• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Unconventional Baker
  • Recipes
  • Book
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Book
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Book
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Coconut Slices

    Chocolate Coconut Vegan and Gluten-Free Granola Bars

    Published: Jan 23, 2014 · Modified: Mar 6, 2021 by Audrey · This post may contain affiliate links · 28 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Chocolate Coconut Vegan and Gluten-Free Granola Bars

    These chocolate coconut vegan and gluten-free granola bars are a perfect snack or a pick me up — they're filling, nutritious, soft and chewy, and totally satisfy a chocolate craving!

    Chocolate Coconut Vegan and Gluten-Free Granola Bars

    Print

    Chocolate Coconut Vegan & Gluten-Free Granola Bars

    Chocolate Coconut Vegan and Gluten-Free Granola Bars
    Print Recipe
    • Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 10 bars
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free
    • Diet: Vegan

    Ingredients

    Granola Layer

    • 3 cups gluten-free oats
    • 1 cup finely shredded coconut
    • 5 tbsp coconut oil
    • 3 tbsp coconut butter
    • ½ cup maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • dash of salt

    Chocolate Layer

    • 1 cup bittersweet vegan chocolate chips
    • 3 tbsp coconut oil
    • 1 tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup finely shredded coconut for topping

    Instructions

    Granola Layer

    1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread oats and shredded coconut evenly and toast for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from oven and pour into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
    2. Using a double boiler, melt together coconut oil, coconut butter, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine well. Pour over oat mixture and mix thoroughly.
    3. Line a 9 x 9" baking pan (or one of a similar size) with parchment paper. Pour oat mixture into the pan and spread mixture out evenly. Use an additional piece of parchment paper to press the mixture down by laying parchment paper on top and pressing down with your hands or with a flat bottomed jar. Make sure to press everything down well and evenly. Place in the refrigerator and refrigerate for 20 minutes or more to allow mixture to cool.

    Chocolate Layer

    1. While the granola bars are cooling off, combine all of the chocolate layer ingredients, except shredded coconut, in a glass bowl. Using a double boiler method melt all the ingredients together, stirring occasionally. Once mixture is uniform, remove the granola bars pan from the fridge and pour chocolate mixture on top, making sure it is evenly spread. Sprinkle with remaining shredded coconut and place back in the fridge to cool off for a few more minutes.
    2. When ready, remove from pan and transfer onto a baking sheet. Cut granola into squares. Store in an air-tight container, preferably in the fridge for longer freshness.

    Notes

    This chocolate layer comes out soft and chewy. If you prefer a harder and crunchier chocolate layer reduce the coconut oil to just 1 tbsp.

     

    Keywords: Chocolate Coconut Vegan & Gluten-Free Granola Bars

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @unconventionalbaker on Instagram and hashtag it #unconventionalbaker

    Share on PinterestShare on FacebookShare on Twitter

    More Coconut Slices

    • Raspberry Rose Coconut Bars
    • Coconut Cream Bars
    • Carob Coconut Protein Fudge Bars
    • Coconut Macadamia Date Caramel Bars

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gabrielle says

      September 13, 2020 at 10:15 pm

      how many does this serve ? I couldn't find it on the recipe :)

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        March 06, 2021 at 2:50 pm

        Hi Gabrielle. Sorry, some kind of a glitch seems to have caused the number of servings to disappear from the recipe card there. I just fixed it. The recipe makes 10 bars.

        Reply
    2. Freshteh says

      October 24, 2016 at 10:36 pm

      I baked the bars at 350 for 20 minutes and they came out perfect. They are very tasty and nutritious. I used quinoa flakes. Thanks Audrey for a great recipe!

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        November 01, 2016 at 12:05 am

        Hi Freshteh. Sorry for the delayed reply. Glad you were able to figure it out and so happy you liked the bars! :)

        Reply
    3. Freshteh says

      October 23, 2016 at 6:32 pm

      How long do we bake the bars? Is it at 350?
      Thanks,
      Freshteh

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        March 06, 2021 at 2:52 pm

        Hi Freshteh, the bars actually don't need to be baked in this recipe. The oven is preheated to 350 just to toast the oats and coconut, which are then added to the granola layer mixture.

        Reply
    4. Becky says

      April 03, 2014 at 8:16 pm

      Very flavorful! A new favorite recipe!

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 03, 2014 at 11:27 pm

        Thanks very much, Becky. So glad you liked them!

        Reply
    5. Create.Live.Dream says

      April 03, 2014 at 7:55 pm

      Hey! I made these tonight and posted about it on my blog and linked to you here! Thank you so much!!

      http://createlivedream.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/mmm-good/

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 03, 2014 at 11:28 pm

        Thank you! So glad you liked them and thanks for sharing your experience making them!

        Reply
    6. Audrey says

      April 03, 2014 at 4:36 pm

      Hi Amanda. Glad to hear they turned out delicious, but too bad about them being loose. Mine were quite firm and remained firm. Their firmness comes from two main factors: one is the cooling and solidifying of the coconut oil and butter, and two is the packing the granola part down really tightly into the pan prior to baking.

      Did you change any of the ingredients? If it's not due to the ingredients being different, then the only thing I can think of is maybe they weren't pressed down hard enough? I've had that experience making other granola bars before, where if you don't compact them really well (some elbow grease needed), then they can come out a bit loose. Or perhaps they needed to cool a bit longer? If they are warm when cutting them then the coconut oil/butter will not have solidified yet, so they would be a bit more loose at that stage.

      In terms of troubleshooting the batch you have, I would try refrigerating them for a bit to see if they'll firm up more. Or, when all else fails with my granola bar making, I turn it into actual granola and use it as such (happened to me with this recipe, for example).

      I hope this is helpful. Hard to troubleshoot from a distance... All the best with it!

      Reply
      • Danielle H says

        May 31, 2015 at 2:01 am

        You mention baking. At what point do you bake the granola bars, or do you just toast the oats?

        Reply
        • Audrey says

          June 02, 2015 at 12:12 am

          Hi Danielle,

          Sorry, that was a typo on my part -- I meant prior to refrigerating. Hope that clears that up.

          Reply
    7. Amanda says

      April 03, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      I made these today and mine are very loose and fall apart, not as firm as I thought. Any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        March 06, 2021 at 2:57 pm

        Hi Amanda, 2 things I can think of: they need to be pressed down really well and then chilled to hold their shape. And also the coconut oil and butter need to be mixed through the mixture well before they are put into the pan. Might be that something went amiss in one of these areas for you.

        Reply
    8. createlivedream says

      April 03, 2014 at 2:48 pm

      Can u freeze these?

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 03, 2014 at 4:24 pm

        I haven't tried freezing them personally (they go pretty fast around here), but I don't see any reason why they wouldn't freeze nicely. If you freeze, let me know how it goes. Seems to be a common question today :)

        Reply
    9. Paula Vipond says

      April 03, 2014 at 1:32 pm

      How many grams in a cup? I'm in UK and I do not understand cups.

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 03, 2014 at 1:43 pm

        Hi Paula. Fair question :)

        1 cup oats = 85gr (so you'll need 255gr)
        1 cup shredded coconut = 100gr
        1/2 cup maple syrup = 164gr
        1/2 cup chocolate chips = 90gr

        Reply
        • Paula Vipond says

          April 03, 2014 at 4:37 pm

          Thank you, I have a child with food allergies. He loves coconut

          Reply
          • Audrey says

            April 03, 2014 at 4:44 pm

            Hi Paula. No worries. I hope your child likes these bars. I have another very easy coconut recipe on here that you might want to check out. It's easy enough to make with kids and it's very allergy-friendly: raw coconut snowballs.

            Reply
    10. Shianne says

      April 03, 2014 at 12:18 pm

      This looks fabulous! Have you ever tried freezing them?

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 03, 2014 at 12:34 pm

        Thanks so much, Shianne!

        No, unfortunately I didn't try freezing these, but I did keep them in the fridge. I have a feeling they'd freeze nicely though.

        Reply
    11. Linda says

      April 02, 2014 at 6:36 pm

      For some reason your post doesn't show up in Chrome browser. The photos do, but not the rest.

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 02, 2014 at 6:47 pm

        Hi Linda. Thanks for pointing it out. That's very strange. I'll investigate.

        Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 02, 2014 at 7:07 pm

        Hi again Linda. I just had several people check for me and they all said it's displaying fine for them in Google Chrome. They all use a mac though, so it might be a Chrome for PC problem, or it might just be that you need to do a hard refresh. Just wondering -- are you using a PC? It would help me know if I need to fix anything further. Thanks so much!

        Reply
    12. Debra @ Worth Cooking says

      April 02, 2014 at 8:18 am

      These look great! Love the idea of using quinoa flakes. I have never used those before, but I want to try them now.

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 02, 2014 at 12:35 pm

        Thanks so much, Debra! Yeah, I use quinoa flakes frequently as an oat substitute, especially in oat cookies, etc. It usually works really well as a substitute.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    Popular

    • Anti-Inflammatory Lemon Ginger Turmeric Iced Tea
    • Simple Gluten-Free Vegan Shortbread Cookies
    • Coconut Mango Tapioca Pudding
    • Raw Tiramisu

    I'm Audrey—a baker, blogger, and author who loves to create and explore simple, wholesome, and allergy-friendly recipes. I hope you enjoy the site and find something yummy to make!

    More about me →

    Citrus Season

    • Blood Orange Tart
    • Blood Orange Bundt Cake with Salted Chocolate Ganache
    • Coconut Lime Cream Chocolates
    • Ginger Turmeric Lemon Cream Bars

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Baking Resources

    Subscribe

    • Sign Up! for recipe updates

    Questions?

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Unconventional Baker