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Putting my food science and nutrition background to work, I re-engineered these copycat Larabars so that they’re not only quick but taste just like store-bought! You can choose from 4 favorite flavors: apple pie, cherry pie, chocolate chip cookie dough, and carrot cake.
save this recipe!Who doesn’t love a snack that’s easy to make, saves you money, and tastes just like your favorite store-bought bar? These homemade Larabars check all of those boxes!
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.
Reader rating
“I absolutely loved these. They were a treat. I made the cookie dough bars and the apple and cinnamon ones. I honestly couldn’t get enough ot them.” —Christine
Basic Ingredients
The recipes for each of our favorite four flavors are below, but they all generally follow this master Larabar recipe (jump to the recipe card for all flavors and measurements):
- 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!).
- Nuts: Larabars often use almonds, though walnuts and pecans also work great in them. All of the bars, except chocolate chip cookie dough, use almonds or walnuts for some crunch and substance.
Apple Pie Larabars
Everything you love about apple pie – the wintery spices, raisins, and nuts – all packed into a tasty little bar!
Cherry Pie Larabars
These win the award for “Shortest Ingredients List”, but they pack in so much cherry flavor!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabars
We switched up our recipe a bit from the Larabar ingredients list, nixing the cashews and adding rolled oats for that perfect cookie dough flavor. I know it’s not traditional, but I wanted to create a nut-free option that tasted just as good (or better!).
Carrot Cake Larabars
The ingredients list may be longer, but each plays a crucial role in creating these scrumptious carrot cake Larabars.
Easy Homemade Larabars (4 Favorite Flavors)
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, stir in chocolate chips after blending). 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 chill or 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.
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
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?
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! 😀
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.
Marvellous! May thanks
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?
I must have mixed up my notes, sorry about that Jill! Go with 1 cup 😀
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
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! 😀
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
Hi Dave thanks so much for pointing this out – fixing now!
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!
1/2 cup! Or about 5 dates.
Is it possible to use a high powered blender instead of a food processor?
It should work, but you may need to push down the mixture a few times to get it into the blades
Can the apple pie be made without raisins?
Yes! You may want to throw in some dates or dried cranberries for a little sweetness though.
Thank you.
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?
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!
Have you ever tried making a large batch and freezing these bars? If so, do they thaw okay?
I haven’t tried, but given the ingredients I think it would work well!