BEST chocolate caramel slice (vegan)

Hands-down the best caramel slice you’ll ever try - made with dark chocolate and salted macadamia nuts, it's entirely vegan, gluten, dairy and refined sugar free. This healthy twist on the original is a recipe you're going to LOVE.

I created this vegan caramel slice shortly after my raw chef training, and nearly a decade later it is still ridiculously good, and still one of the most popular recipes here on the blog.

Each individual layer is delicious on its own, and combined they create something out of this world.

Chocolate caramel slice is a bakery favourite in Australia and New Zealand, but you may know it better as Millionaire’s shortbread, caramel shortbread or just as caramel squares. Same same.

This recipe uses all natural ingredients – without the usual (and highly inflammatory) suspects such as white flour, golden syrup, sweetened condensed milk and vegetable oil. It’s suitable for those with various dietary restrictions (such as gluten free, dairy free).

Despite the more wholesome ingredient list, this is as rich and lush as you can possibly get – so enjoy a smaller serving size as I can tell you, she’s nutrient dense this one!

I looooove this recipe, the best healthy caramel slice recipe I’ve tried!" – Dearna, via Instagram.

Jump to:

• 💗Why you'll love this recipe
• 🥥Ingredients
• 👌Expert tips
• 👩‍🍳How to make caramel slice
• 🙋‍♀️FAQ's
• 🍒More raw desserts
• 📖Recipe

💗Why you'll love this recipe

• Rich and delicious
• No refined flour or sugar, sweetened condensed milk or vegetable oil
• Packed with whole food ingredients like dates, nuts, coconut and buckwheat
• Naturally gluten free and 100% plant-based
• A truly easy caramel slice - no bake, no thermometers needed!

🥥Ingredients

A few notes on the key ingredients –

• Whole Medjool dates: they’re big, fat and juicy with a hint of caramel to their taste. You could use regular dates at a pinch, but Medjool are without a doubt going to give you a better end result
• Macadamia nuts: natural, not roasted
• Maple syrup: 100% pure, no added sugar
• Raw buckwheat groats: we’ll be blitzing these quickly to create a rough meal
• Cashew butter: natural, unsalted – though if you can only find salted, omit the extra sea salt in the caramel layer, or add a little and taste test
• Soy lecithin: source an organic brand, the lecithin helps emulsify and thicken the caramel, it’s also rich in choline, a B vitamin required for the synthesis of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, important for healthy moods, cognition and memory

You’ll also need coconut oil, raw cacao powder, lemon juice, vanilla extract and desiccated coconut.

While most other ‘healthier’ chocolate caramel slice recipes use date and tahini, or date and almond butter for the caramel, these combinations fall short for me. They’re just overpoweringly sweet and lack depth.

For some alchemical reason, macadamias with lemon, sea salt, pure maple syrup, vanilla and creamy cashew butter make a banging caramel. Trust me – you’re going to love it.

👌Expert tips

Before we get to the how-to, here are a few expert tips for success:

• If your Medjool dates are dry, hydrate them by soaking in water warm first
• When making the chocolate caramel slice base, don’t over blend the buckwheat groats, having some texture is what gives it a biscuit-like crunch
• My preference is to use vanilla paste over extract for the caramel filling. It darkens the colour of the caramel, and adds beautiful flecks of vanilla
• While this is a salted caramel slice – check the label of your cashew butter – if it is salted, you may not need the additional sea salt in the caramel (I always use natural, unsalted nut butters). Taste test, but err on the side of a tad salty, as the sweetness of the other two layers will perfectly balance it out
• Heavy handed with the salt? Don’t panic – add a little more lemon juice

👩‍🍳How to make caramel slice

Prep the ingredients. If you have time, start by soaking the macadamias in water for a few hours, then drain and pat them dry with a paper towel. This just softens them in advance of blending for a smoother texture. No biggie if you forget.

Next, take a cup of whole, raw buckwheat groats, and whiz in a high speed blender for up to five seconds, to break down into a rough meal/powder, retaining some whole groats for a biscuit-like texture.

Finally, rest the jar of cashew butter in a small saucepan filled with hot or simmering water, to soften for easy blending.

Prepare the biscuit base. To make the caramel slice base, process the ground buckwheat groats, desiccated coconut and salt until combined. Then, while the motor runs, add the coconut oil and the Medjool dates, one by one.

After a minute or two, the mixture will turn into a dough, see below for the perfect texture.

Press this into the bottom of a lined square cake tin – it doesn’t need to be perfect, rustic looks great when you slice the end product up.

Rinse your food processor and wipe it clean ready for the next part.

Prepare the caramel. To make the vegan caramel, blend all ingredients except for the soy lecithin. Take your time – we want a nice smooth consistency.

Once done, sprinkle the lecithin granules over the top, and blend again for several more minutes until they’ve completely dissolved and you have a gooey caramel.

Wait! Did you double check your cashew butter? Is it salted? If so – you might not need all that additional sea salt. Taste test and add more if needed. 

Pour over the biscuit base, then set in the freezer. Rinse and wipe clean the food processor for the last step.

Prepare the chocolate. Blend all ingredients for the chocolate topping until combined. It will very quickly come together in a light dough.

Have a look at the consistency below – it’s thick and glossy, yet still quite spreadable.

Use a spatula to press this firmly over the set caramel, creating a nice flat surface. Try not to sneak a taste – you’ll need the entire amount to fully cover the surface. Sigh. You ate some, didn’t you?

Freeze then cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife, then cut each of those in half again to get 32 small rectangle shapes. Portion control, friends.

Now tell me, is that not the most handsome choc caramel slice you’ve ever laid eyes on?  That rustic edge! Oh my heart.

🙋‍♀️FAQ's

🍒More raw desserts

• Raw Peppermint Slice
• Raw Snickers Cake
• Raw Black Forest Brownie

🌿Enjoyed this recipe? Leave a comment below, better yet - share a snap with me on instagram @ascensionkitchen. If you're after personalised health and nutrition advice, contact my clinic, I'd be happy to work with you.

📖Recipe