No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Chia Seed Bars
on May 08, 2019, Updated Jul 24, 2024
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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
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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.
Can you substitute the maple syrup with honey?
Yes, I think that should be fine. Thanks!
Hi there, I would love to make these for my kids school lunches but they’re a nut free school, do you think using a sunflower seed butter would make a huge difference?
Thankyou
That should be ok as long as it’s not too dry! I will say these ones don’t hold up that well out of the freezer for too long though, sonyou may want to try my nut-free granola bars or sesame sunflower bars under the Snacks section instead. Let me know what you try!
The best homemade granola bars! So easy; perfectly sweet and salty. This is my second batch in a week 😉
This recipe is AMAZING! It tastes like a peanuty golden rough. I soaked half the chia seeds for 20 minutes before mixing, halved the maple syrup and added 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds. Next time I might try lightly toasting the shredded coconut for texture 🙂
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them, thanks so much for leaving a review!
Hello! This recipe sounds great! However, don’t have any coconut oil – can you substitute anything else? I know the recipe is intended to be made as is, but I’d love to try this out without having to run to the store. Thanks!
Not for this particular recipe, unfortunately. The coconut oil binds them. But if you browse through the snacks and desserts sections you’ll many other bars that don’t call for coconut oil! Thanks!
Hi there! I am very excited to try this recipe, especially since I’ve been looking for day time snacks to keep me going while at work. However, I do have an allergy to these oats); Are the oats necessary to hold this all together, or would you recommend any alternatives?
Thanks!
The oats are necessary in this recipe but I have lots of other bars and energy ball recipes that do not contain oats. Just have a browse through the snacks section!
This looks delicious! Easy to make, and seems perfect for on the go!
Can the oil be substituted and the bars still work out?
Not in this recipe unfortunately but I have many oil-free bar recipes if you browse the Snacks section!
Made these with pumpkin seed butter. So so good!!
Glad you enjoyed them! I love pumpkin seed butter!
Hi Deryn, I love this recipe. It’s fast, easy, delicious, filling & super healthy. For my own health reasons, I substituted Pb Fit & I used old fashioned oats (no blending needed) b/c I didn’t have quick oats. Lastly, I made balls instead of bars. These are great for a quick breakfast, post workout, when you’re really hungry & need something right away or for when you just need a sweet fix. Also a great item to bring to a party. (I quadrupled the recipe & brought 1/2 to a party today. They were a huge hit). Thanks so much for sharing!
That’s great, Lisa! So glad you enjoyed them and your substitutions worked out well. Enjoy 🙂