These vegan, gluten-free s’mores bars are made with a healthy oat, almond, date, and chia crust plus vegan marshmallows and chopped dark chocolate. A healthier vegan spin on a campfire treat!
Note: This recipe was originally published in April 2019. It was revamped and re-published in August 2020, and once again in February 2021. An older version was oil-free; the improved recipe does include some coconut oil. Enjoy!
I’m in love… with these vegan s’mores bars.
Believe me. Since making these bars this morning, I’ve made many trips into the kitchen, gazing longingly at the container that they are in, and then distracting myself with other things so as not to cave in to my deepest dessert desires before I’ve eaten a healthy dinner. It’s been a day filled with a lot of sighs, and drool, especially during the photoshoot.
Okay, a wayward marshmallow and a few crumbs might have made their way into my mouth in the process, but I mean… if you can resist these bars, there’s a good chance that you’re part cyborg or something. As soon as I tasted them at dessert, I just knew that I had to share them with you all. It’s taken me a few attempts to perfect the recipe, but I think I finally have something truly special.
A couple of factors coalesced into the perfect storm that motivated me to create this recipe. The first was that I looked into my pantry the other day and realized that I had a package of vegan marshmallows nearing their best before date. The second was that my coworkers had been enjoying a non-vegan store-bought s’mores bar this past week, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t start craving s’mores by the time the week was out.
S’mores were always my favourite dessert growing up, but I wanted to create something a little more portable for the purposes of this dessert (because you never know when a s’mores craving will strike, and you might also want to endow your friends/coworkers/coach/partner with a container brimming with s’mores bars sometime in the near future).
Where do I even begin about these s’mores bars? With an oat, almond, date, coconut oil, and chia crust and topping, and gooey vegan marshmallow and dark chocolate filling, they are the answer to every dessert-loving vegan’s prayers! And they’re none too bad for you, to be honest!
vegan s’mores bars ingredients + instructions
The crust is particularly healthy. It’s a recipe that I came up with for some strawberry oatmeal squares, and consists of rolled oats, almonds, dates, coconut oil, chia seeds, coconut, and maple syrup. After making it in the food processor, you simply reserve 1 cup of it for the crumble topping, and press the remainder into a parchment paper-lined square baking dish. Sprinkle chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips and marshmallows over top, crumble the remaining crust over top, and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before lifting out of the pan and slicing. It’s best when still slightly warm so that the chocolate is still a little bit melty and the marshmallows are still gooey. You can also warm up individual squares at 350 F for 5-7 minutes, as the cravings strike.
I think that these taste particularly good with a glass of cold non-dairy milk. Something about the contrast between the warm, gooey bars and the cold milk hits the spot. In the summer, they’re lovely to serve at picnics, especially with grapes and mint iced tea. 🙂
more wholesome vegan dessert recipes
- Chocolate Chunk Cashew Butter Blondies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip, Pecan, and Cranberry Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo bars (No-Bake)
I hope that you LOVE these vegan s’mores bars! If you make them, leave a comment and rating below to let me, and other readers, know how you liked them. And if you post a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can feature it in a story.
Enjoy!
Print
Vegan S’mores Bars
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups large flake rolled oats
- ½ cup raw almonds
- ½ cup soft, pitted Medjool dates
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup virgin coconut oil, softened
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
- 100 grams chopped dark chocolate (50%-70% cacao content) OR ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup vegan marshmallows (such as Dandies)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8×8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to allow you to easily lift the bar out of the pan after.
- Place the rolled oats in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process into a coarse flour.
- Add the almonds and process again until the almonds are ground.
- Add the pitted dates, sea salt, coconut oil, coconut, chia, maple syrup, and water. Process until the mixture sticks together easily when pressed between your fingers. Add another tablespoon of water, if needed, to help it along.
- Crumble 1 cup of this mixture into a measuring cup and set aside.
- Crumble the remaining mixture into the prepared baking dish. Press down into the bottom to form a firmly packed, even crust.
- Sprinkle the chopped dark chocolate over the crust, followed by the marshmallows. Lightly press down.
- Finally, scatter the reserved 1 cup of crust over top.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the marshmallows and top crust are lightly browned.
- Let the bar cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before lifting out of the pan. You can slice it now, though the longer it sits, the less delicate it will become. I sliced it into 12 squares.
- You can warm up individual squares at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes if you want a nice warm s’mores bar anytime. 🙂
Notes
Store s’mores bars in an airtight container for several days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
if you use Pinterest, feel free to pin this to one of your boards!
Want to save this post?
Want to save this? Enter your email address below and we'll send it directly to your inbox. Plus you'll receive great new recipes, workouts, and inspiration for a happier, healthier life every week!
Samantha says
These are so delicious. I have always loved s’mores, and now I found a tasty and healthy recipe. SO GOOD!!!
Allison says
Aw, that is so sweet of you to say, Samantha! Thank you. 🙂
Allison says
Hi Michelle! I am so sorry about my omission of the almond milk in the recipe card. I am going to update it. The amount used is 2 tablespoons. Thank you so much for alerting me to this and happy baking! 🙂