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!
Yum, these sound really good! I’ve never used stevia before, but I’ve heard some good things about it so I may give it a try.
I think you’ll really like them – make sure you get a good brand of stevia, though. Check out the recommended brands on my post. I’ll have to do a whole post on that soon :-).
Thank you for bringing your health savvy and culinary talent to Rook No. 17. I’m featuring your post on my Facebook page today!
Jenn
You’re so kind – thanks!
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.
Thanks – hope you like them!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Oh, yum, I will have to try these 🙂
Check back later tonight when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
I hope you do try them and like them as much as we do :-).
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
Thanks for stopping by, Jill!
These look wonderful! I love how recipes evolve over the years – I often find that happens with my recipes too. Thank you for sharing your almond joy candy with the Gallery of Favorites!
Thanks, April! I hope you enjoy them! My recipes don’t evolve that much typically, except for allergy or dietary changes, but when a reader told me that she had made them better, I revisited the issue :-).
Hi, I loved this recipe so much I included it in my recipe roundup today 😉
I hope you don’t mind. xo
https://www.lifeologia.com/recipe-roundup-healthy-desserts/
Not at all – it’s a good one! Thanks for highlighting it!
I have been searching for healthier treat alternatives for Christmas and love anything that has coconut in it! I have these pinned and will be making them at a treat swap party. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thanks for the pin! Let me know how you like them!
I made these over the weekend and they are delicious! I cut them into super small squares which is perfect for a bite sized treat after supper. Yum!
Thanks for taking the time to come back and tell me! I think they’re great too!
This caught my eye! Healthy treats are guilt-free! Looks delicious!
Hope you like them! Thanks!
That’s so great! I’d love it for you to add this to my linky party at {https://sassafrassalvation.blogspot.com/2011/11/sunday-salvation-show-1.html}.
Thanks, Kathy. I’ll see what I can do. I am under the weather today and plain old swamped but I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks for sharing on FF! Hope you have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy the family!
You’re welcome! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Yum! Almond Joy is our favorite candy bar in this house. I think this would go over smashingly well and be much healthier, to boot!
I so hope you enjoy them!
The picture totally made me drool!! These sound so yummy and I love that they’re healthy – can’t wait to make some! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
You’re welcome! I guess this recipe goes w/ your blog’s title, eh? :-). Enjoy!
Those look too good to healthy! I cannot wait to try it.
Hope you like them :-).
These look and sound AMAZING!!!! I am making these this holiday season…even if I am the only person in my family who ADORES coconut 🙂 More for me!
Found you through Jill’s Fitness Friday 🙂
Thanks – I hope you like them. We all love coconut here, so no leftovers :-).
Thanks for linking up. this week!
You’re welcome!
These look incredible. Almond Joys are one of my favorite candies, but I rarely indulge. Thank you for sharing this with the Gallery.
Hi Alea. Hope you like them :-). At least if you indulge in these you are getting good things into your body.
I made these today…and they are SO delicious! WAY better than the original in my opinion!! Could I share it on my blog? Also…you might want to suggest being careful to not burn the chocolate mixture. I almost did…I had to re-cook it after i poured it as it was still very gritty from the sugar not being totally dissolved. I re-heated it slowly and whisked until smooth. I also toasted 1/2 of the coconut only b/c I LOVE toasted coconut flavor! I only had grated coconut on hand and figured it would be more popular with the kiddos b/c of the chewy texture of flakes. T=Really Adrienne…this was fantastic…thanks for inspiring me!
Yea – Tessa, I am so glad. I agree. Much better than the first recipe. I need to go and redirect folks from that older posts. You are right about watching for burning the chocolate base. It can happen quite quickly. I am so glad to hear this from you. I love it when readers let me know that what I’ve written has helped. :-). Of course you may share it. Thanks.
oh man!! I definitely want to try these! They look delicious! Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! I hope you like them as much as we do!
These look good. Love Almond Joy and nice to have a way to get them lower fat and lower sugar. Awesome!
Hope you like it, Elle!