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These are extremely simple and delicious Chocolate Coconut Balls using just 5 easily sourced ingredients. They are naturally gluten free, vegan, and refined sugar free. The perfect healthy snack for on the go.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
These No Bake Coconut Chocolate Balls are perfect for entertaining family or friends. If you have kids they will really enjoy making these!
Vegan Coconut Balls are great for a quick dessert or even as a snack. They will last for a long time in the fridge, so you don’t have to eat them all at once!
These look and taste GREAT! If you love bounty bars then you’re going to love these coconut balls. Save money this year and make your own chocolates instead of buying them.This was inspired by my Vegan Chocolate Truffles recipe, and pairs well with this amazing Christmas Hot Chocolate. If you’re a fan of these, you can also try my Peanut Butter Balls.
I added this recipe into my Best 33 Vegan Desserts, 35 Gluten Free Desserts and 10 Healthy Baking For Kids Recipes round up!
Ingredients to make Chocolate Coconut Balls
- Desiccated Coconut – is finer than shredded coconut and great for these chocolate covered coconut balls.
- Ground Almonds – adds an almond flavour that pairs perfectly with the coconut and chocolate.
- Coconut Oil – Make sure to melt it before starting the recipe.
- Maple Syrup – is an excellent natural sweetener.
Ingredients for the chocolate
- Coconut Oil – helps the chocolate to have a beautiful shine and harden up well.
- Maple Syrup – sweetens up the cacao powder a bit.
- Cacao Powder – gives a deep, rich chocolate flavour to these coconut balls. If you have some spare try my Chocolate Pot recipe.
- Small Pinch of Salt – balances out the sweetness of the coconut balls recipe.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Desiccated Coconut – Shredded coconut would also work, although in the chocolate balls coconut texture would be more obvious.
- Ground Almonds – could be replaced with almond flour. Or if you want these to be nut free then use coconut flour instead.
- Maple Syrup – can almost always be replaced with runny honey or agave.
- Cacao Powder – could be replaced by cocoa powder.
Variations
- Deluxe – top with powdered sugar, additional desiccated coconut, or peppermint pieces.
- Kid friendly – You can’t get much more kid-friendly than chocolate! If they aren’t dark chocolate fans, try using cocoa powder and more syrup. You can also let them experiment with the shape of the balls – try a bar instead!
See this Chocolate Peanut Butter version of this recipe on my website!
How to make Chocolate Coconut Balls
Step 1: Combine the coconut, almonds, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Step 2: Roll the mix into evenly sized balls and place on a small lined baking tray. Put in the freezer for 8 minutes whilst you make the chocolate sauce.
Step 3: Combine the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt into a Bain Marie and mix.
Step 4: Slowly add the cacao powder and whisk it into the sauce until smooth.
Step 5: Remove the balls from the freezer and evenly coat each one with chocolate sauce. Return them to the tray and put them in the freezer for another 20 minutes.
Hint: Make sure your tray will fit in your freezer.
Leftovers
Refrigerate these covered coconut truffles in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe FAQs
A bain-marie is a fancy term for a hot water bath. It allows you to melt chocolate sauce with better control over the temperature.
Yes! In fact, freezing them is part of the process of making them! They will freeze well for up to six months in an airtight container.
There is such a huge variety of chocolate balls out there that this is tough to answer! I make mine with just 5 ingredients – desiccated coconuts, ground almonds, coconut oil, maple syrup, and cacao powder. They are delicious and incredibly simple to make.
It really depends on how they are made. Your typical store-bought chocolate coconut balls are not. I make a 5 ingredient recipe that is much healthier as it is gluten-free, vegan, and refined-sugar free. It is still chocolate, though, so it’s not going to be as healthy as vegetables! But I promise it will taste better!
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Chocolate Coconut Balls
Ingredients
- 70 g desiccated coconut
- 70 g ground almonds
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Ingredient for the chocolate:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 12.5 g cacao powder
- Small pinch of salt
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl add the desiccated coconut, ground almonds, melted coconut oil and maple syrup and mix thoroughly.
- Simply roll the mix into even size balls and place on a small baking tray lined with baking paper (making sure the tray will fit into your freezer). Place the balls into the freezer for 8 minutes whilst you make the chocolate sauce.
- To a Bain Marie add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and salt and mix.
- Slowly add the cacao powder whisking it into the sauce until smooth.
- Remove the balls from the freezer and simply evenly coat each with the chocolate sauce before placing back onto the tray and placing in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
I love these they’re my good to treat.
I didn’t have any problem either the chocolate sauce the first time but the last couple of times when I make the chocolate sauce it goes very thick and difficult to cubed the coconut balls. Have I mixed it to much? I put it back on the bain Marie and it separates. Any ideas.
Actually quite tasty still and it hasn’t stopped me making them.
These were really easy to make and very tasty!
Thanks Sophie 🙂
Hi James,
Can you please let us know if this would work with agave instead of maple syrup?
Hey Carla, yep Agave is a fine substitute for maple syrup in all my recipes 🙂 enjoy!