Make Your Own ‘Copycat’ Chocolate Bars

You would be surprised how easy it is to replicate the taste of most brand name chocolate bars. You basically just figure out what they are, and copy! For instance, Mars is chocolate, biscuit and caramel. Twix is simply shortbread bars in chocolate, and Snickers obviously has peanuts. And by making your own, you are also not supporting the big multi-national companies. Below we also link to recipes for iced copycat bars, as these are also popular. We have focused mostly on the top-selling 10 chocolate bars, with a few variations (a couple can’t be duplicated, and we’ve also included recipes for Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, which are very popular for younger munchers!

Although making your own is best, we realise that many people still buy ready-made. So where it exists, we also show the plant-based alternatives (without palm oil but likely still have refined sugar and glucose syrup) sold by either small artisans or some of the same parent companies. Not perfect, but trying! Try to recycle as much packaging as you can (councils can order a Terracycle Box, which can accept all crisp, snack, biscuit and sweet wrappers, to made into other things. It costs around £100 but reduces clean-up costs by far more, so pays for itself.

Copycat Cadbury’s Dairy Milk

This is arguably the favourite chocolate bar for many, either plain or with dried fruit/nut. Years ago, Cadbury was locally owned, but has of course now been sold to a big multi-national company. The simplest alternative here is just to make your own vegan mylk chocolate. Try this Vegan Milk Chocolate (Addicted to Dates) for a ‘snappy bar’ made with real cacao butter. The new plant bars by Cadbury are also now on sale in stores.

Copycat Galaxy Bars

We couldn’t find a recipe for plant-based Galaxy bars, but this is England’s second best-selling bar, so check out the company’s new plant-based bars, sold in most supermarkets. They really do taste the same and are free from palm oil, although a lot more expensive than conventional bars. They have proved so popular, the company has recently extended the line to include Smooth Mint (the Crumbled Cookie version launched contains palm oil, so avoid).

Copycat Mars Bars

These Vegan Mars Bars (Addicted to Dates) were created by a classically-trained Irish Baker. They feature an almond nougat with sweet caramel, topped with dairy-free chocolate. No-bake recipe. Also check out Christina’s Vegan Mars Ice Cream Bars,

Copycat Kit Kat Bars

Kit kat had to ditch palm oil a few years ago, after an online ad highlighting the plight of orangutans. It recently launched a vegan version, but has discontinued it, due to ‘not being as popular as dairy ones’. All sounds a bit iffy, as the bar was launched due to ‘one of the most common requests we see on social media is for a vegan KitKat’. These Vegan Kit Kat Bars (Namely Marly) are wafer cookies and cream filling, dipped in chocolate. Very easy to make.

Copycat Maltesers

These chocolate-covered honeycomb balls are popular with most people. We couldn’t find many recipes, but you can look in shops for Gnawbles, which are the closely thing, with a crunchy rice centre. They have 39% less sugar and are free from most common allergens (also certified Kosher).

Copycat Twix Bars

Twix is simply shortbread in milk chocolate, so easy to replicate. Vegan Twix (Rainbow Nourishments) features  acrunchy cookie base, with a gooey sweet caramel and crisp chocolate.

This Giant Twix Bar (Addicted to Dates) is an impressive party centrepiece. It features a shortbread biscuit base, a sticky sweet date caramel and vegan chocolate.

Copycat Bounty Bars

These are simply coconut in dark or mylk chocolate. You can also find palm-oil-free bars in supermarkets. 6-Ingredient Vegan Bounty Bars (Addicted to Dates) are very simple to make, if you like this popular tropical candy bar. The coconut is topped with thick dairy-free chocolate. They take less than an hour to make, too.

Raspberry Bounty Bars (Addicted to Dates) are little fusions of bounty bars and raspberry ruffles. Made with just a few simple ingredients, and so pretty.

Vegan Blueberry Bounty Bars (Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen) go superfood! These are made with wild blueberry powder, which gives lots of antioxidants and the beautiful hue. Also try her Vegan Raspberry Bounty Bars.

Bounty Parfait Cheesecake (Delicious Magazine) is ideal for a dinner party, with no cholesterol or plastic packaging or animal ingredients. The coconut biscuit is topped with coconut cream, then smothered in dark chocolate.

Copycat Crunchie Bars

These are honeycombe in mylk chocolate. These Vegan Crunchie Bars (Addicted to Dates) only need 5 ingredients, featuring cider toffee and dairy-free chocolate.

Copycat Aero Bars

The vegan Aero bars appear to have disappeared off the market. But this blogger says she’s found the vegan dupe which is similar in taste to After Eight Mints. It uses rice cream to replace the palm oil, and is sold in easy-to-recycle packaging and donates to good causes.

Copycat Milky Way Bars

Although there is a vegan version, it does not have good reviews. Instead, try this Vegan Milky Way (Minimalist Baker) that features a naturally sweet date caramel in chocolate topping.

Copycat Turkish Delight

Often served with coffee, authentic versions were made with chopped dates, pistachios, walnuts or hazelnuts. Try these No-Bake Turkish Delight Bars (One Green Planet). You can freeze these, thaw them 30 minutes before eating. Or make your own Vegan Turkish Delight ice-cream (Wallflower Kitchen).

Copycat Lindt Chocolates

Lindt is one of the most popular chocolate brands in the world. It has recently launched its own bars made with oat milk, in 2 flavours.

Copycat Fererro Rocher

Despite its ‘posh reputation’ (you spoil us, Ambassador!), this Italian chocolate is actually not up to much, containing nothing more special than most other major brands (milk, glucose syrup, sugar, palm oil etc). And so much packaging that they have been told off by environmentalists. Terracycle even has its own box specifically to reclaim all the plastic waste it creates. These Vegan Ferrero Rocher (Addicted to Dates) are authentically gourmet, as the recipe is by a classically-trained Irish chef. Or try this simple recipe for Vegan Fudge that tastes like ferrero rocher (Rainbow Plant Life).

Copycat Kinder Eggs

Kinder eggs are an environmentalist’s nightmare. Not just for the chocolate but for the plastic egg and the plastic toys inside. They are also serious choking hazards for small children and pets. They are actually banned for sale or import in the USA, as local laws do not allow ‘non-nutritive embedded objects’ in confectionary. These Healthier Chocolate Candy Bars (Full of Plants) are described as a mix of a Twix and a Kinder egg. They feature a crunchy shortbread and hazelnut mylk cream, using hazelnut butter and cacao butter.

Made by Ferrero, there was controversy in 2017 when a Danish container ship lost thousands of the little blighters into the sea, which washed up on an island in Germany, after a heavy storm. Local residents cleaned them up, along with lego, plastic bags, wheels and even prams. Something similar happened in Cornwall, when thousands of plastic bottles of Vanish detergent washed up on local beaches, temporarily turning the coastline pink.

These Love Raw Wafer Bars are on sale in most supermarkets, if you’re a fan of Kinder bueno bars. Similar to the cream-filled wafers with chocolate, these really are very nice, though you’ll have to recycle the packaging.

Copycat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups (Crowded Kitchen) are a plant-based version of the Reese’s cups you find in stores. Use an organic peanut butter that’s free from palm oil, for this recipe.

Copycat Toffee Crisp

Homemade Vegan Toffee Crisp (Addicted to Dates) is a delicious and healthier alternative to the popular candy bar, and no plastic packaging either. This is made with crispy rice cereal that’s been covered in a homemade toffee caramel and vegan chocolate. Nut-free and gluten-free.