These delicious and easy no-bake Vegan Snickers Bars are a fun and healthier twist on a classic candy bar! Layers of chocolate, vegan nougat, caramel, and peanuts- the best! Refined sugar-free, gluten-free, full of protein, and with a paleo-friendly option!
The Ultimate Vegan Snickers!
I was a huge fan of Snickers Bars growing up. Those crunchy peanuts wrapped in chocolate and nougat are just so addicting and wonderful. My husband still loves them, but I try to avoid corn syrup, dairy, soy, and artificial flavors in my diet.
So what’s a girl to do? Make healthier homemade Snickers candy bars that taste dang close to the real thing, of course! Welcome to your new (healthy) favorite candy bar!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Whether you are vegan, paleo, or have food sensitivities like me, you might miss the taste of traditional Snickers bars. These chocolate candies taste so addicting with their caramel center and chopped nuts, and it’s hard to forget about them!
Now, you can enjoy this nostalgic treat without consuming dairy or artificial ingredients! This recipe for no-bake Paleo and Vegan Snickers Bars is super simple and absolutely delicious.
All you need are simple ingredients like peanut butter, Medjool dates, and chopped nuts. Once you make them, you can keep them in the fridge or freezer and eat them as often as you’d like. They’re the perfect treat to fulfill your sweet craving! I just can’t help myself: “Hungry? Why wait? Grab a (vegan) Snickers!”
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan Chocolate Chips: Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips for best results. See my expert tips below for brands I love!
- Coconut Oil
- Sea Salt
- Raw Cashews: Instead of using any cream, almond milk, or oat milk for the nougat layer, soaking cashews in boiling water for 10 minutes and then blending them in a food processor makes a super creamy nougat layer that’s completely vegan and dairy-free!
- Pitted Medjool Dates
- Vanilla Extract
- Peanut Butter: If you’re paleo or have a peanut allergy, swap this for almond butter, another nut butter, or seed butter.
- Maple Syrup: You can substitute agave syrup if you don’t have pure maple syrup on hand.
- Chopped Peanuts
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave in 15-second intervals.
- Then, pour the melted chocolate into the baking pan, spreading it out into a thin layer. Freeze for 5 minutes.
- Add all ingredients for the nougat layer to the food processor and pulse until crumbly and sticky. Press into the chocolate layer in an even layer. Freeze for 5 minutes.
- Melt together all ingredients for the vegan caramel sauce layer, then pour the mixture over the nougat layer. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts (or cashews, for paleo Snickers bars) into an even layer. Freeze for 5 minutes.
- Melt the chocolate again, then cover the peanut and caramel layer with it. Freeze one last time for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Cut into 16 slices, then sprinkle with sea salt. Remove the slices from the baking pan and serve! Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Your grocery store should carry dairy-free chocolate chips in the baking aisle. If you’re unable to find them at your local store, this is the brand of dark chocolate chips that I love that’s dairy-free and vegan. If you are trying to avoid cane sugar, I recommend these chocolate chips, which I’ve used in paleo baking many times with success.
- Chocolate chunks are also fine to use. If you have vegan chocolate bars, you can chop them up into pieces so you have 2 cups to use.
- You can use your favorite brand of peanut butter, and it doesn’t matter if you use creamy or crunchy. They’ll both work well. If you’re making paleo Snickers bars, you can use almond butter as a replacement, and it’ll work just as well.
- Chopped nuts add the perfect crunch to the center of these bars. However, if you are paleo, you can use chopped cashews as a replacement for the peanuts. If you’re using peanuts, be sure to use the unsalted kind instead of the honey-roasted ones.
- It will take about 30 minutes or less to prepare the ingredients and put them together to create these delicious vegan Snickers Bars. You’ll need to allow them to sit in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to get firm, though I recommend a full hour for best results.
Storage Tips
- Store these homemade Snickers bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep them fresh for up to one week.
- To freeze, place the bars in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw before serving.
Recipe FAQs
No. The classic candy bar contains milk and eggs, which are not vegan ingredients. Therefore, Snickers bars are not vegan.
Yes! The ingredients in a store-bought standard Snickers bar is: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Lactose, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin), Peanuts, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Oil, Skim Milk, Lactose, Salt, Egg Whites, Artificial Flavor.
More Yummy Treats & Desserts
Paleo & Vegan Pecan Pie Cheesecake (No Bake)
2 Ingredient Chocolate Fudge (Paleo, Vegan, Keto)
Chocolate Mushroom Paleo No Bake Energy Balls (Reishi & Chaga)
Paleo Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache
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No Bake Homemade Vegan Snickers Bars (Paleo Option)
Ingredients
Chocolate Layer
- 2 cups dairy free chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- Optional: Sea salt flakes for garnish
Nougat Layer
- 1¼ cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
- 3/4 cup pitted medjool dates
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Caramel Layer
- 1/3 cup peanut butter or almond butter, for paleo
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 3/4 cup chopped peanuts or chopped cashews, for paleo
Instructions
- Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water, and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips + 2 tbsp of coconut oil in the microwave or in a double boiler. Pour the chocolate into the parchment paper lined pan and spread evenly. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- While the chocolate is hardening, make the nougat layer. Drain the cashews then add to a food processor with dates, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Pulse crumbly and sticky.
- Pour the nougat mixture over the hardened chocolate and press evenly. Freeze for 5 minutes.
- Make the caramel layer by melting peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a microwave or double boiler and stirring together. Pour this over the nougat layer, then sprinkle with chopped peanuts evenly. Freeze for 5 minutes.
- Melt together the remaining 1 cup of the chocolate chips + 2 tbsp of coconut oil, and pour evenly over the caramel layer. Tilt the pan and use a spatula to move around the chocolate so it covers everything.
- Freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour until completely firm. Remove from the pan using the parchment paper, then slice into 16 pieces. You can run a shark knife under hot water, then wipe it off before slicing to avoid cracks on the top chocolate layer. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Your grocery store should carry dairy-free chocolate chips in the baking aisle. If you’re unable to find them at your local store, this is the brand of dark chocolate chips that I love that’s dairy-free and vegan. If you are trying to avoid cane sugar, I recommend these chocolate chips, which I’ve used in paleo baking many times with success.
- Chocolate chunks are also fine to use. If you have vegan chocolate bars, you can chop them up into pieces so you have 2 cups to use.
- You can use your favorite brand of peanut butter, and it doesn’t matter if you use creamy or crunchy. They’ll both work well. If you’re making paleo Snickers bars, you can use almond butter as a replacement, and it’ll work just as well.
- Chopped nuts add the perfect crunch to the center of these bars. However, if you are paleo, you can use chopped cashews as a replacement for the peanuts. If you’re using peanuts, be sure to use the unsalted kind instead of the honey-roasted ones.
- It will take about 30 minutes or less to prepare the ingredients and put them together to create these delicious vegan Snickers Bars. You’ll need to allow them to sit in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to get firm, though I recommend a full hour for best results.
Storage Tips
- Store these vegan Snickers bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep them fresh for up to one week.
- To freeze, place the bars in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw before serving.
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This is such a great recipe!!
I can’t decide if I like the genius nougat layer or the caramel peanut layer better, but I don’t need to, LOL! SO good! Thanks for this super fun treat! Feeling like a kid again. 😉
Haha yay! Thank you so much!!
Made these today with my 6year old nephew. Such a delicious treat that we all enjoyed!
Yay, thank you so much!!
The product recommended for paleo and sugar free chocolate drops actually list sugar as primary ingredient. Not sure if you’ve linked to the wrong product? Not such a healthy snack option between medjool dates and added sugar in chocolate – ends up being very high GI. Good for allergies and intolerances though.
You can try these for paleo-friendly chocolate chips. Also – these are Snickers bars, they are meant to be an occasional treat. It won’t be for you if you are looking for something that’s low in sugar.
Could I substitute the cashew in the nougat layer with peanut or another nut? My son has a cashew allergy 🙁
I think walnuts will work!
Best I have tasted so far. Just out of this world.
Thank you so much!!
These beauties are my new fave. Pretty easy to pull together and are a huge hit with everyone who’s tried them! Will continue to make these again and again 🤤
Thank you so much!!
I made this recipe. Did not use peanuts. I used hazelnuts instead, which I preferred to peanuts. I had trouble with The chocolate sticking to the fondant.. Will definitely make it again