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Chocolate coconut cashew bars made with simple, clean ingredients for a sweet treat that you can feel good about eating. Vegan, gluten free, and kid-friendly.
Vegan Chocolate Cashew Bars
Let me set the stage for you on how these bliss bites were born. The heat index in Florida this week has been ~105 degrees F, and it feels like a damn inferno. On the plus side, however, I don’t have to take time applying bronzer because my face has a constant natural glow. Perspiration happens to be the cheapest cosmetic around.
So to avoid bringing the smolder into my kitchen, I’m opting for no-bake desserts. In fact, most meals lately are a variety of salads, overnight oats, Greek yogurt parfaits, and of course, these bars. They are the perfect combination of cool, crunchy, creamy bliss. Plus, you can prepare them over the weekend and have them on repeat every night during the week. Store them in the refrigerator or freezer, and consider your sweet tooth fully satisfied. 
Is Coconut Oil Healthy?
As a dietitian who is immersed in the health and wellness field, it’s fun to keep tabs on the latest trends. Traditionally, many trends have (unfortunately) revolved around elimination diets in which certain foods or food groups are restricted. Foods marketed as low-calorie, low-fat, low-this, low-that were usually interpreted by novice consumers to mean “healthy”, right?
However, we are now finally starting to see a paradigm shift. People are beginning to change their mindset around food and paying closer attention to not only the nutrition label, but also the ingredients. Consumers are becoming more interested in adding more nutritious ingredients to their diet, as opposed to eliminating other ingredients.
What perhaps is even more exciting is that fat is no longer demonized. Items like coconut oil, avocado oil, and nut flours are being used more widely for their nutritional benefits with less emphasis on their caloric value. Yes, coconut oil is rich in saturated fat, however it has an interesting fat profile overall. Coconut oil has a high amount of lauric acid, which research suggests may increased HDL cholesterol levels. Lauric acid has many of the same properties of medium-chain triglycerides, which are absorbed differently than long-chain triglycerides that can spike total cholesterol. However studies on the effect of lauric acid on serum cholesterol are contradictory, so for now, I use coconut oil in moderation. I can tell you, however, that it has a more positive nutrient profile than butter, so that’s a plus.
Science is ever evolving, my friends, and this industry will forever stay relevant because of it.
How to Make Raw Chocolate Cashew Bars
These bars are made of simple ingredients that you actually may already have sitting in your pantry. The base is a blend of raw cashews, oats, honey or maple syrup, and coconut oil. The result is a texture that seriously resembles cookie dough, both in taste and texture.
The divine chocolate topping is a simple mix of cocoa powder, honey or maple syrup, and a few pinches of sea salt. The coconut flakes are optional, however I really think they add an extra layer of decadence. If you are not a coconut fan, you can also add chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or freeze-fried fruit.
These bars come together quick with the help of a food processor, and are super easy to assemble. You can store them in the freezer or refrigerator, however I guarantee they won’t last long. I typically go through a batch of week because they are so damn delicious. 
I hope you guys LOVE these bars as much as we do. If you make them, be sure to snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth so I can see your beautiful creations. Also, be sure to follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates!
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
Raw Chocolate Coconut Cashew Bars
Ingredients
- **Base**
- 1 1/2 cups raw unsalted cashews
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup liquid sweetener honey, brown rice syrup, maple syrup
- Pinch of sea salt
- **Chocolate Coconut Topping**
- 1/4 cup liquid sweetener honey, brown rice syrup, maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
- A few pinches of sea salt
Instructions
- Add cashews to food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrap down the sides every 30 seconds or so. You want to process the nuts until they start to form somewhat of a paste.
- Add oats, coconut oil, liquid sweetener and sea salt and blend for another 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until ingredients form a dough (refer to picture).
- Line a loaf pan or 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with non-stick spray. Empty dough into pan and press down firmly, spreading evenly to all edges. It's helpful to use the bottom of a measuring cup to really compact dough.
- Chocolate topping: In a large glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk together liquid sweetener, melted coconut oil and cocoa powder until smooth and well-combined. Pour over dough, spreading evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with coconut flakes and sea salt.
- Freeze for 1 hour or refrigerate for 3 hours before slicing. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
To make vegan, use either pure maple syrup or brown rice syrup as sweetener
Nutrition
I calculate these values by hand to ensure accuracy, however expect up to a 10% variable depending on food brands.
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This was literally delicious!!!! So easy to make too!
Yayy, so thrilled to hear, Sabah! Thanks so much for coming back and sharing! Cheers.
Made them and ate 85% myself! i used organic coconut smiles which are thicker flaked chunks and i toasted them first. to put on top! big hit with my 4 kids! I have a picture but it wont let me post it.
Haha Stephanie that’s amazing!! So glad to hear you and kiddos enjoyed them! Thanks for trying to share the pic, anyway! Cheers.
I made these and really liked them, but I found the base to have waaay too much oil. I poured off a slick of separated oil from the base before putting the chocolate topping on. I’d make these again but probably would only need a tbsp or two of coconut oil in the base. Very yummy though.
Agree. It was sooooo tasty but I also used 4 paper towels to take the oil out before adding the chocolate layer. And next time, I´m going to make it with different sweetener than honey. Just to see the difference.
I made these last night and they are amazing! My non vegan boyfriend loved them — can’t wait to make more! thank you!
Yayy so thrilled to hear that, Sara!! Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you for this amazing recipe. It really is absolutely fantastic. As I’m on low carb diet I decided to modify it a little bit so instead of using oats I went completely nuts and added ground almonds and it’s absolutely awesome (I also lowered the amount of honey in base and used stevia in chocolate topping, but that’s just because of my personal preferences 🙂 ). Thank you, again. You’re awesome! 🙂
Hi, Zeljko! That’s AWESOME – so happy to hear you love the recipe. I’m also really intrigued by the idea of using all nuts – I’ll have to try that! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
These were unbelievable! So easy to make and healthy too! I’m on a prenatal diabetes diet and substituted the sweetener in the chocolate topping with 2 1/2 packets of stevia and it tasted great. This has allowed me to eat a square a day and feel like I’m having dessert again! My toddler loves them too, thanks for a great recipe!
YAY I’m so thrilled to hear that, Kelsey!! Thank you so much for sharing! Cheers to you!
Ok. So this looks so much like Nanaimo bars it’s crazy! It’s a traditional Canadian dessert… Along with butter tarts that are served over holidays. I might adapt this for Christmas. I don’t know if it tastes like it. But the idea of cashews to be used as the icing filling his genius!
I bet if u added a little coconut flour to the cashews it would have a lighter texture too. More like Nanaimo bar filling. Wow
Excited. Thanks for the inspiration
Hi Karen! Ha too funny! I have never heard of Nanaimo bars before but will be definitely be looking them up now! Also love the idea of adding coconut flour to the cashew mix. If you try, please let me know how they turned out! Xo
Any suggestions on what to use as a substitution for oats? Thanks!
Hi Lorna! I haven’t personally tried this, but I would try using extra cashews to replace the oats. Let me know how it turns out!
Not sure if you have solved your oat replacement question but I would suggest quinoa flakes (which in fact look like oats but are made from quinoa). I have a friend with an oat intolerance that is completely separate from her desire to live a GF life and over the years, I have managed to substitute quinoa flakes for oats in many recipes. The resulting bars may taste a bit more nutty but other than that, you might not even know the difference 🙂
Hi Joss! That is SUCH a great idea — thank you so much for sharing. I haven’t experimented with quinoa flakes yet, but you’ve inspired me!
Would these work using peanuts or almonds? I’m allergic to most tree nuts, but can eat almonds. Peanuts are no problem, but I’ve read that they’re not as good for you as they used to be?
Hi Lisa! I have not tried using almonds, though I think they would work well. Just make sure you ground them very well before adding the oats and remaining ingredients to the food processor. I’d love to hear how it turns out!