Chocolate Crunch Bars are a quick, easy and fool-proof recipe which takes minutes to whip up- Now they have a ketogenic and low carb makeover! A chocolate base loaded with nuts, seeds, and shredded coconut! The ultimate healthy homemade paleo and sugar free chocolate snack or dessert. Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Keto.
We are big fans of homemade crunch bars around here. It also includes the kit kat crunch bars, the S’mores crunch bars, and the cornflake crunch bars.
A low carb and ketogenic chocolate version was the next one on my list!
MY OTHER RECIPES
This recipe was actually trialed a few months ago. When I had started playing around with the ketogenic diet (and failing with it), I bought a little too many low carb nuts and seeds (for snacking purposes).
I had a plethora of them to use up in a short time frame so I thought…
“Why don’t I just cover them in chocolate and snack on them like that?”
It wasn’t that simple though. For those of you who’ve made homemade sugar free chocolate, it’s ALL about the measurements and the taste. Using a different brand of sticky sweetener can greatly yield a different result. Adding too many larger nuts or nuts can leave the paleo chocolate crunch bars crumbly and difficult to cut up.
As such, I did some troubleshooting, tried out a few variations and have all the results below. Let’s face it- I want you to be able to make the best healthy homemade crunch bars!
How to make keto-friendly chocolate
To make homemade keto chocolate bars (or a melted mixture to use in this recipe), you only need THREE ingredients-
- Coconut Oil
- Cocoa Powder
- A monk fruit sweetened maple syrup
This homemade chocolate is actually quite difficult to firm up for the ketogenic friendly option. I tried this recipe here, which worked much better in terms of keeping it firm.
How to make homemade paleo and vegan chocolate
To make homemade paleo friendly and dairy free bars, you only need THREE ingredients-
- Coconut Oil
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- A refined sugar free liquid sweetener of choice
I prefer using pure maple syrup or agave nectar, as they yielded the best texture for the homemade crunch bars.
To make homemade paleo and vegan chocolate- 1 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and 1/3 cup refined sugar free sweetener of choice (maple syrup, agave, and brown rice syrup).
Low carb and keto friendly nuts and seeds
While most nuts and seeds are naturally low carb, some are more suitable than others, purely for the overall flavor combination of the recipe.
The best nuts to use- Raw unsalted pecans, walnuts and chopped hazelnuts are your best options and all are under 2 grams of carbs (per serving). Almonds and cashews are a little higher in carbs, but both of them work great.
If you aren’t strictly paleo, chopped peanuts are also suitable.
The best seeds to use- Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds would all be perfect to use in these crunch bars. I prefer using pumpkin and sunflower seeds, purely for the crunch factor they provide.
Paleo, Vegan and Keto-friendly Store Bought Baking Chocolate
While I do preach making your own recipes from scratch, I don’t have any qualms about using healthy packaged chocolate chips for baking.
The following options below have all been tried and tested, and depending on which brand you choose, can be paleo, dairy free, ketogenic friendly, low carb and sugar free.
- 100% Baking Chocolate– this is my preferred chocolate for the recipe, as although it is bitter, is completely dairy free and keto-friendly. You won’t need to worry about sweetness, as that will come in the form of the chocolate hazelnut butter and sticky sweetener.
- Keto-friendly chocolate chips– These stevia sweetened chocolate chips melt beautifully and don’t leave you with a bitter aftertaste.
- Dairy Free, Paleo and Vegan chocolate chips– My favorite type of chocolate chips to use in any recipe, they melt well and taste great!
TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT HOMEMADE CRUNCH BARS
- For the homemade chocolate hazelnut spread, the recipe is included here.
- Store bought chocolate hazelnut spreads work well- This one is paleo and sugar free and this one is a nut-free alternative.
- For the best homemade keto crunch bars, use store-bought chocolate chips/baking chocolate
- If making your own chocolate from scratch, ensure the bars are stored in the freezer at all times
- If you use store-bought chocolate chips, they can be kept refrigerated and individually wrapped at room temperature.
This quick and easy homemade chocolate crunch bar recipe is a keeper. You’ve loved my original version (which is naturally gluten-free and vegan) and now have this delicious paleo, ketogenic and sugar free one. Loaded full of crunchy nuts, seeds and coconut and needing just minutes- You have no excuses!
The ultimate healthy keto dessert to keep you satisfied between meals or after dinner!
More delicious easy no bake ketogenic desserts? Gotcha covered!
- 3 Ingredient Chocolate Coconut Keto Cups
- Coconut Crack Bars
- 4 Ingredient Chocolate Coconut Crack Bars
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Crack
- Almond Butter Keto Cups
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Homemade Keto Chocolate Crunch Bars (Paleo, Vegan, Low Carb)
Homemade Keto Chocolate Crunch Bars (Paleo, Vegan, Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips of choice I used stevia sweetened keto friendly chocolate chips
- 1 cup almond butter Can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
- 1/2 cup sticky sweetener of choice * See notes
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3 cups nuts and seeds of choice almonds, cashews, pepitas etc
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, combine your chocolate chips of choice, almond butter, sticky sweetener and coconut oil and melt until combined.
- Add your nuts/seeds of choice and mix until fully combined. Pour the keto crunch bar mixture into the lined baking dish and spread out using a spatula. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.
Notes
Nutrition
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These bars look so crunchy and so delicious!
Woul you add the amount of sugar or sugar free in each bar? Thanks
It depends on which option you choose, best to use myfitnesspal for specifics 🙂 Enjoy!
Wud it b fine if also add rice krispies? Cos looking at ur pix i m getting the impression that these r ferrero rocher bars! Yum!
That sounds fabulous, my friend!
How many servings does this make per your nutrition for 1bar? Do you cut the 8×8 pan into 6 bars or 8?
As many as you like- You can adjust the macros to fit as many bars as you slice them into! 🙂
Could you use cocoa instead of chocolate??
No, that won’t produce anything resembling melted chocolate.
Can you use something like Swerve instead of a liquid sugar?
Not for this recipe- The sticky sweetener helps it be smooth.
Is there anyway to make this stick together/hold without the sweetener? I have SIBO and have been told by my consultant to avoid all sweeteners, even natural ones ?
It’s needed for the recipe 🙂
Bummer! ? Could I perhaps improvise with sticking it together with some egg white and adding vanilla extract to sweeten?
I haven’t tried so feel free to experiment and see
Can you use oatmeal with the nuts ?
Sure can buddy!
Thank you! The bars are soooo good and rich. They really satisfy my need for chocolate.
😀 Love it!
I made these 2 weeks ago and they’re my new obsession. I’m making another batch next week because I’m running low. So good!
😀 LOVE IT!
Can u replace coconut oil with olive oil ?
You’d be better off using butter!
I just finished making these awesome bars. How many servings does a pan make. Thanks in advance
Hi Jenny! 8-12 depending on how big you want them 🙂
These bars are amazing! I make them once a week and it curbs all my cravings. Thanks a million
Delicous! I added ground flax seed and they are still nice and crunchy. Thank you for the great recipe!
That sounds like a fabulous addition 🙂
Is that three cups of combined nuts or three of each nut.
Hi it is combined!