Healthy Almond Joy Bars (Sugar-Free & Keto)
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These Healthy Almond Joy bars are a chocolate and coconut lover’s dream. They’re an easy no-bake treat with a rich chocolate layer, coconut topping, and crunchy almonds. They’re naturally dairy-free and can easily be made sugar-free, keto, paleo, and vegan.
Since they’re made as bars, you can skip the dipping of many homemade candy bars, but still have an amazing treat to enjoy any time of day.
Why You’ll Love These Sugar-Free Almond Joy 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.
If you love the combination of chocolate, coconut, and almonds but want something easier than individually coated homemade candy bars, this 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 sweetener 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: This recipe is quite forgiving. Granulated low-carb sweeteners such as xylitol or allulose can be used, and you can use a little less of the bulk sweetener and add stevia extract to reach your preferred sweetness.
- Using Stevia: Pure stevia extracts vary considerably in strength, so start with a very small amount and adjust to taste. Stevia works especially well here combined with another sweetener rather than supplying all of the sweetness by itself.
- Using Liquid Sweeteners: Liquid sweeteners can work, but adding too much may make the bars softer. Start with less and add stevia if additional sweetness is needed.
- 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’ve used homemade almond butter, homemade 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.
- Keto/Low-carb: This recipe as written fits these diets.
- 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 Healthy 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, and they’re peanut-free too!
Healthy Almond Joy Bars (Sugar-Free & Keto)
Ingredients
Chocolate / Carob Base
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup almond butter (or other nut or seed butter)
- 1/2 cup low carb sweetener (or preferred sweetener. See Recipe Notes)
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder (or carob powder)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Coconut Topping
- 1 2/3 cups unsweetened coconut
- 7 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/3 cup low carb sweetener (or preferred 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
Chocolate Base
- Melt the coconut oil and almond butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Add the cocoa powder or carob powder and sweeteners. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add the salt and continue stirring over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into an 8-inch square pan. Place in the freezer while you prepare the coconut topping. The refrigerator will also work, but the base will take longer to firm up.
Coconut Topping
- Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the coconut and stir to combine.
- Add the remaining topping ingredients and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly.
- Once the chocolate base is firm, gently spread the coconut mixture evenly over the top.
- Top with almond halves or slices, if desired. Return the bars to the freezer until firm.
- Let the bars soften slightly before slicing if they are too firm to cut straight from the freezer. Alternatively, you can use a knife dipped in hot water. Cut into 16 squares.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Drizzle with melted low-carb chocolate before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Oil Options: Butter or palm shortening can be substituted for the coconut oil.
- Nut or Seed Butter: Almond butter is especially good in this recipe, but other nut and seed butters work too. Sunflower seed butter and pumpkin seed butter have both worked well.
- Sweetener Options: This recipe is quite forgiving when it comes to sweeteners. Granulated low-carb sweeteners such as xylitol, erythritol, or allulose can be used. Another option is to use a little less of the bulk sweetener and add a small amount of stevia extract to reach your preferred sweetness.
- Using Stevia: Pure stevia extracts vary greatly in strength. If using one, start with a very small amount and adjust to taste. Stevia works especially well here in combination with another sweetener.
- Liquid Sweeteners: Liquid sweeteners, including allulose syrup, can work, but using a large amount may make the bars softer. Start with less and add stevia if more sweetness is needed.
- Xylitol Safety: Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, so keep foods containing xylitol safely away from pets.
- Warm Weather: These bars are best stored chilled. They soften in warm temperatures because of the coconut oil. Cocoa butter can be used for a firmer bar.
- AIP Option: If making an AIP version, use carob instead of cocoa and coconut butter instead of nut or seed butter. This variation has not been tested and will likely produce a firmer bar.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
I’d love to hear what you think of these once you try them!
I can’t wait to make these, and I have all the ingredients on hand. Where did you find a 1/32 tsp scoop? I have the nunaturals stevia extract in a spice jar.
Hi – hope you like them! I have a photo and link to the post now of the scoops that I use. Enjoy!!
This recipe looks amazing! I included it in a round up of 25 gluten free desserts. Thanks for sharing. 🙂 https://www.creativegreenliving.com/2013/03/25-delicious-gluten-free-desserts-that.html
They are really great. I loved your round up and shared it on Facebook – thanks!
Why are these not covered or drizzled in chocolate after they were cut apart? 8-0
Also, maple syrup works fantastic for a sweetener and you would have a liquid to mix the arrowroot powder in..
Nice idea! I am not using maple due to having candida but nice idea!
This looks really good! I’m going to try doing it all in the dehydrator (melting the oil) and make them a raw bar! I’ll let you know! I belong to a raw food group, and we meet for a potluck once a month, so I’ll try these for that meeting!
Thanks!
Sounds great!
Where can one get stevia extract powder?
There’s a link in the post now :).
Hi Adrienne, this looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it! I use Sweetleaf LIquid Stevia…do you know how much I should use to make this recipe using liquid stevia? OR Sweetleaf Stevia in packets? Thanks!!
Kinda hard to tell. This is info from one chart I reference: A pinch to 1/16 teaspoon 2 to 4 drops of liquid stevia. I tend to never use the packets b/c they are so expensive! Did you see my liquid stevia recipe? I find it hard to gauge stevia and even recently I tested a new brand and it was a lot weaker than the one I use. Hope you like it!!! (I’m guessing…. 8-12 drops???)
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes! I made these for Thanksgiving and it was everyone’s favorite.
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear it!
P.S. I used the coconut left over from making coconut milk so it wasn’t nearly as pretty as yours, but it feels great to be learning how to make so many things from a coconut!! =]
Thank you for your recipe! These looked amazing but I could never bring myself to use up almost a cup of my precious coconut oil (I have to have it brought to Guatemala where we are missionaries). After a bit of a hard time during Thanksgiving (first one with no family) and a few months of doing well on Beyond Diet, I decided to make it as a surprise for my husband. It was wonderful! Very rich, so we ate too much, but am looking forward to having a bit with a cup of coffee in a few minutes with the hubby. Thank you again. I look forward to going through your recipes. It’s on my “list”… 😉
Thank you!!
You probably meant to say in the Notes of the recipe: “1 scoop = 32 tsp of sugar rather than 1/32 tsp” ???
What I meant is that a scoop is really small and is 1/32 of a tsp. Does it make sense now? Thanks 🙂