Nanaimo Bars Recipe without Custard Powder (Peppermint Matcha)

No Bake Nanaimo Bars Recipe without Custard Powder!

Today we are making a Peppermint Matcha Nanaimo Bars recipe without custard powder! If you’re unfamiliar, Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian treat. (Although I’m Canadian, I didn’t know its origins until I researched for this blog post). Fun fact: It gets its name after the west coast city of Nanaimo, in British Columbia!

This recipe makes triple-layer and no bake easy nanaimo bars. Classic nanaimo bars have the bottom layer as a chocolate coconut base, a custard layer in the middle (the original recipe uses bird’s custard powder or instant vanilla pudding mix with heavy cream) and the top layer is a chocolate ganache.

I’ve usually only seen plain nanaimo bars in store, but you can customize it to have any type of filling! Peanut butter, coffee/mocha, coconut, mint chocolate, dark chocolate, and more.

But what if you don’t have custard powder? Well, since this isn’t a vanilla filling so the custard flavor isn’t going to be as strong as the matcha-mint flavor. This recipe is easy to remove the custard powder and substitute with other ingredients.

Origins of Nanaimo Bars

Although unconfirmed, it is said that this recipe goes back to the 1930’s, when it was known as Chocolate Fridge Cake. Apparently, these bars existed in 19th-century Nanaimo! The very first known printing of the Nanaimo Bar recipe ingredients was found in the 1952 Women’s Auxiliary to the Nanaimo Hospital Cookbook. This featured three recipes that were very close to the Nanaimo Bar that we know today. They went under the names Chocolate Square or Chocolate Slice.

The recipe was then used in a 1953 cookbook by Edith Adams’. But the same recipe was also found to have been published in the Vancouver Sun newspaper that same year, under the name London Fog Bars. In 1954, a recipe for Mabel Squares was published in The Country Women’s Favorite by the Upper Gloucester Women’s Institute. So as you can see, Nanaimo Bars have gone under many different names in the past.

Gaining Popularity

As this bar gained popularity, the residents of Nanaimo came together to vote it as Canada’s Favourite Confection in a survey done by the National Post. In 1985, the Mayor at the time, Graeme Roberts, held a contest to find the best Nanaimo bar recipe. After this, the no bake dessert bar became popular nationwide.

In today’s recipe, I made a festive mint-matcha center. I added crushed candycanes into it for the holidays. You could also totally leave it as a white center without adding the matcha to make it green. This way, the crushed candycanes will be more visible when you cut it rather than just tasting the crunch.

But because it was a festive recipe, I added the matcha to get the color and green tea flavor! I topped it off with crushed candycanes for even more color, and it made a great dessert for the holidays. You can customize it to remove the candycanes, mint extract, and matcha from the recipe, and they would be regular Nanaimo Bars!

Why You’ll Love This Nanaimo Bars Recipe

Red & Green Holiday Dessert: This no bake treat is a great dessert to bring to a holiday potluck (with all the red and green going on here, it screams Christmas)! The unique flavors for a nanaimo bar here will make it stand out, plus it’s such a decadent dessert with all the layers and custard buttercream filling that you’ll feel satisfied after a slice … or three!

Allergen Free for a Potluck: This recipe can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container for up to a week. It’s also a no bake recipe, dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free, so it covers many major allergens when serving a large group of people. You can also replace the walnuts with more coconut or with oats, to remove the nuts from the recipe.

Substitutions: Base Layer

Dates: These hold the base layer together. I do not recommend any substitution. If you don’t have the super soft Medjool dates, soak your dates in hot water overnight. Then drain the water before using them in the blender with the rest of the base ingredients.

Cocoa Powder: You can use cacao powder (which is a less processed version of cocoa powder), but dutch-processed cocoa powder would work best.

Walnuts: Traditionally, graham cracker crumbs are in the base layer. Pecans, almonds or more coconut can be substitutes for walnuts in the base instead.

Unsweetened Shredded Coconut:  Sweetened coconut will work too. This will add a lot of extra sweetness into the base though. Since the dates are already acting as a sweetener, I used unsweetened desiccated coconut. In the case of a coconut allergy, you could try to substitute more oats or another type of neutral nut instead.

Substitutions: Middle Layer

Vegan Butter: The creamy middle layer uses a whole stick of butter (which is a half cup of butter). I like using Melt Organics vegan butter sticks! Keep it at room temperature to soften it up before using. I do not recommend substituting anything here (same goes for the butter used in the base).

Oat Milk: Any other neutral non-dairy milk can work too. Cashew milk would be the best substitute as it doesn’t have a strong taste. I don’t recommend using coconut milk, canned or carton, because of the strong taste.

Powdered Sugar: Also known as icing sugar, this is a key ingredient in the buttercream layer and is in the baking aisle of grocery stores. For a healthier option, you can try using powdered xylitol instead, which I also found at my local store.

Vanilla Extract: Real vanilla bean paste would yield the best results, however I used alcohol-free Madagascar vanilla extract which I found at my local grocery store. It had a thicker texture than other diluted extracts, and a strong vanilla taste.

Substitutions: Top Layer

Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate can work too, but semisweet would be best for the chocolate ganache topping. Check the ingredient label to make sure the chocolate does not contain milk or milk powder in it (any dairy ingredients).

Nanaimo Bars Recipe Notes

• For the final step, make a smooth chocolate ganache by melting chocolate over medium-low heat. The best way to do this would be to add warm water into a saucepan and put a heatproof bowl with the chocolate inside on top. This way, the chocolate will melt smoother and not burn. This is the double boiler method, which stacks one pot on top of another.
• Use a sharp knife that’s been run under boiling hot water for a clean cut in these bars.
• Line the bottom of the base that’s a square pan with parchment paper for an easy pull out.
• For the middle layer, it’s a good idea to use a stand mixer/electric mixer to really incorporate everything and mimic a creamy “custard” filling. Doing it by hand doesn’t give the best results for making an even layer.

More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love

Easy Vegan Sugar Cookies

No Bake Oreo Funfetti Bites

Caramel Chocolate Tart

Banana Tarte Tatin

S’mores Fudge

Graham Cracker Toffee Bark

Chocolate Caramel Candy Bars

If you make this Nanaimo Bars Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!