Love chocolate and coconut? You will love these no-bake vegan almond joy bars! This recipe is gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free and easy to make with just 4 ingredients. Enjoy for a healthy homemade dessert.

A stack of 4 almond coconut bars topped with chocolate.

Almond, coconut and chocolate make the perfect combo in these delicious no-bake bars. If you love chocolate and coconut together, you will love these for a healthy homemade dessert!

They’re soft and chewy with a bit of crunch from the chocolate and the recipe is so easy to make. Toss everything in a food processor, blend, press, slice and enjoy!

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Ingredients
Step by Step Instructions
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No-Bake Vegan Almond Joy Bars

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make these bars. Let’s

  1. Coconut. Use unsweetened fine or medium shredded coconut.
  2. Chocolate. I used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks but any chopped dark chocolate or vegan chocolate chips work well. You can use Lily’s Premium Dark Chocolate Chips for a sugar-free option. If you’re not vegan, any chocolate works
  3. Almonds. You’ll need plain, raw almonds with no added salt or oil. If they’re dry roasted that’s ok though, it will add extra flavour!
  4. Dates. Soft and moist dates are important as they help hold everything together. If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using.

I also added a bit of Simply Organic Almond Extract to mine to really bring out the almond flavour. You could add a little coconut extract too if you had some on hand!

Almonds, coconut, dates and chocolate chips in containers on a countertop.

Step by Step Instructions

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

Step 1. Process the Coconut

First, add the shredded coconut to your food processor and blend for 5-10 minutes until it starts to form a paste. It doesn’t need to be as drippy as coconut butter but if should resemble a thick, grainy paste.

Blended coconut in a food processor.

Step 2. Add the Dates, Almonds and Chocolate

Add the dates and almonds to the food processor with the coconut paste and mix until it forms a thick dough.

Once that’s combined, add the chocolate and pulse the food processor a few times to mix it in.

Medjool dates and almonds in a food processor with coconut.
Chopped dark chocolate in a food processor with crumbly dough.

Step 3. Form the bars and top with chocolate

Evenly press the dough into a baking pan, firmly pressing it into each corner. If you’re adding the chocolate topping (obviously recommended!), melt the chocolate and evenly spread it over the bars.

Quick Tip: Line the pan with parchment paper to make it easy to lift them out once set.

Crumbly raw dough in a square ceramic baking pan.
Melted chocolate being poured over bars in a baking pan.

Step 4. Freeze, slice and enjoy!

Set the whole pan in the freezer until the bars are firm.

Quick Tip: If you added chocolate on top, make sure you let the bars sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before slicing in order to prevent the chocolate from cracking when you slice it.

A hand slicing chocolate bars in a pan with a knife.
A stack of 4 almond coconut bars topped with chocolate.

Here are some more yummy no-bake desserts to try:

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No-Bake Vegan Almond Joy Bars

No-Bake Vegan Almond Joy Bars

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 20 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Snack
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

These delicious no-bake bars feature the classic combo of chocolate and coconut, inspired by Almond Joy. Enjoy these sweet treats for a healthy homemade dessert or energizing snack anytime. Just 4 ingredients needed!

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Add the coconut to a food processor and processor for 5-10 minutes unit it starts to form a thick paste.
  2. Add the almonds and dates and mix until it forms a thick dough. Add the almond extract if you’re using it.
  3. Add the chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate and pulse a few times to combine.
  4. Line a 7-8 inch square baking pan with saran wrap or parchment paper then firmly press the dough into the pan taking a few minutes to work it into all the corners and smooth it out.
  5. Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate on the stovetop or in the microwave then spread it over the bars. Sprinkle a little coconut on top, if desired.
  6. Place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. If you topped the bars with chocolate, let them sit at room temperate for 10-15 minutes before slicing to prevent the chocolate from cracking.
  7. Lift out of the pan and cut into 20 bars.

Notes

Soft, moist dates are best for this recipe. If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 172
  • Sugar: 17 g
  • Sodium: 25 mg
  • Fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 20 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 3 g

Keywords: almond joy bars, no-bake almond joy bars

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UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published on December 18, 2016. It was updated in February 2020 with new photos and text.