This Chocolate Raspberry Chia Slice starts with a no-bake chocolate biscuit base, followed by a raspberry chia jam filling and a creamy dark chocolate topping. It tastes decadent, but is gluten free, dairy free and nut free. Perfect if you want a healthy dessert that doesn’t leave you with a sugar crash.
Since the slice is no bake, you can set the mixture in different ways. I usually use a rectangular container, then cut the slice into squares. I explain the measurements of my container in the recipe below. You could also divide the mixture across a muffin tray lined with muffin cases to make individual portions.
Can I use frozen raspberries?
Frozen raspberries work perfectly in this recipe. Since the raspberry chia jam filling is cooked on the stove, you don’t even have to defrost the raspberries first. We just cook them down from frozen.
In fact, I mostly buy and use frozen raspberries. I like to buy organic frozen ones, which are a lot more cost effective than organic fresh raspberries. Plus, when you buy frozen, you can purchase larger sizes for added cost savings knowing that any leftovers will keep well in your freezer.
Are frozen raspberries high in sugar?
Frozen raspberries are relatively low in sugar compared to other fruits. Per 100 grams, they only contain about 4.5 grams of sugar, and over 6 grams of fiber. As such, I love to include them in healthy dessert recipes like this slice. I also regularly add them to smoothies.
What are chia seeds good for?
Aside from containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, chia seeds serve an important purpose in this slice recipe. They help to thicken the raspberry filling by absorbing excess moisture while the raspberries are cooking down. They also provide a bit of textural contrast.
What chocolate does not have dairy?
Good quality dark chocolate that is made with at least 70% cocoa often does not contain dairy. You can check if your chocolate has dairy by reading the ingredient list on the bar. If it’s decent quality and made with 70% cocoa or higher, it should typically list cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar and sometimes soy lecithin, which is used as an emulsifier. If the ingredient list includes milk solids or other milk derivatives, then the chocolate is not dairy free.
You can also buy chocolate that is labelled as dairy free or non dairy. If you have a dairy allergy or another reason to strictly avoid dairy, check your chocolate bar before using it in this recipe. However, if dairy isn’t an issue for you, feel free to use any chocolate that you like.
More no bake slice recipes
- Dark Chocolate Ginger Slice
- Vegan No Bake Chocolate Mint Slice
- Chocolate Sour Cherry Slice
- Easy No Bake Vegan Slice
- Raw Rocky Road
Check out the No Bake Recipes page for more ideas.
Chocolate Raspberry Chia Slice Recipe
Serves
12 pieces
Prep time
35 mins
Cook time
1 hour chilling
Ingredients
For the base:
- 3/4 cup / 68 g rolled oats
- 3/4 cup / 70 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 8 tsp / 19 g raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- Pinch of fine salt
- 8 tsp / 40 ml / 58 g brown rice syrup (see Note 1)
- 4 tsp / 20 ml / 19 g coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the raspberry layer:
- 2 cups / 250 g frozen raspberries
- 1/3 cup / 54 g chia seeds
- 8 tsp / 40 ml / 40 g water
- 8 tsp / 40 ml / 58 g brown rice syrup
- 4 tsp / 20 ml / 19 g coconut oil
For the chocolate topping:
- 3.5 oz / 100 g dark chocolate (see Note 2)
- 8 tsp / 40 ml / 38 g coconut oil (or tahini, see Note 3)
Method
- Line a 4 x 6 inch / 10 x 16 cm container with baking paper or cling film (see Note 4).
- Process the base ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Press the mixture into the prepared container and set aside in the freezer.
- To make the raspberry layer, place the frozen raspberries in a saucepan over a medium heat. As the berries start to defrost and soften, squash them with the back of a spoon to turn them into a paste. Add the chia seeds, water, brown rice syrup and coconut oil and stir everything together. Reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer, continuing to stir regularly. The mixture should thicken as the chia seeds absorb the liquid. Once the mixture has thickened into a thick paste, take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
- Once cooled slightly, spread the raspberry filling over the base. Place the slice back in the freezer to chill.
- To make the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate and coconut oil or tahini in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring to combine. Remove the slice from the freezer and pour over the chocolate mixture. Return the slice to the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
- Once set, leave the slice at room temperature for a few minutes before cutting into squares. If the chocolate topping is still quite hard, the pressure required to cut the slice may cause the raspberry filling to squish out. If this happens, you can turn the slice onto its side and carefully cut it that way.
Notes
- Brown rice syrup – Also known as rice malt syrup, brown rice syrup is a fructose-free sweetener. You can use maple syrup or honey as a substitute if you prefer.
- Dark chocolate – I use 70% cocoa dark chocolate for a rich chocolate flavor and to minimise the sugar content of the recipe. If you are strictly dairy free, make sure your chocolate does not contain milk solids or other milk derivatives, or buy non-dairy chocolate. Otherwise, feel free to use any chocolate that you enjoy.
- Chocolate topping – I originally developed this recipe with coconut oil added to the chocolate topping. However, more recently I have found that using tahini instead of coconut oil actually makes the slice easier to cut. With tahini, the chocolate topping still sets firm but is less likely to crack when cutting the slice into pieces.
- Container to set the slice – I use a rectangular container measuring approximately 4 x 6 inch / 10 x 16 cm to set the slice. You can use a different-sized container, as long as it’s not too far off those measurements. A slightly larger container will give a thinner slice. If you only have smaller containers, you could divide the mixture evenly across two smaller containers. Or divide it across a muffin tray lined with muffin cases for individual portions.
- Storage – Store the slice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze it in portions and defrost overnight in the fridge as needed.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 piece (made with 70% cocoa dark chocolate)
- Energy: 229 Calories / 960 Kilojoules
- Total Fat: 15.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.1 g
- Total Carbohydrate: 21.4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 5.6 g
- Sugars: 8.8 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 29 mg
- Potassium: 133 mg
These are absolutley delicious. I want to eat them all at once! Thank you for sharing this recipe Lilian 🙂
My pleasure Mia! Happy to hear you enjoyed them 🙂 x
Once they are frozen and I get ready to cut and eat one, does the rest of the bake need to stay frozen or can they be kept at room temperature in an air tight container? So excited to try these Xx
Hi Chloe, the slices should be kept in the fridge or freezer. Hope you enjoy them! x
Hey Lil,
How long will these typically last in the fridge?
Great recipe you gun! X
Thanks Rach! I think they should be ok for 1 week in the fridge or you could try freezing them! x
Hi this looks so good, can you use maple syrup instead of rice malt syrup?
Thanks,hj
Thanks Helen! Yeah you can use maple syrup instead if you prefer. x
A friend just gifted me a tray of these. OMG they are so good!!!!
So happy to hear you like them Lisa! Thank you 🙂
Can I use honey instead of rice malt syrup?? 🙂 I’m going to make these for my birthday!
Lovely! Yep honey should work well 🙂
Oh and do almonds work instead of the oats?
Yep you could use ground almonds/almond meal instead of oats. Hope you enjoy!
WOW!!!! This is my new favourite dessert! It was perfect for my birthday, I loved it, everyone loved it! I ended up using maple syrup & almonds. I made my own chocolate topping: coconut oil, cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla, pinch salt. Thank you so much, they’ve already been requested for someone’s birthday ??
That’s so great to hear! I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it 🙂 Your chocolate topping sounds delicious too, nice work! xx
I can’t wait to make this recipe it sounds like heaven!
A tip the for cutting (any cakes desserts etc) is if you have a large sharp kitchen knife, boil the kettle and dip the knife in the boiling water between each cut. The heat from the knife leaves seamless cuts and you don’t get the dessert “sticking” making a mess. Xx
Thanks Stephanie! Great tip, I’ll try that next time! Xx
I find chia seeds don’t quite agree with me. Is there anything that I can substitue for them in here?? It sounds like a wonderful recipe
Hi Natalie, thank you! It’s a bit tricky to find a substitute for chia seeds as they absorb liquid to thicken up the raspberry mixture. You could try adding a little bit of coconut flour instead and increase the coconut oil slightly, but I haven’t tested this. Let me know how you go!
Hiya, could I use honey in place of rice malt syrup or would it alter the taste too much?
Thanks, these look so great! ?
Thanks Erin! You can certainly use honey. It would alter the taste slightly but if you enjoy the taste of honey I think it would still be nice!
Here’s a curly one – how do you hunk this’d go with sugar free chocolate? I have a friend who can’t have refined sugar (cancer patient) but can have natural sugar alternatives. I reckon he’d love it though!
Hi Cindy, the recipe should work well with sugar-free chocolate! I have found that sugar-free chocolate usually melts and sets just like regular chocolate, so it should be easy to use in place of the dark chocolate.
The rice malt syrup in the base and raspberry layer could also be replaced with raw honey for a less-refined sweetener option.
All the best to your friend, and I hope you both enjoy the recipe 🙂
Hi, is it possible to bake the biscuit base?
I haven’t tested baking the base – it might be ok to briefly bake it, but my concern would be that it might dry out. Ideally you would just let it firm up in the fridge since I developed this recipe to be no-bake 🙂
THIS IS THE MOST DIVINE RECIPE! a wee bit fiddlier than ones I would usually make – but so worth the patience and freezes well too! I also double the recipe – it was seriously a much better amount to have. 🙂
I did modify to thicken the raspberry mixture – mine was a bit runny I thought…. I just used a small amount of tapioca flour and water to cook the raspberry sauce mixture to a thicker consistency that I could spread easily and I also added some wild blueberrys…. so so yummy thank you so much for sharing your mahi – talent and love for all things yummy.
Thanks so much Helen! Great to hear 🙂
super yummy, got a little confused with the measurement but realised that they are just table spoons
Thanks Charlee, I’m happy you enjoyed it 🙂