These Healthy Chocolate Turtles are made with 5 simple ingredients and come together in just 20 minutes. Serve these up for a healthy treat that is naturally gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free!

chocolate turtles topped with malden sea salt

Chocolate Turtles with 3 ingredients

These Healthy Chocolate Turtles have moved up to the top of my favourite holiday treats, along with some peppermint bark of course!

This is one of those almost *too* simple recipes to make that will be a crowd-pleaser, whether or not you’re trying to eat healthy or cut back on sugary treats.

Why you’ll love these turtles

  • This recipe is naturally grain-free, gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free, which makes it perfect to serve many people!
  • It’s easy to make and comes together in just 20 minutes.
  • Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or can be frozen and taken out to enjoy any time you like!

How to make this recipe

Start by pulsing the Medjool dates and coconut flour in a blender until it forms a crumbly dough.

  • A food processor with medjool dates in it
  • a food processor with blended dates in it

Use your hands to form the dough into patties and place each patty on a baking sheet, then place 3 pecans into each patty.

  • A baking sheet with pecan patties on it
  • A baking sheet with date and pecan patties on it

Drizzle melted chocolate onto each patty and then place in the fridge to set and then sprinkle with sea salt.

  • A hand drizzling melted chocolate onto a tray of date and pecan candies
  • A baking sheet with parchment paper and healthy chocolate turtles on it

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

  • Make sure to use medjool dates for this recipe, not regular dates. 
  • Depending on how fresh your dates are, they can be very sticky, or a bit less sticky. If your dates are really sticky, you may want to add a bit more coconut flour. If your dates are dry, you can add less coconut flour. If your dough is too sticky to work with, you can also place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. 
  • I use a cookie scoop to measure out even balls of the date dough. 
  • When drizzling the chocolate on top, the more melted the chocolate is the more it will spread. I find it best to melt the chocolate, then wait 3-5 minutes for it to slightly cool and thicken so it doesn’t spread as much.
  • This recipe freezes well. 
healthy chocolate turtle candies on a baking sheet

More easy chocolate recipes to try

A hand holding a healthy chocolate turtle candy

If you tried these Healthy Chocolate Turtles or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!

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chocolate turtles topped with malden sea salt

Healthy Chocolate Turtles

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Jessica Hoffman
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 12–15 pieces 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Mix
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups pitted Medjool dates 
  • 2–4 tbsp coconut flour 
  • pecans (about 36 pieces) 
  • 1 cup 70% dark chocolate chips, melted 
  • sea salt to top 

Instructions

  1. Add the medjool dates to a food processor and pulse until it starts to form a loose ball. Then add the coconut flour 1 tbsp at a time and continue to pulse until you have a dough that is not too sticky, but still sticks together. (You may only need 2 tbsp of coconut flour if you’re dates are slightly dryer, or 4 tbsp, if your dates are very sticky.) 
  2.  Use your hands to roll into even balls, then press between your palms to form into patties, and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  3. Place 3 pecans onto each date patty. 
  4. Use a spoon and drizzle the melted chocolate on top, then place in the fridge to set, about 5 minutes. 
  5. Remove from the fridge and sprinkle with a touch of sea salt. 

Notes

Make sure to use medjool dates for this recipe, not regular dates. 

Depending on how fresh your dates are, they can be very sticky, or a bit less sticky. If your dates are really sticky, you may want to add a bit more coconut flour. If your dates are dry, you can add less coconut flour. If your dough is too sticky to work with, you can also place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. 

I use a cookie scoop to measure out even balls of the date dough. 

When drizzling the chocolate on top, the more melted the chocolate is the more it will spread. I find it best to melt the chocolate, then wait 3-5 minutes for it to slightly cool and thicken so it doesn’t spread as much. 

This recipe freezes well.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 chocolate
  • Calories: 130
  • Sugar: 12g
  • Fat: 7g
  • Carbohydrates: 17g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 1g