Vegan Almond Joys (Gluten-Free and Healthy)

Skip the line at the grocery store and make these healthy vegan and gluten-free Almond Joys at home! These homemade candy bars are made with just a handful of simple and wholesome ingredients.

JUMP TO RECIPE

Homemade candy bars

One of my favorite things to do is make my own candy at home. I have made snickers, samoa girl scout cookies and even an entire e-book dedicated to homemade candy. The only thing that was missing were Almond Joys, which I have to admit, weren’t my favorite as a kid, but they have definitely grown on me since then.

There’s just something so delicious about an easy dessert. This almond joy recipe is made with the simplest of ingredients, all of which i’m sure most of us already have stocked in our pantry. I can’t wait for you to try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me over on Instagram or Tiktok if you do!

Ingredients in almond joys

You will only need seven ingredients total to make this almond joy recipe, although you could get away with only having five of the seven ingredients. Let’s get into it.

Unsweetened coconut– For this recipe I used coconut flakes, but you can also use shredded coconut. You want to use one that’s unsweetened since we will be adding in more ingredients to sweeten it up.

maple syrup- For the sweetener, we will be using a high quality maple syrup. Now, this is different than pancake syrup, I typically order mine from iHerb.

vanilla extract– just a splash of vanilla extract, you could skip this step if you don’t have it on hand, but I highly encourage it if you do. Vanilla adds a lovely flavor to any baked good.

sea salt– I always add in a touch of salt to anything that’s sweet. It really helps to balance out the flavors, you can also skip this step if you don’t have any on hand.

almond butter– to help hold these bars together, we will be using some all natural runny almond butter. I always pick up a jar from Trader Joe’s.

almonds- you can’t have any almond joy’s without the almonds! We will be using a handful of raw almonds that will be placed on top of the chocolate bars.

dark chocolate- I used vegan chocolate for these almond joys, you can also use regular milk chocolate if you are not vegan.

How to make vegan gluten-free almond joys

Process the coconut flakes in your food processor or blender until broken down. You can skip this step if you are using shredded coconut.

Add in the maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt and process for about 10-15 seconds.

Add in the almond butter last and process again until the coconut is well combined with the other ingredients and the mixture is firm to the touch. You should be able to pick it up without it falling apart. If you can’t, keep processing.

Roll the dough and shape them into bars with the palm of your hands. Place them on a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper and freeze for about 15-20 minutes or until firm to the touch.

Melt the chocolate with a touch of coconut oil in the microwave or on the stovetop in a double broiler. If melting in the microwave, add in the coconut oil and heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each time. You should only need to do 1 minute and 15 seconds.

Remove the bars from the freezer and dip into the melted chocolate, scrapping off any access chocolate before placing back onto the parchment paper. Drizzle with chocolate to create the candy bar design.

Place back in the freezer to harden for a minimum of 30 minutes or until the chocolate is firm to the touch. Remove from the freezer and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within one week.

Vegan Almond Joys (Gluten-Free and Healthy)

Skip the line at the grocery store and make these healthy vegan and gluten-free Almond Joys at home! These homemade candy bars are made with just a handful of simple and wholesome ingredients.

PIN RECIPE

PREP TIME:

10 minutes

COOK TIME:

30 minutes

Author - Hannah

Ingredients

2.5 cups coconut flakes or shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp almond butter

chocolate coating

1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil, for melting

SCALE:

YIELDS:

8 servings

Directions

In a food processor, add in the coconut flakes and process for about 30 seconds or until the coconut is broken down. You can skip this step if using shredded coconut.
Next, add in the maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt and process once more, for about 30 seconds or until ingredients are well combined.
Add in the almond butter last and process one last time. You should be able to mold the mixture without it falling apart.
Using a double cookie scoop, scoop the mixture and form into a rectangle with the palm of your hands. These are the base of your almond joys. Place the candy bars onto a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper.
Top each bar with two raw almonds and place in the freezer to harden. About 15-20 minutes.
In the meantime, melt the dark chocolate with the coconut oil in the microwave or on the stovetop in a double broiler. If melting in the microwave, add in the coconut oil and heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each time. You should only need to do 1 minute and 15 seconds.
Remove the bars from the freezer and dip them into the melted chocolate, scrapping off any access chocolate before placing back onto the parchment paper. Drizzle with chocolate to create the candy bar design.
Place them back in the freezer to harden for a minimum of 30 minutes or until the chocolate is firm to the touch. Remove from the freezer and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within one week.