No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Chia Seed Bars
on May 08, 2019, Updated Jul 24, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links.
These no-bake chocolate coconut chia seed bars can be mixed up in a bowl in minutes – no food processor or blender required!
Recipe Features
- quick and easy – you’ll need just 5 minutes of prep time, no blending or baking needed!
- vegan and gluten-free – works for those with dietary restrictions, they can also be made nut-free!
Ingredients
- oats – I use quick oats because they hold together better, you can use rolled oats if that’s all you have
- coconut – use unsweetened fine or medium shredded coconut, may be labeled desiccated coconut, you can use sweetened if you want just note it has added sugar
- cocoa powder – regular cocoa powder works great but for extra nutrition, you can use cacao powder
- chia seeds – use whole chia seeds
- peanut butter – use natural peanut butter (no added sugar or oil)
- coconut oil – this binds the recipe so can not be substituted
- maple syrup – sweetens the recipe, can be subbed with agave
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Mix the dry ingredients up in a bowl. This includes the coconut, oats, cocoa powder, chia seeds and optional sea salt.
Step 2. Melt the coconut oil then mix it together with the peanut butter and maple syrup until smooth and creamy.
Step 3. Add the peanut butter mixture to the bowl with the oats and stir well to combine into a uniform mixture.
Step 4. Firmly press the dough into a 7-8 inch square baking dish.
Place in the freezer for 30-minutes to firm, then lift out of the pan and slice into bars.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- These bars need to be kept in the freezer or fridge to hold together properly.
- The salt is optional but recommend. The sweetness from the maple syrup combined with the sea salt is delicious!
- Peanut butter can be substituted with almond butter or for nut-free bars, tahini or sunflower seed butter.
How to Store
- Freezer: Store in a sealed container or freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Can be enjoyed directly from the freezer.
More Recipes Like This
- Chocolate Chip Chia Seed Granola Bars
- No-Bake Chocolate Chia Energy Bars
- No-Bake Apricot Granola Bars
- No-Bake Superfood Energy Bars
- Sunflower Sesame Homemade Energy Bars
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chocolate Coconut Chia Seed Bars
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups 165 g quick oats
- 1/4 cup 60 g unsweetened fine or medium shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup 25 g cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup 50 g chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, optional for flavor
- 1/4 cup 75 g natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup 50 g melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup 80 g pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Stir the peanut butter, coconut oil and maple syrup together in a separate small bowl until smooth, creamy and completely combined.
- Add the wet mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- Line a 7-8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper so the ends stick out over the edges of the pan.
- Add the mixture and firmly press it down into the pan. Take a few minutes to really press it in, this will help them stick together better.
- Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.
- Lift the bars out of the pan and cut into 10 bars. Store in the freezer in a sealed container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published May 16, 2015. It was updated July 8, 2020 with new photos and text.
The first time I made these I accidentally left out the cocoa powder and they were still amazing! I had no idea I had left it out until I went to share the recipe with someone and went, ‘huh, the color of mine didn’t look like that!’ I’ve made them again since with the cocoa powder and I’m not sure which way I like better. Great to have options though!
and I love how quick and easy these come together!
We Love this! I had to use butter and honey in place of 2 missing ingredients! They turned out great !! Next time I’ll try the original recipe to see the difference . Love how simple this is and no baking required , my kids loved helping me make these !
Glad you enjoyed them and could get the kids involved! Thanks for the review.
I made this but substituted quinoa flakes for the oats and sunflower seed butter for the PB! SO yummy!
I had a major blonde moment and used honey instead of syrup 🙄 but they still turned out great! I’m always hungry when I get home from work and these are the perfect snack. I’ll definitely make them again – and actually follow directions!
Haha, close enough! Glad you enjoyed them.