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    Home » Recipes » Snacks

    Homemade Larabars (4 Variations)

    By Lily・Published:Oct 22, 2020・Updated: Jan 28, 2023・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Homemade Larabars Pinterest Pin

    Homemade larabars are a chewy, delicious, all-natural snack or dessert made from just nuts and dates. This recipe has FOUR variations by changing up the type of nuts: almond and hazelnut, walnut (or pecan), cashew and macadamia, and pistachio. I don't want to overwhelm you with endless possibilities, but every variation in this post is AMAZING. They kind of remind me of cookie dough but better.

    homemade larabars cut into squares

    Why I Love This Recipe

    My first date bar was a Larabar, which is a common well-known package date bar in the US. I used to eat them all of the time, especially while I was pregnant. Once I moved abroad, I couldn't find Larabars anywhere. I'm utterly shocked at how easy and quick it is to make homemade Larabars.

    Not to toot my own horn, but I think these chewy date bars are better than the packaged Larabar. I think that's because the dates I use taste more like caramel and the flaked sea salt adds some salty tones.

    Ingredients

    • Dates: Medjool and Sukkari dates are my favorites to use for these bars. Medjool dates will yield a darker bar color, whereas Sukari dates will yield a more caramel color bar.
    pitted dates in a bowl
    • Flaked Sea Salt: I prefer flaked sea salt because the texture goes really well with these homemade larabars.
    • Nuts: I tested the following nuts: walnuts, pistachios, cashews with macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts with blanched almonds.
    different types of nuts for homemade larabars

    How to Make Homemade Larabars

    Homemade Larabars are made with all-natural ingredients: dates and nuts. Here are four variations that taste amazing! Add the nuts and pitted dates into a food processor. Blend until fully combined (about 30 seconds).

    Pro Tip: The ratio is ⅓ cup of nuts to 8 ounces of dried pitted dates (about 1 and ⅓ cup) for a serving size of 6 bars.

    Pistachio Larabars

    For some reason, these pistachio bars turned out the stickiest of the 4 variations. So, I also made these into pistachio date balls and rolled them in crushed pistachios.

    • add dates and pistachios to a food processor
    • blend the pistachio larabar

    Walnut Larabars

    Of all the 4 variations, these walnut Larabars were the most robust. You can play with the nut ratio a little more to make these bars thicker.

    • walnuts and dates in a food processor
    • blended cashew macadamia date bar

    Cashews and Macadamia Date Bars

    Cashews have a milder taste than the macadamia nuts, so they complement each other really well. These date nut bars came second (behind the pistachio date nut bars) in softness.

    • cashew and macadamia larabar in a food processor
    • blended walnuts and dates in a food processor

    Blanched Almonds and Hazelnut Date Bars

    I'm not going to lie, I had blanched almonds and hazelnuts on hand that needed to get used. These were excellent! I'm going to try adding some dark chocolate next time to these date nut bars.

    • almond and hazelnuts with dates in a food processor
    • blended almonds and hazelnuts and dates in a food processor

    How to Form the Larabars

    Scoop the date and nut mixture into a parchment paper lined dish. Place another parchment paper on top and press firmly and evenly down until flat. The image below shows quadrupling the recipe by making the four variations at the same time inside a 9" x 13" baking dish.

    • different homemade larabars on parchment paper
    • press the larabar with parchment paper

    Remove the parchment paper. Cut the homemade Larabars into any shape.

    • date nut bars
    • date nut bars

    Pro Tip: These Larabars can be formed without a dish on a parchment paper lined surface.

    Tips and Tricks

    • Use a food processor. You can't make these in a blender (unfortunately), so you will need a food processor.
    • Use parchment paper. These date nut bars can get a little sticky (like cookie dough), so parchment paper really helps when forming these into bars.
    • Make sure the dates are not too dry or too sticky. Dried dates come in many ways, so it's best to choose a date that can be pitted fairly easily.
    • Don't forget to remove the pits. Dried dates have a pit in the middle that needs to be removed prior to making this recipe.
    • Use flaked sea salt (if possible). I highly recommend flaked sea salt because of its texture. If you don't have flaked sea salt on hand, you can use any other salt.
    chewy easy date larabars

    Storage

    Store these homemade Larabars in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Use parchment paper to prevent sticking to one another.

    Equipment

    • Food processor to mix the dates and nuts together
    • Parchment paper to form the date bars
    • A knife to cut the date nut bars

    FAQs

    What are the best dates for Larabars?

    Medjool and Sukkari dates are the best for making homemade Larabars. However, any dried dates are suitable. Just make sure the consistency of the dates is not too dry or too sticky.

    How do you pit dates?

    Squeeze the date in the middle breaking it into two pieces. Remove the hard pit in the middle of the date.

    Recipes with Dates

    • Cookie Dough Date Balls
    • Ka'ak Asawer - Date Cookie Bracelets
    • Vitamix Almond Milk With Dates
    • Creamy Almond Milk Rice Pudding

    Smoothies with Dates

    • Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie
    • Bananas Foster Banana Smoothie
    • Pineapple Kiwi Green Smoothie
    • Blueberry Kale Banana Smoothie

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    chewy easy date larabars

    Homemade Larabars (4 Variations)

    Author: Lily
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Prep: 5 mins
    Total: 5 mins
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 6
    These homemade Larabars are quick, delicious, and made with whole ingredients: dates and nuts.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    Walnut Larabar

    • 8 ounces dried Medjool dates
    • ⅓ cup walnuts or pecans
    • pinch of flaked sea salt

    Pistachio Larabar

    • 8 ounces dried Medjool dates
    • ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
    • pinch of flaked sea salt

    Cashew and Macadamia Larabar

    • 8 ounces dried Medjool dates
    • ⅙ cup raw cashews
    • ⅙ cup macadamia nuts
    • pinch of flaked salt

    Almond and Hazelnut Larabar

    • 8 ounces dried Medjool dates
    • ⅙ cup blanched almonds
    • ⅙ cup hazelnuts
    • pinch of flaked salt

    Instructions

    • Remove the pits from the dried dates.
    • In a food processor, add the dates, nuts, and flaked sea salt.
    • Blend on high until the mixture is fully blended together. It might form a ball.
    • Lay a piece of parchment paper in a small glass container or on the countertop. Place the date-nut mixture onto the parchment paper. Lay another piece of parchment paper on top. Press evenly to flatten out the date-nut mixture.
    • Cut into any shape desired. Store with parchment paper so they don't stick to each other.

    Notes

    1. The ratio for homemade larabars is ⅓ cup of nuts to 8 ounces of dried dates for a serving size of 6. Quadruple the recipe by making all four variations at the same time. Use 32 ounces of dried dates (split into batches for each variation). 
    2. The nutrition facts below are for the walnut date nut bars.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1bar | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 147mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g

    More All Types Of Snacks

    • Homemade Garlic Bread Baguette
    • Lox Bagel With Creamy Labneh Cheese
    • Lebanese Baba Ganoush: The Ultimate Eggplant Dip
    • Labneh With Za'atar and Olive Oil

    About Lily

    Howdy! My name Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lindsey

      July 13, 2021 at 1:53 pm

      5 stars
      I used Costco dates for this recipe and it turned out perfect.

      Reply
      • Lily

        July 13, 2021 at 1:53 pm

        awesome, thanks for the comment

        Reply

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