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Home Eat Snacks

Homemade Larabars

4.84 from 6 votes
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By: Sarah BondUpdated: Jul 01, 2021 19 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

These Homemade Larabars are an easy, healthy energy bar recipe made with real ingredients. Choose your adventure: Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Carrot Cake, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!

Homemade larabars on a white background

Hands up if you love snacks! 🙋‍♀️ More hands up if you love snacks that:

  • Are easy to make
  • Save you money
  • Can be batch made in advance
  • Taste like store bought

🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

That’s the name of the game with these homemade Larabars. They’re decadent, packed with real ingredients, and come in the four most popular Larabar flavors: Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Carrot Cake, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!

I reverse engineered these Larabar copycats, using only the ingredients listed on the Larabar label to create these homemade versions. That means no added flavors or ingredients, no fluff – just simple ingredients for great energy bars. Let’s do this!

Homemade larabars on a white background

How to Make Homemade Larabars

Making homemade Larabars is as simple as blitzing the ingredients in a food processor until evenly mixed, forming into a rectangle, then cutting into bars. (I like to freeze the rectangle for 30 minutes before cutting to give the bars crisp edges!)

Homemade larabars on a white background

The recipes for each of our favorite four flavors are below, but they all generally follow this master Larabar recipe:

  • 1 ½ cups dried fruit: In almost every bar, dates act as a natural sweetener and glue to hold everything together. Then we throw in more dried fruits for flavor (like apples, pineapple, cherries, and raisins!)
  • 1 cup nuts: Larabars often use almonds, though walnuts and pecans go great in them too.
Homemade larabars on a white background

Apple Pie Larabars

Everything you love about apple pie – the wintery spices, raisins, and nuts – all packed into a tasty little bar! To make this apple pie flavor you’ll need:

  • Dates: Medjool dates add natural sweetness and help glue our Larabars together.
  • Raisins: Feel free to use dark or golden raisins here.
  • Dried Apples: Wouldn’t be apple pie without the apples! Rather than using fresh apples, which would make these bars too watery (and less shelf stable), we’re going with dried. Find them online here.
  • Almonds: Almonds are another ingredient commonly found in Larabars. They add a nice dose of crunch and healthy fats!
  • Walnuts: With both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, these are more than just a tasty addition to the bars, they’re healthy too!
  • Cinnamon: Gotta have the apple pie spice! Ground cinnamon plays the part perfectly (feel free to go wild and throw in ground nutmeg and cloves as well).

You’ll basically just throw all of your Apple Pie Larabar ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the nuts and apples are finely broken down and evenly combined.

Apple Pie Larabar dough in a food processor
Apple Pie Larabar dough in a food processor

These bars hold their shape well, but I still like to pop them in the freezer after forming them into a rectangle to make cutting them easier.

Homemade apple pie larabars on a white background

Cherry Pie Larabars

Next up, Cherry Pie. These win the award for “Shortest Ingredients List” – you’ll just need three!

  • Dates: Medjool dates add natural sweetness and help glue our Larabars together.
  • Dried Cherries: Dried cherries aren’t overly sweet, but bring all the flavor of cherry pie! Find them online here.
  • Almonds: Add a little crunch and nutty flavor.
Cherry Pie Larabar ingredients on a white background

Throw all your Cherry Pie Larabar ingredients in a food processor and blitz to combine!

Cherry Pie Larabar dough in a food processor
Cherry Pie Larabar dough in a food processor

These bars are a bit more moist, so definitely pop them into the freezer after forming the dough into a rectangle to help make cutting easier.

Homemade cherry pie larabars on a white background

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabars

We switched up our a recipe a bit from the Larabars ingredients list, nixing the cashews and adding rolled oats for that perfect cookie dough flavor. I know you’re not supposed to have favorite children but…this one is mine!

  • Dates: Medjool dates add natural sweetness and help glue our Larabars together.
  • Chocolate Chips: I went with semi-sweet, though dark chocolate would be delicious (and vegan!)
  • Rolled Oats: Rolled (aka old fashioned) oats add a nutty flavor and make these bars utterly addictive! In a pinch you could also use instant oats, though the texture might be different (steel cut oats will not work here).
  • Salt: Salt brings out the flavors of the oats and chocolate, amplifying that cookie dough flavor!
  • Vanilla: Finish it off with good quality vanilla extract.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar ingredients on a white background

To make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabars, blitz together all ingredients except the chocolate chips.

Cookie dough Larabar dough in a food processor
Cookie dough Larabar dough in a food processor

Once you have a well-combined dough, stir in the chocolate chips and form into a rectangle. Pop in the freezer for 30 minutes then cut into bars.

Homemade cookie dough larabars on a white background

Carrot Cake Larabars

The ingredients list may be longer, but each plays a crucial role in creating these scrumptious Carrot Cake Larabars!

  • Dates: Medjool dates add natural sweetness and help glue our Larabars together.
  • Raisins: A carrot cake classic, these bring a deep sweetness reminiscent of the traditional cake!
  • Dried Pineapple: Even more sweetness for our cake bars. If you have trouble finding them on, get them online here!
  • Almonds: Throw almonds in for some crunch and substance.
  • Walnuts: With both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, these are more than just a tasty addition to the bars, they’re healthy too!
  • Unsweetened Shredded Coconut: Be sure to use unsweetened coconut here!
  • Carrot: We’ll use fresh shredded carrots, meaning the shelf life of these bars will be less than with the other flavors.
  • Cinnamon: Gotta have the spice! Ground cinnamon plays the part perfectly (feel free to go wild and throw in ground nutmeg and cloves as well).
  • Coconut Oil: Tie it all together with a spoonful of extra virgin coconut oil.
Carrot Cake Larabar ingredients on a white background

Pack all those ingredients into a food processor and blitz until evenly combined.

Carrot cake Larabar dough in a food processor
Carrot cake Larabar dough in a food processor

These bars are the softest of all the flavors, so pop them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.

Homemade carrot cake larabars on a white background
Homemade larabars on a white background

Easy Homemade Larabars

4.84 from 6 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories:
Servings: 6 bars per flavor
Print Rate
These Homemade Larabars are an easy, healthy energy bar recipe made with real ingredients. Choose your adventure: Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Carrot Cake, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!

Ingredients

Apple Pie

  • ½ cup dates about 5
  • ¼ cup raisins 35 g
  • 1 cup dried apples 115 g
  • ¼ cup almonds 35 g
  • ¼ cup walnuts 35 g
  • ½ tsp cinnamon

Cherry pie

  • ½ cup dates about 5
  • 1 cup dried cherries 140 g
  • ½ cup almonds 35 g

Cookie Dough

  • ½ cup dates about 5
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup rolled oats 45 g
  • ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 40 g

Carrot Cake

  • ½ cup dates about 5
  • ¼ cup raisins 35 g
  • ¼ cup dried pineapple 35 g
  • ¼ cup almonds 35 g
  • ¼ cup walnuts 35 g
  • ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut 25 g
  • ¼ cup shredded carrot 25 g
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp coconut oil 5 mL

Instructions 

  • Soak: Pick the flavor you're going to make. It's best if you soak the dates (and if your recipe has them, the raisins) in hot water for 30 minutes before using.
  • Blitz: Add all the ingredients to a food processor (if making Cookie Dough bars, do not add chocolate chips yet). Blitz until the ingredients are finely broken down and evenly combined.
  • Shape: Shape dough into a rectangle. It should be about ½ inch (1½ cm) thick. For best cutting results, transfer to a plate or cutting board and freeze for 30 minutes.
  • Cut: Cut rectangle into bars. Wrap each bar in parchment or wax paper. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Tips & Tricks

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks (the Carrot Cake Larabars have a shorter shelf life, and should be enjoyed within 1 week.)
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  1. Ashley O Coates says

    Posted on 12/12 at 10:08 am

    Hi Sarah,
    Thank you for reverse-engineering these bars. I am sensitive to almonds so I want to try the recipes with walnuts and/or sunflower seeds.

    Question: The chocolate chip cookie dough bar ingredients are missing nuts–is there a correction?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 12/12 at 10:32 am

      Hi Ashley! There are no nuts in the Cookie Dough bars. Although the actual Larabars have cashews, I wanted to create a nut-free option for folks. Enjoy! šŸ˜€

  2. GW says

    Posted on 12/13 at 6:48 am

    These are fantastic. We made the carrot cake and they are wonderful. I need to guy another Larbar to see if they are as good.5 stars

    Reply
  3. Alioli says

    Posted on 1/4 at 5:13 am

    Marvellous! May thanks5 stars

    Reply
  4. Jill says

    Posted on 1/5 at 8:29 am

    I’m getting ready to make the apple pie larabar. The recipe calls for 1 cup or 175 g of dried apples. When I weighed out the apples 175g is way more than a cup. Why might I have such a difference?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 1/5 at 11:06 am

      I must have mixed up my notes, sorry about that Jill! Go with 1 cup šŸ˜€

  5. jo says

    Posted on 1/8 at 4:01 am

    I haven’t actually ever eaten larabars but thought I’d make these for a cycling husband. However, what I’ve ended up with is very soft and not very transportable. Is this what they are meant to be like?
    I made the cookie dough and apple pie and had the same question about the cup vs 175g of dried apple (but didn’t read the comments until afterwards). The cookie dough recipe also seems significantly smaller

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 1/8 at 11:52 am

      Each recipe is a little different in softness (carrot cake being the softest). Generally once they warm up, they’re all a little soft, so I like to store them in the fridge to keep them firm. Enjoy! šŸ˜€

  6. Dave says

    Posted on 5/15 at 7:31 am

    Maybe a typo in the recipes. Most say 1/2 cup of dates is 5 dates, but in the Cookie Dough recipe it says 1/2 cup is 10 dates. Based on the recipe I’m suspecting it’s supposed to say 1 cup, not 1/2 cup. Thanks for including weights…much easier that trying to accurately measure dates in a cup! Dave

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 5/22 at 6:38 pm

      Hi Dave thanks so much for pointing this outĀ – fixing now!

    • DIANE says

      Posted on 12/16 at 11:38 am

      For the cookie dough, should it be 1/2 c dates or 1 cup per Dave’s question? I used 1/2 cup. They are in the freezer now. Thanks!

    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 12/16 at 2:49 pm

      1/2 cup! Or about 5 dates.

  7. Bria says

    Posted on 1/19 at 12:38 pm

    Is it possible to use a high powered blender instead of a food processor?

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 1/19 at 4:15 pm

      It should work, but you may need to push down the mixture a few times to get it into the blades

  8. Deanna says

    Posted on 1/31 at 5:20 pm

    Can the apple pie be made without raisins?

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 1/31 at 5:44 pm

      Yes! You may want to throw in some dates or dried cranberries for a little sweetness though.

    • Deanna says

      Posted on 2/1 at 9:44 am

      Thank you.

  9. Deanna says

    Posted on 2/1 at 9:47 am

    I try to stay away from oats so could nuts be substituted in the cookie dough recipe? If so, what kind would be best for that recipe and how much?

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 2/1 at 1:37 pm

      I haven’t tried this so I really don’t know if it’ll work, but I think cashews or almonds would work well with that one!

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