Chocolate sea salt puffed quinoa bars are the ideal combination of sweet and salty: rich dark chocolate, crispy quinoa, sweet honey, and a hint of sea salt. They're easy to whip up whenever you want a healthier treat!
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Why You'll Love These Puffed Quinoa Chocolate Bars
This is such a unique quinoa recipe! And it's made with simple ingredients: puffed quinoa, honey or maple syrup, natural creamy peanut butter or almond butter, dark chocolate chips, and pure vanilla extract with a sprinkle of sea salt on top.
They're loaded with healthy fats, some protein, and fiber and are refined sugar free to make a delicious balanced snack or sweet treat! They also make a great quick breakfast if you're on the run.
Equipment
- 8x8" square baking dish - you can use any size baking pan to press the chocolate quinoa mixture into. If you use a size other than 8x8", it may alter the yield listed in the recipe card below!
- Parchment paper - I highly recommend using parchment paper to line the baking dish. This will prevent any sticking and makes getting the bars out of the dish super easy! These parchment paper sheets are fantastic to use because cutting one sheet in half gives 2 perfectly sized pieces to line the dish with.
- Medium saucepan - I was able to melt the chocolate, almond butter, honey, and vanilla in a saucepan, and then pour the popped quinoa into it and stir. If you don't have a big enough saucepan, a medium or large bowl (3-quart) should work!
- Rubber spatula - this is perfect for stiring the melted chocolate mixture with the puffed quinoa, as well as pressing the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Puffed quinoa - puffed quinoa is so good and fun to use in this recipe. The individual quinoa "balls" puff up and become crunchy, almost like puffed rice cereal. But quinoa has a little extra fiber and protein than rice!
- Dark chocolate chips - a good quality dark chocolate is ideal for this recipe. You can also use any chocolate chip you like: milk chocolate, white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, etc.
- Natural almond butter - I'm a big fan of using natural nut butters with just 1-2 ingredients (the nut itself and salt). Nut butters can have hidden trans fats (like hydrogenated oils), so I look for minimal ingredients!
- Honey - this adds a little extra sweetness to these puffed quinoa bars. You can use pure maple syrup as well!
- Pure vanilla extract - this compliments the rich chocolate flavor well.
- Flakey sea salt - I absolutely love flakey sea salt as a garnish for desserts like these crispy puffed quinoa bars and my chocolate chip mug cake!
How to Make Puffed Quinoa Bars
1: In a medium saucepan, combine almond butter, chocolate chips, honey, and vanilla extract over medium low heat. Be careful not to turn the heat too high as the chocolate will burn!
2: Stir until melted and smooth.
3: Add puffed quinoa and stir until fully combined.
4: Press puffed quinoa mixture into a prepared 8x8" baking dish and sprinkle with flakey sea salt.
5: Chill for 2-3 hours, or until firm and set.
6: Let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before slicing (this will make cutting the bars easier). Enjoy!
Variations & Substitutions
- In addition to sea salt, you can sprinkle sliced or whole almonds, mini chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, hemp seeds, chopped peanuts, and/or dried fruit on top of these chocolate puffed quinoa bars!
- Any nut butter will work in this recipe: natural peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc. You can also use a crunchy version for extra crunch!
Pro Tips
While you can make your own puffed quinoa, it was easy to find and purchase online! Some health food stores may carry it (I couldn't find it at a regular grocery store like Harris Teeter and Walmart) as well.
Storing & Making Ahead
- Store these chocolate sea salt puffed quinoa bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can store them at room temperature but they last longer in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 1 month!
- These chocolate crunch bars are super simple to make ahead of time. Simply make the recipe and store according to the directions above!
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Assuming there are no other ingredients (like added sugar or added fats), puffed quinoa is healthy. Quinoa is a grain that contains fiber, plant-based protein, manganese, and copper. Puffed quinoa is simply quinoa that's been puffed up, sort of like puffed rice cereal!
No! They're both quinoa but cooked quinoa is a softer, cooked grain while puffed quinoa is light and crispy.
It's delicious mixed into yogurt for a nice crunch or as cereal! Puffed quinoa is great because it has fiber and plant-based protein so it can be part of a nutritious meal or snack. Since it's comparable to puffed rice cereal, you could even make rice krispie treats out of it!
Other Recipes You May Like
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PrintChocolate Sea Salt Puffed Quinoa Bars Recipe
Chocolate sea salt puffed quinoa bars are the ideal combination of sweet and salty: rich dark chocolate, crispy quinoa, sweet honey, and a hint of sea salt. They're easy to whip up whenever you want a healthier treat!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert, Chocolate, Snacks
- Method: Chilling
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (254g) dark chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup (184g) natural almond butter (or any nut butter of choice)
- ⅓ cup (112g) honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (91g) puffed quinoa
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Prepare 8x8" baking dish by lining with parchment paper.
- In a medium (3-quart) saucepan combine chocolate, almond butter, honey, and vanilla extract over medium low heat.
- Continuously stir with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are melted and combine. Be careful not to burn the chocolate! Low and slow is better.
- Once the chocolate mixture is melted and combined, pour in the puffed quinoa and stir until evenly coated. You may need to transfer to a medium mixing bowl for more room depending on how big your saucepan is.
- Pour the chocolate quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish and press down into an even, uniform layer.
- Sprinkle sea salt on top and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
- Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
- Store these chocolate sea salt puffed quinoa bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can store them at room temperature but they last longer in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 1 month!
- These chocolate crunch bars are super simple to make ahead of time. Simply make the recipe and store according to the directions above!
- In addition to sea salt, you can sprinkle sliced or whole almonds, mini chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, hemp seeds, chopped peanuts, and/or dried fruit on top of these chocolate puffed quinoa bars!
- Any nut butter will work in this recipe: natural peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc. You can also use a crunchy version for extra crunch!
- While you can make your own puffed quinoa, it was easy to find and purchase online! Some health food stores may carry it (I couldn't find it at a regular grocery store like Harris Teeter and Walmart) as well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 174
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 169
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: Puffed quinoa recipe, puffed quinoa bar, how to make puffed quinoa bars, puffed quinoa recipe, quinoa chocolate bars
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