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These delicious Vegan Snickers Bars are made from only 6 healthy ingredients and will satisfy any sweet tooth! Naturally gluten-free, they’re easy to make and good for you too.
Picture this: a chewy nougat and gooey caramel caramel bar studded with crunchy peanuts and enrobed in a lush chocolate coating. Is your mouth watering yet? If you love Snickers candy bars, I bet it is.
I’m so excited to share this homemade Vegan Snickers Recipe with you today. Honestly, I think anyone will enjoy it – kids, adults, vegans, omnivores, whatever! They are addicting in the best way possible, made from healthy pantry-friendly ingredients, and relatively and easy to make, in terms of homemade candy.
INGREDIENTS + INSPIRATION
Snickers were easily one of my favorite candy bars as a kid (and let’s be honest- an adult). Just because I adopted a vegan lifestyle doesn’t mean I wanted to give up all my favorite treats! So, I decided to make my own plant-based version of my favorite Halloween treat. The best part? You only need 6 plant-based ingredients to make these Snickers bars! Plus, this recipe is totally vegan and naturally gluten-free. If you use chocolate that’s sweetened with coconut sugar it can be refined sugar-free too.
This recipe is made of a caramel layer made predominantly of Medjool dates, which have a natural sweetness and caramel flavor to them. Part of the caramel gets blended with some oat flour to make the nougat layer, which is thickened with oat flour.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SNICKERS BARS
This recipe requires only about 20 minutes of hands-on time – the longest part is waiting for the nougat and caramel layers to set in the freezer!
- Soak your medjool dates, then blend them with peanut butter, vanilla, and salt to make a caramel.
- Mix a portion of the caramel with some oat flour to make the nougat layer
- Layer the nougat and caramel with some peanuts, freeze until firm, then slice to make bars.
- Dunk in chocolate, then serve and enjoy!
My only regret about this recipe is that I did not make it sooner. Snickers Bars were my favorite candy as a teen, and I will admit that I missed them a little when I went vegan. But I don’t have to worry about that any more — now that I know how easy these are to make, and how wholesome they are too, they’ve gotta become a regular event.
COOKING TIPS + FAQ
- Mould: I used a silicone mold to make my bars, but you could also line a loaf pan, rectangular baking dish, or tupperware container with parchment paper.
- Chocolate Selection: I recommend using a high-quality dairy-free chocolate for this recipe, as it will melt into a silkier consistency. You can use chocolate with a lower cacao percentage for more of a milk chocolate flavor, or use a higher percentage for a dark chocolate flavor. See the recipe card for more info!
- Dipping the Bars: It can be a little tricky to coat these bars evenly in chocolate if you use your hands. For best results, I recommend melting your chocolate in a bowl with a wide base (so the bar can completely sit on the bottom) and using two forks to rotate / dunk the Snickers.
- Got leftovers? That’s doubtful. but try serving them on top of this Baked Vegan Snickers Cheesecake! Or maybe just double the recipe?!
If you’re looking for more veganized candy bar recipes, you’ll also love these Homemade Almond Joy Bars, these No-Bake Almond Butter Bars, and these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations. Or, leave a comment and star-rating on this post if you end up loving them as much as I do!
Vegan Snickers Bars
These delicious Vegan Snickers Bars are made from only 6 healthy ingredients and will satisfy any sweet tooth! Naturally gluten-free, they’re easy to make and good for you too.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 60 Minutes (in Freezer)
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 Bars 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the Caramel Layer:
- 1 packed cup (280 g) pitted Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Nougat:
- 1/4 cup (75 g) date caramel, above
- 2/3 cup (68 g) oat flour*
To Finish:
- 1/2 cup (70 g) unsalted dry roasted peanuts
- 8 ounces (225 g) high-quality vegan chocolate (see notes)
Instructions
- Prep: Transfer the pitted dates to a larger bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft they were to begin with. You can also just cover the dates in water and microwave for 80 seconds if you want to be efficient. Drain the dates, but reserve the water for step 2. Line a baking sheet or cooling rack with parchment paper to place the completed bars on (step 6) and set aside.
- Make the Caramel: Drain any excess liquid off of the dates (they should be relatively moist, but not dripping) and add them to a food processor with an S-blade. Add in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Process until thick and smooth, scraping the sides of the device if necessary. If the mixture is too thick, add in the reserved date water in 1 tablespoon increments until you get an evenly smooth mixture.
- Make the Nougat: Remove the date “caramel” from the food processor. Add the oat flour to the food processor (no need to rinse) with 1/4 cup (75 g) of the caramel and process until well incorporated. This should form a slightly sticky “dough” that will hold together when you pinch it.
- Assemble & Freeze: Firmly and evenly press the nougat into a small and narrow container (see notes). Use a spatula to spread the remaining caramel evenly over the nougat, then sprinkle the peanuts on top. Use your fingers to press the Peanuts into the Caramel layer, so they stick. Place this in the freezer for 60 to 90 minutes, until firm.
- Make Bars: Remove the frozen “filling” from it’s container, then use a sharp knife to cut it into bar-sized pieces. Return these to the freezer while you melt your chocolate. Melt your Chocolate using either a double boiler or the microwave:
- Double-Boiler: fill a small pot with 1-2″ of water, then place a glass bowl over the top. Bring the water to a simmer over high-heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. While the water is warming, add the chocolate to the glass bowl. Use a clean and dry spatula to stir frequently, until the chocolate is around 80% melted. Then, carefully remove the bowl from the pot. Stir with the spatula until completely melted.
- Microwave: Place your chocolate pieces in a glass bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Once the chocolate is around 75% melted, stop microwaving and stir the mixture with a spatula until completely melted.
- Chocolate: Moving quickly, place 1 candy bar into the bowl of melted chocolate. Use two forks to “flip” the bar, until it is coated in chocolate on all sides. Remove the bar from the melted chocolate, letting any excess chocolate drip off. Then, place it onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining bars.
- Serve: Place the bars in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes, to allow the chocolate to harden. Serve and enjoy! Bars are best stored in the refrigerator and will last there for up to 10 days. You can also place them in the freezer, where they will last for up to one month – just let the bars thaw for 5 or so minutes before enjoying.
Notes
- Mould: I used a narrow silicone mold that actually fits in my bento box. However, you can use any narrow dish that you would like (such as a loaf pan, or even a square or rectangular tupperware). If your dish is not flexible, I would recommend lining it with parchment paper before you add the filling layers into it, so they will be easy to remove once frozen.
- Chocolate: I would recommend using a chopped up chocolate bar for this recipe unless you can guarantee that your chocolate chips are wax-free (which manufacturers are not required to disclose on the label). If you do opt to use chocolate chips and find the mixture to be too thick, add 1-3 teaspoons of refined coconut oil while melting to help thin it out. Use a dark chocolate for a less-sweet finish.
- Oat Flour: Your oat flour should be very fine (almost like regular flour) for best results. I recommend you use a blender (not a food processor) and process for at least 45 seconds.
- Nut-Free: If you cannot eat peanuts due to an allergy or preference, you can substitute the PB with any nut or seed butter of choice – same goes for the whole nuts in the bars. Obviously the final result will taste different, but still be delicious! I would recommend cashew or almond butter.
- Update: The original recipe added an optional 1 teaspoon of maca powder, which you can still add if you wish – but we found that the added “caramel” flavor was minimal.
Keywords: vegan snickers, vegan candy bars, homemade snickers, healthy snickers recipe, gluten-free snickers recipe
This post was updated on 10/2021 with new photos, copy, and a slight modification to the recipe.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE FOR LATER? PIN IT TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS:
Made these today! They are excellent!! Best recipe for vegan snickers kers yet! Thank you!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Julie! 🙂
This recipe is truly flawless. I’ve been vegan for 6 years now and snickers were my favorite candy before going vegan. Made this recipe for the first time 2 or 3 years ago and come back to it every once in a while its perfect. Shared it with some of my non vegan friends too and they love it too!!!!
★★★★★
We love that! Thank you for the review, Krystal! Cheers to 6 years!
The bars are good and I’ll definitely make them again but there’s no way you get 8 bars out of the quantities provided lmao, I only got 3 pretty average-sized ones out of what I made so you’ll have to at least double the recipe if you want it to be worth your time
★★★★
Thanks for trying out the recipe. Appreciate the feedback, Ana! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
The bars will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, but you can also keep them in the freeze for up to 2 months and defrost when the craving strikes 😉
This looks so good! What a great way to enjoy a snack while sticking to a vegan diet!
It really is! Thanks Suzanne 🙂
These bars are so good! They taste even better than the original version of Snickers. The peanut butter date caramel is especially swoon-worthy. I also really appreciate how minimal and simple the ingredient list is. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Yum! made this for a gluten free friend and used crushed gluten free weetbix instead of oat-flour. Everyone really enjoyed it!
★★★★★
Would I be able to substitute the oat flour for almond flour? I can’t have oats
That could work, although the ratios might need to change a bit/take some experimenting. We haven’t tried it with any other flour than oat but almond could work out just fine!
I made this recipe a few times and I love it! Thank you ????
Thank YOU for making it!
What type of chocolate do you use (the link above takes me to a Thrive Market quiz and I can’t see the chocolate you use)? Is it dark chocolate or a lighter chocolate with vegan milk? I’m so excited to try these! I plan to make them this weekend.Thanks!
Hey! The chocolate we used was a 72% cacao. Feel free to use any vegan Chocolate Bar or Chocolate Chips of your choosing! You can also make your own 3 Ingredient chocolate following this recipe.
I’ve had this recipe saved on Pinterest for so long and finally got around to trying them yesterday. The recipe was so easy I was shocked! They turned out so good.. 10/10 will be making again!
★★★★★
So glad you got around to making it and plan on making it again!
Are you able to provide the calorie per serve?
Hey there! Out of personal philosophy we don’t calculate calories but you can use something like Cronometer to figure that out!
I just made these last night and my boyfriend said they may just be the best candy bar he’s ever tasted! They were absolutely delicious. Thanks!
★★★★★
Yay! That’s such a great compliment, thank you!
I was VERY surprised by these. Despite my primitive cooking skills, these turned out AMAZING. They taste a lot like snickers after sitting in the freezer for a couple of hours, especially the “caramel”. When I first mixed up the caramel it was pretty underwhelming. It was just an “huh wow it’s dates”, but after letting it sit in the final bars (or, in my case, strangely shaped balls) it was more of an “huh wow its caramel”. Anyways, these are good and I would highly recommend making these if you are on the fence about it.
★★★★★
Glad you gave it a shot and liked it! Thanks so much!
Just made these for the first time.
Only recently discovered your website.
Great recipe, easy ingrediënts, fantastic result!
Thank you! Will definately make more of your recipes!
★★★★★
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you like it and I hope you like the other recipes as well!
I made these today, and I am SO amazed! There are few things I love more than peanut butter (and Snickers of course), but I haven’t come across home-made vegan oil-free Snickers bars which are made from whole foods AND can hold a candle to the original. This recipe is amazing and the taste absolutely convincing! I used deglet nour dates and in contrast to other sweets/treats, these bars don’t even taste of dates (like many who don’t care about whole foods would complain), it just tastes super yummy like it should: caramel, peanut butter, chocolate, just like the original! Considering these are simple and quick to make at home, these are perfect (I’d say 9.7 out of 10 for taste & feel, where 10 is the highly processed original).
Thanks again so much for this recipe! Big shout out, I’m recommending this to friends!
★★★★★
Dates are such a great ingredient! Thanks SO much for making them and glad that you enjoyed them so much!
Loveee it!!! Kindly provide me with calories per serving. Thank youu!!
Out of personal philosophy we don’t track calories or nutritional info for our recipes but you can use Cronometer to plug in information from any recipe to get what you’re looking for!
Yummy ???????? Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks for making the recipe!
This was so good! Thank you. 🙂 My son is allergic to dairy so I’m always trying new recipes for him. He loved these! Though I think I may have loved them a bit more. haha
★★★★★
So happy you guys are liking it!
These look absolutely insane and vegan!
I’m gonna make them for my pre workout snack!!
Question, if I wanted to add protein powder to it what do you suggest?
-replace some oat flower with it
-add protein powder as extra to caramel filling
Many thanks,
Ana
You could do both! I think it would be best in the oat flour base though