Vegan Chocolate Coconut Bars

These homemade, vegan chocolate coconut bars are nut-free with no added sugar and call for just 4 simple ingredients. This easy, not-bake recipe is gluten-free, paleo and naturally sweetened with dates.

Coconut Bar Ingredients

To make these no-bake bars, you will need:

1. Shredded coconut. Unsweetened fine or medium shredded coconut is perfect.
2. Dates. Any kind of dates will do but I would recommend soft and fresh medjool, deglect noor, sayer or honey dates. If your dates are very dry, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain before using.
3. Coconut oil. Coconut oil can’t be substituted in this recipe as it’s needed to help the bars firm up and solidify. If you’re looking for an oil-free recipe, I’d recommend checking out some of my other bar or energy bite recipes.
4. Chocolate. I used dairy-free chocolate chips but you can also use quality dark chocolate or homemade chocolate.

How to Make these Bars

These bars are very easy to make. Let’s go through the steps.

1. Blend the dough.

The first step is to mix up the coconut and date dough. To do this, add the unsweetened shredded coconut, dates and coconut oil to a food processor and mix until it forms a crumbly dough.

2. Press the dough into a pan.

Now that you’ve got that delicious, coconut date dough, it’s time to press it into a pan to create the bars. Before you do this, line an approximately 7-inch square baking pan with 2 strips of parchment paper or saran wrap. This will allow you to easily lift the bars out of the pan once they’re set.

Note: The dough will be a little bit oily when you press it into the pan. This is normal.

Once you’ve firmly pressed the dough into the pan, set the whole pan in the freezer and move on to the next step.

3. Melt the chocolate.

The next step is to melt the chocolate. To do this, you can either:

1. Use a double boiler or make a double boiler using a glass bowl big enough to sit on top of a small pot. This is the method I use. You can see it set up below.
2. Use the microwave. Place the chocolate in a glass bowl, start with 15 seconds then check and stir every 15 seconds until melted. Be careful because it will be ruined if it burns. This is why I like the makeshift double boiler method.

If you use the double boiler method like I did below, add a few inches of water to the pot and bring it to a boil stovetop. Stir the chocolate until it’s completely melted. This should only take a few minutes.

What kind of chocolate should I use?

To keep these bars vegan, choose dairy-free chocolate chips from Camino, Made Good or Enjoy Life.

You can also use chopped dark chocolate. Most quality dark chocolate is vegan just read the label to make sure it doesn’t contain any milk or butter. I like Alter Eco or Green and Blacks. If you’re using solid chocolate instead of chocolate chips, chop it up until you have about 3/4 cups worth.

4. Spread the chocolate.

Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove the coconut bars from the freezer and use a spatula or spoon to evenly spread the chocolate over the bars.

5. Freeze, slice and enjoy!

Alright, they’re almost ready to enjoy! Once you’ve spread the chocolate over the bars, place the pan back in the freezer to set. They’ll be ready to lift out of the pan, slice and enjoy in about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Coconut Bars Recipe

These easy, healthy coconut bars call for just 4 simple ingredients: coconut, dates, coconut oil and dairy-free chocolate. You’ll need just minutes to prep them and they’ll be ready to eat in about 30 minutes.

This recipe is paleo (if you use low-sugar, quality dark chocolate), vegan, tree nut-free, gluten-free and refined sugar-free.

Enjoy these delicious bars anytime for a sweet treat or whip up a batch for your holiday goodie tray.

More Vegan Dessert Recipes

Loving these coconut bars? You might like these too:

• Vegan Oat Flour Brownies
• Cashew Tahini Bars
• Peanut Butter Blondies
• Hemp Seed Coconut Bars
• Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

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This recipe was originally published July 29, 2013. It was updated September 2019 with new photos and improved recipe instructions.