This Chocolate Bark Recipe is super easy to make. It's the perfect balance of crunchy and sweet. It's easy to customize, naturally dairy-free, and like Candied Cinnamon Pecans, it makes a fun treat for gifts or an easy, quick homemade dessert.
Just like my Classic Vegan Granola Bars and Easy Vegan Trail Mix, this Chocolate Bark is crunchy and a little indulgent. But it's much easier to make with fewer ingredients!
Two of my kids are about an hour and twenty minutes away at college, and this bark has quickly become one of their most frequent requests.
Sure, they could easily whip it up themselves (it's basically college-student-level easy), but let's be honest-things just taste better when Mom does it.
Plus, I don't mind the excuse to show up with a container of homemade treats and a little love from home.
And if you're looking for more easy recipes perfect for dorm life or busy people, I've shared some in the post, Easy Vegan College Recipes and 20 Quick and Easy Plant-Based Snacks.
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Why I Love This Recipe
- It's ridiculously easy-mix, bake, pour, chill, done.
- Customizable with whatever nuts, seeds, or toppings I have on hand.
- Vegan because I use dairy-free chocolate chips, but no one would ever guess!
- Makes a perfect gift for the holidays, snack, or dessert without much effort.
Ingredients
Dairy-Free Chocolate: When melted, dairy-free chocolate is one of those ingredients no one will ever guess is vegan-it's just as rich, smooth, and indulgent as the classic kind. You can find it at most major grocery stores, including Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Try brands like Enjoy Life and Hu. I find them much less expensive locally than on Amazon.
Nuts and Seeds: Feel free to mix and match with whatever you've got on hand. I prefer using raw nuts and seeds for the best flavor, but if roasted is all you have, they'll still work just fine.
Brown Rice Syrup: Brown rice syrup is the glue that holds this bark together. Unlike maple syrup or agave, it's super thick and sticky, which means your nuts and seeds will bind easily into a crunchy, candy-like base. It's also less sweet than other liquid sweeteners, so it balances out the rich chocolate topping without being overpowering. I buy my rice syrup at Whole Foods.
See the printable recipe card for quantities and a full list of ingredients.
Variations
- Trail Mix Bark: Use raisins or cranberries in the mix for a chewy version.
How to Make Chocolate Bark for Different Holidays?
This chocolate bark is excellent for any time of year.
Christmas
Make it festive and add crushed candy canes, dried cranberries, and pistachios for red-and-green flair before the chocolate hardens. A drizzle of vegan white chocolate gives it a snowy look. Wrap in cellophane bags with ribbons for easy gifting.
Valentine's Day
Add romance with freeze-dried strawberries, raspberries, or edible rose petals on top of the chocolate. I also like to drizzle white chocolate for contrast. Perfect for pairing with wine or gifting in little boxes.
Halloween
Get spooky by sprinkling crushed pretzels, vegan marshmallows, or candy eyeballs on the melted chocolate. A dash of orange sprinkles or drizzle of white chocolate creates a fun black-and-orange effect.
Thanksgiving
Keep it cozy with dried apricots, cranberries, and candied pecans. You can add candy corn over the top, too. Add a touch of sea salt and cinnamon or pumpkin spice with the nuts to make it autumn-perfect.
How To Make Chocolate Bark
See the complete printable recipe card below for the details.
Steps 1-4 Nut & Seed Base
- Combine: In a large mixing bowl, add walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, hemp seeds, and brown rice syrup or maple syrup.
- Mix: Stir well until all the nuts and seeds are evenly coated with the syrup.
- Spread: Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking dish.
- Bake: Spread into an even layer and bake until golden and lightly toasted.
Steps 5-8 Chocolate Topping
- Prep chocolate: Add vegan chocolate chips and a little coconut oil to a heat-safe bowl.
- Melt: Stir until smooth and glossy (using either a microwave in short bursts or a double boiler).
- Spread: Pour the melted chocolate over the baked nut and seed base, spreading it evenly with the back of a spoon. Here is where you would add any additional toppings.
- Set: Place in fridge or freezer until the chocolate is firm, then cut or break into pieces and enjoy.
Top Tips
- Use raw nuts & seeds: They toast up beautifully in the oven without tasting overdone.
- Chop up the larger nuts to improve the texture for easier biting.
- Warm the syrup slightly if needed. Brown rice syrup mixes in more easily if it's just a little warmed.
- Stir patiently. It's sticky! You'll know everything is coated when even the tiny seeds aren't sitting at the bottom of the bowl.
- Line with parchment: Bark can be clingy-parchment makes removal and cleanup a breeze.
- Spread evenly but not too thin: Aim for about ¼ inch thick for the best balance of crunch and chew.
- Don't skip the chill: Let it set fully in the fridge before breaking; otherwise, you'll end up with a gooey mess instead of bark.
Serving Suggestions
- Break into shards and pile onto a holiday dessert platter.
- Package in gift bags, jars, or tins for homemade presents.
- Serve with Cuban coffee, hot cocoa, or mulled wine for a cozy pairing.
- Crumble pieces over vegan ice cream, yogurt, or oatmeal.
Chocolate Bark FAQS
You can use any dairy-free chocolate you like-semi-sweet, dark, or even a sweeter vegan milk chocolate. Semi-sweet is a nice middle ground because it balances the richness of the nuts and seeds, but if you're a dark chocolate lover, go bold, and if you want a more kid-friendly treat, grab vegan milk chocolate.
Drop a comment and tell me how this chocolate bark turned out! Was it love at first bite? Surprisingly edible? Or a full-on "Reg, what were you thinking?" And if my directions helped (or didn't), please let me know so I can continue to improve these recipes for you.
Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for inspiration.
Recipe Card
Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews chopped
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup hemp seeds or chia seeds
- ½ cup brown rice syrup or maple syrup
- 1 10 ounce bag chocolate chips vegan semi-sweet, dark, or vegan milk chocolate.
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- salt or flaky salt
Optional Toppings
- crushed candy canes candy corn, sprinkles, or vegan M&M's
- dried cranberries chopped
- pistachios chopped
- toasted coconut flakes
- mini vegan marshmallows
- crushed pretzels
- freeze-dried strawberries
- a swirl of melted vegan white chocolate
- drizzle of nut butter
- orange zest or lemon zest for brightness
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Prep the base: In a large bowl, combine all the nuts and seeds. Pour in brown rice syrup or maple syrup and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Bake the base: Spread the mixture into a parchment-lined baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and lightly toasted. Let it cool slightly.
- Melt the chocolate: In a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate chips and the coconut oil over a double boiler or in the microwave in 45-second to one minute bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
- Spread it on: Pour the melted chocolate over the nut-and-seed base and spread evenly into a ¼-inch layer.
- Top it off: Sprinkle with flaky salt or any extra toppings evenly over the chocolate and gently press them down so they stick.
- Chill: Place in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate has hardened. This varies but can take between 10 and 20 minutes in the freezer and a little more time in the fridge.
- Enjoy: Break into pieces and serve! This keeps great in an airtight container on the counter for about 3 days.
Regi Pearce says
I make this all the time! Love the crunch from the nuts and seeds, and that chocolate layer is perfection. I sometimes add puff cereal to the mix for variation which tastes great.