Sugar-Free Almond Joy Bars
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These Sugar-free Almond Joy Bars are a coconut and chocolate lovers dream!
They’re so easy to make, you can satisfy your sweet tooth in a flash, they freeze well, and are loaded with healthy ingredients. Plus they work for almost any special diet–they are low-carb, paleo, and vegan too.
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Why You’re Going to Love These No Bake Bars
This recipe for Healthy Almond Joy Bars has got to be one of our all time favorites.
It’s one of the first healthy desserts that I made after starting on my sugar-free diet. I’ve shared these with sugar-free and non sugar-free folks alike and everyone has loved them.
I shared my original recipe for these right after I started blogging, and it was pretty good as it was. But thanks to some changes, it’s now truly amazing.
These bars are made with healthier ingredients than the traditional candy bar and since they are a bar variety, they’re easier to whip up than coated candies.
Whether you’re:
- looking for healthy chocolate candies
- wanting to make home made candy
- looking for a way to get more fat into your diet
this Healthy Almond Joy Bars recipe is for you.
Directions
Here are step by step photos of how to make these Almond Joy Bars. See the recipe card below for more details.
Combine almond butter and coconut oil and sweeter in pan. Melt. (steps 1 and 2)
Add cocoa powder and combine. (steps 3 and 4)
Spread chocolate base in pan. (step 5)
Combine coconut topping ingredients in pan. Stir over heat. (step 6)
Spread coconut topping over chocolate base. (steps 7 and 8)
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Substituting Sweeteners: Make sure to read my tips on Substituting Sweeteners for Cooking and Baking if you want to make substitutions for the sweeteners in the post.
- About Stevia extracts: If using stevia, all extract powders are not created equal. I’ve used KAL in the past. NuNaturals is my current favorite, but I will be trying SweetLeaf soon. You can find NuNaturals at a better price on Iherb, one of my favorite places for supplements and health products. Their liquid stevia drops are wonderful and like NuNaturals, their processing technique is chemical free which I like.
- Multiple Sweeteners: Some have asked about the reason for the multiple sweeteners in the recipe. This makes a more natural tasting dish plus it minimizes any adverse health effects that might turn up from using any one of these alternative sweeteners. You can read more in this post about stevia.
- Alternative Sweeteners: For the 1 1/2 scoops stevia, you could also use vegetable glycerine, xylitol, erythritol, or any combination thereof. I really like using low-carb sweeteners due to being on a candida diet, which I started a number of years ago. Use a little more if using erythritol since it isn’t as sweet. You could use this DIY Truvia as well. Organic erythritol can be used instead of xylitol (just add 1/3 of the original amount). For every 2 tablespoons xylitol, 1/32 teaspoon stevia extract can be used.
- Oil Options: You can substitute palm shortening, as well as butter, for the coconut oil.
- Nut or Seed Butter: If you’re allergic or needing to avoid nuts, you can substitute really any nut or seed butter, but almond is especially nice. See Homemade Nut / Seed Butter for a make-your-own option. I have used almond butter, sunflower seed butter, as well as homemade pumpkin seed butter and they all worked out great.
- We love serving these chilled from the fridge or freezer but they don’t travel well in warm weather. You could make them with cocoa butter instead of coconut oil so they’ll hold up better in warmer temps.
- THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is an “S.”
- Keto | Low-carb: This recipe as written fits this diet.
- AIP: Use coconut butter instead of the seed / nut butter for AIP. Here’s how to make your own. I haven’t tried this, and the bars will for sure be more firm, but I think it can work.
More Healthier No Bake Treats
If you like this recipe, you’ll love….
Keto Mounds Bars – quite possibly the best Sugar-free Mounds Bar recipe out there.
Bean Fudge – yes, I said “beans.” So easy and so good.
Healthy Gummies – fun to make and funner to eat
Healthy Snickers Bars – vegan, keto / low-carb, and refined sugar-free. Peanut-free option too!
Sugar-free Almond Joy Bars
Ingredients
Chocolate / Carob Base
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup almond butter (see Recipe Notes for a link to my homemade version)
- 1/4 cup low carb sweetener (or preferred alternative sweetener)
- 6 tablespoons cocoa
- 4 tablespoons erythritol (see alternative in Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Coconut Topping
- 1 2/3 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 7 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/3 cup low carb sweetener
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon additional flavoring (optional)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- almond halves or slices (optional)
- melted low carb chocolate chips for drizzle (optional)
Instructions
Base
- Melt oil and nut / seed butter over low heat.
- Stir in cocoa / carob (sifted if you like, but I have never bothered with this) and granulated sweetener and combine thoroughly.
- Mix in remaining ingredients except for vanilla. Continuously stir until it slightly thickens, then remove from heat.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into an 8×8 pan and place in freezer to harden while you make the topping. If you don’t have room in your freezer, the fridge will get it solid enough to work with.
Topping
- Melt oil in small pan and add coconut flakes. Stir.
- Add remaining ingredients. Simmer and stir until it thickens a bit.
- Once the chocolate is hardened, gently smooth the coconut mixture on top.
- Place slivered or whole almonds on top (optional). Place bars back in the freezer until hardened. Again, the fridge will work, but it will take longer.
- Slice into squares of desired size and enjoy! They’ll be too hard to cut right out of the freezer so let them thaw a bit first.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
-
- Oil Options: You can substitute palm shortening or butter for the coconut oil.
-
- Nut or Seed Butter: If you’re allergic or needing to avoid nuts, you can substitute really any nut or seed butter, but almond is especially nice. See Homemade Nut / Seed Butter for a make-your-own option. I have used almond butter, sunflower seed butter, as well as homemade pumpkin seed butter and they all worked out great.
-
- Sweetener: Organic erythritol can be used instead of xylitol (just add 1/3 of the original amount). For every 2 tablespoons xylitol, 1/32 teaspoon stevia extract can be used.
-
- AIP: Use coconut butter instead of the seed/nut butter for AIP. Here’s how to make your own. I haven’t tried this, and the bars will for sure be more firm, but I think it can work.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
This recipe was updated with new photos. Here’s an earlier image that was in previous versions for your reference.
I’d love to hear what you think if you try them!
What?! Healthy Almond Joy Bars?! Oh my word! That sounds like heaven!
Hi Denise! Well, if the empty pan(s) are any clue, then I think there will be a lot of these in heaven. :-).
These sound fabulous! I would love for you to link up @ my blog hop!
https://cookingwithkaryn.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-makes-you-say-mmmmm-2.html
Thanks, Karyn! I’m a bit swamped, but I’ll see if I can “hop” on by.
You can’t go wrong with coconut! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! Hope you like it!
My “Honey Bunny” is a great Almond Joy fan and he will just love this wonderful treat. My very best wishes to you and your family for a blessed Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again real soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks, Helen – hope he loves them. Seems like Almond Joy is a favorite of many husbands, from what readers have shared (and what my own husband thinks :-)!)
These look wonderful and I appreciate all of the options you’ve given. I’m recently sugar free due to gestational diabetes and still trying to figure out a suitable substitute. I’m, unfortunately, allergic to stevia- I think I may need to do some research on some of the other alternatives you mentioned. Thank you!
Julie,
What are your symptoms from stevia? I thought that I was allergic to it for quite awhile and it appears now that there were other things going on. Also, it can be really important which stevia you use as their processing methods can create allergic responses. Have you tried the NuNaturals or Sweetleaf that I mentioned in the post? I’d be happy to tell you more about the other options. Coconut sugar may work for you, but I would be more apt to try vegetable glyerine, yacon, xylitol or erythritol.
To be honest I only tried it once (@ 7 years ago) but my mouth and nose started tingling like crazy immediately- I was afraid to try it again. I didn’t try the brands you mentioned, it was a no name brand from the health food store. I’d love to hear about the other options… do you have any posts on them?
Julie, I haven’t written a post on this yet, but I need to. I was having what I thought were serious reactions to stevia. If I ate it I was waking up with puffy eyes and sometimes I would feel irritated just opening a bottle of it. I scoured the internet and made a lot of phone calls and turned up some compelling information about it being related to ragweed and pretty much hung up the gloves about it and thought that I was “doomed” to eating other more expensive and not so healthy alternatives (like xylitol and erythritol). I still do eat those others (I prefer mixing alternative sweeteners for better taste, texture and to offset any safety concerns about any one of them), but here is what happened. I talked at length w/ Sweetleaf about their stevia extract. They said that theirs is produced using only water and while they hedged themselves, they said that they had never heard of anyone having allergic responses. The practitioner whom I am working with said that my physical responses sounded more like aluminum detox and that she really thought that that is what was going on with me. Well, I went off of stevia for awhile, continued with my detox and now I am eating stevia all the time and don’t feel any different. I knew from my previous research that NuNaturals has a very clean processing method as well (I think it is only water as well, but I don’t recall) and I have yet to purchase Sweetlear, but I am going to soon.
I’d be happy to share more about the detox if you think that would help you. There is a lot of aluminum coming out in my hair and a number of health issues are clearing up. Of course, you would have to be very careful about the stevia trial and if you are concerned that you might be anaphylactic, you should only try it in the presence of an allergist. My son has life threatening allergies to a number of foods so I know how serious they can be. Here are the links to NuNaturals and Sweetleaf. I hope that helps!
Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I really appreciate it. I will look into trying NuNaturals or Sweetleaf. At the time when I tried stevia I was going through a detox myself and was highly reactive in general, so I may be ok now and you’re right that it could be the processing.
I’ll be very interested to hear how you do. I wish you lived nearby – I’d let you try some of mine :-)!
Can you check out this sugar to see if it would be acceptable for those following a candida diet?
(Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.) You know way more than I do on this topic. We are new to this way of eating.
I’ve seen products like that. The only question I would have is the fructose. If you use a lot of it – no. You will also likely get gas from the inulin. Have you seen my DIY Truvia? I think you would save a ton of money using that instead.
Stopped over from Ekat’s Kitchen! As a TRUE coconut lover, my mouth DROOLED at the title and picture, but I just love, love, love that you made these health friendlier! what a treat:)
Hope you enjoy them, Donna! Thanks for the kind comment!
These look absolutely decadent. I can’t wait to try them on my kiddos (and husband)! And I love coconut. Thanks for sharing!
Hope you love them – nice blog, by the way. I had a home birth :-).
I love these. Thank you for including options for all the substitutes. It makes it ultra easy to make based on whatever I happen to have.
You’re welcome, France. Thanks for stopping by!
Mmm. I love Mounds. This would be a great replacement that is healthier.
Thanks for linking up to Making It With Allie this week! I can’t wait to see what you have for next week!
AllieMakes.Blogspot.com
Hi there! We love(d) those too :-). I am sure you will love them!
Big. Fat. Yum. These look so incredibly fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Laura! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do :-).
Sounds yummy, I love coconut oil! Thanks for sharing at Beyond The Picket Fence.
Hi Becky. I have used mainly the non-coconutty coconut oil, but I think either one would be great in this dessert. Take care!
OMG! They look like to die for. I’m keeping this recipe for sure. Now I need to gather those ingredients as they are not very often used in my kitchen.
I sure you will love them. If you have any trouble finding ingredients, let me know. And I think they should become regulars in your pantry :-).
You have the best recipes! Thanks again!
Thanks for the kind words. Hope you like them :-).
I am assuming that you mean for the topping to say….. 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla? Just checking cause it was omitted. We loved your first version, can’t wait to try the new one!!
Yes, Amanda. That was an oops. Just reminding me and everyone else that I am not perfect (uh, I guess everyone knew that already :-)!) I hope you like this one better – I’d love to know what you think!
Oh Boy! Adrienne, my hubby loves Almond Joy, but so bad for him. This would be a sweet healthy version for him. I might even take a piece. Love coconut anything.
Thanks, Chris – Almond Joy is my hubby’s favorite as well?
Adriene,
These look really yummy. I will be making these with carob and stevia!
Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Jeanie
You’re welcome! Your German Chocolate cake looks great too (just visited your blog :-)).
Looks delish! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Julie! These are really great!
Oh YUMMMMMMMMM! Picture is a great sell!
Hope the taste is a great sell as well :-). Hope you are well!
I just love how you lay out all the options. It makes it easy for people who are just starting out. This sounds yummy. I may have to work this into my holiday baking!
Oh thanks, Beth. It is hard for me to remember all the options. I always wonder if I am being “too healthy” for some readers. I want the good things to be do-able. Make extras – I made 2 batches the other day and they are gone :-)..
Oh wow…nothing beats coconut and chocolate!! I am making these with my sister who adores this combo too!
Hi Tessa.
We feel the same way. I make them w/ carob and they are excellent. I am hoping to post another nice chocolate / coconut combo in the not-too distant future. :-).