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Coconut-y cocoa crumb base with creamy filling and chocolate ganache on top, these Vegan Nanaimo Bars are definitely one superb dessert to die for.
When I was browsing my old recipes, one thing suddenly looks very enticing to me is Nanaimo bars, a dessert named after the Canadian city of Nanaimo in British Columbia.
Looking back, I found my old vegan-version recipe a bit far from authentic Nanaimo Bars. Hence, I decided to make them again. This time they will taste closer to what Nanaimo bars should taste like, but still this is a vegan and, in my opinion, healthier compared to common ones.
First, let’s see what these Nanaimo bars are usually made of. It got three layers:
- A biscuit, nut, and coconut crumb base which taste like raw chocolate brownies!
- A cashew ceam layer in the middle; (which is usually custard icing)
- and a layer of chocolate ganache on top.
What’s special about these Vegan Nanaimo Bars ?
- Vegan, no dairy, no egg, no animal products
- No-bake, easy to put together
- Healthier, made with oats and nuts inside, sweetened with maple syrup and dates
Ingredients You Need
Just want to give you a heads-up. Because this is a 3-layer dessert, the ingredient list is a bit longer than my usual no-bake recipes. But trust me, it’s worth it to get them to make these lovely, creamy Nanaimo bars.
- Dates
- Toasted walnuts
- Digestive biscuits
- Rolled oats
- Cacao powder, or Cocoa powder
- Ground flaxseed
- Desiccated coconut
- Raw cashews
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Maple syrup
- Soy milk
- Extra-virgin coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Dark chocolate (I use 70% cacao content)
How to Make Vegan Nanaimo Bars
- To make the base:
- Chop the pitted dates in a food processor finely.
- Add all base ingredients except for water, coconut oil, and desiccated coconut. Process again until all ingredients are mixed evenly.
- Add water and blitz again to bring all ingredients together. Then stir in the desiccated coconut.
- Transfer the mixture to the bottom of a loaf tin. Use a spoon or spatula to press it down evenly.
- Place the loaf in into the freezer.
- To make the cream filling:
- Drain out the water from the soaked cashews. Give them a rinse.
- Add all filling ingredients to a high-speed blender to blend until smooth.
- Pour the cream filling mixture into the tin on top of the base.
- Return the loaf tin into the freezer for 4 hours or 8 hours in the fridge.
- To make the topping:
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over boiling water (double boiler).
- Pour the melted chocolate on top of the cream layer. Gently tilt the loaf tin to even it out.
- Let it sit for 3–5 minutes until the chocolate is completely set.
- Remove it from the loaf tin. Cut it with a sharp knife into squares. Then enjoy!
How to Store Vegan Nanaimo Bars
Store these Nanaimo bars in a container in the freezer for 2 weeks or 5 days in the fridge. Let it sit a few minutes to defrost if taken straight out from the freezer.
Questions You Might Have
I don’t have digestive biscuits, can I use different biscuits?
Yes you can. Here I use digestive biscuits because of their neutral flavour and crunchy texture. You can use another similar kind of biscuits, such as tea biscuits.
You can also use gluten-free biscuits if you want to make these Nanaimo bars gluten-free. Just make sure to check all the allergens when buying ingredients.
Are there other substitutions for extra-virgin coconut oil?
You can also use cooking (deodorized) coconut oil if you want. But I wouldn’t recommend using other things because it will change the texture.
I’m allergic to soy. Can I make it soy-free?
Yes, you can. Just replace soy milk with another type of plant-based milk. Also pay attention to the allergen information on the package of the ingredients you buy.
Final Words
These Vegan Nanaimo Bars are definitely one of my favourite desserts I’ve made so far. It’s packed with flavours and texture that I don’t think I’d get tired of eating it ever.
I hope you will like these lovely, yummy desserts as much as I do. Let me know if you have further questions or thought by commenting down below. x. — Nora
More Vegan Recipes:
- Vegan Victoria Sponge Cake (w/ gluten-free)
- Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-free)
- Vegan Dorayaki (Japanese Pancake with Azuki Bean Paste + Black Sesame Filling)
Vegan Nanaimo Bars (easy + healthy)
Ingredients
For Coconut Cacao Base:
- 45 g pitted dates
- 40 g toasted walnuts
- 45 g digestive biscuits
- 45 g rolled oats
- 1 Tbsp cacao powder, *
- 1 tsp cocoa powder, *
- 1 tsp ground flaxseed
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil
- 30 g desiccated coconut
For Cream Filling:
- 80 g raw cashews, soaked in water overnight in the fridge
- 90 ml full-fat coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp soy milk
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
For Topping:
- 50 g dark chocolate, 70%
- 1.5 tsp extra-virgin coconut oil
Instructions
To make the base:
- Line an 8” loaf tin with baking paper.
- To a food processor, add pitted dates and chop them finely.
- Add walnuts, biscuits, rolled oats, cacao powder, cocoa powder, and ground flaxseed. Continue to process until all ingredients are mixed evenly,
- Add water and blitz again to bring all ingredients together. It will look like wet chocolate crumbs.
- Remove the blade of the food processor. Stir in the desiccated coconut.
- Transfer the mixture to the bottom of the prepared loaf tin. Use a spoon or spatula to press it down evenly.
- Place the loaf in into the freezer while we make the filling.
To make the cream filling:
- Drain out the water from the soaked cashews. Give them a rinse.
- Add the cashews along with other filling ingredients to a high-speed blender to blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Take out the loaf tin from the freezer. Pour the cream filling mixture into the tin.
- Return the loaf tin into the freezer for 4 hours or 8 hours in the fridge, until the cream layer is completely set.
To make the topping:
- Add the chocolate and coconut oil to a heat-resistant bowl. Melt them together over boiling water (double boiler) or in a microwave, stir occasionally.**
- Pour the melted chocolate on top of the cream layer. Gently tilt the loaf tin in different directions to even out the chocolate topping.
- Let it sit for 3–5 minutes until the chocolate is completely set.
- Remove the whole brick by grabbing the overhanging baking paper. Cut it with a sharp knife into 8 squares. Let it defrost a bit if it’s straight out from the freezer. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- *Cacao or Cocoa powder: Here I use both, one for the flavour, one for the colour. You can just use either or adjust to suit your preference.
- **Melting chocolate in a microwave: Use medium-low heat with 30 seconds as an interval to melt the chocolate. Stir to make sure it’s evenly heated. Make sure don’t overheat the chocolate.
- Storage: Store these Nanaimo bars in a container in the freezer for 2 weeks or 5 days in the fridge. Let it sit a few minutes to defrost if taken straight out from the freezer.
