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!
Is your recipe for the topping missing some more liquid like coconut milk? When you just have oil and coconut there is nothing left in there to simmer. The texture of the topping is very dry, not like your photo as another person commented. Other recipes I’ve found have more liquid or something else added. What I made didn’t look like your photo at all so after putting it in the freezer I poured some coconut milk on top and put it back in the freezer. We will see how it turns out.
Hi there. Can you tell me the sites where you have seen other similar recipes? I have seen 1 that actually had less coconut oil than mine. Coconut oil will simmer when it gets heated. I know that sometimes when I make this I feel the topping is too thick and other times it works out great. I am not sure what happened. I would think your bars will have very solid frozen coconut milk that isn’t mixed in but I hope that they work. Let me know….
The base layer turned out fine but the top layer did not look at all like the picture. Once I added the vanilla the coconut lost it’s pure white color. The oil did not thicken and I tried X-gum and gluccie both. Simmering it resulted in a toasting the coconut so I quit trying to thicken and simply added it to the base and drizzled the melted oil on top. It harden in the freezer but is not all uniform and while like pictured.
Hi there. Sorry you weren’t happy w/ the results. Mine doesn’t thicken that much. In fact sometimes it’s pretty messy. I might have to work on it more but I heat mine on a low temp so it doesn’t toast. If it does, it’s still yummy or even moreso. I go for taste more than appearance. But I understand wanting a nice looking treat. Hope you enjoyed it regardless.
How about adding cornstarch, would that work?
Yes!
I haven’t made this yet, but I’ve made another “Almond Joy Bar” recipe, which includes full fat Coconut Milk, but no arrowroot or coconut oil.
I wonder if there’s too much oil in this recipe for the coconut mixture to set up., The arrowroot powder is a thickener. You could add a bit more arrowroot to see how it affects top layer or try another version with the same amount of Coconut Milk, omitting the coconut oil. (Adrienne: FYI: I am not trying to remake your recipe! Just trying to come up with a solution.)
Hello Mira – thanks for the comment and sorry for not responding sooner. I’m a bit confused–could you explain, please? Does the recipe you use set up at room temp? Thanks!
These “almond joy” treats are now my favorite low carb treat. Have now made it twice and I absolutely love it. Thank you
Yay! I’m making some tonight for my husband. He’s under the weather and has a BIG deadline tomorrow and needs a pick me up! I could use one too :).
How long does the base take to harden in the freezer? Thanks!
Oh I don’t know. Depends on how warm it was to begin with and how cold your freezer is.
Do you have the Nutrition facts? How much carbs?
I’m not sure if you already got a response – I responded earlier but I don’t see my response now. I don’t have this available but am looking at it. It’s complicated since I give so many alternatives. For now I would recommend inputting the ingredients that you use into an online calculator. I am not confident in the accuracy of the ones I have found for my blog. Thanks!
these look so yummy! need to give these a go!
Love Holly Jade at http://www.thelittleblogofvegan.com
Hello Holly. Sorry for not responding sooner – I’ve been so swamped and am trying to catch up. I hope you tried these and liked them. I just popped over to your blog – it’s lovely.
Take care and hope to see you around again!
Where might I find the nutritional info for this recipe?
Hi Danna. Thanks for reading!
I would recommend plugging the ingredients into a nutritional info site. Typically I have so many alternatives that I don’t post that information but I am considering it. Thanks!
Thank you found the recipe for almond joy bars. I love coconut oil and healthy recipes I Also have MS.so I am hoping kenetics helps me.
Oh good. What was happening? Do you mean ketogenic diet? I was just reading about that the other day. I had an MS scare years ago. I hope you do better!
Yes. Ketogenic.
I do not see the recipe for almond joy bars.
Hi Sherry,
Can you tell me what you mean, please? The recipe is in the post. If you can’t see it can you tell me if you are on mobile or desktop and what you are seeing? Thanks!
Just came cross your site its just amazing.Glad I found your site.Always healthy option is perfect. Can’t wait to try these Almond joys. Thank Xx
I hope you like them. Thanks!!