These easy homemade snickers feature nougat, caramel, peanuts and chocolate, just like the classic candy bar!

Stack of homemade Snickers bars with a cookie base, caramel layer and chocolate coating.

Love snickers bars? Then you’ll love this DIY version of the candy bar favourite! These delicious bars are easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.

You’ll enjoy a sweet and creamy peanut butter nougat base and decadent date caramel with crunchy peanuts, all coated in delicious chocolate. They’re so good and taste just like the store-bought version, if not better!

After these ones, don’t miss these homemade Butterfinger bars, Twix bars and copycat Mounds bars.

Recipe Features

  • Dietary Features: These bars are vegan and gluten-free, that means no eggs or no dairy (depending on the chocolate you use).
  • Fun and Easy to Make: They’re made with just a handful of ingredients and are a lot of fun to make. Try making them with the kids! No baking required.
  • Homemade Halloween Treat: If you have allergies in your household or are just looking for a homemade alternative to store-bought candy, these are perfect for Halloween!
  • Just 8 ingredients needed!

Ingredient & Substitution Notes

Visual of ingredients for making homemade snickers bars. Each ingredient is labelled with a text overlay.
  • Almond & Coconut Flour: These can not be substituted for other flours but the ratio may be adjust slightly if you’re short on one or the other. If you prefer, you can make the oat flour crust from my homemade Twix bars.
  • Peanut Butter: Use natural peanut butter with no added oils or sugar. You can also use almond butter, cashew butter or even sunflower seed butter, though it does have a more pronounced flavour.
  • Maple Syrup: This can’t be substituted for a dry sweetener as the moisture is needed to work with the almond and coconut flours. You can however, use agave syrup as a substitute. For lower-sugar bars, you could also substitute liquid monk fruit sweetener.
  • Medjool Dates: Soft and sweet medjool dates work best but you can also use about 3/4 cup packed of another variety of dates. Just make sure they’re soft and not dried out. If they’re overly dry, you can soak them in hot water (pitted) for 15 minutes then drain well before use.
  • Peanuts: Any kind works (blanched, roasted unsalted) but roasted salted peanuts are the yummiest here!
  • Chocolate: You can use chocolate chips, dark chocolate or any other chocolate you enjoy. Just be sure to use dairy-free chocolate if you want the bars to be vegan.
  • Coconut oil: This helps the consistency of the melted chocolate but it is technically optional if you don’t want to use it.

How to Make Snickers

You can scroll down to the recipe card for the full written instructions but these step-by-step photos will help you visualize how to make these DIY candy bars. Have a peek before beginning the recipe.

Step 1: Mix the nougat cookie base ingredients together to form a crumbly but moldable dough.

Quick Tip: The dough will be a bit crumbly but you should be able to squeeze bits of it together between your fingers. If it seems too dry, slowly add plant-based milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you have the right consistency.

Crumbly cookie dough mixed together in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 2: Firmly press the dough into a lined 8-inch baking pan. I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper so it sticks out over the edges of the pan. This will help you lift the bars out of the pan once set.

Place the pan in the freezer while you make the caramel layer.

Dough pressed firmly into a square baking pan.

Step 3: Add the caramel ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed until everything is fully incorporated.

Creamy date caramel in a food processor.

Step 4: Spread the caramel mixture evenly over the nougat layer in the baking pan.

Next, sprinkle the roasted peanuts evenly over the caramel, lightly pressing them down. Place the whole pan in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Peanuts spread over a layer of caramel in a baking pan.

Last Steps: Slice the bars and Coat in Chocolate. Almost there! We just need to slice the bars and coat in chocolate.

Grab the bars from the freezer and lift them out of the pan using the edges of the parchment. Place the sliced bars back in the freezer while you prepare the melted chocolate.

Next, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Once the chocolate is completely smooth, dip each bar in the chocolate until coated on all sides.

Set the bars on a cooling rack or lined tray and place in the fridge until the chocolate has hardened.

You did it! Your amazing homemade vegan Snickers bars are ready to enjoy!

Close up of a homemade snickers bar on a cutting board.

Storing

These must be kept cool and are best stored in a sealed container in the freezer. You can enjoy them straight from the freezer though, so don’t worry about them being completely frozen solid!

They’ll keep well for at least 3 months in a sealed container or freezer-safe in the freezer.

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.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Stack of homemade Snickers bars with a cookie base, caramel layer and chocolate coating.

Homemade Snickers

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours
  • Yield: 24
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

The most delicious no-bake vegan and gluten-free homemade Snickers bars that can be made with just 8 simple ingredients. These are perfect for Halloween or anytime of year!


Ingredients

For the Nougat Base

For the Caramel and Peanuts

For the Chocolate and Peanut Layers


Instructions

  1. Make the Nougat Layer: In a bowl, add all the base ingredients and mix well until you get a dough that’s crumbly but can be pressed together between your fingers. If the dough is too dry, add 1-4 tablespoons of plant-based milk of your choice to adjust the consistency.
  2. Transfer the dough to an 8-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper.
  3. Firmly press the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer and place in the freezer.
  4. Make the Caramel: In a food processor, add the dates, peanut butter, sea salt, maple syrup and plant based milk. Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed until everything is incorporated.
  5. Remove the base from the freezer and spread the caramel over the base in an even layer using a spatula.
  6. Sprinkle the roasted peanuts on top of the caramel in an even layer and lightly press them into the caramel. Place in the freezer to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  7. Lift the bars out of the baking tray using the parchment paper and cut into 24 small bars (3 rows of 8).
  8. Place the bars back in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate coating.
  9. Make the Chocolate Coating: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler or the microwave until smooth and creamy. If using the microwave, stir every 15-12 seconds and be careful not to burn the chocolate.
  10. Dip the bars into the chocolate until coated on all sides then sit them on top of a cooling rack or a tray lined with parchment paper until firm.
  11. Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or enjoy straight from the freezer.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 269
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Carbohydrates: 32 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 6 g