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During my childhood, Snickers bars were always my favorite among all the candy bars available in the store in my village. The luxurious blend of salted caramel, crunchy peanuts, and chocolate coating would literally make me melt with every bite, whether it was the traditional bar or the ice cream version.

However, as I delved into nutrition and developed a desire to nourish my body with the best possible food, I gradually let go of that snack I was so attached to. In the meantime, becoming vegan completely removed this treat from my shopping list and cheat meals.

But what if we could easily make our own vegan Snickers that are healthy, gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free, and ideally higher in protein?

That’s what I’m sharing today with this simple yet delicious recipe, which has 22% fewer calories and can be made in under an hour and a half. So let’s get to work and prepare some fantastic chocolatey, protein-packed Snickers bars!

What Does the Word “Snicker” Mean?

Not to be confused with “sneakers,” which refers to a style of shoes, “Snickers” is just a product name that has found its way into our everyday language to describe foods that combine chocolatey, caramelized, and slightly salty flavors. In fact, the snacks marketed by the Mars family were named after their favorite horse in 1930.

How Many Calories Are in Industrial Snickers?

As you might expect, a LOT, considering their low nutritional value. However, we can distinguish between the standard bar and the ice cream version.

Nutritional Values of Chocolate Snickers
For 100 grams, the nutritional values of a Snickers bar are:

483 calories (242 kcal per bar)
8.6g of protein (almost exclusively from peanuts)
22.8g of fat, including 8.3g of saturated fat
60.2g of carbohydrates, including 51.5g of sugars

And if we take a look at the ingredients, it’s a disaster: sugar, glucose syrup, milk powder, dairy fat, palm fat, egg white powder, and other dubious products, with the exact proportions, of course, not disclosed.

Nutritional Values of Frozen Snickers
As for frozen Snickers, the numbers seem slightly better. But again, we find palm fat, numerous emulsifiers (E471, E477…), stabilizers (E407, E410, E412), lots of added sugars, and dairy products (liquid and powdered):

338 calories
5.8g of protein
19.4g of fat, including 10.2g of saturated fat
34.5g of carbohydrates, including 26.3g of sugars

Why Make Homemade Vegan Snickers?

You’ll understand that, given the dubious composition and nutritional values far from optimal for our health, it’s better to roll up our sleeves and make our bars with healthier ingredients. Besides the nutritional aspect, what could be better than enjoying homemade snacks and surprising friends and family with a recipe that is both healthy and tasty?

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Vegan Snickers?

For this minimalist recipe, we’ll have a layer of nougat, a layer of caramel with salted peanut butter, and a coating of vegan chocolate. No biscuit base here to keep the recipe simple, but the bars will be no less sumptuous.

You’ll only need 5 ingredients:

Pitted dates
Maple syrup: perfect for adding a touch of sweetness while introducing antioxidants into the preparation and keeping a low glycemic index.
Protein powder
Peanut butter: choose 100% peanut butter, without palm oil and added sugars.
Dark vegan chocolate

Are These Protein-Packed Vegan Snickers Gluten-Free?

Yes, as long as we only use dates, protein powder, maple syrup, peanut butter, and melted chocolate. However, it’s perfectly possible to replace the soy protein with a gluten-free flour with a mild taste, such as almond, chestnut, rice, or millet flour.

What Chocolate to Use for Vegan Snickers?

Any dark chocolate will work, as long as it doesn’t contain milk! Personally, I use baking chocolate with at least 80% cocoa, which I usually melt with water for a smoother texture and fewer calories, or with coconut oil.

What Protein Powder to Use for Snickers?

I used neutral-flavored soy isolate protein powder from MyProtein. I also tried the Salted Caramel flavor from Syncprotein, and it’s perfect. In the second case, it may be necessary to replace the maple syrup with a bit of milk since the protein already contains natural organic sugars. Generally, a neutral-flavored protein will work, but you’ll need to compensate with a bit of maple syrup. Otherwise, you can substitute the protein powder with flour, as mentioned above.

Can You Make Frozen Snickers with This Vegan Recipe?

This same recipe can be used to make frozen Snickers bars at home. Just let them stay in the freezer longer. If you choose to freeze them for later, remember to thaw them 1 or 2 hours before enjoying them to allow them to soften slightly.

What Are the Best Dates for Making Your Own Snickers Bars?

Mazafati dates are my favorites, but Medjool or Deglet-Nour dates work just as well. The best is to use fairly soft dates. You can soak them in hot water for a few minutes to soften them if needed.

Required Equipment

A blender for the nougat
One or more molds of your desired shapes and sizes for the bars

Now you’re ready to create your own delicious vegan Snickers! Enjoy the process and the tasty results!