Quinoa Almond Joy Bars

4.34 from 6 votes

Taste like the real thing but without all the calories.

almond joy bars

Our skinny mini bars clock in at 94 calories each and are made with four superfoods. Take these mini desserts to work and snack on one when that afternoon sweet craving hits. Our skinny mini desserts were created to encourage eating smaller portions while still enjoying your favorite treats. 100% of our desserts are clean eats. Check out these 3 skinny mini desserts: Strawberry Cheesecake, Banana Pudding, and Strawberries in Balsamic-Yogurt Sauce.

4.34 from 6 votes

Quinoa Almond Joy Bars

You will have no regrets when you enjoy one of these scrumptious almond joy bars, packed with superfoods and delicious flavors.
Yield 14 people
Serving Size 1 mini bar
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup quinoa dry
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 12 whole dates no sugar added
  • 1/2 cup whole almonds with skins, optional 1/2 coarse almond meal
  • 1/2 cup coconut finely grated
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons water
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for gluten-free chips we used Enjoy LIfe)

Instructions

  • Add quinoa and water to a small saucepan, cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook approximately 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate at least 2 hours...overnight will work. One cup cooked quinoa can be used if already made.
  • Add dates, almonds, coconut, and cooked quinoa to the food processor and pulse until ingredients are well combined and a ball forms. Return ingredients to the mixing bowl, and add one teaspoon of water at a time, until mixture holds together. Shape into 14 - minibars.
  • In a small saucepan, add chocolate chips and melt over low heat or in a double-boiler. Drizzle warm chocolate over each bar. Refrigerator and allow chocolate to harden. Bars can be stored in an airtight container for several days or frozen in a freezer-safe dish.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1mini bar | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 2mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 4
Keywords Budget-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

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Gale Compton

Gale co-founded SkinnyMs. with a goal to provide women with delicious recipes, fitness routines, and ways to reach their ideal weight. Gale has been featured on the Today Show in which she won a cook off for the best Lasagna. Be sure to search for her winning recipe, Skinny Lasagna Rolls.

Guided by her firm belief in healthy eating and the power of exercise, Gale has written two cookbooks and several fitness ebooks. She earned her Fitness Training Certification from, National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association. Gale loves to run with her dog Maggie and has completed numerous half-marathons.

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48 Comments

    1. Sarah, I think too fine. This recipe needs the almonds to be a little more course than flour consistency.

    1. Heather, I wouldn’t recommend it since they contain a lot of refined sugar. That’s if you want to keep it clean. 🙂

  1. Made these last night for a 4th of July party and they turned out great!! I did not end up having to add any water because the mixture was plenty sticky coming out of the food processor. Thank you for the recipe, it was very yummy.

  2. I want to make these but have a nut allergy. Coconut doesn't bother me. What can I substitute for the raw almonds?

  3. I made this and I thought it was far too sticky! I did not care for how sticky it was. Wish there was a solution to that.

  4. I just made these, and although they taste terrific, I had a hard time keeping them together and shaping them into a bar or a ball… It kept falling apart. I followed the recipe and added water one teaspoon at a time just as instructed, but still, it kept falling apart. I ended up placing all of it on a cookie sheet and shaped it into a large square, then refrigerated it. Hopefully, they will firm up enough so that I could pick them up… Could you tell me what went wrong??? Thanks!

  5. I think I used too much water because I had very mushy bars and balls. I will try it again with very little or no water like someone else did. Nice flavor though 🙂

    1. There really is no exact substitute for dates, which act as both a binder (they're sticky) and sweetener in this recipe. You can experiment with using a nut butter and a small amount of honey in place of the dates. If you do let us know how it goes.

    1. Kristen, Omit the almonds altogether and just make the recipe with same measurements, perhaps adding slightly less liquid. Pumpkin Seeds will probably not be a good substitute, but the recipe will still be delicious without the almonds.

  6. YUMMY! Thanks for posting this, it was delicious. As other commenters noted, they are a bit wettish. I didn't add the water, but still noticed it. To make it easier, I pressed the mixture into a pan, then simply spread the chocolate on with a spatula. After they chilled in the 'fridge, and I saw the consistency while trying to cut them, I decided to put them in the freezer. That worked great! I just keep them in the freezer and eat them frozen and they are scrumptious!
    I always feel like I'm eating something really decadent, but the macros aren't bad at all. Thank you!

      1. I think she means with the oz/grams listed for each ingredient instead of cup measurements.. I’ve seen that a lot

  7. The photo does not seem to reflect the directions. It looks like the chocolate is coating something and then placed on the date mixture? Does the nutrition information include the almond on top as that is not in the directions?

    1. Pam, It doesn’t include the extra almond. I’ve added the original photo, made by yours truly. 🙂

  8. Quinoa is new to me. I have a package but it says to rinse. Quinoa seeds is what is used in this recipe based on questions and answers in the comments. Is there a difference in the seeds and what I have on hand? Please and thank you.

  9. Made them today, yum! Made it in a slice pan and cut into 16 pieces, even though I could have made bars because the consistency was good

  10. Hi Carolyn,

    Just found your recipe on YouTube for no bake almond joy bars and clicked the link to get here. The above recipe is not the same as the YT one. It didn’t have quinoa or dates.

    Would like to have the YT recipe please!!!

    Thanks,
    Cary

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