods like chocolate or dessert of any kind.
No, I do not recommend trying to make these bars sugar free or without sugar. They won't turn out.
Other recipes you will love:
- Chocolate chip marshmallow cookies
- Vegan blondies
- Chocolate coffee banana bread
- Chocolate peanut butter bars
- Gluten free chocolate chip banana bread
Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star review before you go!
Recipe
Chocolate Almond Butter Bars
Ingredients
Nut Butter Layer
- 500 g jar of almond butter (or use sunflower seed butter)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds
- 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
Chocolate Layer
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place a medium sized pot on the stove on low heat.
- Add the first 4 ingredients for the nut butter layer and heat until melted together, stirring often.
- Once melted together remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sunflower seeds and coconut flakes.
- Transfer the ingredients to a 9" x 9" baking pan and press down well to form an even layer.
- Place the pan in the freezer for ~1 hour.
- Make the chocolate layer while the pan is in the freezer by melting the ingredients together in a small pot on the stove on medium heat, stirring the ingredients together until combined.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and add the chocolate layer (pour it on top of the nut butter layer and spread evenly with a spoon or knife).
- Return to the freezer for an additional hour.
- Remove from freezer and cut the bars into desired size pieces.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you can't have almond butter I recommend using sunflower seed butter or cashew butter.Â
- Store these bars in the fridge for up to 14 days.Â
Renee @Raising Generation Nourished
These look delicious! I love that you used seed butter - my daughter was in a peanut free room last year and this would have made the perfect class treat for birthdays!
Erin Carter
Thanks Renee! It's so hard with all the peanut allergies out there these days. Please let me know if you guys try these 🙂
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish
Oh my goodness! These look and sound amazing!!! I wish I had some to snack on right now!
Erin Carter
Thanks so much Emily!!!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
And these bars are absolute perfection if I do say so myself!
Erin Carter
I'm so glad you love them!!!
Sharon H
These look absolutely amazing, however unless I can find the nut butter locally, I'll have to pass on making these. It would cost me almost $15.00 for a 16-oz jar....slightly less than 500 grams....from Amazon, including shipping. Add in the cost of the other ingredients, and this is mighty expensive. Sad, really.But I look forward to seeing more of your recipes.
Erin Carter
Oh Sharon thats terrible! Where do you live? I get my sunflower seed butter at Superstore and its very affordable. Another option would be to use almond butter if you can find that for a better deal?
Michele Spring
These look so good Erin! I wish I had them all ready to eat right in front of me right now. And your new blog is beautiful! Happy Birthday 🙂
Erin Carter
Oh thank you Michele!!!xoxo
Katja
I love sunflower butter. So does my Little One. I'm bookmarking this for after my Whole30!!
Erin Carter
Me too! I put it on everything!!
ChihYu
I can never say no to Chocolate and with nut butter this just sounds even better !
Erin Carter
Me either! totally addicting
Stacey Crawford
Wow Erin, these good absolutely delicious! I love sunflower butter and chocolate 🙂
Erin Carter
Thanks Stacey! I love that combo too 🙂
Jessica DeMay
Yay for the new blog! So exciting 🙂 I think I know what dessert you're referring to and these look just as good! I love that you made them over and I'm sure they are so delicious!
Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk)
These look so irresistible! I love a good no-bake treat.
Holley
Looks like a great classic recipe paleo-ized! Congrats on the new site! What a pain a switchover can be! Looks great, that hard work paid off!
Carrie Forrest
Yummm! I want some of these now.
taesha
I love healthy remakes of classic family recipes! They have such depth and are always amazing, since the person recreating it has the standard from their childhood on their mind when creating the recipe. Plus, nuts and chocolate are never a bad combo! These look lovely!
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday!
These are like an amazing healthy candy bar, I can't wait to try them out! I always love family favorites made over to leave out things like corn syrup, they always turn out better than the original recipe with good quality ingredients!