Clean Eating Chocolate Crunch Bars

These Gluten-Free Vegan Clean Eating Chocolate Crunch Bars are an easy and healthy recipe made with only 4 clean real food ingredients. They're the perfect plant-based no-bake dessert that can be prepared in about 5 minutes and made with either a candy bar mold or standard 9 x 5 loaf pan!

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Crunch Bars

Here's why this recipe works - my top 3 reasons:

1. Different options for the bar shapes
2. Can be prepared in about 5 minutes
3. Made with clean, real food ingredients

Different Options The Bar Shapes

There are two different options you can use to shape the chocolate bars:

• 1 ½" x 2 ½" chocolate bar mold
• 9 x 5 loaf pan

Both options will yield (6) pieces but the chocolate bar mold will give you thicker bars.

Make sure you see my notes in the Expert Tips" section below for more details.

Can Be Prepared In About 5 Minutes

You can make a quick batch of these in about 5 minutes using two simple steps.

For example, simply melt the chocolate chips, then stir everything together in a mixing bowl.

After that, they just need about 30 minutes to harden in the freezer!

Made With Only 4 Clean, Real Food Ingredients

My Chocolate Crunch Bars will be your new best friend if you are used to eating the popular store-bought "Nestle Crunch Milk Chocolate Candy Bars".

They are the perfect example of how you don't have to eat processed foods with GMO ingredients when you can make your own homemade version.

Transforming processed store-bought foods into clean eating snacks is just a matter of replacing the unhealthy, highly processed ingredients with clean, real ingredients.

For some examples, make sure you check out some of my other healthy chocolate "copycat" treats like Healthy Peanut Butter Cups, Vegan Snickers Bars, and Healthy Peanut Butter Bon Bons.

Did you know that the original Nestle Crunch Milk Chocolate Candy Bar is not vegan?

It's true and it's because it contains dairy ingredients.

Here's the ingredient list for the popular store-bought chocolate crunch bar:

S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Nestle Crunch Milk Chocolate Candy Bar Ingredients: Milk Chocolate, Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Non-Fat, Lactose, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, Flavors Artificial Vanillin, Rice Crisp, Rice Flour, Sugar, Barley Malt, Salt

My healthier version is made with only 4 clean real food ingredients such as organic gluten-free brown rice cereal, coconut oil, vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips and a pinch of Himalayan pink salt.

It's a plant-based dessert that's vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, no-bake, and contains no refined sugar.

How To Make Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Crunch Bars: Step-by-Step Instructions

Here is how to make this recipe and I'll show you with step-by-step instructions below.

Step 1: Prepare The Chocolate

Firstly, add all the ingredients for the chocolate to a small saucepan and melt on the lowest heat.

Stir it the entire time and take care to not let it burn.

Step 2: Mix All Ingredients Together

Secondly, add the add-in ingredients to a medium-size mixing bowl.

Pour in the melted chocolate and gently stir until it's evenly distributed.

Step 3: Assembly

Thirdly, transfer the mixture to the candy bar mold of your choice or a 9 x 5 loaf dish lined with parchment paper.

Either method will work and the bars will taste the same, but the shape and thickness will vary.

If using a 9 x 5 baking dish, spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan.

Step 4: Transfer To The Freezer

Fourthly, transfer the candy mold or loaf pan to the freezer for approximately 30 minutes, or until the bars harden.

If you are using a candy mold they will pop out easily.

In addition, if you are using a loaf pan, you will need to cut them into (6) bars.

Step 5: How To Store The Candy Bars

Lastly, store the bars in an air-tight BPA-free container in the freezer until ready to serve.

They will get soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature.

Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions For Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Crunch Bars

Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:

Brown Rice Cereal. There are a couple of different brands of gluten-free brown rice cereal you can use in this recipe. For example, this one and this one are great options and they are both organic.

Chocolate Chips. I like to use Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, however, you can also use standard-size chocolate chips in the same amount.

Coconut Oil. If you don't like the taste or smell of coconut oil, you can use organic refined coconut oil which has zero coconut taste or smell. In addition, if you don't like coconut oil at all or don't have any on hand, it can be omitted from the recipe.

Himalayan Pink Salt. This is my salt of preference, however, you can always substitute with sea salt.

Candy Bar Mold vs. Loaf Pan. Either one will work fine and the candy bars will taste the same. Here are the differences:

• 1 ½" x 2 ½" Candy Bar Mold - the bars will be thicker. Keep in mind there are many different candy bar mold shapes to choose from so if you use a different size mold you may get more or less than (6) bars.
• 9 x 5 Loaf Pan - the bars will be thinner but wider and about 1 ½" x 4" in size.

Want More Healthy Plant-Based No-Bake Dessert Recipes?

Check out these:   

• Apricot and Date Protein Truffles 
• Vanilla Bean Peanut Butter Protein Balls 
• Raw Vegan Lemon Meltaway Balls
• or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based vegan + gluten-free no-bake dessert recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!