Vegan Mounds Bar (Almond Joy)
Homemade vegan Mounds bars or Almond Joy bars are easy to make and will satisfy your craving for candy bars! Filled with a sweet, chewy coconut filling and coated in vegan chocolate, one bite and you’ll feel like a kid again!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get more amazing vegan recipes that will satisfy your cravings!
If you need to avoid dairy and/or eggs, it can be challenging to find vegan candy bar alternatives. My kids have been vegan their whole lives and have never had the opportunity to eat traditional candy bars, so I like to make homemade vegan ones for them to enjoy on holidays.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Coconut Milk – this replaces the sweetened condensed milk in traditional macaroon recipes. If you’d like to use vegan sweetened condensed milk, I have a recipe for it in my Homemade Vegan Staples cookbook.
- Sugar – to sweeten the coconut milk. If you are using vegan sweetened condensed milk or prefer a less sweet cookie, you can omit it. You can also use coconut sugar, but it will result in a darker-colored cookie.
- Corn Starch – to hold the coconut shreds together
- Sweetened Coconut Shreds – these are the bagged coconut shreds that you find in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. You can also use unsweetened, but you may want to add more sugar if you do that.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
- Salt – for flavor.
- Vegan Chocolate Chips – to dip the cookies in after baking. This is optional, and you can omit it if you want. You can also drizzle your cookies with vegan salted caramel sauce instead.
- Coconut Oil – to melt with the chocolate chips, making the chocolate smoother. You can also use vegan butter as an alternative.
- Almonds – if making Almond Joy. (The only difference between Mounds and Almond Joy is the addition of almonds in the Almond Joy bars, so you can easily make both of them using the same method.)
Helpful tools
- Parchment Paper – to rest the chocolates on so they don’t stick.
How to make vegan Mounds bars
Step 1 – Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a saucepan.
Step 2 – Stir with a whisk until well combined and no lumps remain before turning on the heat.
Step 3 – Once it’s smooth, turn the heat to medium and stir frequently until it starts to boil. Then, stir constantly for 1 minute, or until your mixture is thick and smooth.
Step 4 – Remove from the heat and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla, stirring well. Then mix in 3 cups of shredded coconut 1 cup at a time until it’s well combined.
Form the coconut into bars
Step 5 – Use your hands to form the coconut mixture into small log-shaped pieces. You can make them in any size or shape that you want. (If you are making Almond Joy, place whole almonds on top of the mound of coconut, pressing them slightly so they adhere.)
Step 6 – Place the tray of the formed coconut bars into the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
Step 7 – Melt 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or vegan butter. You can do this by microwaving it for about 1 1/2 minutes, or you can use a double boiler.
Step 8 – Dip the cold coconut bars into the melted chocolate, then place them back onto the parchment paper. (Don’t pick them back up again until they cool completely and the chocolate is set.)
Step 9 – You can drizzle a little additional chocolate on the tops to make them look a little fancier.
Step 10 – Place the candy bars into the fridge for about 20 more minutes to firm up and set completely.
Pro Tip
- Be sure to add the corn starch to the cold coconut milk. Stir it until it’s well combined with no lumps before turning on the heat.
How to store homemade Mounds bars
Countertop: These vegan coconut macaroons will keep well for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.
Freeze: You can freeze these cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More vegan treats
- Vegan Caramel Apples
- Homemade Vegan Chocolates
- Classic Vegan Fudge
- Vegan Chocolate Truffles
- Creme De Menthe Squares
- Vegan Coconut Macaroons
Vegan Mounds recipe
Vegan Mounds Candy Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 cups sweetened coconut shreds
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a saucepan.
- Stir with a whisk until it's well combined and there are no lumps before turning on the heat.
- Once it's smooth, turn the heat to medium and stir frequently until it starts to boil. Then stir constantly for 1 minute until your mixture is thick and smooth.
- Remove from the heat and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla, stirring well to combine. Then mix in 3 cups of shredded coconut, 1 cup at a time, until it's well combined.
- Use your hands to form the coconut mixture into small log-shaped pieces. You can make them in any size or shape that you want. (If you are making Almond Joy, place whole almonds on top of the mound of coconut, pressing them slightly so they adhere.)
- Place the tray of the formed coconut bars into the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
- Melt 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or vegan butter. You can do this by microwaving it for about 1 1/2 minutes or you can use a double boiler.
- Dip the cold coconut bars into the melted chocolate, then place them back onto the parchment paper. (Don't pick them back up again until they cool completely and the chocolate is set.)
- You can drizzle a little additional chocolate on the tops to make them look a little fancier.
- Place the candy bars into the fridge for about 20 more minutes to firm up and set completely.
Notes
- Be sure to add the corn starch to the cold coconut milk. Stir it until it’s well combined with no lumps before turning on the heat.
- Add almonds to turn it into an Almond Joy bar.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Can you advise on using unsweetened coconut shreds: Should I add more sugar (and how much should I add and when)? Thanks!
I would use 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 1/3 cup if using unsweetened coconut shreds. Enjoy! 🙂
These were easy to make and absolutely delicious! I used a silicon bottom ice cube tray, put an almond at the bottom of each one and then put the cococnut mixture on top. After 30 minutes in the freezer, they popped out easily and retained their shape.
Vegan chocolate chips melted easily in the microwave – no problems there. You will find if you use vegan margarine you will need to use more than two teaspons. Coconut oil seems to offer a thinner, more easy to apply coating. Used coconut oil on the second batch and it went much more smoothly.
I highly recommend these! Everyone will love them!
I’m so happy that you liked them, Tom! 🙂
These are so delicious! Definitely adding to our recipes and making again.
I’m so happy that you liked them, Reba! 🙂
Hi from the Netherlands.
The chocolate chips I have are the ones for chocolate chip cookies etc. They don’t melt well, do they? Why do you recommend these, and not vegan plain chocolate bars?
Hi Monica,
I would love a reply yo my question. Do you think plain vegan (minimum 70%) would work instead the chocolate chips?
Chocolate chips are better for melting. It may work, but I have never tested it.
Hello,
How long do these keep in refrigeration? And freezing?
They will stay good in the fridge for 2 weeks or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
I know many people who use coconut in various forms without any LDL problems. I have a friend who has been in the health care profession, in hospitals, for years and grew up using coconut oil for everything. She is in perfect health and no problems with LDL. If there is a problem, there usually is something else a person is doing that raises that or their body cannot use it, especially canola oil which is being put in all margarines except Miyoko’s or making your own. It is GMO, they admit it, and admit it still has 1% of a toxin that cannot be taken out. I do not eat anything, knowingly, with that in it. Just to share, when traveling, many people think if they eat vegetarian in a Chinese restaurant, they are not, there is oyster sauce or chicken broth in the sauces, in the vast majority. Ask, they will tell you. I tell them how to make my dishes from scratch without those things and they are very accomodating. My husband and I have many Chinese cooks as friends. One told us straitly that the garlic sauce for broccoli has oyster sauce in it. Another cook in a restaurant said the same thing. All a person can do is what is best for themself. No one has it perfectly. Monica, thank you for what you are trying to do with what you know and meeting people where they may be in the transition process.
I would love to try these because I love coconut and used to use it a lot in all forms. But my doctor warned me off coconut and other high sources of saturated fat because it was sending my LDLs through the roof!
Now I check saturated fat content in all packaged foods and I brought it down without using those poisonous statins.
Coconut lovers – get your cholesterol levels checked! We don’t want to be digging our graves with our teeth 😬
Sorry to be negative but I honestly believe health comes first.
Sue in Perth, Australia
Sorry to ask a dumb question but by Coconut Milk do you mean the stuff in cans on grocery shelves or in cartons in the refrigerated section?
Since it’s replacing sweetened condensed milk, my guess is that it’s the canned coconut milk since it’s thicker. But hopefully she’ll let us know! These look so yummy!
Yes, I use canned coconut milk to make it rich and creamy. Enjoy! 🙂
Yes, I use the full-fat canned coconut milk. You could use the carton type if that is what you have, but the canned will make it richer. Enjoy! 🙂