One bite into these beauties and it was pure love. Think Andes bar elevated x 1,000. We dreamt of a mint-layered brownie bar, did some experimenting, and totally nailed the landing (not to brag, but these are what dreams are made of).
A no-bake brownie is layered with creamy, minty coconut butter and topped with luscious chocolate ganache. Swoon! What’s not to love? Just 10 ingredients and simple methods required for these decadent, vegan, gluten-free bars. Let us show you how it’s done!
How To Make These Brownie Bars
These bars consist of three luxurious layers:
- Bottom: No-Bake Brownie Base
- Middle: Creamy Coconut Mint Filling
- Top: Chocolate Ganache
First, we make the brownie layer from a base of walnuts and dates. Cocoa powder provides the classic chocolate taste and sea salt enhances the flavors. The result is a rich, chocolaty brownie with fiber, magnesium, iron, and more.
Next comes the creamy base of cashew butter and coconut butter, plus peppermint extract for minty flavor!
The filling gets its natural green color from your choice of superfood powders: moringa, matcha, barley grass, or spirulina. Each will give it a slightly different hue of green. Just make sure you’re using a high-quality brand for a more vibrant filling (you can find our brand recommendations linked above or in the recipe).
Last (but most definitely not least) is a simple chocolate ganache topping made with creamy coconut milk and dairy-free chocolate. A little bit of coconut oil makes it melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
We hope you LOVE these brownie bars! They’re:
Rich
Creamy
Nutty
Minty
Gooey
& SO Delicious!
These beauties are the perfect treat for St. Patrick’s Day and beyond! Enjoy them on their own, with dairy-free milk, or with vegan vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat.
Into Brownies? Try These Next
- Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies (V/GF)
- No-Bake Brownie Bites
- Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cookies
- 2-Layer No-Bake Peanut Butter Brownie Bars
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
No-Bake Mint Chocolate Brownie Bars
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- 1 ½ cups raw walnuts
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 cup packed dates, pitted (we prefer Medjool // if dry, soak in warm water for 15 minutes, then drain and pat dry)
Mint Layer
- 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
- 3/4 cup coconut butter (homemade or we like the brand Ostara)
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp moringa powder (optional, but gives the mint layer its green color. Or sub matcha, barley grass powder, or spirulina. They all yield a slightly different hue of green.)
Chocolate Ganache Layer
- 1 ¼ cups vegan dark chocolate or chocolate chips, finely chopped (such as Enjoy Life brand)
- 7 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Make sure that the parchment comes up above the pan on all sides — you’ll use it to lift the bars out at the end.
- Prepare crust by adding walnuts, cocoa powder, and sea salt to a food processor and blending into a meal. Add pitted dates to the food processor and pulse about 5 times, scrape down the bowl, and pulse again until the dough looks well combined and moist. It should stick together between two fingers when pressed. If too dry, add more pitted dates or a splash of water.
- Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking dish and spread with fingers or a spatula to evenly distribute — it should be about 1/4-inch thick. To get an even layer, top the brownies with parchment paper and use a flat-bottomed object — such as a drinking glass or measuring cup — to press and pack the crust into a solid, even layer. Place the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill while you make the mint layer.
- Add cashew butter and coconut butter to a small mixing bowl. Microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften slightly (or gently heat over a double boiler), and then mix until no lumps remain and it’s smooth and silky. Add in peppermint extract and moringa powder (optional for color // or sub matcha, barley grass powder, or spirulina) and stir well until fully combined.
- Remove crust from freezer and pour mint layer over the crust. It should be thin enough to spread easily. Use a spatula to get the mint layer all the way to the sides and corners of the pan, then gently shake the pan to even out the top of the mint layer. Place it into the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes while you make the ganache.
- Add the finely chopped dark chocolate to a medium mixing bowl. To a separate glass mixing bowl, add coconut milk and coconut oil and microwave until hot but not boiling (alternatively, heat in a saucepan on the stovetop until very hot). Pour the coconut milk mixture directly over the chopped chocolate. Do not stir. Cover with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil to encourage it to melt. Let the chocolate sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, uncover, then whisk to combine. The mixture should be entirely melted and smooth. If not, heat in the microwave in 20-30 second increments until entirely smooth and no chunks remain. (Alternatively, set your glass or ceramic mixing bowl over a double boiler on the stovetop to melt).
- Remove your pan from the refrigerator and pour the ganache on top. Spread with a spoon until smooth. Then return to the freezer to set for 10 minutes, or until semi-firm to the touch (and firm enough to slice).
- Remove the pan from the freezer and gently lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper. If any chocolate or filling is stuck to the sides of the pan, gently loosen the edges with a butter knife until the bars can be lifted out.
- Place on a cutting board or counter and slice into desired shapes. These are rich, so we recommend cutting into at least 16 squares (as original recipe is written).
- These are best enjoyed slightly chilled or at room temperature and will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer.
Andrea Norton says
Hello! I’m excited to try these. My daughter is allergic to tree nuts meaning, no cashew butter. We are not vegan or gluten-free though. What would you suggest as a substitute?
Hi Andrea, A seed butter that’s fairly light in flavor could work here – maybe sunflower? Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! xo
Emma says
Thank you. I’ve tried a number of your recipes and they’ve always come out great. For some reason my mint layer wasn’t as green even though I used Moringa powder. But really, it didn’t matter. They taste great. Not sure I’m going to take them to the party now because I’d rather eat them myself. I love making yummy, wholesome foods and you nail it.
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Emma. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Yvonne says
Hello,
So I used the artisana brand for the coconut butter and the cashew butter but I could not melt them properly. I had the hardest time. I had to even try putting almond milk in order to help it. I used microwave and nothing so then went to the doble boiler and it did not melt . :( I have not tasted them yet but I’m just bummed this did not melt properly as shown on video and I used matcha and the color does not look green. What do you think I did wrong?
Hi Yvonne, for the matcha, we wonder if you were using a culinary vs. ceremonial variety and/or if it had oxidized and therefore not been as vibrant of a green color? For the coconut butter and cashew butter not melting, we’re a little stumped! Did you stir in between putting it in the microwave? Or is it possible your jar of coconut butter had separated and you were only using the bottom, fibrous part?
Yvonne says
Hello!
Thanks so much for your response. Now thinking about it I have had that Matcha for a while so it probably did oxidize. I actually did not mix them together! Maybe that was it….But the coconut butter was extremely hard and dry when took it out. Maybe next time I should opt for making my own. Also, I tasted the brownies last night and WOW!!! They still tasted delicious!!! ;)
We’re so glad you enjoyed these, Yvonne! Glad we could be of some help!
Cindy says
These bars are DIVINE and perfect for the holidays! They’re easy to make, have clear instructions, and turned out even better than I imagined. The chocolate-mint flavors are so well balanced, and I love that they’re made with such wholesome ingredients. A total show stopper! Thanks MB!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Cindy! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Nicole says
Soooo good. Finally bought a food processor that you recommended so I can make all the balls and no bake crusts! Starting to take on a few more complex recipes of yours but this one was pretty easy. Coconut butter turned out so good and I used 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil instead. I used one cup of chocolate and 5 tbsp coconut milk which was plenty of ganache. So excited to have this treat every night. My daughter already asked for a mint bar for breakfast :) currently waiting for the pb and jelly muffins to cool and then I’ll rate those.
Yay! We’re so glad you’re putting your new food processor to work and enjoying the result =) Thank you for leaving a review! xo
Asia says
If we don’t have coconut butter, can we just use only cashew butter for the mint filling layer? Thank you always for the lovely recipes :)
Hi Asia, it will be more gooey/runny and perhaps need more sweetener, but might be okay. Let us know if you try it!
Sophie says
These were so rich and delicious! My base layer was crumbling, so I’d add another date or 2 next time. Other than that these are perfect. I love the mint and ganache layers!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Sophie! Thanks as always for sharing! xo
Angela says
I made this recipe and YUM. I didn’t use the date brownie base because I don’t really like date-based desserts, instead I used the cookie recipe from the Thin Mints recipe on this website. WOW best dessert ever. I keep it in the freezer and it’s amazing! I think i could have done a smidge more of the mint filling and half the ganache, but really it’s amazing anyways and now I have extra ganache in the fridge 🤤 Crunchy cookie bottom, minty smooth centre, and a delish dark chocolate top layer, AMAZE.
Love that modification, Angela! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Ashleigh says
I made this last night and it’s definitely worth a review. I didn’t have matcha and I only had roasted cashew butter but I don’t think it made any difference. The end results were absolutely delicious, the mint layer is the stuff dreams are made of. Couldn’t be happier with the final outcome! I used noshu sugar free vegan baking chips for the top layer to keep the sugar down and they also worked a treat. Thanks for the recipe!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed, Ashleigh! Thanks for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Sylvia says
Used Cuisinart food processor to make coconut butter -but it never got to creamy stage and tried adding coconut oil to bind and make liquid but failed. What did I do wrong?
Hi Sylvia, is it possible there wasn’t enough volume of coconut? What size food processor were you using and how much coconut?
Sylvia says
9 -10 oz. Cuisinart with at least 4 cups coconut flakes.
Do you mean 9-10 cup cuisinart?
Sharon says
OMG this is soooo yummy! We have a biscuit/cookie here in Australia that this tastes just like, only this is the healthy version.
I used peppermint oil and only needed a 1/4 teaspoon. And doubled the moringa for more green.
If you like choc/mint you will love this recipe!
Thank you for posting it. :)
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing! xoxo
Kari says
I made this for my partner- I don’t even like mint chocolate and yet I could not stop eating these. This is definitely the best dessert I’ve made from your site and a new household favourite.
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kari. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Rob Zamudio-Meyer says
these were so good and super easy to make! The consistency of the crust was perfect (and delish). Only feedback is that when I added matcha to the mint layer, the color was not very pleasant (ha!)….so I cheated (sorry!) and added a couple drops of food coloring to brighten it up. Maybe I used the wrong type of matcha (I only had ceremonial grade)?
Amazing! If your matcha isn’t super fresh and high quality it can have a yellow or brownish tint. Glad you had some food coloring to help!
Emily says
This is absolutely one of my new favorite dessert recipes. I used coconut oil instead of butter and it seemed to have worked well! Will definitely be making this again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Emily. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Kelly says
I should preface this with the fact that traditional triple layer mint brownies are my all-time favorite. That said, I thought these were OK, but for me, not worth all of the work and clean up. It’s very rare for me to say that about a Minimalist Baker recipe, because the vast majority of the time they are delicious and worth the effort.
Bummer! Thanks for sharing, Kelly. These are a definite fave around here, but we totally understand if they didn’t suit your taste. Thanks for the review in any case!
Jessika says
These turned out to be the best raw cake I’ve ever had! Me and my friends loved them so much. I also added another teaspoon of peppermint extract for more mint flavour and another teaspoon of matcha for more green colour. Otherwise the recipe was absolutely perfect as it is! I even managed to make my own coconut butter in the blender. Thank you for the recipe!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you and your friends enjoyed them. Thanks so much for sharing, Jessika! xo
Soul Treat says
Made these today and absolutely fell in love! They are now my family’s favorite. They were so creamy and delicious- A perfect crisp crackly top, super fudgy center, chewy or gooey in all the right places, studded with melted chunks of chocolate. They were too good! I can’t stop making your recipes, everything is amazing. This was by far the most successful recipe I have ever attempted. Thank you so much for sharing. Can’t wait for the next recipe you are going to share. Best wishes to you! You are doing such a great job.
Aw, yay! We’re so glad to hear it! Thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Lori says
I made these for St Patrick’s Day today and WOW!! They are so amazing! I’m definitely coming back to this recipe again and again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Lori. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Sherri says
Another 5 star recipe. These are better than the Andes candies. I don’t have a film on my teeth after eating them. Hahaha
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy them, Sherri. Thanks for the lovely review! xo
Beth Buse says
Very good!
We’re so glad you enjoy them! Thanks for sharing, Beth!
Brittany says
These are so pretty! Need one right now.
Thanks, Brittany! xoxo
Laura says
I made these for a dinner party last night. They turned out soooo delicious! I made a few modifications. The cashew butter I bought seemed a bit darker even though it wasn’t roasted so the spirulina powder didn’t have a chance. The middle layer turned out brown, not green. No big deal though. Also, 1 tsp of peppermint extract was not enough. After tasting after mixing the coconut butter and cashew butter together, I kept adding more and ended up using 2 1/2 tsp to get that signature Andes flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Bummer on the color, but so glad you enjoyed these, Laura! Our favorite cashew butter is artisana, which is raw and light in color.
Tori says
My husband doesn’t like coconut at all, and he’s very sensitive to the flavor. Is there anything you think I could substitute for the coconut butter, milk, and oil?
Hmm, that’s tough because it’s what helps them firm up. You could try subbing cashew milk for the coconut milk and oil. And doing all cashew butter for the filling? Let us know if you try!
ashley seat says
I am pumped to try these! It’s definitely going to be a labor of love as I will have to make my own coconut butter and cashew butter. Mint extract is not available where I live and I can’t make my own (all the recipes I’ve found use alcohol, which is also not available where I live). I am able to find fresh mint. Do you have ideas about how to get that minty flavor? My first thought is to cut it up and steep it in the butters as they melt on the double boiler. Thanks so much for continuing to create delicious recipes!
I think you might be able to blend fresh mint into the filling mixture if it was blended in a small food processor or blender? Otherwise I like your idea of trying to infuse it! Let us know if you try!
Laura says
Question can I use something besides dates? Maybe a keto syrup or something else. Looking to keep it as keto as possible
Hi Laura, we haven’t tried that, but might be worth a try! We’re not sure how well it would hold together. Let us know how it goes!
Sue says
These look delicious! Could the cashew butter & coconut butter be subbed with something else? I don’t usually buy either (though I could, if I learn of uses for them…)
We have tons of coconut butter and cashew butter recipes on the site! I personally would try to procure some so you can try these as is. They’re divine! You can search our recipes by ingredient on our recipes page if you need some inspo!
Gypsy G says
Can I use a different nut other than walnut??? Or pecans… do you think cashews or almonds would hold up?
I think any of those should work! Let us know what you try!
JoAnn says
Oooo would love to make these. Is there anything else I can use to sub coconut butter? Thank you for another great looking mouth watering recipe
It’s somewhat essential for flavor and texture! I can’t think of any other easy subs…
Sarah says
What might be a good cashew butter substitute? Raw cashews are not available where I live.
Hi Sarah! Any nut butter that’s fairly light in flavor (macadamia, sunflower seed, or raw UNROASTED almond butter) could work here. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! xo
Ashly says
Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to make these! I absolutely love mint and chocolate! These look delish! 🤤
Let us know how it goes!! These are divine!
Lindsay says
Oh these look amazing! Can you recommend a substitute for the walnuts? Any other nuts perhaps, maybe toasted hazelnuts? Thanks!
Yeah, I think that should work or almonds, cashews or pecans!
Nicole says
This looks amazing!!! I would love to make this with my daughter but we can’t use cashew butter due to her allergies to cashews and pistachios (peanuts too). Do you any recommendations for substitutions? Would almond butter work?
Hmm, almond butter may work but it will add an almond flavor and color. What about macadamia butter?
Anna VandeBunte says
I can’t have cashews- any alternative? Looks so good!
Macadamia butter would be the closest sub!