Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars
This easy Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars recipe perfectly balances toasty, protein-packed quinoa and luscious, smooth chocolate. These vegan bars are sure to become your go-to, no-bake crunchy treat!
Servings: 4 bars
Calories: 191kcal
Equipment
- 5.5" diameter pan or other small sized pan/skillet
Ingredients
- ½ Cup quinoa see notes below
- ½ Cup chocolate chips any type of chocolate; see notes below
Instructions
To Pop Quinoa
- Moisten quinoa with a 4:1 ratio of quinoa to water (or soak quinoa overnight, completely submerging it in water.)
- Place about 1 tablespoon of moistened quinoa into a small pan heated to medium-high temperature and flatten it into a single layer. Note: To determine when the pan is ready, test about 10 quinoa seeds to see if the pan is hot enough. The seeds should crackle or pop within 15 seconds of going on the stove.
- Water will start to evaporate and dry out the seeds. Break the quinoa up with a whisk.
- Once quinoa starts to make a crackling or popping sound, shake the pan around. It will be time to take the quinoa off the stove within a few seconds. Your quinoa will smell toasted and nutty. It will also visibly change to a golden brown. The whole process goes by within 15-30 seconds. Blink, and you might miss it! It's only a matter of seconds until the quinoa turns from toasted to burnt! Repeat this process until all quinoa is popped. Let cool for a few minutes before eating (it will be very hot right off the stove).
To Make Chocolate Quinoa Bars
- Melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 60 seconds and stir until the chocolate is smooth. You could also use the double boiler method.
- Add the popped quinoa to the melted chocolate.
- Stir until all the popped quinoa is evenly distributed through the chocolate.
- Use a small glass container or loaf pan (ranging from 6” x 4” to 7.5” x 5.5” for a thinner bar that is easier to bite into) and line it with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper over the sides to easily pop out the bars later.
- Spread the chocolate quinoa mixture evenly and smooth out the top. If desired, sprinkle extra popped quinoa on top.
- Freeze the bars for 20 minutes or until the chocolate is hardened. Then, using the parchment sheet, remove the bars from the container. Let them sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes.
- Cut the quinoa chocolate into your desired number of bars. I sliced mine into 4 bars. You could also halve the bars to make 8 little squares.
Notes
See more expert tips, pictures, and variations above for making chocolate quinoa crunch bars!
- Yield: 4 chocolate bars.
- Measure ½ cup of raw quinoa to pop. The amount will not change much during the popping process.
- Instead of popped quinoa, you could use store-bought puffed quinoa. It has an airier texture, similar to puffed rice. You could also try popping a different grain like amaranth, rice, or farro.
- Use any type of chocolate that you like! Semi-sweet is my personal favorite and balances the toasted flavor of the popped quinoa well.
- Tip: Run your knife under hot water before cutting the chocolate for a cleaner and easier slice.
- Storage: Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Let sit for a few minutes before enjoying!
Nutrition
Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg