These DIY Larabars Are A Healthy Way To Avoid Getting Hangry

A Healthy Snack With Only 3 Ingredients

I am one of those people who the word “hangry” was invented for. You know, hungry + angry = hangry! That’s why I always have to have some sort of snack on my person at all times. Granola bars are a great option, but after my daughter-in-law introduced me to Larabars, they quickly became my emergency snack of choice.

What’s great about Larabars is that each of their bars has a very short ingredient list. (In fact, some of them only have 3 ingredients!) All Larabars are non-GMO and gluten-free, and most are vegan and soy-free too.

With the exception of the ones that contain chocolate chips, Larabars don’t contain refined sugar, but are naturally sweetened with fruit or fruit juice. If you follow a Paleo diet or are doing the Whole 30 program, the non-chocolate chip bars are a great approved snack.

You should note, however, that Larabars are not low-calorie or low-fat. My favorite Cherry Pie flavor has 200 calories and 8g of fat, so I wouldn’t go eating a whole box of them! But when I’m hungry and need something more substantial to tide me over, a Larabar always hits the spot.

Homemade Larabars: 2 Easy Recipes

Prepare to be blown away by how easy these homemade Larabars are to make. The basic formula is equal parts pitted dates (which act as a binder and a sweetener), the dried fruit of your choice, and the nut of your choice. Feel free to get creative here, with additional ingredients like coconut shreds or adding spices or seasonings. The possibilities really are endless!

When shopping for ingredients, make sure to check the labels on dried fruit, as many of them have added sugar. If you strike out at your usual grocery store, you may have more luck at a specialty store like Sprouts or Whole Foods.

Apricot Cashew Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup raw, toasted, or roasted cashews
• 1 cup pitted dates

Currant Almond Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup currants
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup pitted dates

Directions:

To make your homemade Larabars, you’ll need a high-powered blender or food processor. The mixture is really thick, so take care not to burn out the motor.

I used a smaller-than-normal blender cup when I made these, so I ended up combining the ingredients and processing them in two batches.

Blend the ingredients until they are well mixed, stopping as needed to scrape down the sides of your blender or food processor.

Next, transfer the blended mixture to a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper and lay it out on your countertop. Add another piece of wrap or paper on top, then roll out the mixture until it’s about 1/2 – 3/4″ in thickness.

Place the whole thing in your fridge to chill for one hour, then remove the wrap and cut it into individual bars.

The bars will keep for a few weeks in your fridge, or a couple of months in your freezer. I like to eat mine at room temperature, so I try to take them out of the fridge and let them warm up a bit before I dig in.

Is It Cheaper To Make Your Own Larabars?

The most recent time I made them, I spent $32.94 on ingredients and got about 30 bars in total, which works out to $1.09 per bar. My local Smith’s sells Larabars for $1.59 each, so at that price, I’m saving 50 cents per bar!

However, that same Smith’s also sells boxes of 18 bars for $22.39, which works out to $1.24 per bar. And I’ve seen those boxes go on sale for $18.19, putting each bar at just $1.01.

So is are homemade Larabars cheaper? Yes and no. If you can find a box of them on sale, it will probably be cheaper to buy that box than to make your own. But then making your own bars does have its own benefits, like getting to create your own flavors. (But then again, making them yourself also takes more time, so that’s a factor worth consider as well!)

Do you have a favorite homemade healthy snack?