Healthy apricot almond bars (homemade Larabars) are super easy to make with just three ingredients. They have no refined sugar, are Whole30 compliant, and are just as soft, chewy, and delicious as their inspiration, but much more affordable.

Healthy Apricot Almond Bars (Homemade Larabars)

Have you ever had a Larabar? We discovered soft, chewy, sweet Larabars during our first round of Whole30 as a great on-the-go, compliant snack.

What is a Larabar?

Larabars are fruit and nut bars made with very simple and clean ingredients. Most of them consist of dates mixed with nuts like almonds or cashews and sometimes include other goodies like dried fruit and coconut.

There are so many different kinds of these delicious fruit bars, but just like with anything else on Whole30, it is very important to read the labels. Some Larabars have things like peanut butter or chocolate which are not Whole30 compliant. Also, even though Larabars have no added refined sugar, since they are made with dried fruit they do have a high amount of naturally occurring sugar.

However, eaten in moderation these tasty bars can be such life savers, especially on Whole30. I can throw one in my purse and have a quick and easy snack on super busy days when I am out of the house and need something to alleviate my hunger that's not fast food or a donut.

These are great too because they serve as a great snack for my kids, and they love them!

Why Homemade Larabars?

As much as my family and I like Larabars, they can get pricey after a while. When I started thinking about it, I figured I could easily make them since they are made with such simple ingredients. Cue my favorite recipe brainstorming assistant, Pinterest.

After a quick search I discovered that these bars of goodness are easier to replicate than I imagined.

Today's recipe for healthy apricot almond bars (homemade Larabars) comes from months of following various Pinterest recipes and testing out my own variations based on my personal preferences.

These healthy apricot almond bars (homemade Larabars) are super easy to make with just three ingredients. They have no refined sugar, are Whole30 compliant, and are just as soft, chewy, and delicious as their inspiration. Plus, they are much more affordable and are a great on-the-go snack.

How to Make Healthy Apricot Almond Bars

(Homemade Larabars)

Before anything, I want to provide you with a little tip. The main ingredients in these bars are dates (Medjool dates work best) and nuts, so I highly recommend you buy these two ingredients in bulk at either Costco or Sam's Club. You will save so much money and have a good amount of both ingredients so you can make as many homemade Larabars as your heart desires.

Let's begin.

First, place 1 cup of almonds in a food processor. Pulse until you have a coarse consistency, being careful not to turn the almonds into a fine powder.

Next, chop 1 ½ cups of pitted dates and 1 cup of apricots. By chopping the fruits, they will blend better with the almonds.

Add the fruit to the food processor with the almonds. Pulse until combined and the ingredients resemble a thick dough.

Pinch the dough with your fingers to see if it holds together. If it's too crumbly and dry pulse in one tablespoon of water and then test it again. If it is still too crumbly pulse in one more tablespoon of water. Do not add too much water though or the mixture will become too sticky.

Next line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Cut the parchment paper a few inches bigger than the pan so you can use this same paper to cover the completed bars.

Place the mixture on top of the paper. Use another smaller piece of parchment paper to press down firmly on the mixture. Keep pressing down until it distributed in one even layer, and in the shape of the pan.

Cover with the overhanging parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

After two hours, carefully pull the parchment paper out of the pan and place on a flat surface. Use a knife to slice the dough into bars. The size of the bars are really up to you. I like to cut mine about the size of an actual Larabar, which is approximately 1 ¼ inches wide by 4 inches long.

Storage

Store the bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container or large Ziploc bag. For an easily-accessible snack, wrap each bar individually in parchment paper. These bars can also be kept at room temperature, but I prefer their refrigerated consistency.

There you have it, healthy apricot almond bars (homemade Larabars)! These are so good they are like a dessert. I love to have one with a cup of coffee after my breakfast sometimes. It feels like a total indulgence.

I hope you enjoy!

What are your favorite Larabar flavors? I'd love to get some ideas for others to recreate. Let me know in the comments below.

Recipe