Who does not love chocolates! Chocolate is everyone’s absolute favorite. From lulling a crying child to sharing the joy of one’s birthday, chocolate never fails to work its charm. But if one plans to go vegan, must their love for chocolates end? Not at all! We present to you the chocolate crunchy bar that is plant-based!
Chocolate is not just some food; it’s an emotion!
Serotonin is a neuro-transmitter and one of the happy hormones responsible for stabilizing mood. Our body synthesizes serotonin from an aromatic amino acid called tryptophan, which is present in cacao. Also, the sugars in the chocolate spike up the insulin, which transports more amino acids to the brain. Phenylethylamine, also known as the ‘love drug,’ is another constituent of cacao. Thus, chocolate not just psychologically but biologically makes us happy!
What does a plant-based crunchy chocolate bar mean?
If you are lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy products, or vegan, you can still meet your chocolate cravings. For these reasons, plant-based chocolates have become widely popular in the past decade.
Chocolate in its natural form is purely vegan. Theobroma cacao, the cacao tree, bears colorful cacao pods. On breaking open the cacao pods, you can see the white cacao beans inside. On fermentation, the cacao beans turn a shade of brown and have an alcoholic odor. The beans are then roasted and powdered to form flavorful chocolates.
The problem actually arises when other ingredients like milk and milk fats and additives are included in the process of making commercial chocolates. But the plant-based chocolates are dairy-free and contain cocoa butter instead of animal fat. This way, plant-based chocolates taste better, richer, and purer than regular ones.
Make plant-based crunchy chocolate bar at home from scratch!
1] Recipe for vegan and gluten-free chocolate crunch bar
Ingredients:
- Crispy rice cereal (gluten-free) – 1 & 1/2 cup
- Coconut oil – 1/3 cup
- Cacao powder and cocoa powder – 1/4 cup each
- Maple syrup – 1/3 cup
- Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
- Salt – a pinch
Steps:
- Place a saucepan on low heat and add coconut oil. Once the oil melts, add cocoa and cacao powders, followed by maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Take the chocolate mixture off the heat and add it to a bowl of rice cereal. Mix and coat the rice cereal well.
- Pour the chocolate-cereal mixture into a loaf pan or baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Freeze for at least half an hour or until it sets properly.
- Pull out the parchment paper, cut the chocolate into bite-size bars and serve!
The rice cereal gives the chocolate bar a nice crisp and crunch. Therefore you can adjust its amount as per your liking.
2] Recipe for 5-ingredient, 5-minute crispy vegan chocolate crunch bar
Ingredients:
- Crispy rice cereal – 3 cups
- Peanut butter – 1 cup
- Vegan chocolate chips – 1 & 1/2 cups
- Maple syrup – 1/2 cup
- Coconut oil – 1/2 cup
You can swap
- Rice crispy treats with gluten-free rice crispy cereal.
- Peanut butter with any other crunchy nut or seed butter.
- Maple syrup with sugar-free sweeteners.
- Coconut oil with vegan butter.
Steps:
- Line your baking tray or baking dish with parchment paper and keep it aside.
- To a bowl, add the crispy rice cereals.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave till everything melts. You do the same on the stovetop too. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk until the ingredients are well-combined.
- Mix and incorporate the chocolate-peanut butter with rice cereals. Pour the same into the baking dish and refrigerate for an hour or until firm.
- Once done, remove the parchment paper and cut the bar into pieces!
To get the perfect crisp and crunch, you must choose the right crispy cereal and go for crunchy peanut butter. Click here to buy Foodvez Chocolate Crunchy Peanut Butter- dairy-free and gluten-free!
How to find plant-based chocolate crunchy bars?
Plant-based chocolate bars should not have any animal products. Check the ingredients for the same. Mostly these chocolate bars would have ingredients like cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, sugar, and vanilla. If you find dairy products, then put the bar down! Generally, a vegan chocolate bar with fewer ingredients turns out to be purely vegan and delectable. Most high-quality dark chocolates go well with vegans, as cacao makes up to 50% of the ingredients.
Best vegan crunchy chocolate bars to buy
Are you tired of scanning through the ingredients of every chocolate bar available at your nearby supermarkets? Do not worry! We have added links to buy the best vegan chocolate bars right here!
Plant-based chocolates from Piperleaf
Piperleaf makes 100% plant-based, dairy- and gluten-free milk and dark chocolate with all-natural ingredients and no added preservatives. They are made with cocoa beans, cocoa butter, raw sugar, and natural vanillin. You can get 50g of this vegan couverture chocolate for just a couple hundred bucks! And the best part is they offer manifold varieties of chocolates to satisfy all flavor profiles.
DARK CHOCOLATES
From 80% pure dark chocolate to 60% dark chocolates with different flavors like raspberry cinnamon, nuts & raisins, and an endless list of many others, Piperleaf has a collection of couverture chocolate at Foodvez.
Click on the links below to find your new-favorite vegan dark chocolate!
Banana Walnut-60% Dark Chocolate
MILK CHOCOLATES
Dairy-free milk chocolate! Does that sound like an oxymoron? Well, Piperleaf has a wide-range of gluten-free, plant-based milk (mylk) chocolates made using ground hazelnuts and cashew nuts!
Click on the links below to find your new-favorite dairy-free milk chocolate!
COMBO PACKS
Dark Chocolates – Combo Pack of 2 (60% & 80% Dark Chocolates)
Vegan Milk Chocolates – Combo Pack of 3 (Classic Mylk + Fruit & Nut + Mixed Seeds)
