Vegan Crunch Bars (Gluten, Soy, & Nut Free)

Vegan Crunch Bars!!!

Yay!!! Allergy friendly vegan crunch bars that taste like the real deal and are smooth on top like ones you find in the store. I absolutely love crunch bars. They are my favorite chocolate bar next to the Kit Kat (which I’m still trying to copycat). I love the sweet vanilla creamy chocolate smoothness with a hint of crunch, coming from rice crisp puffs. I could eat a whole bag of crunch bars, so I have to be careful making this recipe, haha! It makes 48+ crunch bars, depending how big you like to slice yours into.

The History of the Crunch Bar (because I’m a history nerd)

I love knowing how things get started and the way crunch bar got started is amazing. Maurice Michaud, a worker for Nestle Chocolates, liked to bring samples of chocolate home from work. He started experimenting with the chocolate by adding in Rice Krispies to the warmed chocolate and letting it cool and harden. He started serving it at parties and brought some back to work. Nestle decided they loved the recipe so much that they started producing their first crunch bars and eventually started producing their own rice krispy puffs in house at a whopping 3,000 pounds per hour!!! If you want to learn more about their history and where they are at today, here’s where I got my information.

Equipment & Ingredients

1. 1 (1 1/4 inch deep) baking sheet. We use a 14×16 rectangle baking sheet that is about 1 1/4 inch deep. But feel free to use any dish you’d like. I just find a larger pan with decently deep sides makes the chocolates the perfect 3/8 inch thick. But feel free to make them thicker if you want! That’s why homemade recipes are so wonderful. It’s up to you to make the modifications you desire! Have fun!
2. Enjoy life semi sweet chocolate chips, OR other vegan chocolate chips, of choice. Any kind will do, but if you want a milkier sweeter taste like the real deal, then don’t do dark chocolate!
3. non dairy milk, of choice. Really any non dairy milk will work fine. This ingredient is there to provide the rich creaminess you desire in a milk chocolate bar.
4. olive oil, OR canola oil. Again, any oil will work except for the oils that harden in the fridge (ie: coconut & palm).
5. honey or maple syrup. Any liquid sweetener will work! Pick your favorite.
6. vanilla. Crunch bars definitely don’t taste like store bought until you add in a dash of vanilla. The perfect flavor for the perfect bar.
7. 1/2 cup gf rice crisps. Any gluten free rice crisps will do! We like using the whole 360 brand!

How to make vegan crunch bars?

This recipe is rather simple and doesn’t take much cooking time. In a small pot on medium temp., heat all ingredients of your first batch until of chocolate on low, till liquidy and smooth.

In a (1 1/4”) deep baking sheet lined with parchment, pour your first batch of chocolate mixture & sprinkle in all the rice crisps. Place in freezer for 30 mins, till hardened.

In the same small pot, heat up the second batch of chocolate, till smooth. Pour this batch over your first batch. Freeze for 30 mins, till hardened. Then cut into bite-sized chunks and store in the fridge, for up to 2 months.

Common Questions

1. Why make two layers of chocolate? In order to get a smooth layer on top, and perfectly crunchy surprise on the bottom, you need two layers of chocolate, one with crisps, and the other without. Of course, you could make it all in one batch, but I prefer making this recipe as authentic as I can to the real deal. To me, it’s worth the extra time.
2. Can I store the crunch bars at room temperature? I wouldn’t recommend this, because unlike store-bought chocolate, this recipe will melt at room temperature without all the preservatives they use at stores.
3. Can these be frozen? Yes! They will last in an airtight container for 6 months. & When you go to eat them, let them sit out on the counter for 30 mins to soften.
4. Can I use dark chocolate? Yes! However, dark chocolate needs more liquid content to work for this recipe. So instead of 1 TB honey or maple syrup, do 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup. And instead of 1/4 tsp vanilla, do 2 tsp vanilla. Everything else in the recipe stays the same. If you don’t add extra liquid it will solidify almost immediately and not work as well. If you don’t want the added maple syrup, do 3TB extra non dairy milk.

Pro tips & additional flavors:

• 2 layers: The key to this recipe is making chocolate in two batches. When you do this, you can have a dreamy layer of chocolate on top just like the store bought kind, and a surprise layer of crunch on the bottom. However, If you are in a rush or really don’t care about having the texture of a smooth layer, you can just make one big batch of chocolate and add in the crisps.
• Christmas Minty add-ins: What’s fun about have two layers is the fact you can add-in additional flavors!! If you’re making this for Christmas time, add 1 tsp of mint extract into your second batch of chocolate. You can even add 1-2 crushed peppermint sticks into either layer.
• Halloween Color Ideas: If you’re making a Halloween treat, you can substitute 10 oz enjoy life white chocolate and 15 drops of bright orange turmeric food coloring in place of regular enjoy life chocolate chips to make the second batch of chocolate orange!
• Valentines Fruity Ideas: Also if you’re making this for Valentines, you can substitute the rice crisps for a 1/2 cup crushed fresh raspberries in the bottom layer of chocolate for an added sweetness and fun. One other idea, because why not—try adding in raspberry jam in between both chocolate layers! Don’t forget to make me some 😉
  

Other Allergy Friendly Candy Recipes:

• Vegan Truffles
• Kit Kat (working on a recipe!)
• Gummy Bears (working on a recipe!)
• Vegan Soy Free Gluten Free Candy Corn

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