Crunchy Banana Chocolate Bites (no added sugar)

Crunchy ~ Nutty ~ Fruity ~ Simple ~ Decadent ~ Addictive ~ Satisfying

These treats are insanely delicious - you wouldn't expect that from a combination of such simple ingredients, but these bites are the real deal. They were a mega hit at a dinner gathering I made them for. Kids loved them too!

If you're a crunch or chocolate addict, you can have as many of these bites as you want - there is no added sugar here, no nasty fats either.

These bites can be made 100% raw and sugar-free using raw cacao powder and coconut oil for the chocolate, and raw nuts. It's quite hard to get raw cacao and nuts here, so I opted for the next best thing. I love dark chocolate, but since I was making these for people whose preferences I didn't know, I settled for chocolate with 50% cocoa solids. The brand I used had some sugar in it, but it didn't really taste sweet. You can always use dark chocolate to keep the bites totally sugar free. As long as the bananas are ripe, there is enough sweetness to fully enjoy these treats.

I made 63 bites. As time-consuming and messy as they are to make, their preparation is extremely easy and fun. It's even more fun (and definitely less time-consuming) if you have helpers - kids love this kind of activities;) Presented in a pretty box or decorative bag tied with a coloured ribbon they make a wonderful gift.

They are best chilled in the fridge for at least half an hour. You can also take them one step further and freeze them to make " ice cream" bites.

The beauty of this recipe is that it's not a precise one. You can use whatever nuts you like, or only shredded coconut, even chopped dried dates, vegan sprinkles (sugar!), or you could take them to chocolate heaven by covering them in shavings of chocolate or finely chopped white and dark chocolate. You could go nut-free and enjoy some chocolate covered bananas (flavour them further with vanilla or orange/lemon zest).

Here's what I used:

Crunchy Banana Chocolate Bites

• 5 large ripe bananas (not mushy)
• 200 g (2 bars) vegan chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 Tb pure coconut oil ( 1 Tb = 15 ml)
• 200 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 50 g almond flakes, roughly chopped
• 100 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
• handful of Brazil nuts, coarsely chopped

simple cocktail sticks or skewers, plates

Put the chopped nuts and coconut in separate bowls (I love extra crunchy walnuts, so I roasted them in advance at 300°F (150°C) for 10 minutes, then switched off the oven and left them in for another 5 minute. When cool, I removed most of their skins and chopped them).

Put the chocolate and coconut oil in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, the water not touching the bottom of the bowl (double boiler). Leave it for a few seconds to start warming up and melting, then begin to stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.

Peel and cut 1 banana at a time into 1 - 1.5 cm thick slices. Don't cut them all at once because they will turn brown.

Check the melted chocolate. It should be just thick enough to properly cover the banana slice. Too runny and it will reveal it. Push a cocktail stick through a banana slice from the side, not through the centre. Dip it in the chocolate. To prevent the banana from sliding off the stick I poured chocolate over it with the wooden spoon held in my other hand. You can do this step any way is easier for you, you could totally dip and roll the banana in chocolate, then remove it with the stick or even a fork.

Note: Putting more banana slices in chocolate at one time will reduce the temperature of the chocolate and cause it to thicken, then you need to keep warming it up after each batch. By dipping one banana slice at a time in chocolate I only needed to warm it up for the last 5 slices out of 63.

Hold the banana slice above the bowl for the excess chocolate to drip back in, then coat it with chopped nuts or coconut flakes while holding and rolling it with the stick and pressing gently with your other hand so they properly cling to the banana.

Arrange the coated banana slices on a plate. As soon as one plate is ready, put it in the fridge. Continue with the remaining ingredients. I used 3 medium plates and a small one. By the time the last one is done, the first chilled bites are ready to eat.

Enjoy every bite and spread the magic!:)


If you've tried these crunchy treats I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you!