No-Bake Chocolate Puff Quinoa Bars
Okay, real talk: I’m slightly obsessed with these no-bake chocolate puff quinoa bars (which means, I’m totally obsessed and often eat the whole recipe in one sitting–so be warned, if you’re anything like me, you might find yourself wondering where your bars all went, too!).
They’re made with just a few ingredients: puffed quinoa, cocoa powder, almond butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. That’s pretty much it. And they’re incredibly easy to make, too: You just mix all the ingredients, pop the bars in the fridge–and the only hard part is waiting for it to firm up.
I love that while these bars are not healthy healthy, they’re definitely on the healthier side. I mean, there are some actual nutrients in there from all the quinoa, for one. So when I’m stuffing my face with these, I at least feel like I’m giving my body something to work with.
The puffed quinoa gives the bars a light crunch. It’s not dense like a granola bar, but airy and crisp. Almond butter doesn’t only help everything stick together, it also adds a layer of richness. You could of course swap it for any other nut butter, but it should be somewhat runny in consistency (so not like a traditional peanut butter–you may still use that, but maybe add a little nondairy milk to it first).
What if I don’t have puffed quinoa lying around?
I use store-bought puffed quinoa because I can’t be bothered puffing it myself. I’ve had mixed results with homemade versions, but maybe that was just me. If you don’t have store-bought puffed quinoa, or don’t want to buy it for some reason, you could make it at home. In that case, you’d want to add very dry quinoa to a heavy pan on medium heat while stirring constantly. It should then gently pop, but it can be somewhat tricky, so you might need a few tries at first. Small batches work better.
So whether you’ve used store-bought or puffed your own quinoa, you want to mix it with the rest of the ingredients. The result should be sticky but neither wet nor fall-apart dry. If it feels too dry, add a little extra maple syrup or almond butter. If it’s too wet, add in more puffed quinoa.
Then you press it down into a container. No need for pressing really hard–it will stick together in any case. After chilling for an hour or two, you can cut these babies into bars or squares. They’re best straight from the fridge! If you make these, let me know what you think in the comments!
PrintNo-Bake Chocolate Puff Quinoa Bars
These no-bake chocolate puff quinoa bars are made with puffed quinoa, almond butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup and coconut oil. Crunchy, slightly nutty and naturally sweet, they make an easy vegan snack or quick homemade treat. But beware–I’ve found myself eating the whole recipe in one go!
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions
- Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 tbsp maple syrup (or more to taste)
- Pinch salt
- 2 tbsp of your fav nut butter (I used almond)
- 2.5-3 cups puffed quinoa (or puffed rice, amaranth, etc)
Instructions
- First, melt the coconut oil (like in a microwave for roughly 30 seconds).
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the puffed quinoa and mix well.
- Fold in the quinoa and mix.
- Put the no-bake chocolate puff quinoa bars in the fridge to let them firm up (this will take an hour or so at least, so be patient!).
Notes
You can use any nut butter you like. Add more sweetener, if you feel it needs it.
It’s a good idea to mix the puff quinoa bars in a rectangular glass container that you can then transfer to the fridge as is. Or you could mix first, then transfer to a suitable dish or container.
