No-Bake Oat Fudge Bars (Vegan)

These no-bake oat fudge bars are vegan, gluten-free, and seriously decadent-tasting! In fact, they are quite healthy, with a date, cashew, and coconut base and chocolate coconut cream fudge topping. 

It’s Friday!!! Time to kick back and enjoy some very delicious food and drink… not that we haven’t been doing that all week long, hehehe. I’m going to celebrate finishing my degree tonight- woohoo- with fajitas, margaritas, and either Suzy Q doughnuts or my favourite maple vanilla cupcakes. Looking forward to it! 

This is another recipe that I created well over a month ago and have been so excited to share. I was blown away with how delicious it turned out.

You might know that I have always had a soft spot for the oat fudge bar from Starbucks, and I created my own “copycat” recipe last year. But I must say that these no-bake oat fudge bars have swept me off of my feet. The crust is a simple press-in mixture of cashews, rolled oats, coconut, dates, coconut oil, and salt. The fudge layer is just melted coconut cream and chocolate. I would argue that waiting four hours for it to freeze is the most challenging step in this recipe, but one that has a very delicious reward at the end. 

the delicious details

A few features of these oat fudge bars: They are no-bake, gluten-free, and vegan. They take just a few minutes of active prep time, followed by four hours in the freezer. You’ll need the following equipment: An 8×8-inch square baking dish, parchment paper, and a food processor. 

no-bake oat fudge bars: ingredients

For the crust, you’ll need raw cashews, rolled oats, unsweetened shredded coconut, Medjool dates, sea salt, and coconut oil. 

For the fudge, you’ll need semisweet chocolate chips and coconut cream. By coconut cream, I am referring to the cream that separates from the water in a can of coconut milk. You will need to refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight in order to make this recipe, and use only the layer of coconut cream that rises to the top of the can in the fudge. This is very important- if you use regular coconut milk that includes the water, the fudge might not firm up enough. 

how to make no-bake oat fudge bars

Start by preparing the pan: Line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, with overhang for ease of lifting out after. 

Make the crust: Place the cashews and rolled oats in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process into a meal. Next, add the coconut, dates, salt, and coconut oil. Process until a sticky dough forms. You might need to add a tablespoon of water if it isn’t sticking together, even after a minute or two of processing. The fresher and stickier your dates are, the better. 

Crumble ½ cup of the dough into a small dish and set aside. Crumble the remaining dough into the prepared baking dish. Use your fingers to firmly press the dough into an even layer. 

Make the fudge layer: Place the coconut cream and chocolate chips in a small saucepan. (If you have a double boiler or some way to safely place your saucepan over another saucepan of simmering water, use that- but I just used a small saucepan for this and it worked fine.) Melt over low heat, whisking often, until smooth and uniform. 

Pour the fudge over the prepared crust. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread it in an even layer. 

Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup of dough over top. Transfer into the freezer and freeze for 4 hours, or until the chocolate fudge layer is firm. 

Allow the bar to soften for a couple of minutes before slicing. You can slice into nine large squares, as my gluttonous self did, or, if you exhibit self restraint, you could go for 12-16 more reasonably sized bars. 

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. I stored mine in the fridge and found that the texture was perfect! 

more chocolatey vegan desserts

• Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies (Gluten-Free)
• Vegan No-Bake Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
• Vegan Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tarts

I hope that you love these no-bake oat fudge bars as much as I do! I’m excited to make another batch soon. If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made. 

Enjoy!! 

No-Bake Oat Fudge Bars (Vegan)

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 9-16 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Easy, no-bake oat fudge bars that are vegan, gluten-free, and SO decadent-tasting!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Date Cashew Oat Crust

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup soft, juicy pitted Medjool dates (about 12)
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon water, if needed

Fudge

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup coconut cream (I am referring to the solid cream that separates to the top of a can of coconut milk when refrigerated overnight)

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Instructions

1. Start by preparing the pan: Line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, with overhang for ease of lifting out after.
2. Make the crust: Place the cashews and rolled oats in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process into a meal. Next, add the coconut, dates, salt, and coconut oil. Process until a sticky dough forms. You might need to add a tablespoon of water if it isn’t sticking together, even after a minute or two of processing. The fresher and stickier your dates are, the better.
3. Crumble ½ cup of the dough into a small dish and set aside. Crumble the remaining dough into the prepared baking dish. Use your fingers to firmly press the dough into an even layer.
4. Make the fudge layer: Place the coconut cream and chocolate chips in a small saucepan. (If you have a double boiler or some way to safely place your saucepan over another saucepan of simmering water, use that- but I just used a small saucepan for this and it worked fine.) Melt over low heat, whisking often, until smooth and uniform.
5. Pour the fudge over the prepared crust. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread it in an even layer.
6. Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup of dough over top. Transfer into the freezer and freeze for 4 hours, or until the chocolate fudge layer is firm.
7. Allow the bar to soften for a couple of minutes before slicing. You can slice into nine large squares, as my gluttonous self did, or, if you exhibit self restraint, you could go for 12-16 more reasonably sized bars.
8. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. I stored mine in the fridge and found that the texture was perfect!

Notes

It is very important to use only the solid coconut cream that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk when refrigerated for twelve hours. The water will make the fudge too runny and it probably won’t solidify. You can discard the remaining coconut cream and water in the can, or save it for another use, such as a smoothie. Some brands work better than others in terms of the cream separating from the water. I have had success with Whole Foods 365 Organic, as well as Earth’s Choice Organic.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• + 4 hours freezing:

Keywords: no-bake oat fudge bars gluten-free vegan