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Hi Bold Bakers!
What you get: My no-bake homemade Larabars are delicious and healthy energy bars with just three ingredients, including the beautiful flavors of apricot and almond!
Healthy and portable snacks that are as tasty as they are good for you are hard to come by — but Larabars certainly fit that bill. You can find them in most grocery stores, and their ingredients are simple whole foods. But there’s just something in me that when I taste something good, I’ve got to try making it for myself! Plus, they’re quite a bit cheaper to make than they are to buy.
And thus, my Apricot Almond Homemade Larabars were born! With just 10 minutes of prep and about an hour in the fridge to chill, apricot almond energy bars couldn’t be more convenient to make.
I use just three pure, nutrient-packed ingredients for my DIY Larabars: raw almonds, apricots, and Medjool dates. This copycat Larabar recipe is great for adults and kiddos alike — not only are they delicious, but their slightly dense and chewy texture is seriously addicting! I’d probably eat the whole batch if they didn’t leave me feeling so full!
What Types Of Dates Should I Use For Homemade Larabars?
I recommend using whole, pitted Medjool dates. Medjool dates have the best water ratio for making homemade Larabars and have a wonderful vanilla flavor.
Avoid pre-chopped dates; they’re often coated with sugar or oat flour, leaving them too dehydrated. If pre-chopped dates are all that’s available, rehydrate them in hot water for 2-3 minutes before adding them to the food processor with your other ingredients.
Are Larabars Vegan?
As store-bought, brand-name Larabars are all vegan, this is also a homemade vegan Larabar recipe! This is also a gluten-free Larabars recipe!
The magic of these healthy energy bars is that they use few ingredients. In this case, just dates, almonds, and apricots. Be sure to use the best quality ingredients you can find, so your homemade Larabars recipe turns out perfect!
How Do You Make No Bake Larabars?
While you only need three simple ingredients to make this recipe, you will need a food processor in order to process them into the right consistency for a proper Larabar recipe. After processing your ingredients, you simply pat them into a baking pan and refrigerate them for about an hour. No baking is needed!
How Long Do Apricot Almond Homemade Larabars Last?
Homemade Larabars don’t last as long as the bars you’ll find in the store. According to their website, Larabars have a shelf life of 9 months, thanks to their “multi-layer package that keeps out UV light.”
Since we don’t have access to air-tight UV-proof multi-layer packaging, our homemade apricot almond Larabars will last up to 7 days in the refrigerator.
Tools You Need to Make Apricot Almond Bars
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food processor
- 8-inch (20-cm) square baking dish
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Apricot Almond Bars
- Use dried fruit that hasn’t been sitting around for a long time; they might be too hard and dry to blend properly.
- Use as little water as possible (or none at all), or your bars may become too sticky.
- Instead of pressing these into a pan, you can scoop and roll these onto balls or flattened discs.
- To keep these bars from sticking, you can press unsweetened coconut flakes into all sides.
- Try freezing the bars for 30 minutes before cutting for a crisp edge.
Keep Baking With These Healthy Recipes
- Healthy Banana Nut Muffins (Paleo, Vegan, and Gluten-Free)
- Vegan Tropical Eton Mess
- Gluten-Free Cherry and Almond Tart
- Healthy No Bake Brownies (Vegan)
- The Greatest Healthy Pumpkin Bread (Low Sugar, Low Carb)
Try These Recipes!
Apricot Almond Larabar
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (7½ oz/213 g) pitted Medjool dates
- 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) raw almonds
- 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) dried apricots
- 1 tablespoon water (optional)
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the dates, almonds, and apricots and process for 3 to 4 minutes until ground and dough-like. (If, after a few minutes of processing, the mixture still seems dry and crumbly, add 1 tablespoon of water and keep processing.)
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread, using a separate piece of parchment paper, and evenly press the mixture into the dish.
- Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Cut into 9 bars and store in the fridge between sheets of parchment paper for up to 7 days.
Thank you Gemma! This looks delicious, but what can I use instead of apricots? Would apples work?
I made this and can to believe how tasty it is. So easy to make and absolutely delicious. Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe
can I use almond flour, Gemma?
I made this one with all the dried fruits in one batch so delicious. Thank you Gemma all your recipes are fantastic.
I made a small batch of these to see if I liked them – they are so good, and will be a nice evening snack. I rolled small balls in coconut.
Could you include nutritional information with this and other recipes? Please?
I’d make these less healthy with roasted salted almonds.
Can dried figs, or some other similar dried fruit be substituted for the dates. I don’t really care for dates.
Thank you.
Can these be frozen?
Hi gemma i am a big fan and i love your recipes ♥️🥰😋 i promise i am not trying to be a smart pants or any thing 😂i just wanted to tell you that it’s mejdool dates not medjool i am a native arabic speaker and it’s mejdool dates that is one kind of many types of dates
Anyway i wanted to tell you so all the readers don’t get confused