Chocolate Crunch Bars

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These chocolate crunch bars are a dreamy pairing of chocolatey goodness and crispy puffed rice. Bonus – they’re a healthier take on everyone’s favorite candy bar!

Chocolate crunch bars piled on each other on a plate.

Why You’ll Love these Chocolate Crunch Bars

My love for chocolate runs deep, even for those nostalgic candy bars I crave from time to time. But if you, like me, desire an option that’s a bit healthier, these homemade chocolate crunch bars are it! And I gotta say, they’re crazy good. If not, better than the packaged version. Here’s why you’ll love them:

  • There’s just two ingredients (really): It honestly doesn’t get much easier than this. All you need are chocolate chips and puffed rice – that’s it!
  • There’s no funky additives: Commercial candy always has sneaky ingredients. And the store-bought version of these chocolate crunch bars usually uses rice krispies (which contain sugar and sometimes sneaky gluten). Puffed rice or puffed quinoa is a simpler, and healthier approach.
Ingredients for chocolate crunch bars on a table.

Chocolate Crunch Bar Ingredients

  • Chocolate Chips: I love to use Pascha Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, but feel free to use milk chocolate or dark chocolate as well – whichever is your favorite.
  • Puffed Rice: Either puffed rice or puffed quinoa work in this recipe. They both have that larger shape and perfect crunch.
  • Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

How To Make The Best Crunch Bars

Ideally, you want an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan for this recipe. It helps to create the perfect shape for grab-n-go bars.

  • Line your pan. Make sure to use enough parchment paper so that it covers the sides and lifts out a bit.
  • Make the chocolate mixture. Melt the chocolate either in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave in 20-second increments.
Mixing chocolate and puffed rice in a bowl.
  • Pour and refrigerate. Stir the puffed rice into the melted chocolate, pour into the loaf pan, then refrigerate for 30 minutes, until the chocolate is firm and set.
  • Slice it up! Pull the chocolate from the loaf pan and use a warm knife to slice into bars.
Making chocolate crunch bars in a loaf pan.

Storage Tips

Keep in mind these bars can melt a bit if it happens to be a hot day, similar to any regular chocolate bar. So it’s best to keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy.

  • To store: Place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  • To freeze: Make sure to place parchment paper in between each bar before storing in a freezer-safe container. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.
Chocolate crunch bars on a table next to a knife.

More Easy Chocolate Recipes

It never hurts to have several easy chocolate recipes on hand!

If you make these chocolate crunch bars, let me know how they turned out! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.

A stack of chocolate crunch bars on a plate.

Chocolate Crunch Bars

5 from 14 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

These chocolate crunch bars are a dreamy pairing of chocolatey goodness and crispy puffed rice. Bonus – it's a healthier take on the classic candy bar. Watch the video below to see how I make them in my kitchen!

Video

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • In a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave in 20-second increments, melt the chocolate until smooth. Then stir the puffed rice into the melted chocolate.
  • Line an 8½ x 4½ loaf pan with parchment paper, with enough paper up the sides to lift out. Pour the chocolate mixture into the loaf pan in an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.
    Pouring chocolate crunch bar mixture into a loaf pan.
  • Remove the chocolate from the loaf pan and use a warm knife to slice it into bars.
    Sliced chocolate crunch bars on a table.

Lisa’s Tips

Storage: Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Puffed Rice: I had a hard time finding puffed rice in my local market that wasn’t part of a cereal with other flavors and sweeteners. So I bought this puffed rice online and it was perfect!

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate Crunch Bar
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

5 from 14 votes

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Recipe Rating




53 Comments

  1. definitely a hit in this house. But I couldn’t find puffed rice! I
    Ended up using what I had on hand…salt free rice cakes broken up. Worked but not as pretty

    1. I actually have the puffed rice I’m using linked in the ingredients that you can buy from Amazon!

    1. Hi Roxanne – You can subscribe through the top bar where it says “sign up for free weekly recipes”!

  2. I can’t wait to make this for my other half since he loves puffed rice in chocolate, but prefers dark chocolate. Do you know the weight of the 1 1/2 cup of chocolate chips so I can accurately measure the dark chocolate? Thanks!

    1. Hello! I am just about to try this recipe and really looking forward to it since my other half loves puffed rice in chocolate but we cannot find it in dark chocolate. I happened to have some chocolate chips, and it may vary by brand but 1/2 cup worked out to 93g so multiplying by 3 and rounding up, gives me 279g. So I’ll be using that number to measure the dark chocolate. ☺️

  3. So simple and delicious. When you have a chocolate or a sweet crish: Perfect ! Bring the rest to the office the next day 😉 if any…5 stars

  4. I made these literally in 5 minutes and now I am in chocolate heaven! I initially wanted to freeze some, but now I am pretty sure I will finish them in a heartbeat ;-)5 stars

  5. So quick and easy, and so much healthier than store bought options!

    They taste wonderful and I can see addition things like dry fruit/berries, coconut flakes, nuts/whatever else your heart desires. 5 stars

  6. I love how easy and customizable this is! I added more rice puffs than the recipe called for because I like more crunch and it was still amazing. 5 stars

  7. These are a go-to when I’m short on time or when it’s warm out and I don’t want to turn on the oven for a dessert! So easy and So delicious! They disappear quickly!5 stars

  8. This recipe is exactly what I was looking for wanting to mimic a candy bar I used to eat when I was living in Italy.  Unfortunately the puffed rice I purchased from Nuts.com smelled rancid as I had bought it a while ago, so I could not make the recipe today. I will order some more, but I was wondering if you ever tried to add nuts to this recipe and, if yes, how do I adjust the other ingredients? Thank you. 5 stars

    1. You could use carob chips, but these will generally taste better if the chocolate is semi-sweet.

  9. These were so delicious. I thought the amount was too little in the loaf pan so I doubled the recipe, , but now I understand why you make a single batch in the pan. It’s too thick to cut once cold! Really enjoyed this recipe and will make one batch in the pan from now on.

  10. I made these for my kiddos today! They are delicious and incredibly easy to make. My kids have several severe food allergies and these bars are only two ingredients. Thank you so very much for this recipe.

  11. I made the chocolate crunch bars today and can’t wait to try them. Of course I had every size loaf pan EXCEPT for the one you suggested LOL. I made it in a 9.25×5.25. I guess I’ll have to cut them into larger sized pieces! As always, thank you for all you do.

  12. Love these bars, so easy to make, made one lot with milk chocolate for the family and one with dark chocolate for me everyone’s happy.. 😀

    1. Hi there! I’m using a brand called Pascha chocolate chips, which can be found in the Shop page on my website. As for the puffed rice, I just used a Whole Foods brand.

  13. These look so yummy.  Does the puffed rice still allow the bars to be crunchy?  I love the idea of the crunch factor.  Thank you so much, Lisa.  I love every one of your recipes!

  14. Hi Lisa! 🌼
    I AM going to lie to you and say no worries, I don’t miss you, take your time, your book is very important. There’s really no rush to be back to your normal recipe & video schedule.
    BUT…. your book IS important, DO take your time and come back to us when ever you’re ready!
    You have so many delicious recipes on your blog, I’ve made many of them.
    I’ll patiently wait for a new post from you sometime in October……LOL! 😃
    Thank you for giving out this “sweet” treat, I LOVE chocolate!!
    Really liking the short ingredient list, it’s right up my alley on busy days.
    Good luck and (hopefully) be hearing from you soon!!
    Have a great day Lisa!! 🌺

    1. You are so sweet Dalila! The book has been a real struggle – but I know in the end it’ll be worth it, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you :) In the meantime, enjoy these crunch bars and I’ll be back shortly with new videos and recipes weekly in October!

  15. YUM! Can’t wait to try this. I rated it 5 stars because how can it not turn out well?!? Now you’ve got me thinking about what I could make for my 1-year-old with puffed rice, too…she ain’t getting any chocolate. Haha!! Thank you, Lisa!5 stars

  16. Such a classic treat! Love the healthier twist. Hang in there with the cookbook writing! And enjoy the chocolate goodness :)5 stars

  17. I avoid chocolate with soy lecithin. It has been found to have an estrogenic effect. I hunt out chocolate with sunflower lecithin.
    These bars look great! I’ll try some on my husband; he’s a chocoholic.