Classic Nanaimo Bars are a beloved Canadian dessert featuring layers of chocolate coconut graham crumb crust, creamy custard buttercream, and chocolate on top.
Classic Nanaimo Bars are a favourite of many Canadians. Nanaimo Bars are sold in many grocery stores and bakeries in Canada, especially around Christmastime. While I am not the biggest fan of these treats from the store, I do love these homemade ones! Homemade Nanaimo Bars are so buttery and I use salted butter for a better flavour. Try my tasty Mint Nanaimo Bars next or these delightful Coffee Nanaimo Bars if you are a fan of coffee!
Every time I make these unique three-layer bars, my mind is boggled by what they are made up of and how they end up so delicious! The bottom layer is comprised of a graham cracker crumb crust with shredded dried coconut and flavoured with cocoa and chocolate melted with butter.
The middle "custard" layer is basically buttercream frosting with custard powder added. Custard powder is an ingredient available in Canada and Europe but, to my understanding, it is not readily available in the United States. You can buy Bird's Custard Powder on Amazon or I have heard that some people successfully replace it with French vanilla pudding mix or milk powder. The custard powder creates a certain consistency and a slight flavour in this recipe, but the most distinct result is the colour. Custard powder gives Nanaimo Bars their classic faint yellow colour.
The final layer is simply chocolate melted with more butter (oh yes, more butter!). All in all, Nanaimo bars are a unique combination that ends up delicious. And the name? These beloved bars are named after Nanaimo, British Columbia, a city a few hours away from where I live on Vancouver Island! If you love rich and buttery squares be sure to check out my Billionaire's Shortbread Bars or No-Bake Oat Bars.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Easy and no-bake. These bars are super simple to make and do not require any cooking or baking.
- A true Canadian classic. This is my recipe for a well-loved Canadian dessert!
- Perfect for the holidays. Nanaimo bars are a great addition to cookie platters at Christmastime.
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these bars.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs - Crush up graham crackers finely or I like to buy pre-crushed graham cracker baking crumbs to make this recipe super easy.
- Cocoa Powder - To give the crust a deep chocolate flavour.
- Powdered Sugar - The custard layer is made with powdered sugar as well as just a little is used in the crust.
- Coconut - Unsweetened shredded coconut. This is irreplaceable in Nanaimo bars!
- Salted Butter - There is butter in all 3 layers of these bars!
- Semisweet Chocolate - Chips or chopped semisweet chocolate. Chocolate is melted with butter both to add to the crust to help bind it together as well as on top for the chocolate layer.
- Custard Powder - Bird's Custard Powder is a very unique ingredient that is sold in Canada. See the substitutions section later in this post for what to use if you cannot find custard powder.
- Milk - Just a few tablespoons of milk help give the custard layer a fluffy and light consistency.
See the recipe card for measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Combine graham crumbs, cocoa, powdered sugar, and coconut. In a separate dish, melt the butter and chocolate chips together in the microwave in 15-second increments, stirring between each increment.
Step 2: Mix the melted butter and chocolate mixture into the graham crumb mixture before pressing firmly into a pan lined with parchment paper or wax paper.
Step 3: Blend together the softened butter, powdered sugar, custard powder, and milk until fluffy and smooth.
Step 4: Spread the custard mixture on top of the crust being careful not to pull up the crust with the spreading motion.
Step 5: Melt the butter and chocolate chips together for the top layer. Microwave in 15-second increments, stirring between each increment to ensure the mixture does not seize.
Step 6: This should only take 30-45 seconds in total to melt into a smooth mixture.
Step 7: Gently spread the melted chocolate mixture over the custard layer, again being very careful not to pull up the layer underneath. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan and slicing.
Hint: To slice these bars with clean-cut edges, wipe off the knife with a paper towel between each cut.
📝 Substitutions
Here are some possible substitutions and variations for making this recipe.
- Salted Butter - You may use unsalted butter with an added ¼ teaspoon of salt for each ½ cup of butter.
- Custard Powder - If you cannot buy custard powder, French vanilla pudding mix or milk powder may be used instead.
- Flavours - Switch it up by trying my Coffee Nanaimo Bars or Mint Nanaimo Bars next!
❄️ Storage
Store bars covered or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
💡 Top tip
Be very gentle when spreading each layer to avoid pulling up the layer beneath. Chilling each layer between adding the next helps to keep everything tidy.
❓ FAQ
Nanaimo Bars are a Canadian dessert named after Nanaimo, British Columbia, featuring three layers including a chocolate coconut crust followed by a creamy custard buttercream with a chocolate topping.
Yes, you could make gluten-free Nanaimo Bars using a GF subsitute for the graham cracker crumbs.
🍽️ More Recipes for Brownies and Bars
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these Classic Nanaimo Bars or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Classic Nanaimo Bars
Equipment
- 9x9-inch baking pan
- aluminum foil
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- electric handheld mixer
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ cup salted butter *
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Custard Ingredients:
- ½ cup salted butter * softened
- 2 tablespoons custard powder *
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
Topping Ingredients:
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons salted butter *
Instructions
For the Crust:
- LIne a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Combine graham crumbs, cocoa, powdered sugar, and coconut. In a separate dish, melt the butter and chocolate chips together in the microwave in 15-second increments, stirring between each increment. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Press firmly into the prepared pan and refrigerate while making the custard layer.
For the Custard Layer:
- Beat together softened butter, custard powder, milk, and powdered sugar using a handheld mixer starting on low and increasing to high as the mixture starts to come together. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the custard onto the chilled crust, being careful not to pull up the crust layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the Top Layer:
- Gently melt the chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave in 15-second increments or on the stovetop. Once the other layers have chilled, gently spread the chocolate mixture on top of the custard layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Slice into 32 squares to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Salted Butter - You may use unsalted butter with an added ¼ teaspoon of salt for each ½ cup of butter.
- Custard Powder - If you cannot buy custard powder, French vanilla pudding mix or milk powder may be used instead.
- Switch it up by trying my Coffee Nanaimo Bars or Mint Nanaimo Bars next!
- Store finished Nanaimo Bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
tdc
It's not named after Nanaimo, that is a hotly contested piece of information and, from someone on van isle, I would expect a little more.
Naomi Andres
I have never heard of anyone contesting the origin of the name of these dessert bars until now but I do know that they are delicious and well-loved in Nanaimo and beyond!
Nikki
I really want to make these because I hear they're amazing... But, my family hates coconut. Do you think I can leave it out or substitute with something else? Thank you!
Naomi Andres
Hi Nikki,
Yes, you could definitely substitute the coconut with the same amount of graham crumbs or finely chopped nuts.
Let me know how it goes!
Naomi
Casey W.
I made these today using French Vanilla instant pudding mix as a substitute for the custard powder (a clever recommendation from a relative), and they were absolutely fantastic! I’m so happy that I can now share one of my favourite desserts with friends down here in the US. Thanks, Naomi!
Naomi Andres
That is such a great idea, Casey! Thank you for sharing!
Naomi
Emell
I'm an American who spent my formative years in Canada, and was trying to explain the glory of Nanaimo bars to my husband and children. After patiently awaiting the arrival of Bird's custard powder in the mail, I made these, and they were spot on! I almost teared up, they took me right back to the ones I would get from coffee shops in Canada. Thank you for this recipe that allowed me to share those memories with my family!
Naomi
Thank you so, so much for sharing! Comments like this make me excited to keep developing and sharing recipes with the world! I am so touched to hear that my recipe made such an impact on you and your family!
Naomi