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.
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.
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.
- Multiple Sweeteners: Using more than one alternative to sugar results in 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 about that issue 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'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.
- THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is an “S.”
- 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 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, and they're peanut-free 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 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.
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!
Recipe:
“1/4 cup granulated sweetener or appropriate substitute
6 Tbsp carob or cocoa powder
3 Tbsp sweetener”
Sweetener is listed 2X – are both quantities included in the base?
Yes, they are both included. Here’s why: https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
Going through you archives is dangerous 😉 These look SO good! I love Almond Joys and a healthy option is perfect!
You are too sweet Mary Frances!
I am making these, I am wondering if I did something wrong because my topping is not “thickening”. It more flaky. Did I do something wrong, or is it suppose to be that way. I guess I imagined it to be more of a frosting consistency.
it’s quite solid. Maybe you need more coconut oil? Sometimes depending on the coconut I have trouble w/ it sticking together.
Hi, I too love this recipe. Thank you for sharing. I made my first batch last night and after freezing i had a hard time cutting out squares. Then i let it warm up and the chocolate was too soft even stick to the coconut topping. I did use palm oil which is a bit softer than coconut oil. I often make chocolat at home and what i have learned, when i want the chocolate to solidify at room temperature i use cocoa butter. The next time i make this i am going to use cocoa butter in place of coconut oil. This will make the bars easier to travel with.
How many carb are in these. please. Have a grandson with diabetes and would like to know. Thank-you
If you use an alternative sweetener and cocoa there should be very few carbs. Carob and a high glycemic sweetener would be a source of heavy carbs. Does that help?
I have to say this.. your site is just amazing… I can trail all over and find such good information. I end up losing the page I started on and have to find my way back… I can’t wait to try these Almond Joys.
I would love to pick your brain sometime on the essential oils and how you use them for healing purposes. Is there a book you found that contains that information?
Best Wishes
Denise
sorry for the delay. There is one mentioned in my Thieves giveaway post and if you search Healing Intelligence on my blog you can find another. Working on a post right now. thanks.
I recently found your blog and had a question about your recipes. Usually there are 2 different types of sweeteners listed. If I don’t want to use Stevia, but coconut sugar or sucanat, do I just add that extra. So this recipe would be 1/4 cup plus 3 TBS? Thanks!
Just add the two together :). I do that b/c it works better to use 2 different types of sweeteners together when using alternative non glycemic ones. But you can use what you like :)!
This recipe is DELISH… On day 4 of Sugar Free and I am a dessert fanatic. Thanks for all the yummy recipes its making my life easier 🙂
Niiiiiiice. Made these for Father’s Day. SO dang good. I added some sea salt to supercharge the yummy sweetness. Also, doubled the batch so that it would make thicker bars. Yehaw!
Happy to hear! Sea salt in them or on top? Love the doubling idea!
Making these right now – curious if there is supposed to be two separate sweeteners in the cocoa/carob base?
You can do either as long as you make the sweetening amount what you would like.