Well, I stand corrected. All this time readers have been telling me I should make my own Larabars at home, and I proudly stood my ground saying I already make too many things from scratch so I would continue to buy them from the store. But that was until I figured out homemade LARABARS taste SO good compared to the packaged ones! On a recent blog post I shared that extra good food is worth the extra effort to me so it should be no surprise that I will have to start making these on a regular basis now!
Plus since Larabars are such a simple snack, using only a few whole ingredients, that means they are simple to make at home as well. All you need are Medjool Dates, which can be found in the produce section if your store carries them, and some nuts, peanut butter, seeds and/or granola. And thanks to the seed version those who are nut-free can enjoy these bars now, too. They are the perfect “on-the-go” snack, and my girls were so excited when they saw me putting together the pictured platter…it was like torture for them waiting for me to finish taking pictures! My daughters seriously love these things.
Cashew Cookie Larabar
But that was until I figured out homemade Larabars taste SO much better than the packaged ones! On a recent blog post I shared that
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup cashews, raw
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Combine dates, cashews, peanut butter and water in a food processor and puree until mixture starts to stick together. Add a little more water if necessary to help mixture come together.
- Pick up date mixture and using your hands work to squeeze it together into one big clump. Mash it down on a cutting board or sheet of wax paper to form into one even rectangle shape using the sides of your hands (or a knife) to make the edges straight.
- Slice into 12 even squares. For best results store in the fridge, although bars can be kept at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
Granola Larabar
Granola Larabar
Ingredients
- 1 cup granola, homemade (see below for link to recipe)
- ½ cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Combine granola, dates and water in a food processor and puree until mixture starts to stick together. Add a little more water if necessary to help mixture come together.
- Pick up date mixture and using your hands work to squeeze it together into one big clump. Mash it down on a cutting board or sheet of wax paper to form into one even rectangle shape using the sides of your hands (or a knife) to make the edges straight.
- Slice into 8 even squares. For best results store in the fridge, although bars can be kept at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
* Sub coconut oil for the butter in the granola to make this recipe dairy free.
Nutrition Facts
Peanut Butter Larabar
Peanut Butter Larabar
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- ½ cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Combine dates and peanut butter in a food processor and puree until mixture starts to stick together. Add a little more water if necessary to help mixture come together.
- Pick up date mixture and using your hands work to squeeze it together into one big clump. Mash it down on a cutting board or sheet of wax paper to form into one even rectangle shape using the sides of your hands (or a knife) to make the edges straight.
- Slice into 8 even squares. For best results store in the fridge, although bars can be kept at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
Also be sure to check out my nut free Larabar recipe.
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We just made the Cashew Cookie Larabars and they were delicious. So easy to make. We will definitely be making these again.
Hello
What temperature do you bake at after the food processor? Did I miss something in the post?
Thanks
Hi. These are no-bake.
I can’t believe how easy and fast this was to make. My kids are SUPER picky, and they loved these homemade Lara bars. Even my husband requested me to make this again. I still can’t believe my kids ate nuts AND dates. I will definitely be using this recipe on repeat.
Thanks for sharing!
Any ideas for the coconut chocolate chip lara bar?
Thank you!
We’ve not tried making that one but it sounds delicious!
Have you ever made the peanut butter version with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter? The consistency is a little different in these butters, so I was just curious. Considering trying sunflower butter to make them nut-free and school-friendly.
Hi. I’ve used almond butter.
What kind of peanut butter do you suggest?
Hi. Any organic peanut butter with peanuts as its only ingredient.
Can you make this in a regular blender?
Hi. We’ve not attempted to make these using a blender.
Can I do this in a vitamix? I don’t have a food processor :(.
I’ve never attempted a thick dough in a vitamix.
How long do these stay fresh outside the fridge? I like larabars because they are an easy thing I can keep in my purse for myself and my kid.
I’ve kept them up to a week. I often freeze them.
Love these recipes. I love the Coconut Cream pie larabars so I experimented and made my own. Using the base recipe I used Raw Cashews, Raw Almonds, unsweetened coconut flakes, dash of cinnamon, splash of water in food processor. They taste even better than the store bought. They are best cold!!
Strange, The Ingredients on the Larabar’s for Cashew Cookie bar does not contain peanut butter as your recipe does.
I made the peanut butter one and it was like mush? What did I do wrong?
Hi Kathryn. I’ve had a similar experience when my peanut butter consistency was a bit runny.
You can also do dates and nuts only. Don’t need to use peanut butter or water. Pistachios and tart dried cherries w dates, hazelnut and dates, cashews and dates… The list goes on and on. You should process the nuts first, then add a few dates at a time until it forms balls.. So delicious!
So THATS what I did wrong! I never added water so mine was like little crumbles haha
FYI – Costco has amazing dates in their produce section. My kids love homemade larabars too. Sometimes I add grated fresh ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, lime zest & fresh lime juice, dried apricots, or cocoa powder. It’s fun to play w/ different ingredients!
What brand dates do you use?
Hi there. Here is one: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/30/recipes-using-medjool-dates/.
My kids don’t have peanut allergies, but they go to a nut free daycare. I could use “Wow! Butter” in place of peanut butter, right?
Sure. :)