These healthy coconut bites are made with two ingredients – shredded coconut and chocolate. And even better, there is an option to make them using only one ingredient instead of two.

If you prepare them without chocolate, you will only need shredded coconut. The coconut bites without chocolate make a pure coconut snack with no added sugar, perfect for snacking throughout the day.

If you dip them into melted chocolate, you will get a light dessert which is perfect for satisfying a chocolate craving. The chocolate covered variation has a bit more sugar from the melted chocolate but is still better than most chocolate bars out there.

And you can also make these coconut bites using toasted coconut which adds wonderful caramel flavor.

If you are like me and can’t decide which one you prefer, just make all three. Each option serves a different purpose, and the snack will last a few weeks in the fridge.

The story

I first posted this recipe in June of 2015. The recipe became popular very fast, and many people loved the coconut bites.

However, the instructions seem to confuse some people, so I decided to make the step-by-step pictures. I also improved the process of shaping the coconut bites. Originally, I shaped each one by hand and made them round which was time-consuming, and the coconut mixture would sometimes fall apart. The original coconut bites looked like this:

Now, I use a silicone ice cube tray to shape the coconut bites, and it’s really easy to do.

So, two years later, in June of 2017, I posted the new step-by-step photos and the updated instructions. I also added a new coconut bites variation made with toasted coconut.

What you need:

The Ingredients:

1. Unsweetened shredded coconut (check the ingredient list to make sure that there is only one ingredient listed, and the product contains no hidden additives);

2. 70% dark chocolate.

The Tools:

1. A food processor or a high-end/high-quality blender which is capable of making nut butter. Please note that a regular blender can’t be used to make these coconut bites. When in doubt, check with the manufacturer.

2. A silicone ice cube tray with 24 small cubes or similar. Mine looks like this:

If you don’t have a silicone ice cube tray, you can still make the coconut bites using a measuring spoon which is 1/2 tablespoon in size. It will take longer, but it’s possible. This was my original method of making the coconut bites, and I had been doing it that way for almost two years. The method is described in detail in the recipe section below.

How to make healthy 2-ingredient coconut bites

The process of making the coconut bites consists of three steps. First, you make the coconut paste a.k.a coconut butter. Then you mix the coconut paste with the shredded coconut. Lastly, you have to shape the coconut bites using a silicone ice cube tray or a measuring spoon. There is also an optional step of coating the coconut bites with melted chocolate. All the steps are described below and illustrated with the step-by-step pictures.

Step 1. Making the coconut paste a.k.a coconut butter

I received a lot of questions about this step of the recipe. So to make the instructions more clear and to give you an idea of how the coconut paste looks as it’s being processed, I took the pictures of the paste at each stage. I also listed the time of processing at the bottom right corner of each picture (see the image below).

The instructions:

1. Place the shredded coconut into the food processor. Set a timer for 6 minutes and start processing.
2. After about 1 minute, the shredded coconut will start clumping together. It’s a great start, keep processing.
3. At the 1 minute 30 seconds mark, the coconut mixture will start sticking to the walls of the food processor bowl. Stop the food processor and scrape the coconut paste down with a spatula. Close the food processor and keep processing.
4. At the 2 minutes 30 seconds mark, the paste will start getting more liquid. Stop the processor and scrape the walls with a spatula. Don’t forget to scrape the white layer that forms at the bottom of the food processor bowl.
5. Between 2 minutes 30 seconds and 5 minutes, keep processing the paste but make sure to stop and scrape the paste down with a spatula as needed. At the 5 minute mark, the paste will be almost liquid. Give it one last swirl.
6. At the 6-minute mark, you should have a runny paste which will appear smooth but will have a slightly grainy texture.

Please note that the timing may vary depending on many factors such as the power of the food processor, the sharpness of the blade, the quality of the shredded coconut, the amount of shredded coconut, room temperature, etc.

Step 2. Making the coconut mixture

Once the coconut paste is ready, transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add the shredded coconut and mix well until the shredded coconut starts to clump together.

Step 3. Shaping the coconut bites

The easiest and fastest way to shape the coconut bites is by using a silicon ice cube tray.

The instructions:

1. Scoop about a half of the coconut mixture onto the silicon ice cube tray.
2. Press the mixture into the cells using your fingers.
3. Add the rest of the coconut mixture.
4. Distribute it equally between the cells and press tightly. Place the ice tray in the fridge for about 2 hours.
5. Once the coconut bites firm up, gently bend the ice tray to loosen them up until the coconut bites pop out.

Please note that it’s also possible to shape the coconut bites using a measuring spoon. The method is described in the recipe section below.

1. Sugar-Free Coconut Bites (1 ingredient)

1-ingredient coconut bites make a great healthy snack. They are sugar-free and perfect if you are looking for a low glycemic option.

2. Sugar-Free Toasted Coconut Bites (1 ingredient)

Sugar-free toasted coconut bites are another tasty low glycemic option.

They are made exactly like the plain white coconut bites just using toasted shredded coconut. You can easily toast plain shredded coconut on the stove top. Takes about 5 minutes.

3. Chocolate Coated Coconut Bites (2 ingredients)

Dip your coconut bites into the melted chocolate to create a yummy dessert. You can fully coat the coconut bites or just dip them half-way to keep the sugar content low.

If you are looking for more healthy low-sugar dessert ideas, check out these Carob Prune Truffles, these No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bites, and these Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies.

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