Homemade Keto Chocolate Crunch Bars (Paleo, Vegan, Low Carb)
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!
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
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!
Wasn’t sure how to comment other then hitting reply to another comment. When you melt the ingredients in the microwave is it supposed to be really runny? Mine is
Hi! It should be, because then it’s melted and you add the nuts and seeds!
These are DELICIOUS! My non-LC hubby loves them! finally something we both can enjoy. thank you!
LOVE IT! Thank you so much for the feedback!
I just made your bar recipe, how easy and quick. I know they’ll be good. Thanks for the recipe
:D:D Cheers!
I’m trying this today. Funny how I would stir in 1 or 2 cups of brown rice krispies. What do you think?
Sure, if you can tolerate grains 🙂
I am very into keto chocolate crunch bars but have NO idea where you can BUY ALMOND BUTTER OR WHAT BRAND OF COCONUT OIL to buy, bought coconut oil a while ago and it was terrible and when you say stevia sweetened keto friendly chocolate chips that is another whammy, where are you buying this stuff and here in Florida they just don’t have that in my area and I really do not what to go on the computer to order this with all the Facebook problems…All I’ve ever used is Nestles choc chips/Hersey’s coco FYI…Thanks
Sandy, I’ve linked everything in the post.
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! 🙂
We just don’t know the size of bar you used to get your macros for the serving size
nevermind I see it’s 20 servings 🙂
Could you use cocoa instead of chocolate??
No, that won’t produce anything resembling melted chocolate.
What am I missing? I don’t see anywhere in the ingredients list to use Rice Krispies, but the video shows you using them. And how are those paleo or kept friendly?
Hi the video is showing a similar recipe, not this recipe 🙂
Hi, I may be overlooking it, but I see shredded coconut in the description but I can’t find it in the ingredients or instructions. How much do you use and does it matter what kind? Having a party with some fellow Keto friends and I can’t wait to show up with this! Thank you.
Hi! You can use as much as you to as long as the nuts/seeds/coconuts meet up to 3 cups! 🙂
What are the measurements for the 3-ingrediant homemade chocolate as a substitute for chocolate chips?
Recipe has been updated to include that!
How much mink fruit or swerve sweetener would I use?
I haven’t tried it with that, but taste it and adjust accordingly.
Could you use a powdered sweetener such as erythritol instead of a sticky sweetener?
That won’t work and will yield crumbly bars. But feel free to try that but be careful with cutting it 🙂
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 🙂
Hello finding it hard to liquid sweet can it be improvised dying to try your recipes
Hi! This is the only one I’ve tried- Omitting it will yield crumbly results.
Do you use a specific crispy rice cereal? and what kind do you recommend? thank you
Hi, this doesn’t use rice cereal 🙂 But I like brown rice crispy cereal
This was delicious! I didn’t have sticky sweetener, so i added 2 Tablespoons chia seeds and used granule sweetener. Came out great! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
You are so welcome, Olivia! 🙂
Is that three cups of combined nuts or three of each nut.
Hi it is combined!
First time caller, lone time listener… ? Looove your recipes, have made many (and veganized them – sorry, I used the “V” word). Quick thought, hemp seeds….do you think I should decrease the volume using them since they are more ‘dense’ packed in a cup?
Thanks!
-VV
Hi there! I would still keep it the same, but I’m not too familiar with hemp! The beauty of these bars is that you can decrease the crunchy add-ins and it will still be fine 😉
The ones with rice krispies are not keto ( the video) only nuts and seeds would work
I dont undertand.. if I make the chocolate myself, the recepie is still the same? I have to wait for the chocolate to firm to use it? Because now it is liquid so if I keep adding the ingredientes for the bars I believe its going to be more liquid..
You need to make the chocolate separate, it’s easier to just use keto chocolate chips.
If I use baking chocolate, how many ounces? 9, as in the same number of ounces in 1 1/2 cups of chips? Trying to figure out why my chocolate mixture was so thick. Tastes good…
Hi there! Exactly the same as the chocolate chips, so weigh it out
Oh my gosh..yum! & So simple . I used honey for the sweetener , semi sweet baking chocolate and a vanilla almond butter.
Thank you
😀 You are so welcome!
Hi….I have made these a few times…they are delicious…however I made them again today and the chocolate mixture didn’t liquify it looked more like cookie dough, just wondering why that may have happened? They are still good, but a little crumbly….I used all the same ingredients that I used the first two times!!
Hmmm not sure…perhaps you used bad quality chocolate or an older quality one.
Do you chop the nuts up or keep them whole?
I used Coconut oil, Almond butter (order from Amazon), Keto chocolate Chips (Amazon) & Walden Farm Syrup. Added nuts, oats & sunflower kernels & it is smooth & fabulous. Satisfies any chocolate craving you would
ever have.
That sounds fabulous!
I’m kinda new to Keto , but I don’t understand how the syrup is okay since it is literally pure sugar. Natural or not I’m not sure how one can stay in Ketosis if sugar needs to be cut out all together (or almost all together)?
If you can please explain that would be most helpful 🙂
KEto maple syrup is used, not another kind.
Hi can we use a dark chocolate instead of making our own chocolate
Of course you can, Wendy 🙂