Homemade Lara Bars are so easy to make and much cheaper. They are the absolute perfect healthy snack made with just a few simple ingredients.
Homemade Lara Bars
We absolutely LOVE Lara Bars in our house. But since they are usually $1.50 each we only buy them when we are needing a quick snack while out and about for a healthy snack!
If you didn’t know, the main ingredient of Lara Bars is dates! I never knew I like dates until I ate my first Lara Bar a few years ago. Boy, they are good! And sweet!
I decided to give it a shot making my own to save a little money.
It was so simple. I always have both almonds, cashews and raisins in the house and we found the Medjool Dates at Trader Joe’s. You can also find pitted or un-pitted dates at your grocery store, any brand. These are pitted so I have to cut the pit out real quick.
You can easily create your own bars in many different ways. Just stick with the base of 10 dried, pitted dates and a nut of your choice.
You can also add other dried fruits, like apples, blueberries, apricots. And ¼ teaspoon of any spices that you may like, ie Cinnamon, Ginger, Lime juice, Coconut. Even a tablespoon of Panut Butter and Chocolate Chips. Hmmmmm. That may be my next one!
I decided to try 2 different kinds….Almond Bar and Cashew Bar.
Ingredients for Almond Bar – (makes 6 bars)
10 dried, pitted dates
¼ cup raisins
1 cup roasted unsalted almonds
¼ teaspoon of vanilla
Ingredients for Cashew Bar – (makes 6 bars)
10 dried, pitted dates
¼ cup raisins
1 cup roasted, unsalted Cashews
DIRECTIONS
Simply add all the ingredients for each variety you want to make into a food processor <<– This is the one I got recently and it works great!
Blend for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Mine ended up forming a ball when it was ready.
Then lay out a piece of plastic wrap and put the blended ball on it. Fold it over and press it into a rectangle about 4 x 7. Place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and unwrap. Then cut it into 6 bars. You can either individually wrap them or you can put them in a container with plastic wrap between them.
VOILA! THE PERFECT HEALTHY SNACK!
Homemade Lara Bars
Ingredients
Ingredients for Almond Bar - (makes 6 bars)
- 10 dried pitted dates
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Simply add all the ingredients for each variety you want to make into a food processor <<-- This is the one I got recently and it works great!
- Blend for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Mine ended up forming a ball when it was ready.
- Then lay out a piece of plastic wrap and put the blended ball on it. Fold it over and press it into a rectangle about 4 x 7. Place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the refrigerator and unwrap. Then cut it into 6 bars. You can either individually wrap them or you can put them in a container with plastic wrap between them.
Nutrition
Laura Fujikawa
Here in Hawaii, we had a hard time finding them at Costco. It was a hit or miss thing. My husband liked them and your receipe hit the spot. Thanks.
Heather
Have you or anyone else ever made them without nuts? My son is allergic to tree nuts so just wondering if the texture will come out right. I am very excited to try these
Sherri
Oh yes! You can certainly make them without nuts. You could add oats instead to help add some texture. And any dried fruits you’d like. They are fun to experience with.
Jaime
My kids LOVE the lemon bars. Ever tried making those by chance?
Natashalh
I gotta say – I wish Larabars were $1.50 where I live! Thanks for the recipe – I know I’ll be trying these soon.
Demi
Just found this recipe .. made it and tastes awesome!TY 🙂
Moika
Any idea of the nutritional information? Calories? Fat?
Stacey
That’s what I’m curious about, too.
Shan
Sounds great and simple, which I love!
How long do you think they will last in the fridge?
Sherri
It is so surprisingly simple. They would certainly last 4-5 days in the fridge. Maybe even longer but we have eaten them too quick. 🙂 And we have done a double batch each time.