To be honest, this is my all-time favorite healthy snack and pre/post-workout fuel. I’m not kidding when I say I make these nut-free Larabars at least a few times a month. I think this recipe tastes like Cashew Cookie flavor. However, sometimes the nuts can upset my stomach by causing bloating. I tasked myself to figure out how to create a nut-free Larabar-type snack using only minimal ingredients. All in all, if you are looking for a gooey, soft, sweet nut-free snack or dessert, this recipe will be your new go-to!
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Why are these Larabars healthy?
A store-bought Larabar is typically made from nuts and dates, plus a few ingredients to switch the flavors. Additionally, Larabars are made with minimal ingredients, containing no added sugar, which creates a healthy and accessible snack for on the go. In my recipe for these nut-free Larabars, I am substituting the nuts to oats to refrain from any bloating that can occur with certain people when digesting nuts. Oats are extremely healthy for many reasons, such as…
- a filling, vitamin dense whole grain
- high in the essential nutrient manganese
- high in antioxidants
- high in fiber
- helps reduce cholesterol
- healthy carbs that boost satiety
See more health benefits from Healthline.
What do I need to make these healthy, nut-free Larabars?
- Old-fashioned oats (gluten-free oats work too)
- Dates (soft and juicy)
- Coconut oil (or olive oil)
- Almond milk (any milk will work!)
- Vanilla extract (optional: but provides that boost of flavor!)
- Salt (Just to bring out the flavors, feel free to add more if you are a salty/sweet type of person!)
- Dark chocolate (I like to use stevia-sweetened dark chocolate!)
- A food processor or blender! (If you do not have a blender, I believe this recipe is still possible to make. See the notes for more details!)
Nut-free Larabars
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 cup old-fashioned oats gf oats will work too!*
- 10 medium dates soft and pitted*
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil melted, refined (or olive oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dash salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk any milk will work here!
- ¼ tbsp dark chocolate
Instructions
- First off, if your pitted dates are not super soft, I recommend placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over. Cover, and let the dates sit for about 5-10 minutes to get soft.
- Blend your oats and soft dates together in the food processor. It doesn't need to look like anything but crumbled oats and dates;)
- Next, pour in your melted coconut oil, vanilla, and salt.
- Depending on the softness of your dates and the power of your food processor, the amount of milk will vary. Start with 2 tablespoons, and add the remaining one if the dough doesn't come together. Once it starts rolling itself into a ball in your machine, you know it's done!
- Evenly spread the nut-free Larabar dough into a shallow dish, or small loaf pan. Place in freezer (this is optional, but helps the chocolate set a bit faster if you are impatient like me;))
- While your dough is in the freezer, melt your chocolate. I like to add a ½ tsp of coconut oil to help thin the chocolate. Make sure to microwave the chocolate in intervals of 10 seconds, stirring in between, to insure you don't burn the chocolate.
- Lastly, once the chocolate is melted, pour over the oat bar dough and place in fridge to set. Once chocolate has hardened, cut into bars and serve! Store in fridge. *
Notes
Did you love this nut-free version of the store-bought Larbars?! Let me know how you liked it in the comments below!
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