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:
- Different options for the bar shapes
- Can be prepared in about 5 minutes
- 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 1/2" x 2 1/2" 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 1/2" x 2 1/2" 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 1/2" 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!
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Crunch Bars
Ingredients
For the chocolate:
- 1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons organic coconut oil
For the add-ins:
- 1 cup organic gluten-free brown rice cereal
- 1 pinch Himalayan pink salt
Instructions
For the chocolate:
- Add the ingredients for the chocolate to a small saucepan and melt on the lowest heat, stirring the entire time and taking care to not let it burn.
Assembly:
- Add the add-ins to a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal and gently stir until it's well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the candy mold of your choice or to a 9 x 5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper and spread it evenly.
- Place the candy mold or loaf pan in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes, or until it hardens. If using a loaf pan, cut into (6) bars.
- Store in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve because they will get soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" 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 1/2" x 4" in size.
Nutrition Information
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home™ website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based and Medical Medium® compliant recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
Daphne says
Do you think Bob's Red Mill Brown Rice Farina Creamy Rice Cereal will work? And does it need to be cooked?
Karielyn says
Hi there Daphne! I've never used or tasted the Brown Rice Farina Creamy Rice Cereal before so I don't know for sure if it would work. But the rice cereal I used in the bars gives them a "crunch", very similar to a Nestle Crunch Bar. I googled a photo of the Brown Rice Farina Cream Rice Cereal to see what it looked like and it looks like it has a ground/flaky texture and might not work if you want the "crunch". I would not try it cooked because it definitely would lose the crunch.
Thank you for your question and I hope you are able to try the recipe 🙂
Puja says
Hi. Can I add vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder to these?
Thanks
Karielyn says
Hi there Puja! Yes! You can add either organic pure vanilla extract or organic 100% vanilla bean powder to the recipe to enhance the flavor.
I would add either 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon if you decide to give it a try.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Angie - WhippedGreenGirl says
Wow! Super impressed by your writing styles and how you present your information. AMAZING post & facts. Pinning this now! 🙂
Karielyn says
Hi there Angie! You are so sweet! Thanks so much and I appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Vicki Montague says
These look utterly delicious...it is just a shame they have the rice pops in them because we avoid rice in our house. Bringing up a coeliac child means that she can have far too much rice very easily...which is high in arsenic. Perhaps I will just make them without!
Karielyn says
Hi there Vicki! Is there any other type of clean cereal she can eat (other than rice)? Maybe you could substitute with another cereal with a different grain (quinoa?) to get the crunch.
Another idea is to use chia seeds, flax seeds and/or hemp seeds which will give it a little crunch and would be even healthier than the brown rice cereal too.
I hope you can find a way to make them work...they are really good 🙂
Vicky says
Hi Karielyn,
I was just wondering how these hold up at room temperature. Since they're nut free, they would be perfect for my kids to take to school, but I'm not sure how they would hold up.
Thanks!
Karielyn says
Hi there Vicky! Although these are a "clean eating" snack and a much better alternative to traditional S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) candy bars, unfortunately, they aren't really travel-friendly or lunch box-friendly. The chocolate and coconut oil will get soft once it's exposed to room temperature 🙁
They are excellent, though, to keep at home in the freezer and pull out whenever you need a healthy snack.
I applaud you for thinking of this recipe to send to school as a healthy snack for their lunch box (yay!) when it's so much easier to just pack processed junk from the store. I wonder if you have a little container for their lunch boxes to put some chia pudding in? It only uses maybe 3 ingredients (milk, chia seeds, sweetener of your choice) and you could add fresh fruit to it. I use almond milk when I make mine, but since you can't bring nuts to school, maybe rice milk or hemp milk? Unless you don't need it to be vegan and have a way to keep it cool, you could just use regular dairy.
Thanks for your question and I hope you give them a try for an at-home treat 🙂
Heidi says
made these to take to a movie with my niece and nephew. Was so fun to have a fun and healthy treat on our outing! Thank you!!
Karielyn says
Hi there Heidi! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and was able to use it for a healthy treat...especially at the movies!
Thanks for trying out the recipe and for taking the time to let me know you liked it...I really appreciate it 😉
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Chocolate bars that are healthy?! Definitely a recipe I need to try!
Karielyn says
Hi there Thalia! I know...it's hard to believe but it's true 😉
PS...I just ~love~ your website, it's so very beautiful!