Simple, wholesome ingredients come together to form a delicious, healthy copycat version of larabars. Homemade Larabars will quickly become a staple at your house, and with eight different varieties, you will never tire of eating them!
Have you ever had a Larabar?
They are delicious!!
Larabars taste like an extremely decadent dessert, but they are typically made with just nuts and fruit--that is it!
However, they are very pricey--at least $1 a bar on sale. And with a family of 4, we could go through some serious $$ if we purchased the bars on a daily basis.
Thankfully for my wallet (and YOUR wallet), making larabars at home is extremely easy, and much more economical.
Key Ingredients
In my book, it doesn't get much healthier than larabars, as the base is made with two wholesome ingredients: nuts and dates.
Nuts contain fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Dates are a natural source of sweetness and contain many vitamins and minerals. My son refers to dates as God's candy. I agree--they are perfectly sweet, making these bars taste like a dessert or candy bar, while not containing any added sugars.
- Nuts: You can use any combination of nuts you like. Almonds are the most common nut found in larabars, but any variety of nuts you like or a combination of nuts will be delicious.
- Dates: It is really important to use whole, pitted dried dates. Chopped dates have been coated in sugar or cornstarch.
How to Make Larabars at Home
The base of larabars is simple--nuts, dried fruit, and a dash of salt. My perfect ratio for Larbars is 3 parts fruit to 2 parts nuts. I add in a dash of salt to bring out the flavor and if needed, a bit of the date soaking liquid to help bring the mixture together.
The ratio may sound complicated. But do NOT be overwhelmed, I have broken the recipe down for you in detail. But basically, this means for every 1 cup of nuts, use 1 and ½ cups of dried fruit.
Step One: Soften the Dates
In order for the dates to process easily into the bars, they need to be soft. Soften your dates by soaking in hot water for 10-15 minutes before making homemade larabars.
Once the dates are softened, drain off the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid to use in the bars if needed. Tip: Save what is left from the soaking liquid and use it to sweeten smoothies or oatmeal.
Step Two: Process the Ingredients
In a food processor fitted with an s-blade, process the nuts until small chunks are formed.
Add in the softened dates along with a dash of salt and pulse until a thick paste forms, adding in up to 1 tablespoon of the soaking liquid from the dates if needed to help the mixture come together. The dates and nuts should be broken down and a thick, sticky paste formed.
Step Three: Form
You can choose to press the Larabar mixture in a 7x11 pan lined with parchment paper or roll into 1-2 inch balls, for Larabar Bites.
I prefer to make Larabars into little "cookie" balls versus an actual bar. Something about making Larabar bites, make my children believe these bites are cookies. And hey, this mom is all for these healthy cookies and happy kids!
Each recipe will make 6 bars or between 24-30 "cookie" balls depending on the size, you like.
8 Varieties of Homemade Larabars
Once you master the basic recipe, let your imagination run wild! The variations of larabars are endless to make. These are 8 of my favorite varieties. Prepare any of these flavors by first pulsing the nuts until they break into small chunks and then adding the remaining ingredients and pulsing together until a thick paste forms.
- Cashew Cookie: 1 cup cashews combined with 1 ½ cups of pitted whole dates.
- Peanut Butter Cookie: 1 cup peanuts combined with 1 ½ cup of pitted whole dates
- Oatmeal Raisin: Combine 1 cup walnuts with 1 cup raisins, ¾ cup oatmeal, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ½ tsp vanilla extract.
- Cherry Pie: Combine 1 cup almonds with 1 cup dried unsweetened cherries, ½ cup dates, a dash of salt, and ¼ tsp cinnamon.
- Dark Chocolate: Combine ½ cup almonds and ½ cup walnuts with 1 ¼ cup pitted dates, 3 tablespoons bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Apple Pie: Combine ½ cup almonds and ½ cup pecans or walnuts with 1 cup dried apples, ½ cup pitted dates, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, and a dash of salt.
- Pecan Pie: Combine ¼ cup almonds and ¾ cup pecans with 1 ½ cups pitted dates and a dash of salt.
- PB & J: Process 1 cup peanuts with ½ cup packed dried cherries, 1 cup pitted dates, and a dash of salt.
Whole30 Compliant Larabars
A lot of people ask if Larbars are whole30 approved or paleo. The answer is not a simple yes or no.
In order to be whole30 compliant and paleo, larabars need to not have any added sugars and contain no legumes or grains.
Watch for the following:
- Be sure that you use dried fruit that has no added sugar.
- Do not add oats in Paleo or Whole30 Larabars, as I do in my Oatmeal Raisin Larabar Variety.
- And only walnuts or almonds as your choice for nuts. Peanuts are a legume and not allowed on whole30 or paleo diets. Cashews are highly debated. Some people say they are paleo, some say they are whole30 approved, and others say they are not either. Cashews are not a nut or a legume, but actually a seed--so it can be tricky to tell where they fall. To stay safe, I suggest just using a combination of almonds and/or walnuts for whole30 approved larabars.
- For any recipe that calls for peanuts, substitute them for almonds, walnuts, or cashews and your homemade bar will be whole30 approved.
- My recipe for Pecan Pie Larabars, Apple Pie Larabars, and Cherry Pie Larabars, and the base recipe are all whole30 compliant.
More DIY Snacks
If you love these Larabars, I would love for you to leave a comment and a review below.
Homemade Larabars
Ingredients
- 1 cup nuts any combination
- 1 ½ cups dates or a combination of dates and another variety of dried fruit
- dash of salt
Instructions
- Place dates into a small heat-safe bowl. Pour hot water over the dates and allow to soak for 10-15 minutes to soften the dates.
- Once the dates have soaked, drain the liquid off the dates, reserving the liquid to use if needed.
- Fit a food processor with an s-blade. Place nuts in the food processor and pulse until the nuts break down into small pieces.
- Add in the dates and dash of salt, and pulse the mixture together until the dates have broken down and a thick paste forms, scraping the sides down if needed. Add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid if needed to help bring the mixture together.
- To shape larabars press mixture into a 7×11 pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing int0 6 bars.
- Alternatively, you can shape the mixture into 1-2 inch balls for a bite-size treat.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Do not use chopped dates, as they are coated in sugar and/or cornstarch.
- Store homemade larabars in refrigerator for up to 7 days, or in the pantry for 2-3 days. Store in a container lined with wax or parchment paper, adding wax or parchment paper in between layers of bars.
- I do not recommend freezing larabars, as the texture will greatly change when defrosted.
- Larabar Flavor Options:
- Cashew Cookie: 1 cup cashews combined with 1 ½ cups of pitted whole dates.
- Peanut Butter Cookie: 1 cup peanuts combined with 1 ½ cup of pitted whole dates
- Oatmeal Raisin: Combine 1 cup walnuts with 1 cup raisins, ¾ cup oatmeal, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ½ tsp vanilla extract.
- Cherry Pie: Combine 1 cup almonds with 1 cup dried unsweetened cherries, ½ cup dates, a dash of salt, and ¼ tsp cinnamon.
- Dark Chocolate: Combine ½ cup almonds and ½ cup walnuts with 1 ¼ cup pitted dates, 3 tablespoons bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Apple Pie: Combine ½ cup almonds and ½ cup pecans or walnuts with 1 cup dried apples, ½ cup pitted dates, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, and a dash of salt.
- Pecan Pie: Combine ¼ cup almonds and ¾ cup pecans with 1 ½ cups pitted dates and a dash of salt.
- PB & J: Process 1 cup peanuts with ½ cup packed dried cherries, 1 cup pitted dates, and a dash of salt.
Jen
Yum. Yum.
I tried the cashew cookie recipe tonight as that is one of my fave Larabars., and my goodness! These are so much better than the packaged bars! I cannot wait to try the other combos. Thank you so much! 😀 So excited
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! I hope you enjoy the other combos Jen!
Lisa
Should we use toasted nuts or raw? I’m on a restricted diet following a bone marrow transplant and I can only have roasted nuts. I’m desperate for a healthy snack!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lisa! Use toasted nuts! Either works, but the flavor of toasted/roasted nuts is better. And sending you virtual hugs--you are a warrior!
Rebecca
SO GOOD! I like them even better than packaged Lara bars because these taste so fresh. I’m excited to try more flavor combos.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed Rebecca!
Cindy
Hi Kristen,
We just tried both Lara bars and dates for the first time. The dates I got last time had pits, so I'm assuming I have to buy pitted dates. They were also chewy, but didn't seem dried. What kind of dates you buy, and are they dried?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cindy. I use pitted whole dried dates. They are chewy, sort of like raisins. This brand of dates is easy to find at most grocery stores.
Chi
This recipe has too many dates. I used medjool dates and it was wet and date-heavy. I salvaged it by putting an extra 3 cups of nuts in the food processor. (2 cups cashews, 1 cup almonds.) it then turned out perfect. So for me it was 1&1/2 cup soaked medjool dates and 4 cups nuts.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Chi! Larabars are pretty soft and date heavy. It sounds like you made a delicious, crunchier bar.
Gary Dessert
Hey Kristen,
I really like the way you lay things out in a understandable way. Just finished making yogurt in my insta~pot. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes as well.
Thanks,
Gary
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy that you find my directions easy to understand and I hope you enjoy the yogurt Gary!
Andrea
Do you toast the nuts?
Kristen Chidsey
Not for this recipe, unless they are raw.
Stacey LaBeau
This recipe is amazing! Thank you so much! I was gifted a large amount of raisins and prunes. So I used raisins and walnuts with a pinch of salt and they are so tasty!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed--the raisins and walnut combination is so good.
Jessica
I don't want to rate this yet because I'm not sure what I have done with mine. Mine are so wet. I'm not sure why. Maybe I soaked my dates too long, but i followed everything else to the t. I put them in the fridge for 30 minutes, but they weren't set. They've been in there for hours now, and still not set, just wet. I'm so sad.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jessica. I am sorry you are having issues. It may be because you did not drain your dates well. Don't panic though, place the wet mixture back into the food processor and add in 1/4 cup more nuts and process again until drier, adding more nuts if needed. Hope that helps.
Amy
My kids LOVE Larabars, so I am excited to make these. Can you use a blender to make these too? I have a BlendTec.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Amy! Because your blender is such a high powered blender, you should be able to make these. Just be sure to pulse lightly instead of blend to keep some texture.
Abigail Raines
My hubby and I are addicted to larabars! Love how the recipe is so easy, tasty and versatile! Thanks for giving us so many yummy options!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you all enjoyed!
Ashley
This recipe couldn't get any easier. They are so much cheaper to make them at home too. Thanks for sharing!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoy these Ashley--and I agree, what a money saver!
Rhonda
Hello Newbie here. One of things that I didn't care about of Lara bar's was the dates and the other ingredients in them. I like strawberries, blueberries, apples, almonds, and cashews. What can I substitute for the dates? I am looking at saving money and making things I enjoy at home.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rhonda. Unfortunately, dates are what hold the larabars together. You can try prunes or raisins, but the texture will not be the same.