Vegan Nanaimo Bars. I must be honest. I had never heard of a nanaimo bar, let alone vegan nanaimo bars.There was a discussion about these bars in the healthy living Facebook group I run.
Apparently, the nanaimo bar originates from Nanaimo, British Columbia. It’s a bar that requires no baking.
There are 3 layers to the nanaimo bar. The bottom is a chocolate, wafer-like layer, followed by a creamy layer, and topped off with a chocolate layer.
I thought I would try my hand at a vegan nanaimo bar. I have never tasted a real one, but I improvised based on some non vegan recipes I found online.
My vegan nanaimo bars are also gluten free, grain free and free of refined sugars. In fact, there is very little added sugar at all in my recipe.
These homemade nanaimo bars are very decadent. In fact, just a little piece would satisfy your sweet tooth. There are 2 ways you can do the creamy layer.
I used coconut butter and got a harder layer. If you want a softer middle layer, I suggest going with coconut cream instead of coconut butter. I hope you enjoy this.
Looking for more bar recipes?
Vegan Nanaimo Bars
Vegan Nanaimo Bars
A no bake bar with 3 decadent layers.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups raw almonds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 10 medjool dates
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
For the middle
- 2 cups coconut butter
- 3 T maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans
For the chocolate layer
- 1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup almond milk
Instructions
- In a food processor , combine all the crust ingredients, except the water.
- Slowly add the water into a loose dough starts to form.
- Line an 8x8b baking dish with parchment, leaving enough room for some extra to stick out the sides.
- Press the crust into the baking dish evenly. Stick the baking dish in the fridge to firm up while you make the cream layer.
- In a food processor , combine the ingredients for the cream and mix until everything is combined well.
- Spread the cream layer on top of the crust and stick in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- To make the chocolate use a double boiler method.
- Fill a saucepan with water. Place a glass bowl on top of the saucepan .
- Add the chocolate chips and almond milk to the glass bowl .
- Bring the saucepan to a boil.
- Gently melt the chocolate chips and milk. Stir constantly. Once all the chocolate is melted, pour it on top of the cream layer and stick in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Once the chocolate is firmed up, you can store these bars in the fridge.
- Now you can lift the whole thing out by grabbing the extra sides of parchment paper.
- I used a pizza cutter to cut mine. I made 9 large squares, but I suggest making bite sized squares. Mine ended up on the large side.
Recipe Notes
Store these bars in the fridge or freezer. They should last several weeks. Enjoy!
26 thoughts to “Vegan Nanaimo Bars (Gluten Free)”