Chocolate Berry Bars (Paleo + Vegan)
These Chocolate Berry Bars have an almond flour crust topped with vegan chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries and blueberries. These dessert bars are beautiful, delicious, and better for you – they’re gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free, and Paleo.
I got a new camera! And these photos are the first photos I’m posting that I took using it. What do you think?!
I bought myself the Canon 6D and the 100mm f/2.8L Macro Lens! It cost a whole lot of money, but I was due for an upgrade and I’m glad I splurged! I got a really great camera and lens, and it’s so fun to learn how to use. Of course, I barely know how to use it, but since I’m coming from another Canon (the Rebel T3 – here’s the newer version and 50mm f/1.8 lens), the learning curve isn’t too steep.
I was struggling when I was trying to photograph with the new camera when I was at my dad’s in San Diego, but once I got home and back to my setup, I’ve been able to figure it all out pretty quickly.
The Chocolate Berry Bars are also a beautiful subject, so it was hard to do them wrong. I just had to capture the natural beauty of those berries! As much as I love sprinkles, some of the most beautiful desserts I’ve posted have raspberries as the star. Case in point: no-bake chocolate raspberry tart, chocolate berry tart + mocha raspberry cake).
Why are these chocolate berry bars such a standout?
These bars are as delicious as they are beautiful! The bottom layer is an almond flour crust that is lightly crunchy. It’s just lightly sweetened, enough to complete the bittersweet chocolate. To make the chocolate layer, we use canned coconut milk. This helps make such a luscious and creamy vegan chocolate ganache. And on top of all of it, we arrange fresh berries over the chocolate ganache! They add a delicious fresh but that helps cut through the rich chocolate.
I opted to use raspberries and blueberries. However, if you have another favorite, any other kind of berry would be great. After letting the bars set in the fridge for about an hour, cut into sixteen squares and enjoy! These will satisfy any chocolate craving, and you can enjoy them pretty guilt-free, because these are all the things:
- gluten-free
- vegan
- refined sugar-free
- paleo
- easy to make
- only 10 ingredients
- easily customizable
- simple to make ahead of time
Whip up a batch of these and keep them stored in your fridge or freezer. You’ll be happy to have them when a late-night chocolate craving hits. Enjoy :D
Want more chocolate berry dessert recipes?
- Chocolate Strawberry Tart
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies
- No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Tart
- Chocolate Strawberry Oatmeal
Chocolate Berry Bars (Paleo + Vegan)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Chocolate Berry Bars have an almond flour crust topped with vegan chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries and blueberries. These dessert bars are beautiful, delicious, and better for you – they’re gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free, and Paleo.
Ingredients
- 1 cups (4 oz.) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
For the chocolate layer
- ½ cup canned full-fat coconut milk
- 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- About 1 cup of assorted fresh berries, I used raspberries and blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper or foil and grease lightly.
- In large bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and coconut sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup and toss to combine until the mixture sticks together.
- Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350°F for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely.
- Place finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan or in the microwave, just bring coconut milk to a boil (took about 30 seconds in my microwave). Pour hot coconut milk over chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth and creamy.
- Pour warm chocolate mixture over cooled crust. Arrange the berries on top as desired. Chill for at least one hour. Cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
Yay for getting a new camera! Your pictures are just gorgeous, as always! And these bars look amazing! I was drooling after seeing them on your instagram account. Love the berries in here!
Thanks so much, Gayle!! :)
Don’t you just love the new camera?! I recently got the same one. It’s taking me a bit more time to learn it though. I was using a Nikon. But you have it down pat. These bars look so delicious. Love the pop of color with the raspberries!
Thanks so much, Jen! I’m seriously loving the new camera even though it still baffles me a bit – I can’t imagine coming from a Nikon! I’m sure we’ll both get the hang out it pretty quick though :)
Absolutely love the ingredients in these, and I just so happen to have a can of coconut milk in my fridge that I was thinking of what to do with, these bars are definitely happening this weekend!!
Oh my goodness, these bars look INCREDIBLE, Rachel. And your photos are PERFECTION! <3
Those bars look just fantastic – I love raspberries and chocolate together, so good! I got the same lens for Christmas and am so excited to use it – if only the sun would come out! I tried it out the other day but it was snowing out so I didn’t love anything! I still have the Rebel T3 body though – maybe one day I’ll upgrade that too! :)
What gorgeous bars! The layers are beautiful! And chocolate and raspberries is one of my favorite dessert combos – delicious! Your new camera is awesome – maybe one day I’ll get a DSLR as I’m still using the iphone :)
Congrats on the new camera! Your pictures are gorgeous and so are those berry bars! I love the vegan chocolate and the beautiful colors of the berries!
You must hear this all the time but these are almost too pretty to eat..almost! Congratulations on your new camera! I know how exciting that is! I must say – I’ve always enjoyed your photography so it’s just a whole lot more of what we’re accustomed to! Have a lovely weekend, my dear!
These bars are stunning! Love how wholesome that crust layer is- I”m such a fan of baking with almond/coconut flour! Pinning :)
You boughtthe 100 2.8 lens!!! Wow lucky girl! It’s on my wish list for 2016 :-) I have the Canon EOS 600 and also love it :-)
This recipe looks amazing, I love the idea of an almond crust!!
I’ve always thought your photos were beautiful, but these are looking extra pretty! Congrats on the new camera! I am still getting the hang of my Rebel. And these bars are gorgeous! I want to eat them right now. Pinning!
Thanks so much for love and the pin, Meghan!!
What a lovely recipe. Very impressed by your rows of berries – they’re perfect! Well done.
These look gorgeous and OMG that camera is awesome Rachel! You must be having so much fun using it!
Thank you Shadi!! I am :) I’ll let you try it at the photography workshop!
Wonderful!! Can’t wait!
These berry bars are gorgeous! How do you like the Canon 6D? I really want to upgrade my camera (currently shooting with a 60D) but the cost of upgrading is just so painful! I’ve had mine for 6-7 years now and I’ve been thinking about upgrading for a while now. Have fun with the new camera!
Hi Genevieve! I’ve only shot two shoots so far with my new camera (this being one of them) but so far, I LOVE it! The pictures are just so clear and have such a high resolution, I feel like I barely had to edit at all. The cost definitely hurt but I just went with the camera/lens combo I had been dreaming of for years and figure I probably won’t have to upgrade again for a WHILE. As bloggers, we can also write off the cost as a business expense, which helps :) thanks so much!!
These bars are gorgeous, Rachel, and once again you’ve made healthy look insanely delicious! Pinning to try!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so gorgeous in my life! I will DEFINITELY be making these – how could I not?? YUM! :)
I wouldn’t imagine that these bars are paleo and vegan at first glance, they look too good to be true! I need to make them asap! Love me some chocolate and berries:)
Yay for a new camera! These bars look gorgeous and I always love your photos! :) The chocolate and berry combo sound SO delicious!
Oh my, I’m hooked on these gorgeous looking bars – great photos! I want to make some but I don’t want to buy a whole packet as it will probably not be used. Is there a substitute I could try for the 1 teaspoon of coconut flour? (Yes, I know I could use it for lots of other recipes, but I’m being realistic here!!)
Hi Judith, thanks for asking! I totally get that, and honestly, you could probably just leave it out with little consequence – the crust will just be a bit softer. If you want a crunchier crust you can sub the maple syrup for more coconut sugar. Hope this helps! Enjoy :)
Congrats on the new camera! I would LOVE to own a 6D :) I also love this recipe and am excited to make it. Healthy, easy, and delicious means it’s a definite keeper :)
Congratulations on the new camera! Your pictures are gorgeous. I love the way those beautiful berries look on top of the bars!
You would never guess these are healthy! They look so incredible beautiful! Amazing Rachel!
So fun to get a new toy…especially when it’s a camera! Such beautiful shots too…
These bars look incredible. I love that crumbly crust.
Oh.my.gosh. This recipe tho :) WOW! looks so delicious. I can’t believe these are vegan and paleo!! You’re so amazing! Thanks for sharing! Hope that you have a great week!
Delicious! Can’t wait to give these a try!
These bars look beautiful. I was scrolling down the pages on Finding Vegan and I saw the picture for these and thought “wow, I want to eat that”. It took me some time too when I got a new camera to figure out its settings and how to use it, but then when you get the hang of it it’s a lot of fun.
Hi Melanie, thank you so much! It’s definitely fun learning how to use it, and I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of it :)
Hi did you use coconut milk in the cans or drinkable coconut milk?
Hi Amri, I specify to use full-fat, canned coconut in the recipe. Drinkable is too thin for this recipe!
Is the crust supposed to be chewy? I was expecting it to be firmer, but now I’m not sure if I just didn’t bake it long enough.
Hi Tina, the crust of mine were crispy and I did bake until the crust was a pretty deep golden brown. If you’d like a crispier crust, you can also add an extra 1/2 to full teaspoon of coconut flour. Hope you’re still enjoying them!
Hey just wondering could you use gluten free flour instead of almond flour?
I haven’t tried it, but I assume it would work just fine. Happy baking, Amy!
These pictures are stunning. I think you are doing that new camera justice.
Thank you so much, Rachel!
Looks like a great recipe! It’s hard to find good vegan desserts!
Just wondering can I sub in non-paleo/gluten free/dairy alternative like cow’s milk, wheat flour etc
Hi Kirsty, yes for sure. I haven’t tested it that way but it should be fine. I would use brown sugar in place of the coconut sugar, all-purpose flour instead of the almond (and skip the coconut flour entirely), butter for the coconut oil, and heavy cream for the coconut milk. Hope this helps!
I don’t have almond flour on hand. Is it okay to use whole wheat instead? Would it be the same amount?
Hi Susana! I haven’t made this recipe with wheat flour, so I can’t 100% guarantee that it will work, but it should be totally fine and I imagine it will work perfectly. Yes, you will use the same amount. You can also skip the coconut flour – it’s there to help bind the almond flour. Hope this helps – enjoy! :)
Tried these and they came out amazing! Super easy and super yummy! Can’t wait to make them again :)
So glad you enjoyed them, Hansika!
Confirming the amount of almond flour – is it 4oz (1/2 cup) or 1 cup and 4 oz?
Thanks
Hi Gabrielle – it’s 1 cup of almond flour, which weighs out to 4 oz.
These look gorgeous! Pinning to try them!
Thanks for the love, Mira!
Hello,
These look delicious!!
Just wondering if almond meal is the same as almond flour ? I seem to only be able to purchase almond meal in the supermarket.
Thanks, Averill
Hi Averill, usually almond meal is unblanched and almond flour is blanched…I generally prefer almond flour, but almond meal will do the trick if it’s all you can find. Enjoy!
Hi Rachel,
This is absolutely divine. My 3 year old help me to bake it. So easy and something you can do with your little ones just mixing the ingredients and laying on the berries. Thank you once again for this wonderful and gorgeous recipe.
I’m so happy to hear you’re loving the bars, Anna! How fun to make them with your 3 year old too. Enjoy, and thanks for your feedback!
These were awesome. Relatively easy and tasted delicious. My friends were impressed with how gorgeous they were and went back for seconds and thirds. Thanks for this recipe!
Thanks so much for the love, Lisa! So glad they were a hit and thanks for your feedback.
I came across this recipe back in 2016 and have made it countless times (most recently tonight.) That’s how successful these bars are! I increase the ingredients slightly for a 9×9 pan and it always turns out flawlessly. Numerous family members and friends have repeatedly requested it from me—even my husband, who does not follow a Paleo or vegan diet (and usually detests dark chocolate) absolutely loves it!
That said, I knew I needed to come on here to thank you for sharing this with all of us: thank you and you are amazing!
Yay, I love this so much!!! Thank you so much for sharing, Sabrina. So happy to hear it’s a favorite with your crew!