Nanaimo bars are a delicious Canadian treat made with graham crackers, nuts, a custard center, and decadent chocolate on top – this no-bake treat is the type of thing that gets you re-invited to potlucks.
A potluck is actually where I first experienced the Nanaimo bar. I won’t lie to you, bestie…that particular bar was not good. In fact, it was downright awful (though I’m sure it was made with the best of intentions)! The base layer was basically shredded coconut with a hint of graham cracker, the middle custard had this powdery-chalky texture to it, and the chocolate topping was barely even there.
As you can imagine, I immediately wrote these little Canadian treats off as something that just wasn’t for me. And then years (yes, years!) later, I was at a different potluck where someone had made 3 different flavours of Nanaimo bars. I tried them out of curiosity and was hooked immediately. It was one-of-those “I want to eat more than a bar, but I don’t want anyone to see me stuff my face” situations.
Jump to:
What are Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo bars are one of Canada’s most popular sweet recipes – they are a no-bake dessert made up of three layers: a graham/nut base layer, a custard middle-layer, and a chocolate upper-layer.
They have a nutty chocolate bar consistency to them with a hint of coconut, softened with a sweet custard center.
Check out my Nanaimo Bar recipe video on YouTube!
Where do Nanaimo bars come from
Nanaimo, British Columbia (in Canada). (Pronounced “nuh-nai-mo”.)
When were Nanaimo bars invented
According to the Food Network, the first official Nanaimo bar recipe was recorded in 1952, but was labelled as a ‘chocolate square’. The first instance of the Nanaimo bar moniker was a year later in a cookbook by Edith Adams.
Tips
Chill each layer while preparing the next – that way they won’t blend into one another when you spread a layer on top of another. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it will make life easier and lead to much prettier presentation.
For lovely looking slices, use a clean, sharp knife. Wipe your knife clean between cuts!
How to incorporate the egg
While preparing the base layer: Be careful adding the beaten egg. If the bowl or the melted cocoa butter mixture are too hot, you’ll end up cooking the egg – there are many great ways to create variations on Nanaimo bar recipes, but a scrambled egg base is not one of them. Make sure to stir the egg so that it stays cool enough to incorporate without scrambling…but warm enough to still cook safely.
Using a blender to chop ingredients
These are all optional suggestions to make your life a bit easier.
Break graham cracker sheets in half, add to the blender and pulse into fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl. To crush by hand place graham crackers in a gallon size resealable bag and crush using a rolling pin…you can also throw them against the wall while cursing at your boss. Either is fine.
Once the graham crumbs have been removed, add the nuts and pulse in short bursts until chopped into small pieces, transfer to bowl with the graham crackers. The nuts can also be chopped fine by hand. I often give them an extra chop with a knife before combining them with the graham cracker crumbs.
Same deal with the shredded coconut. If you, like me, don’t like to get prominent bites of coconut in your sweets, I’d suggest you give the shredded coconut another chop by hand.
Substitutions
Custard powder
If you don’t have access to custard powder, instant vanilla pudding powder is a popular 1:1 substitute. (I’ve also read that you can swap it out for a quarter cup of powdered milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. But I’ve never tried this.)
Nuts
You can use your preferred nut, but walnuts and almonds are standard. From what I understand, walnuts are a bit more traditional, while almonds are a more modern take. Hazelnuts could be fun way to mix things up.
Chocolate
The semi-sweet chocolate can be swapped out for bittersweet or dark chocolate. However, I’d urge you to avoid using milk chocolate unless you like your desserts extra sweet.
Variations
It’s easy to mix up this recipe – depending on how you want to go about it, you may need to adjust ingredient proportions accordingly. Here are a few ideas:
- Swap the dark chocolate top layer for a different type of chocolate.
- Add crushed candy, nuts, or fruit to the chocolate layer (like you would with a chocolate bark!)
- Add a flavour to the chocolate – essence of mint, orange syrup, coffee are all great places to start.
- Swap out the middle layer with something else – I’d love to personally try a raspberry centre with a dark chocolate top.
Storage instructions
Nanaimo bars can be refrigerated for 2-3 days in an airtight container. Ideally, allow it to come to room temperature before serving.
To freeze: Individually wrap your Nanaimo bar slices using clingfilm, or in Ziploc bags, and freeze for up to two months. Allow them to thaw before serving!
More dessert recipes
Here are a few other dessert ideas you may enjoy:
Helpful tools
No special tools required for this recipe, bestie! Nanaimo bars are pretty great that way. An electric mixer is handy for making the middle layer though.
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And that’s it! What do you think of Nanaimo bars? Have you ever tried them before? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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Print📖 Recipe
Nanaimo Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12–16 Nanaimo bars 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Nanaimo bars are one of Canada’s most popular sweet recipes – they are a no-bake dessert made up of three layers: a graham/nut base layer, a custard middle-layer, and a chocolate upper-layer.
Ingredients
Bottom Layer
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Custard Buttercream – Middle Layer
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 ½ tablespoons whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
- 2 cups icing sugar
Chocolate Ganache – Top Layer
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (around 60% cacao)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Bottom Layer
- Prepare an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan with lightly buttered parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, melt butter, sugar, and cocoa powder together over a double boiler. Add the egg, making sure to stir (if you don’t stir, you’ll end up cooking the egg!). Remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in graham crumbs, shredded coconut, and walnuts. Once combined, spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, and press to shape an even bottom layer.
Custard Buttercream – Middle Layer
Cream the butter, whipping cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together. You’re looking for a light spreadable buttercream to work with. Spread evenly over the bottom layer. Once spread, chill before adding the chocolate.
Chocolate Ganache – Top Layer
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a double boiler (if you’re confident, you can use a microwave as well). Set it aside to cool slightly. Once the melted chocolate has had a chance to cool (but is still liquid), pour it evenly (and gently…you don’t want any craters!) over middle layer. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the baking pan, slice with a hot knife, have a bite…and find yourself refusing to share with anyone else.
Notes
- If you don’t have any parchment paper on hand, you can make this recipe without it. However, the parchment paper is what makes it easy for you to remove the completed Nanaimo bars from the baking pan. You have been warned!
- Be careful when adding your beaten egg to the mixture. If the bowl or the melted cocoa butter mixture are too hot, you’ll end up cooking the egg. Make sure to stir the egg so that it stays cool enough to incorporate without scrambling…but warm enough to still cook safely.
- You can use your preferred nut, but walnuts and almonds are standard. From what I understand, walnuts are a bit more traditional, while almonds are a more modern take. Hazelnuts could be fun.
- If you don’t have access to custard powder, instant vanilla pudding powder is a popular 1:1 substitute. (I’ve also read that you can swap it out for a quarter cup of powdered milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. But I’ve never tried this.)
- You can swap out the semi-sweet chocolate for bittersweet or dark chocolate. However, I’d urge you to avoid using milk chocolate unless you like your desserts extra sweet.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chill: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Canadian
Keywords: Nanaimo Bars, Canadian Nanaimo Bars, no-bake dessert, no-bake Nanaimo bars
Lara Massey
This is so crazy! I just bought my first Bird’s custard powder on impulse, because I saw it for the first time in a fancy-schmancy grocery store about 3 wks ago. Had Nanaimo bars in the back of my mind because I read once that was the secret to the mysterious creamy center (but also just curious). And here you are, less than a month later posting a recipe for the bars! Meant to be 😆
★★★★★
Riz
Hi Lara! Haha! You’re right, you and Nanaimo Bars are meant to be! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Aileen
Being from Texas I have never heard of this. It looks so good, though! I need to save it so I can try it.
Riz
Lovely to hear from you, Aileen! I hope you get to give this one a shot, they’re perfect for sharing!
Aileen
Riz, I meant to ask you, how do you pronounce this?
Riz
Hi Aileen,
That’s a good question! It’s “nuh-nai-mo” 🙂 (I’ll add this into the post as well)
Aileen
Thanks!
Me
I made this recipe today. The bottom layer was delicious (tasted it before pressing it into my pan). I used pecans and toasted them as well as toasted my coconut. I chilled it, chopped my Dove dark chocolate for the top layer and then made the middle layer filling. It was horrible. Chalky tasting. I read the ingredients in custard powder and saw cornstarch. Alton Brown would have a fit if he knew people were eating raw cornstarch. Cornstarch must be cooked to be palatable. So I dumped it and made it again using Jello instant vanilla pudding mix instead of the Birds Custard Powder. Much much better!!! My Nanaimo bars were fantastic! : )
Riz
Glad you made it work for you!