Are Classic Bounty Bars Vegan?
No, the original Bounty Bars are not vegan, and neither are Mounds or Almond Joy. They all contain dairy milk chocolate in their shell. However, in January 2021, Mars launched a vegan Bounty chocolate tab! It is different from the candy bar, but for coconut chocolate lovers, this hit the spot!
How To Make Vegan Bounty Bars
Most homemade bounty bar recipes use high-sugar ingredients like sweetened condensed milk or sweet coconut. This healthy low-carb bounty bar recipe is made only with unrefined sugar and 9 grams of net carbs per bar.
Ingredients For Healthy Bounty Bars
All you need to start making your own healthy raw bounty bars at home are 4 ingredients and a food processor.
Unsweetened desiccated coconut – it refers to finely ground coconut, not shredded coconut that is grated. I’m a fan of using desiccated coconut, if you are too, you have to try my Vegan Macaroons. Maple syrup – or any liquid sweetener you love, including sugar-free maple syrup if you want to make keto bounty bars. Canned coconut milk – don’t use packaged coconut milk. It’s too thin, too low in fat, and won’t stick the coconut batter to form bars. Always shake the can of coconut milk before opening and measuring! You can also use canned coconut cream as a replacement. It will increase the saturated fat of the recipe but tastes amazing. As for coconut milk, shake the can vigorously before opening it. Coconut oil – you must use coconut oil or cocoa butter but not vegetable oil. Coconut oil and cocoa butter are the only two plant-based fats that solidify under 23C to firm-up no-bake desserts.
Making The Filling
To make your own bounty bars, you first need to add the unsweetened desiccated coconut with maple syrup, canned coconut milk, and coconut oil into the bowl of a food processor.
Then, process on the high-speed setting for 30 to 45 seconds or until it forms a sticky, moist batter that you can easily squeeze in your hands to form bars.
Chilling The Coconut Filling
It’s much easier to squeeze the coconut bars if you chill the coconut mixture for 10 minutes. The coconut oil firms up slightly in the fridge and the batter holds better into a cylinder shape, like regular store-bought bounty bars.
Forming The Bars
Place each shaped coconut bar onto a tray covered with parchment paper. This makes it easier to unstick the bar from the plate later on. If you want to make vegan almond joy, press a roasted almond gently on top of each coconut bar.
Freezing The Bounty
Finally, freeze the shaped coconut bars for 15 minutes to set the bar hard. This step makes it easier to dip the bars into melted chocolate.
Preparing The Chocolate Shell
Meanwhile, melt vegan chocolate chips into a small microwave-safe bowl along with coconut oil. I recommend microwaving in 20-second bursts, stirring between until the chocolate is fully melted and shiny. Otherwise, bring all the ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat.
Dipping Bounty Into Chocolate
Now that your chocolate is ready, remove the bars from the freezer. Use 2 forks, or wooden tongs, to hold one coconut bar and dip it into the bowl of melted chocolate. Since the coconut bars are very cold, the chocolate shell sticks to the bar easily. Make sure you coat all the sides of the bar, and when coated, wait a few seconds above the bowl to drain the extra chocolate from the bar. Finally, release the coated bounty bar onto the plate with parchment paper. Repeat this step until all coconut bars are coated with melted chocolate.
Freezing The Bounty Bars
When all the bars are dipped into the melted chocolate, place the plate in the freezer again to set the shell. It usually takes 10 minutes.
How To Make Keto Vegan Bounty Bars
If you want to use this recipe to make low-carb, sugar-free bounty bars, you will have to swap two ingredients.
Maple syrup – replace with sugar-free maple-flavored syrup from Choc Zero or Lakanto. Dark chocolate chips – use stevia-sweetened dark chocolate chips.
