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
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.
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.
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.
Also be sure to check out my nut free Larabar recipe.
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I used dates, rasins, peanut butter, dark chocolate, instant espresso powder disolved in some hot water and a bit of sea salt! Then I dusted my bars with cocoa powder! So good! Im going to try using chocolate and hazelnuts for a nutella flavor. And one made with almonds, coconut and chocolate for Almond Joy flavor.
I just made the peanut butter larabars today. They were so sticky I could barely manage them. They did not form into bars either. What am I doing wrong? Thanks for your help.
Hi Shannon. The peanut butter bars are the stickiest of the bunch but should still be manageable. It is possible to fault with either too much or too little water when mixing. Once formed, I find that putting them in the fridge helps them set up better. ~Amy
Do you have nutritional information on these bars?
They are delicious (thanks to my daughter for making them) but I need to watch my carb intake, so it would be helpful to know. Thanks.
Hello. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. Our focus is on helping people cut out processed food while replacing them with real/whole foods. These posts help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/. ~Amy
No problem. I used a carb calculator to figure it out. FYI it’s about 21 carbs per bar for the basic recipe. Not bad for a snack. at least for my needs. Thanks.
I was wondering what you thought about conventional dates vs organic? I can’t see to find too much info on the topic but I was thinking since dates are so sweet they would have to use lots of pesticides to keep the bugs away.
Your question on conventional vs. organic dates isa good one, but even with how sweet they are — the birds and insects can’t get to them. Conventional organic dates are grown nearly organic simply by the farming practices. The main difference is the organic soil the palm trees grow in, and some spraying at the base of the trees to control weeds. Nothing is sprayed on the dates themselves. Medjool Dates grow 50′ in the air on palm trees and the dates are bagged in protective bags so that pests can’t touch them, but also so none of the great fruit drops to the ground. Growers do the pollinating, thinning and harvest all by hand with great care.
These homemade Lara bars are awesome! Just what I need as a “little something sweet” in the middle of the day!
Decided to try to make the Larabars with cashews and dates. WOW They are yummy! My boys 2 and 4 think they are having a treat for breakfast and my 4 year old says he could eat a thousand of them!
My daughter LOVES Larabars so I’m super excited to try these! Any suggestions for on-the-go containers for these besides plastic wrap? Larabars are my grocery store- good behavior getter (LOL) and would love to know how others successfully traveled with these without a huge mess! Thanks!
Hi Jodi. I’ve used airtight plastic containers and separated layers with parchment paper. ~Amy
I have to say I am always skeptical about granola bars. I made a version two weeks ago (all natural ingredients) and they were horribly sweet and super sticky. I decided to try to make the granola and then use that to make the homemade lara bars. I am amazed at how well these turned out. I have granola left over for the week and bars for lunch for my daughter! Thanks for all your recipes!
Made a batch of the granola ones and one of the nut-free ones. Picky eater wasn’t thrilled with either but said the nut-free ones would be okay as a lunch treat. Older brother liked both, but preferred the nut-free as well. The granola ones ended up a little dry and crumbly.
Thanks for the post. I’ll have to try some of your combinations. Most of the time I make mine with unsweetened coconut, cocoa, dates and almonds. Very yummy.
These were very tasty, but they seemed a little greasy. I used natural peanut butter. Any suggestions? Perhaps I over processed them…
Hi Leah. It is possible to over process. Also, make sure that your peanut butter does not have added oil. ~Amy
I was wondering if there is something you could recommend to replace the dates with. My son is allergic to nuts and peanuts and those dates are packaged in a facility that processes nuts. Thanks!
Hi Nicole. This is a tough recipe to mimic without the use of some dried fruit to bind it. I have made the granola version with a little honey and Sunbutter. I don’t have a specific recipe, though. :)
C’est clairement dÕ½ bonheur de venir sur votre site
Hi…I know this is an older post but I hope you are still answering questions. :) I’ve made peanut butter Larabars before using the ingredients on the package (just peanuts and dates), but they don’t have that real peanut butter flavour. I’ve thought about adding peanut butter but I wondered if they would need to be refrigerated? I use natural peanut butter, which of course separates if you leave it at room temperature. What kind of PB do you use?
Hi Shelley. Yes, refrigerate them. We use an organic peanut butter with only peanuts (and maybe salt) on the ingredient list. ~Amy
So I bought some dates for these and then forgot. They sat in my pantry until yesterday. They are packaged up but say “best if refrigerated” plus the date on them is 2 months ago. But they still look ok… Do you think they are ok to use, still?? I would hate to waste them, but I don’t want to make us sick or something! I have never bought dates before so I am unsure!
Hi Melody. I would get new dates. :) ~Amy
Is there an alternative way to combine the ingredients if I don’t have a food processor? (I see it’s one of Lisa’s most-used appliances, so I imagine I’ll be getting one soon :) but I don’t currently have one.) I have a regular blender, a Nutribullet, an immersion blender, a Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus, and my hands…
Hi Becky. These are, admittedly, difficult to make without a food processor. :(
Can you add some sort of chocolate to these? Like carob chips or cocoa powder?
Sure, Mindy. That should work fine. ~Amy
Have you tried freezing these? Just curious if you think that would work out well or not?
Hi Alicia. These freeze great! :)
Great! Thanks so much!
How long should I expect these to stay good for if kept in the refrigerator? I want to try them but don’t know if they would be eaten before they had a chance to go bad.
Hi Christy. I’ve kept them for up to a week You can also freeze them. ~Amy
How long will these stay good in the freezer? I tried the store ones yesterday and I’m excited to make my own.
Hi Lindi. My rule of thumb is up to three months. ~Amy
I make the cashew bars all the time with only cashews and dates and a tiny splash of water. Yummy!
I buy Larabars from time to time, as I like the natural ingredients. Will try some of the recipes you shared…thank you.
My favorite of the Larabars is Cherry Pie. Do you have a recipe for this bar?
No Dot, sorry. If you experiment with it, let us know. :)
New to using dates so how many medjool dates in a cup? Thanks!
Hi Suzy. 10-12 is approximate. ~Amy
I order my dates from Sheilds Dates in California. You can google it. They have all kinds of dates and date products. I love to use the dried date crystals! They aren’t good for all recipes, but I use them in my Chinese Chews. Also love to put some in my oatmeal along with a few chopped pecans!
Elaine
My daughter was recently diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity. We have been trying out a lot of new recipes to broaden her school lunch options. I made these today and the whole family gave them a thumbs up!
I really like these recipes as a base for lunch box and snack food. My family loves pumpkin pie, so I made a fall twist. Pumpkin pie lara bars. I used 1 c. dates, 1 c. pecans, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger) 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. water (give or take for consistency.) Perfect fall treat. Now I just have to hide them from my husband!
I made cherry Larabars: put 12 pitted dates, half a cup whole almonds, and half a cup dried cherries (I used Trader Joe’s dark sweet nothing added cherries) in the food processor with around 1 Tbsp water. Purée til it comes together, then press into a rectangle & slice into bars. These taste better than the store bought kind!
Made the first recipe this afternoon, subbing in almond butter for my peanut-allergic munchkin. My 5yo wasn’t a fan, but my 10yo thought they were great (he’s the food allergic kid, so bonus points there). I figure you win some, you lose some. Will be trying some other varieties soon, maybe with some chocolate to attempt to win over the 5yo!
I just made the cashew bars and though they taste amazing, I can’t get them to set. I would have to eat with a spoon in clumps. Any thoughts? Did I over process?
Probably, Leslie. If you over process, they can become oily and hard to manage. ;)
Just a tip…rather than bars I make laraballs. They are a piece of cake to form and keep easily in glass container in the frig!
How long will these keep in the refrigerator?
Hi, I wonder if someone can help me. I’m in the UK and eat the Nakd version of your Lara bars. The cashew cookie is one I eat so I had a go at the basic recipe but it came out very sticky. I tried to shape and chill it but it didn’t help and even rolling it into balls it’s almost too sticky to be practical. Any ideas gratefully received as these taste lovely and just like the ones I buy and I’m switching our family over from processed foods. Thanks!
Can I use figs if I don’t have dates handy?
Hi Zoe. We’ve not tried but I think it should work.
I add 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil to my recipe which contains 20 dates. It adds yummy flavor (not very coconutty), but mostly helps with stickiness and to firm up the bars. I was on the hunt for some nut free recipes and these look delish! Thanks!
Loved both of these recipes. If you’re looking for a crunchy granola, this isn’t it. But, it’s a fantastic soft bar to have in your repertoire of bars. I went beyond just the seeds in my latest batch and added pretzels and dark chocolate chips to it. Delicious!!
Can I freeze the homemade bars?
Yep, they freeze great!
Does anyone have the nutritional values? Thank you!
Hi Wendy. We don’t provide nutrition info. This post helps explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/. There are several websites that will help you with those kind of details, like My Fitness Pal.
These are great recipes! What food processor would you recommend? I have an old 7-cup cuisinart, and it is having a hard time blending – I have to go in and move it around myself…
Just made these with my son and neighbor’s boy. They were SO easy and both boys LOVED getting to help. We just used my small chopper and pulsed it several times. Took less than 20 minutes and easy clean-up. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
What do Medjool dates look like?
Hi. Check them out: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-medjool-dates.htm. ;)
Love the recipe for the cashew cookie bar. Not a huge fan of dates per se, but put into a bar like this was very good. It was all I could do to not eat the whole batch. We have a small food processor attachment to our blender and not a full size, so we had to tweak the recipe a bit proportion-wise. Couple of tweaks we incorporated…pureed the dates first then added the cashews and blended together. Came together nicely. Since we use all natural peanut butter we drizzled it in rather measured it out ahead of time. it tends to be a lot runnier than standard Skippy. We also added rolled oats which required adjusting the water and PB amounts. My daughter insists that we add craisins and chocolate chips next time…hey who am I to say no to some dark chocolate. Thanks for the recipe! I plan to continue using it and tweaking it ;)
While these were simple to make and tasted great, we found they were more expensive to make homemade than the actual Lara bars. The medjool dates were almost $9 and a small bag of raw cashews were $5! Now granted, I’ll be able to make another batch but just one more and it only yielded 8 small, thin-ish bars.
Odd question, but how do you measure a cup of dates?! A measuring cup seems so inexact with the size and shape of dates.
Hi Jamie. It’s an approximate measurement. :) Just use a cup as your gauge.
Does it have to be that specific kind of date?
I buy my dates from the bulk section of Winco Foods. They do not specify that they are Medjool dates, and may be a little smaller. But I have made many different recipes with them and they turn out just fine.
Can you freeze these?
Hello Dionne. You can.
HELP!! I am 44 and a fairly accomplished cook, but I did something really wrong with these delicious larabars. I am asking for tips/advice!
I love to cook in bulk, so I made the cashew cookie larabar tonight in my food processor. Quadrupling the recipe=1/4 cup of water. After attempting to blend for a while, I ended up, in 2 more steps, adding another 1/2 cup water. This may be the problem?
I was tempted to use a paper towel to oil the wax paper, but I did not. I spread it out thinner than what I see now in your picture. I also cut mine in the shape of a dry granola bar. I see why you cut yours in squares.
The dough is too delicious to let it go to waste, so even if we have to eat it by the spoonful, we will ;)
I tried freezing it for 20 minutes, but even so, they are just a hot mess trying to get them off the wax paper. NOT pretty.
For my second attempt, I am planning on trying the following:
1. Make only a double batch, and don’t use as much water.
2. Spread more thickly and cut in squares
3. Possibly use some coconut oil on the wax paper to make removal easier.
Any other thoughts/comments/advice is very welcome!
Oh, sorry. Not sure what might have gone wrong! If it makes you feel better, my kids were eating a whole wheat flax seed brownie recipe yesterday with a spoon because we could not get the center cooked. ;)
Why do you call them LARABARs? It just doesn’t seem right.
The person who invented the recipe and owns the Larabar company is named Lara. :-)
I love your website it has been a huge help to my family and helped to change our lives. We eat a ton of food made with the recipes found here. We also play around with plenty of the recipes. I have a bar I have been making that my family finds irresistible. 1 serving raisins, 1 serving walnuts, 1 heaping tsp cocoa powder, dash of salt and splash of vanilla extract. I process it until it all gets the consistency of little peas and then press it together. We have had them for breakfasts desserts and hiking snacks. Thanks again for promoting a healthy lifestyle.
How do you clean your food processor or blender afterwards? Doesn’t it get really sticky?
Hi there. It depends on which you own. You should follow your manufacturers directions for cleaning. I hand wash mine with very warm water being careful to disassemble and clean each.
I have a friend who is actually allergic to dates but she’d love to try something like this! Any alternatives to that?
Hi. Here is Lisa’s nut free version: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/07/01/recipe-homemade-larabars-4-ways-including-nut-free/.
I would play with prunes first, or maybe even dried figs. Medjool dates are pretty special, but you should be able to get a similar result with similar textured dried fruit. You might find a bit of maple syrup and a drop of good vanilla extract will mimic the flavor notes of the dates. Just my 2 cents~!
Hi! Around here I’ve only ever found dried medjool dates, is that what those are or fresh? I’m assuming by the package they’re dried but not sure. Thank you!
Those are the right ones. ;)
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. :)
What brand dates do you use?
Hi there. Here is one: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/30/recipes-using-medjool-dates/.
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!
So THATS what I did wrong! I never added water so mine was like little crumbles haha
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!
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.
Strange, The Ingredients on the Larabar’s for Cashew Cookie bar does not contain peanut butter as your recipe does.
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!!
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.
Can I do this in a vitamix? I don’t have a food processor :(.
I’ve never attempted a thick dough in a vitamix.
Can you make this in a regular blender?
Hi. We’ve not attempted to make these using a blender.
What kind of peanut butter do you suggest?
Hi. Any organic peanut butter with peanuts as its only ingredient.
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.
Any ideas for the coconut chocolate chip lara bar?
Thank you!
We’ve not tried making that one but it sounds delicious!
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!
Hello
What temperature do you bake at after the food processor? Did I miss something in the post?
Thanks
Hi. These are no-bake.
We just made the Cashew Cookie Larabars and they were delicious. So easy to make. We will definitely be making these again.