These easy vegan crunch bars only use TWO ingredients! They are simple to make and so, so delicious. No special ingredients needed.
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If you're looking for a recipe that involves making chocolate from scratch, this is not the one for you. But if you want is an easy, delicious, creamy vegan crunch bar recipe, you've come to the right place!
This recipe only uses two simple ingredients: chocolate chips and hazelnuts. I love the nutty, complex flavor that hazelnuts add to these crunch bars, but you can feel free to use your nuts of choice, like peanuts or almonds. You can also use pumpkin seeds for nut-free. Or, for a more traditional crunchy bar, use rice crispies, and skip the toasting step.
The secret to making vegan chocolate bars in a flash is to use dairy-free chocolate chips. No need to make the chocolate from scratch!
Sure, you can mix cocoa powder and cocoa butter to make your own from-scratch chocolate. But I wanted this recipe to be as easy as possible and use ingredients that you can find at a regular grocery store.
If you need help choosing vegan chocolate chips, I have a section below that will walk you through it. They're pretty easy to find, even at regular grocery stores.
If you want to make more candy from scratch, try chocolate bark! My chocolate peanut butter pretzel bark and chocolate pistachio bark are both easy to make with simple ingredients and SO delicious!
✓ Ingredients and substitutions
- hazelnuts - For crunch! You can use other nuts or seeds, if you prefer. You can also use crunchy cereal or granola as your mix-in, just skip the toasting step.
- vegan chocolate chips - Make sure that these are chocolate chips you like the taste of, because this is what your bar is going to taste like. See the section below for vegan chocolate chip brands to check out.
🍫 What chocolate chips are vegan?
A good chocolate bar is all about starting with good chocolate. Luckily, there are lots of great options for vegan chocolate chips.
When you're shopping for vegan chocolate chips, just check the ingredients for dairy products. A good shortcut is to look at the allergy information, since milk is an allergen. If it says "contains milk", then you need to keep looking.
The warnings "may contain milk" or "shared equipment" are not an issue for vegans. These warnings are for people with a dairy allergy. They just mean that the facility where they make the chocolate chips also handles dairy.
I've found that store brand chocolate chips are often vegan. Here are some of my favorites (as of this writing -- brands love to change their formulas, so always check those ingredients!):
- Whole Foods 365 brand dark chocolate chips
- Enjoy Life Foods chocolate chips
- Simple Truth Organic semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Trader Joe's store brand dark chocolate chips
Just check those labels, and know that you can always find vegan chocolate chips online, if your store isn't panning out.
🥣 How to make vegan crunch bars
Either using a plastic baggie and a hammer or your food processor, crush the hazelnuts into small pieces (think the size of a grain of rice).
Then, add them to a skillet over medium heat, stirring every 30 seconds for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces. They are done when they smell toasty and fragrant. Set them aside.
Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl (or use a double boiler, if you prefer). Microwave the chocolate chips on high in 15 to 45 second bursts, stirring in between, until they are fully melted. How long this takes will depend on the strength of your microwave.
Add the hazelnuts to the chocolate, stirring to get a nice, even mix.
Grab your candy mold. Then, spoon the chocolate mixture into the center of the first section. I've found it works best to start from the center of the bar, then smooth the melty chocolate out toward the edges. You get cleaner edges that way.
When you finish filling the molds with melted chocolate, you can use a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to clean up the edges of your bars. Repeat with the remaining empty sections.
Gently lift the candy mold, supporting the center with your hand to prevent drooping. Place it into the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, until the chocolate hardens. Pop the chilled bars out of the molds, and store wrapped in foil or in an airtight container. They will keep for around 3 days in the pantry or up to a week in the fridge.
💡 Helpful tips
- Make sure that the bowl you use to melt the chocolate and the chocolate bar molds are completely dry. Water and chocolate do not mix, and the water can cause the chocolate to seize.
- If you have kids to entertain, this is a great way to get them into the kitchen. One thing I've learned about doing messy projects like this with kids: throw a towel onto the table (one that you don't mind getting stained). That way, they can get chocolate all over, and cleanup will be as easy as this recipe was.
- For a chunkier bar, put the nuts in a plastic baggie, then use something heavy, like a hammer, to smash them. For a finer crunch, pulse them in the food processor a few times to break them into smaller pieces.
🫙 Storage directions
I like to wrap these in foil and store them in the refrigerator. They will keep for around a week this way.
You can also keep these in the pantry instead of the fridge. I prefer the fridge, because my kitchen is pretty warm, and the chocolate bars get too soft for me in the pantry. They will keep for around three days in the pantry.
📖 Recipe
🍫 Vegan Crunch Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Either using a plastic baggie and a hammer or your food processor, crush the hazelnuts into small pieces (think the size of a grain of rice). Then, add them to a skillet over medium heat, stirring every 30 seconds for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces. They are done when they smell toasty and fragrant. Set them aside.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl (or use a double boiler, if you prefer). Microwave the chocolate chips on high in 15 to 45 second bursts, stirring in between, until they are fully melted. How long this takes will depend on the strength of your microwave.
- Add the hazelnuts to the chocolate, stirring to get a nice, even mix.
- Grab your candy mold. Then, spoon the chocolate mixture into the center of the first section. I've found it works best to start from the center of the bar, then smooth the melty chocolate out toward the edges. You get cleaner edges that way. When you finish filling the molds with melted chocolate, you can use a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to clean up the edges of your bars. Repeat with the remaining empty sections.
- Gently lift the candy mold, supporting the center with your hand to prevent drooping. Place it into the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, until the chocolate hardens. Pop the chilled bars out of the molds, and store wrapped in foil or in an airtight container. They will keep for around 3 days in the pantry or up to a week in the fridge.
Srikanth Dudaka
Wow, so simple and easy chocolate recipe. With only few ingredients you have done a great job. The detailed explanation is good and the pics also wonderful. Thank you for sharing. We will definitely try these chocolates in our kitchen.
Srikanth