Recipes » Copycat ~ Clone » Make Your Own Homemade Larabars

Make Your Own Homemade Larabars

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Do you love the taste of those wonderful healthy fruit and nut bars? We do too, but we don’t love spending upwards of $2 each for them! The truth is, there really isn’t much to making them and if you have just a few basic ingredients, dried fruit and nuts, you can make your own homemade Larabars in just a few minutes time.
make-your-own-homemade-larabars

The amazing thing about these yummy bars is that they’re very healthy, gluten free and so simple to make at home to have on hand for guilt free snacking. I’m working on cutting out unhealthy levels of sugars, gluten and other processed foods from our diet, but we still want tasty, healthy snacks! Buying dried unsweetened fruit isn’t exactly cheap- but you can dry your own at home with minimal effort.

Regardless of the flavor you choose to make, here are the simple directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse about 30-45 seconds (or more if necessary). The mixture should stick together well (pinch it with your fingers to test!). For mess free bars, line a loaf pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Pour the processed bar mix into the pan, fold the other half of the wrap over the mix and press firmly into bars. Place the bars in the fridge for about an hour and then cut into 6 bars/pieces. These homemade larabars can be individually wrapped and stored in the freezer for fast-on-the go snacking and they freeze well.

(If the fruit is really tough or extra chewy, it can be soaked in 1/3 cup of warm water for 10 minutes, then drained and processed according to the directions above).

make-your-own-homemade-larabars

Flavor Combinations:

Apple Pie
1 cup mixed almonds and walnuts
1 cup dates
1 cup mixed raisins and dried apple
2 tbsp cinnamon

Banana Bread

1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
1 cup dried banana

Blueberry Muffin
1 cup cashews
1 cup dates
1 cup dried blueberries
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Cappuccino
1 cup mixed almonds and cashews
1 cup dates
1 cup coffee beans
1 vanilla bean, scraped

Carrot Cake

1 cup mixed almonds and walnuts
1 cup mixed dates and raisins
1 cup mixed dried pineapple, shredded coconut, and carrot
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp cinnamon

Cashew Cookie

1 cup cashews
1 cup dates

Cherry Pie
make-your-own-homemade-larabars

1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
1 cup dried cherries

Chocolate Chip Brownie

1 cup mixed almonds and walnuts
1 cup dates
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup cacao powder

Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte
1 cup mixed almonds and cashews
1 cup dates
1 cup mixed chocolate chips and dried cherries

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

1 cup cashews
1 cup dates
1 cup chocolate chips

Chocolate Coconut Chew

1 cup mixed almonds and walnuts
1 cup dates
1 cup shredded coconut
4 tbsp cacao powder

Coconut Cream Pie

1 cup mixed almonds and cashews
1 cup dates
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp coconut oil

Ginger Snap

1 cup mixed almonds and pecans
1 cup dates
2 tbsp fresh ginger
1 tbsp mixed cinnamon and cloves

make-your-own-homemade-larabars

“Girl-Scout Samoa” Cookie

1 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
dash of salt
2 T chocolate chips

Key Lime Pie

1 cup mixed cashews and almonds
1 cup dates
1 cup shredded coconut
Zest and juice of 1 lime

Lemon Bar

1 cup mixed cashews and almonds
1 cup dates
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Oatmeal Raisin
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup oatmeal (not quick oats)
3/4 cup Almonds or Cashews
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
dash salt

Peanut Butter & Jelly

1 cup peanuts
1 cup dates
1 cup dried cherries

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
1 cup peanuts
1 cup dates
1 cup chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Cookie

1 cup peanuts
1 cup dates

Pecan Pie

1 cup mixed pecans and almonds
1 cup dates
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Strawberry
1 cup mixed walnuts & almonds
1 cup dates
1 cup Dried Strawberries

Tropical Fruit Tart

1 cup mixed almonds and cashews
1 cup dates
1 cup mixed dried pineapple and shredded coconut
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp coconut oil

Tropical Sunshine Bars
1 cup cashews (or pecans)
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1 cup dried Unsweetened pineapple
1/4 c. dried mango
1/2 tsp Lemon Zest
dash salt

Did you notice a trend? Some of the recipes use Almonds, some use cashews and some use pecans. You can use whatever type of nuts that you prefer (or can find on sale!) I’ve found that it’s best to purchase Unsalted nuts and avoid over-processing them or you’ll end up with a mushy peanut-butter type textured bar.


What flavors have you tried? Which ones are your favorite? We’d love to hear your experiences and results too!

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19 thoughts on “Make Your Own Homemade Larabars”

  1. i’ve made these before with other recipes but they added salt and vanilla extract. i like this simpler version. these bars are great for a snack, especially when you are craving sweets.

    i make them into small balls instead of bars.

    tonight i made the cherry pie version, but with cashews because that’s what i had on hand. yum!

    Reply
  2. i forgot to add this to my earlier comment. i do recommend soaking the fruit a little. the mixture will combine much easier that way.

    you can soak them the way the recipe says or put all the fruit in a glass measuring cup or bowl, cover with water and put in the microwave for around 15-20 seconds.

    Works great! If you don’t soak you fruit and it was tough and leathery you may end up with whole pieces of fruit mixed in the bars. (The strength of your food processor may affect the results, too).

    Reply
  3. i tried the choc chip brownie and the pb one and they just did not stick together. i even let them stay in the fridge over night. they crumble as soon as i try to cut them.

    i am going to try to reblend them again tonight.

    will keep you posted. so far, not too happy because my colleague’s turned out really good!

    Reply
    • I tried the Choc Chip Brownie and the PB one and they just did not stick together. I even let them stay in the fridge over night. They crumble as soon as I try to cut them. I am going to try to reblend them again tonight. Will keep you posted. So far, not too happy because my colleague’s turned out really good!

      Did you soak your dates first?

      Reply
    • Try adding a little water. That’s what I did and they held perfectly.

      I tried the Choc Chip Brownie and the pb one and they just did not stick together. i even let them stay in the fridge over night. they crumble as soon as i try to cut them.

      i am going to try to reblend them again tonight.

      will keep you posted. so far, not too happy because my colleague’s turned out really good!

      Reply
  4. I have tried some of these recipes and they are great. I am concerned about my protein intake and would like to add pea protein to the recipe. How much protein would you suggest I add to a recipe?

    Reply
  5. hey, wonderful list of recipes. i tried a couple and they were all fantastic.

    please could you tell me how could i manage to make this commercially. i would like to launch my own brand of power bars. with dates as a base.

    could you share a commercial recipe please, if you have one.

    also in order to make the product last longer, could we bake this product too?

    regards
    shake

    Reply
    • hey, wonderful list of recipes. i tried a couple and they were all fantastic.

      please could you tell me how could i manage to make this commercially. i would like to launch my own brand of power bars. with dates as a base.

      could you share a commercial recipe please, if you have one.

      also in order to make the product last longer, could we bake this product too?

      regards
      shake

      call and ask larabar.. smh

      Reply
  6. Has anyone estimated the cost for these? Of course they’ll be cheaper but I think it would be interesting to have a little range! Something like (and I’m making these numbers up) 25-50 cents per bar depending on the flavor.

    Reply
  7. Can you please tell me the conversion if im using date paste instead of whole dates? It’s wayyy cheaper.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • I’m not sure, date paste is an entirely different consistency than the dates in these bars. These are more like super finely chopped rather than pureed. There are no additional liquids in the bars, whereas most of the date paste brands that we’ve seen contain water as a thinning agent to achieve a smoother puree.

      If you decide to give it a try and substitute, let us know how they turn out!

      Reply
  8. These look fantastic! This is probably a dumb question, but should the nuts be raw or can they be roasted? Thanks!

    Reply
    • These look fantastic! This is probably a dumb question, but should the nuts be raw or can they be roasted?

      We’ve used both, I prefer roasted as they have more flavor, but it depends entirely on your own preference.

      Reply

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