Vegan Smores bars are the perfect summer treat. These have a buttery graham cracker crust, melty chocolate middle, and gooey sweet marshmallow to top it off. Gooey s'mores bars are a favorite campfire treat with no campfire required.
S'mores Bars are a family favorite around here. Everyone gets a little excited when they hear I am making them. Something about the crunchy graham crackers melted chocolate, and gooey marshmallow combo gets me.
If you love all things S'mores, you should check out my Vegan S'mores Cookies or these decadent Vegan S'mores Brownies. The perk of this recipe is you get the delicious flavor of classic s'mores in a WAY less messy version.
I like traditional smores, but anyone with children knows how much fun smores night can be. The sheer mess of melted marshmallows and chocolate and don't even get me started on the fire part.
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Why this recipe works
- It's an easy recipe.
- Always a huge crowd-pleaser- this recipe doubles perfectly.
- One of my favorite vegan dessert bars.
- These taste even better than Smores.
- It makes a great S'mores alternative to when you can't have fires camping.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Vegan butter- this works best. I wouldn't sub it out for anything else- in a pinch, you could try coconut oil, but I think vegan butter has the best flavor.
- White sugar & Brown sugar- these both play a role in the flavor of the cookie bar, so I would suggest keeping both.
- Non-dairy milk- any vegan milk works here- almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, etc.
- Vanilla extract- there is no good substitute for this; this adds a subtle, delicious flavor.
- All purpose flour-if you need this to be gluten-free, you can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio.
- Vegan graham crackers- A lot of graham crackers contain honey which makes them not vegan. Not every vegan doesn't eat honey, so that is up to you. However, they do make several brands of honey-free graham crackers. Nabisco in the red box is vegan, and some store brands are also. Take a look at the back of the package before purchasing.
- Vegan chocolate chips- If you can't find vegan chocolate chips feel free to use a vegan chocolate bar. You can cut it up into small chocolate squares and use it just like the chips.
- Vegan mini marshmallows- I like to use the mini vegan marshmallows for this recipe, but you can also use regular-sized marshmallows. I cut the large marshmallows into fours to distribute them better.
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient and quantity information.
How to make Vegan S'mores Bars
Step 1- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees; take your 8x8 square pan, line it with either parchment paper or tin foil so there is a bit of an overhang off the sides of the pan, and spray it lightly with cooking spray, set this aside.
Step 2- Take your stand or hand mixer and a large bowl and cream the vegan butter and sugars.
Step 3- Once that's creamed, add your non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt- mix this in.
Step 4- Then add your graham cracker crumbs and your flour. Mix until incorporated. This will look like cookie dough.
Step 5- Take half the dough and press it into your prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.
Step 6- While it's cooking, get your mini marshmallows or cut the full ones into fours. Spread the vegan chocolate chips or chopped-up vegan chocolate bars and fluffy vegan marshmallows over the top of the precooked crust evenly. Then take the remainder of the dough and crumble it over the top. I like to smush the top into it so it stays on when you go to eat it.
Step 7- Bake for an additional 12-14 minutes. You don't want to overbake these. They will cook some when cooling.
Step 8- You want to let them sit for a couple of hours for easy moving before trying to cut them. They may fall apart if you try to move them too soon.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- This recipe only makes an 8x8 pan, but it does double perfectly for a 9x13 recipe, and that's typically how I make it.
- If all you have is big marshmallows, cut them in fours so it's more like mini marshmallows.
- You can use chunks of chocolate bars instead if you prefer them to chocolate chips.
- There won't be enough dough to totally cover the top of this. You want to take the leftover dough and kind of flatten it a bit, and spread it around the top. You want the chocolate and marshmallows to be able to peak out.
Recipe FAQS
These are best stored in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 5 days. They taste best in the first couple of days. We have brought these camping many times, and they have held up great if they aren't in direct sunlight.
Freezing- these freeze great! They can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let defrost, then serve.
Typically marshmallows are not vegan because they contain gelatin. However, they have gelatin-free vegan marshmallows available. Vegan marshmallows can be a little hard to find if you don't live next to a Trader Joes or Whole Foods. Whole Foods almost always carry Dandies vegan marshmallows. Trader Joe's marshmallows are also fantastic, and they have mini ones and regular-sized ones, depending on the time of year.
No, most actually aren't. Make sure you read the back of your chocolate chip package to know whether it's vegan or not. You will typically see milk fat as an ingredient that isn't vegan. My favorite vegan chocolate chips are either the enjoy life brand, trader Joe's semi-sweet, or occasionally Costco will carry them in a Kirkland brand white bag. If you're looking for more of a milk chocolate flavor, go with the enjoy-life chocolate chips. Most other brands will be more of a dark chocolate chip.
Yes, you can sub out the flour for all-purpose gluten-free flour and get gluten-free graham crackers.
S'mores made their debut in a Cookbook in the 1920s, and they weren't always called smores. They were called a graham cracker sandwich. However, it was prepared the same way as we know smores today to be. That 1920 recipe stated the Boys and girl scouts were already using this recipe regularly. About seven years later, the Girl Scouts renamed the recipe in a publication calling it "Some more," the same recipe different name. Ten years later, another cookbook blended the "some more" to "S'mores" as we know it today. Because everyone wants "some more" smores once they eat it. (reference)
Looking for a different sweet treat for summer dessert recipes...
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Vegan Smores Bars
Ingredients
- 1 stick vegan butter softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 TB plant milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup white flour
- 1 sleeve 1 cup ish graham crackers, into crumbs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 cups vegan chocolate chips
- 3 cups vegan mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, grease or foil, and grease an 8x8 pan set aside.
- Take your stand or hand mixer and cream the vegan butter and sugars. Once that's creamed, add your plant milk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt- mix. Then add your graham cracker crumbs and your flour. Mix until incorporated. This will look like cookie dough.
- Take half the dough and press it into your prepared pan—Cook in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.
- While it's cooking, get your mini marshmallows or cut full ones into fours. Spread the chocolate chips and marshmallows over the top of the precooked crust evenly. Then take the remainder of the dough and crumble it over the top. I like to smush the top into it so it stays on when you go to eat it.
- Cook for an additional 12-14 minutes. You don't want to overbake these. They will cook some when cooling. You want to let them sit for a couple of hours for easy moving. They may fall apart if you try to move them too soon.
Notes
Freezing- these freeze great! They can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let defrost, then serve. Gluten-free- Use gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free graham crackers.
Expert Tips and Tricks
-
- This recipe only makes an 8x8 pan, but it does double perfectly for a 9x13 recipe, and that's typically how I make it.
- If all you have is big marshmallows, cut them in fours so it's more like mini marshmallows.
- You can use chunks of chocolate bars instead if you prefer them to chocolate chips.
- There won't be enough dough to totally cover the top of this. You want to take the leftover dough and kind of flatten it a bit, and spread it around the top. You want the chocolate and marshmallows to be able to peak out.
Aimee says
These are a favorite at our house!!!! We have made a double batch to share, and they always go quick!
Courtneys Homestead says
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know Aimee! I really appreciate it!
Harleen says
Hi! Excited to try these. If I make them a day before, should I store them room temp or fridge?
Courtneys Homestead says
I always store these at room temp and they still taste great the next day. ❤️
Courtney R says
Delicious! We really enjoyed these. I added a little less sugar and it still turned out great.
Courtneys Homestead says
Thanks so much for trying them Courtney! I often do a little less sugar also. Thanks again for leaving a comment! ❤️
Simone says
OMG - these are so good. I had to send half to my daughter to prevent myself from pigging out completely. I added some walnuts to give myself the illusion that there is something healthy in them.
Courtneys Homestead says
Haha the walnuts totally add the health aspect 😉. We love these as well! Thanks so much for trying them and leaving a comment Simone! I appreciate it! ❤️❤️
Simone says
OMG - these are so good. I had to send half to my daughter to prevent myself from pigging out completely. I added some walnuts to give myself the illusion that there is something healthy in them.
Sarah Dailey says
These were AMAZING!!! We’re making a double batch to take to a family Christmas Eve party tomorrow!
Courtneys Homestead says
Thanks so much for trying them and letting me know Sarah! These are some of my favorites! ❤❤
Sarah Dailey says
These were AMAZING!!! We’re making a double batch to take to a family Christmas Eve party tomorrow!
Sarah Dailey says
These were AMAZING!!! We’re making a double batch to take to a family Christmas Eve party tomorrow!
Sarah Dailey says
Thank you for responding so quickly! I’m sure we will!!! I will come back and leave an updated rating and comment after I make them! Happy (early) Thanksgiving!!
Sarah dailey says
I am planning on bringing these to a Thanksgiving brunch this week.
Would I be able to make them the night before or should I do it the morning of?
Courtneys Homestead says
Hey Sarah! They would totally fine make the day before. I typically make them the day before whatever event I am bringing them to. Thanks for trying them, I hope you love them as much as we do! ❤❤
Sarah Dailey says
Thank you for responding so quickly! I’m sure we will!!! I will come back and leave an updated rating and comment after I make them! Happy (early) Thanksgiving!!
Courtneys Homestead says
Thanks so much, Sarah! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well! ❤❤