With dark chocolate and chewy coconut in each delicious bite, this is absolutely the best homemade Mounds Bars recipe you’ll find. And they are so easy to make!
Copycat Mounds candy bars
Mounds bars used to be one of my all time favorite candy bars.
Today’s homemade version calls for just four ingredients and can hold its own against the classic, with the same beloved rich chocolate shell and sweet coconut filling.
Whip up a batch of these addictive coconut bars in under five minutes.
You will not regret it!
Readers also love this Coconut Ice Cream
Healthy vegan Mounds bar ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make the coconut chocolate bars at home.
Gather together shredded coconut and coconut oil, liquid sweetener, optional pure vanilla extract, and chocolate chips or broken up chocolate bars.
Unlike many other homemade Mounds bars recipes or Bounty bar recipes, this one calls for no corn syrup and no sweetened condensed milk.
Sweetener options that work well include pure maple syrup, honey, or raw agave. Or for sugar free Mounds bars, stevia will also work.
If you experiment with a granulated or powdered sweetener, be sure to report back.
The most important thing with these bars is to buy full fat, unsweetened shredded coconut or desiccated coconut. For best results and a better texture, do not use low fat coconut or sweetened coconut flakes.
Including the vanilla extract compliments the coconut flavor. It can easily be left out if you prefer, and the coconut bars will still be tasty.
I love the bold, rich flavor of the original dark chocolate Mounds bars. If you are a semi sweet or milk chocolate fan, feel free to use either of these (or even white chocolate) instead of the dark chocolate chips.
The easy coconut dessert recipe can be gluten free, dairy free, egg free, tree nut free, soy free, raw, paleo, and vegan.
Almond Joy bars recipe
Turning this into an Almond Joy bar recipe is incredibly easy.
Press a raw or roasted whole almond into the top of each coconut patty before coating them in the melted chocolate.
Alternatively, you can add the almonds to the top after covering in chocolate.
I sometimes also like to add a few drops of pure almond extract to heighten the almond flavor. Because the extract is highly concentrated, you only need a few drops.
Also make this Almond Flour Banana Bread
Homemade Mounds bars recipe video
Watch the step by step recipe video – above
How to make chocolate covered coconut bars
Three ingredient Mounds bars are coated in melted chocolate, for a fun and easy no bake homemade candy bar that all coconut lovers will enjoy.
To make the recipe, start by adding start by gathering all of your ingredients and lining a plate with parchment paper or wax paper.
Add the shredded coconut, sweetener, and softened coconut oil to a blender or food processor. If using vanilla extract, include this ingredient as well.
Blend or process the mixture fully. You will know it is done when the coconut dough is sticky and does not fall apart when pressed together.
Using your hands or a cookie scoop, smush the mixture into Mounds bar shapes. You can make traditional sized candies, mini Mounds bars, or even giant Mounds!
Place the raw coconut patties on the prepared plate, and chill in the refrigerator or freezer until hard and cold.
Carefully melt the chocolate chips or bars, either in the microwave or using the double boiler method.
(For more on how to melt chocolate, see this Chocolate Covered Strawberries recipe.)
If you want a smoother chocolate sauce that more evenly coats the patties, stir the optional oil into the melted chocolate.
Dip cold coconut mounds in the chocolate coating. Place them back on the parchment lined plate, then chill in the refrigerator or freezer to set the chocolate shell.
So the unwrapped candies maintain their shape and texture, it is best to keep leftovers cold in the fridge or freezer.
Sugar free keto Mounds bars
To make a keto version, replace the liquid sweetener with two tablespoons of water.
Increase the coconut oil to four tablespoons, and add plain or vanilla stevia drops to taste. Look on the jar of your specific brand of drops for the amount of drops equal to three tablespoons of sugar.
Use chocolate chips with no sugar, or make your own Sugar Free Chocolate Chips.
Or you can make your own raw chocolate sauce by combining a fourth cup each of cacao powder (or cocoa powder), melted coconut oil, and raw agave or honey.
As for nutrition facts, each keto and low carb candy bar will have just 2.2 grams of carbohydrates and 1.2 grams of net carbs total.
Add the bars to the top of a Keto Cheesecake
Healthy candy bar serving suggestions
Any time is a great time to enjoy these homemade Mounds bars.
Serve them on a cookie tray for dessert at your next party. Or grab one as a snack from the fridge whenever a chocolate craving strikes.
They are equally welcome at Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Or Easter.
Cut the no bake chocolate coconut bars into pieces, and use them to decorate coconut cupcakes or Vegan Chocolate Cake or as a topping for ice cream.
The recipe was adapted from my 3 ingredient Coconut Balls.
Mounds Bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey or agave (a keto option is included above)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 3 oz chocolate chips (or see substitution above)
- optional 1 tsp oil
InstructionsÂ
- To make homemade Mounds bars, start by blending the first three ingredients and optional vanilla in a blender or food processor (not by hand, or they fall apart) until sticky and no longer crumbly. Smush into Mounds bar shapes. Place on a parchment or wax-lined plate, and chill in the refrigerator or freezer until hard. Carefully melt the chocolate, then stir in the optional oil if you want a smoother coating. Dip cold coconut mounds in chocolate. Chill to set, and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer so they maintain their shape.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Copycat Dessert Recipes
I’m normally not a fan of coconut, but I would eat these ALL DAY EVERY DAY LIKE A MAD WOMAN!!!! Thanks! ~ nerdwithtaste.wordpress.com
Hi Katie,
We LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes! Quick question for the coconut oil. In recipes when you just state ‘coconut oil’ (such as the coconut filling for this recipe) do you use it in solid or liquid form? I’m making these now and just melted the oil but now wondering if I should have left it solid? What do you do?
Thanks!
Solid coconut oil for the mixture and I melted coconut oil for the chocolate sauce.
I made these and they are amazing. I erred on the side of using the higher amount of maple syrup and it was too much. So a word of caution that, at least in my case, it affected the consistency of the coconut balls. I’m making a new batch with less maple syrup and they will be perfect. I was wondering how Katie got hers so white if she’s maple syrup (and isn’t agave also brown?). Mine turned tan. I made the chocolate sauce instead of melting chocolate and it too is delicious. These are super easy to make.
Use light agave, and they’ll be white like in the photo.
Thanks!
Do I need to heat the coconut oil to a liquid first, or do I leave it a solid? I am going to try these for Thanksgiving and put almonds in them..because yes, I am a Nut! 😉
I heated mine first.
These were so so good I love coconut so go figure! I tried the mini muffin tins but once I got them out I ended up shaping them a little myself. These are going on the Xmas cookie list!!
Mmmm these are amazing! So rich and delicious! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! 🙂
Yum! These are as fun to make as they are to eat!
I figured out a way to prep these using silicon molds that made the chocolate-covering process pretty darn easy:
1. I made the coconut filling and stuck it in the freezer (bowl, spoon and all) for a few minutes
2. Then, I made the chocolate and put about a spoonful into each of the slots of the molds.
3. I then took my coconut mixture from the freezer, and spooned a blob or so on top of the chocolate bottom layers.
4. Last, I put a final chocolate layer on each of the pieces, and topped the mold with a sheet of parchment paper, and applied pressure with a spoon to squish all the layers together. (I may have also sung a bit during the process, but that step is optional.)
5. I put the molds in the freezer for a few hours and then popped them out, one by glorious one.
6. Smiled that these actually ended up looking kind of professional; smiled even more as I took the first bite of these yummy creations! 🙂
Looking forward to making this recipe!
I’m also trying to link to the three-ingredient chocolate bars but there’s a problem with the link, Katie can you help me?
https://lett-trim.today/2012/01/15/three-ingredient-chocolate-bars-1/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> 🙂
I made these tonight. I used sweetened coconut and maple syrup. I didn’t use my food processor because I’m lazy and it still worked out well. However, after freezing them, make sure you let them sit out for about 5 minutes before trying to get them out of the muffin pan or they won’t completely come out. I also used less coconut oil in the chocolate coating as I was afraid it would be too thin. They are very good, but the chocolate melts when holding it in your hand eating it. Oh well… you just get to lick your fingers then! 🙂
The healthy mounds bars are wonderful!