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    "Home" » Recipes » Healthy Baking

    Healthy Rocky Road (gluten free)

    Published: Nov 28, 2022 · Modified: May 9, 2023 by Wendy Faulkner . 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These healthy rocky road bars have popcorn for a gluten free crunch, plus nuts and dried fruits for a rich taste. They have all the lovely textures you'd want from a rocky road recipe plus dark chocolate for that essential chocolatey hit! They are vegan and free from refined sugar.

    Healthy rocky road bars on board with cranberries and almonds.
    Jump to:
    • What you'll love about the recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to make healthy rocky road
    • Expert tips
    • Serving and storage
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Other healthy no bake chocolate recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    What you'll love about the recipe

    • Popcorn rocky road is gluten-free (suitable for coeliacs), low in added sugar and made without butter, marshmallows, syrup or biscuits
    • A delicious healthy chunky chocolate bar with crunchy and chewy bits! A classic rocky road recipe has marshmallows, but these healthy dark chocolate bars have dried fruits and popcorn for added texture
    • These nutritious chocolate tiffin bars are a firm favourite amongst children and adults. They are great for satisfying chocolate cravings!
    • Use vegan dark chocolate for a vegan rocky road bar or to make them dairy free
    • Quick and easy to make recipe with just a few store cupboard ingredients, these are a delicious no-bake bar or dessert. They are the ultimate chocolate traybake that doesn't need to be baked!

    Ingredients

    Dark chocolate, coconut oil, maple syrup, popcorn, dried fruit and nuts.

    Chocolate is the key ingredient in these rocky road slices. Dark chocolate is a healthier option because it's much lower in sugar and higher in antioxidants and polyphenols. It's also got a lovely deep chocolatey taste. Use dark chocolate chips if you prefer.

    For a dairy free or vegan healthy rocky road, use vegan chocolate. Most good quality dark chocolate is naturally vegan, but check the label.

    Coconut oil helps to soften the chocolate and make a lovely fudgy texture. If you use a refined coconut oil, you won't notice the flavour, and coconut oil does have health benefits. If you prefer you could use butter or vegan butter.

    Another chocolate treat that you might enjoy with coconut oil is these healthy chocolate truffles.

    Maple syrup adds a little extra sweetness, but as it is a liquid sweetener, it also helps to soften the chocolate and keep a fudgy texture. Maple syrup is a natural and unrefined sweetener. You could use honey if you prefer.

    Popcorn is a perfect healthy, gluten free replacement for biscuits. Popcorn is high in fibre, and adds a great crunch without the extra fats and sugars that are in biscuits. You'll need unsalted and unsweetened popcorn. I made the popcorn for this recipe. One rounded tablespoon of kernels, air popped on the stove, gave me the right amount for this quantity of popcorn rocky road.

    Dried fruits. You can choose you favourite dried fruits to go in this healthy rocky road recipe. I used dried cranberries and apricots to add some colour, but to be honest they don't really show up against the dark chocolate! They do taste delicious though. Cut larger fruits such as apricots into sultana sized pieces.

    Although dried fruit is a natural source of sugar, it's a much healthier option than store-bought marshmallows!

    Nuts add a lovely crunch, a nutty flavour, and of course they are healthy too. I used almonds which I halved. Other nuts such as hazelnuts, pecans and macadamia nuts would all be delicious. Buy unsalted nuts to make your healthy rocky road.

    Optional ingredients

    You can add extra flavours such as vanilla, cinnamon or cardamom to the chocolate mixture if you wish. And of course you can vary the add-ins to suit.

    If you need the recipe to be nut free, you could add seeds instead.

    How to make healthy rocky road

    This recipe is incredibly quick and easy to make. The kids might want to get involved too!

    Line a 20 x 15cm baking tin with baking paper. If you don't have a similar sized tin, you could also use a plastic storage box as it won't need to go in the oven.

    Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup in a pan over a very low heat. Add the chocolate and gently stir until the chocolate has nearly melted.

    Coconut oil, maple syrup and chocolate in pan.

    It's really important to keep the heat very low as chocolate can seize if it gets too hot. Stir well until you've got a lovely fudgy looking mixture. (Yum!)

    Chocolate mixture for rocky road in pan with spoon.

    Stir in the popcorn, dried fruit and nuts.

    Rocky road mixture in pan.

    Tip the tiffin mixture into the lined tin and chill until set. Mine was ready after an hour.

    Healthy rock road mixture in baking tin.

    Cut into 16 bars, or make them whatever size or shape works for you. I find it best to cut them with a serrated knife and a sawing action. Or if you prefer, serve the rocky road broken into chunky pieces.

    Expert tips

    • If you are in a hurry, pop the rocky road in the freezer to set. That way it'll be ready to eat in 20 minutes. Set a timer though otherwise you might have to wait for it to defrost again!
    • If you want to add an extra layer of flavour you can toast the nuts before adding them to the recipe. Add them to a dry pan and toast them briefly on the stovetop. Watch them very carefully as nuts burn incredibly easily and then they'll taste bitter.
    • If you are making healthy Christmas rocky road bars, you could use frozen raspberries and pistachios for a festive colour theme!

    Serving and storage

    This dark chocolate healthy rocky road makes a great mini dessert for chocolate lovers. Or pop a few squares on a plate when you are serving coffee. Maybe add a few of these gluten free biscotti too:)

    This easy recipe is also perfect for bake sales and homemade gifts.

    It'll store in the fridge for up to a week, although I doubt it'll last that long!

    Healthy gluten free rocky road bars also freeze well. Freeze in an airtight container.

    Pile of rocky road bars on baking paper

    Frequently asked questions

    How many calories are in rocky road?

    One of these healthy rocky road bars has 133 calories. Bought rocky road tends to be higher in calories as there are much higher levels of sugar and fat. The supermarket version that I checked had 250 calories. Some homemade recipes with a lot of butter are considerably higher. And of course it depends how large you cut the bars! Take care with your portion control if you are watching the calories.

    Is rocky road healthy?

    Classic rocky road is a treat, but it's not healthy. This version is healthier as it's lower in sugar and saturated fat. Dark chocolate is a healthier choice, and popcorn is a wholegrain. This healthy rocky road will have less of an impact on your blood sugar levels, and it's more satisfying.

    Does rocky road have gluten?

    Rocky road usually contains biscuits made with wheat flour which contains gluten. You could buy gluten free biscuits to use in a rocky road recipe, or omit the biscuits and use a mixture of popcorn and nuts.

    Other healthy no bake chocolate recipes

    Using similar ingredients, you could also try making a homemade chocolate slab. You'll simply need to melt the chocolate, and then stud it with dried fruit and nuts. Or for another incredibly simple treat, try cocoa dusted almonds. You might also like these chocolate almond bliss balls and chocolate coconut truffles.

    • Round chocolate slab with almonds and apricots
      Chocolate Slab
    • Cocoa dusted almonds in blue bowl.
      Cocoa Dusted Almonds
    • Chocolate bliss balls
      Chocolate Bliss Balls
    • Healthy chocolate coconut truffles.
      Healthy Chocolate Coconut Truffles

    You might also like this post with 27 gluten free afternoon tea recipes.

    Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a rating and/or comment at the bottom of the page. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated.
    You can also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook. Or subscribe to the newsletter to receive delicious healthy recipes straight to your inbox.

    Recipe

    Pile of rocky road bars on baking paper.

    Healthy Rocky Road (gluten free)

    Wendy Faulkner
    These healthy rocky road bars have popcorn for a gluten free crunch, plus nuts and dried fruits for a rich taste. They have all the lovely textures you'd want from a rocky road recipe plus dark chocolate for that essential chocolatey hit! They are vegan and free from refined sugar.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 0 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Healthy treat or dessert
    Cuisine Healthy
    Servings 16
    Calories 133 kcal

    Equipment

    • 20 x 15cm baking tray
    • baking paper

    Ingredients
      

    • 200 g dark chocolate broken into chunks
    • 2 tbsp coconut oil
    • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 25 g unsalted, unsweetened popcorn
    • 100 g dried fruits such as apricots and cranberries
    • 70 g whole nuts halved if large

    Instructions
     

    • Line a 20 x 15cm baking tray with baking paper, leaving a lip to lift the rocky road out.
    • Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup over a very low heat.
    • Add the broken chocolate pieces. Keep the heat very low and stir until the chocolate has nearly melted. Turn off the heat and mix well.
    • Add the popcorn, dried fruits and nuts. Mix well.
    • Spoon the mixture into the lined tray and level out with a spoon.
    • Chill until set for about an hour.
    • Cut into about 16 pieces with a serrated knife.

    Notes

    • You can make this popcorn rocky road in a plastic storage box if you prefer as it won't need to go in the oven.
    • You can substitute butter in place of coconut oil, and honey in place of maple syrup if you don't need a vegan recipe. These ingredients help to soften the chocolate as well as adding flavour.
    • If you want a neutral tasting coconut oil, use processed rather than extra virgin oil.
    • For vegan or dairy free rocky road, use vegan chocolate. (Most good quality dark chocolate is vegan but it's worth checking!)
    • If you are in a hurry, chill the mixture in the freezer for about 20 minutes before cutting into bars.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 133kcalCarbohydrates: 15.9gProtein: 2.1gFat: 8.3gSaturated Fat: 4.4gFiber: 2gSugar: 11.4g
    Keyword Almonds, Chocolate
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Please note nutritional information is for guidance only

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    Gluten Free Almond Biscotti »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Caroline

      December 04, 2022 at 7:46 am

      5 stars
      Such an easy and delicious recipe!

      Reply
      • Wendy

        December 04, 2022 at 11:18 am

        Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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    Wendy Faulkner, creator of Cinnamon and Kale

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