Homemade Kind Bars
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Packed with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, these homemade Kind bars are truly addictive. They are healthier than the original bars and super easy to make.
In an effort to keep my diet clean and balanced, I’ve grown into making my own snack bars. From homemade protein bars to no bake oatmeal bars, I have a good collection of them.
That said, I can’t deny that some store-bought ones still taste good to me- KIND bars being one of them. As delicious as they are, they do contain added sugar and a few ingredients I’d rather skip, like soy lecithin and palm kernel oil. So, I made it my mission to recreate them at home.
It took a fair bit of recipe testing to get right (it’s SO hard to bind nuts and seeds using less sweetener!), but I finally cracked it: copycat bars that are crisp, chewy, crunchy, and have just the right amount of sweetness to keep you satisfied.
My partner even did a side-by-side with the packaged ones- mine came out on top. And he wasn’t mad about the price tag either (no $3.50 bars here!).
Table of Contents
Why make my homemade KIND bars
- No-baking. It takes a few minutes to prepare the mixture and a couple of hours for it to firm up in the fridge.
- Healthy. These homemade snack bars don’t contain refined sugar and unhealthy fats. They are also gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Easy to customize. You can use nuts, seeds, or mix-ins of your choice.
Key Ingredients
Here are some notes about the main ingredients. The full printable recipe is below.
- Cashews and almonds. Roughly chopped raw and unsalted nuts.
- Seeds. I mostly use sesame seeds for these bars as they are a good source of healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are also good to add to the seed mix.
- Dried fruits. Aside from adding color and flavor, dried fruits also add fiber, minerals, and vitamins. I like using raisins and unsweetened cranberries. Chop them into smaller pieces for easy mixing.
- Maple syrup. I tested maple syrup, honey, and brown rice syrup- all worked. Honey had a slightly overpowering flavor, and brown rice syrup was extra sticky, but use whichever you prefer.
- Coconut butter (optional). To drizzle over the bars. Don’t confuse this with coconut oil.
How to make kind bars
Step 1- Make the mixture. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the maple syrup and mix well until fully incorporated. If the mixture seems to be too loose, add more maple syrup and mix.
Step 2- Set. Transfer the mixture to an 8×8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Press it into an even layer and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Drizzle with coconut butter to decorate.
Step 3- Slice and serve. Once set, cut into even-sized bars and enjoy.
Make all the popular KIND bar flavors at home
Kind bars come in tons of flavors, so I asked three Whole Foods employees which ones were the most popular- then gave them a homemade twist.
Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt. Omit the dried fruit. Use pecans and add a pinch more salt.
Blueberry Vanilla Cashew. Use dried blueberries for the fruit and cashews for the nuts. Don’t forget the vanilla extract.
Apple Cinnamon Pecan. Use dried apples for the fruit, and roughly chopped pecans for the nuts. Add ground cinnamon.
Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew. Use dried cherries for the fruit and raw cashews for the nuts. Drizzle with sugar-free dark chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut. Use unsweetened shredded coconut and raw unsalted almonds. Drizzle with sugar-free dark chocolate.
Frequently asked questions
While these homemade snack bars won’t go bad at room temperature, I recommend you store them in the fridge to prevent them from falling apart. Wrap each of them with parchment paper (individually) and place in a ziploc bag or container. This makes an easy grab-and-go snack and prevents them from sticking to each other. Homemade bars will keep for up to two weeks.
You can, but you need to adjust the liquid sweeteners. I tested my base recipe (not the flavor variations) using 1/2 a cup of plain protein powder and needed to add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup to bind everything together. Depending on the protein you use, you may need up to 3 tablespoons.
This usually happens because of the brand of maple syrup (or sweetener) you are using. I suggest starting with five tablespoons, then adding a sixth if the bars are still not shaping. Also, don’t forget to press them down in the pan!
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Kind Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups cashews chopped roughly
- 3/4 cups almonds Chopped roughly
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup dried fruit
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5-6 tablespoons maple syrup * See notes
- 1/4 cup coconut butter optional
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped cashews, almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, salt, and dried fruit, and mix well.
- Add the vanilla extract and maple syrup and mix well. If the mixture is too thin/crumbly, add a little extra maple syrup.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined pan and press firmly into place. Refrigerate until firm. Once firm, drizzle with optional coconut butter before slicing into bars.
Notes
- Adjust liquids: Start with 5 tablespoons and if needed, add an extra tablespoon.
- Nuts: These are my preferred nuts. Pecans, walnuts, and peanuts all work.
- Dried fruit: Any chopped dried fruit of choice. I like raisins and unsweetened cranberries.
Nutrition
More healthy no bake snacks
Originally published March 2019
What a great idea. These look great!! I was a total bar hoarder for a while… I buy one of every flavor too ;D ;D
Haha, love it! It sucks when you find a bar you really enjoy!
So just wondering, instead of maybe making these bars and icing them, could I just make the icing and eat that?
It’s sort of the same thing, right?
Dude. true story. I ate the icing on toast.
Bahaha that’s pretty darn funny that your buddy wanted one every bar at WF. One time I tried making a homemade version and I wanted to die trying to get the freaking brown rice syrup out of the bottle. That shhiz should have a sticky warning label!!!
LOL. Me and brown rice syrup have a complicated relationship. I have a jar method these days.
We can bar hop all around Toronto! See what I did there???
Oh you Tina Fey….who oil pushes. or pulls. or whatever it’s called.
Wow. You totally nailed it. Bars are hard to make. Looks awesome. I adore your recipe! And I adore Kind bars 🙂
Thanks so much, Liz! FYI I have been obsessed with using my iphone!
Because of this post, I just googled to see if Calgary has a Whole Foods and they don’t. Boo.
Although Canadian Whole Foods aren’t nearly as good as American ones, so I guess it’s not that big if a loss. And I didn’t stop at any on the road trip here! What is wrong with me?
HOW DARE YOU.
But. you did eat beef jerky and that deserves epic respect. We need to trade digits.
These are SO pretty, Arman!! I bet they taste pretty darn delicious, too! 😉
Haha, cheers Hannah- appreciate it!
I buy my Kind bars in 18 bar packs at Costco. Saves some $, but I get a little bored of the same two flavors over and over. I’ve also seen many a Kind bar copycat recipe on the interwebs, but these are the first from someone with a penis, so yours win. (I wonder if spam filters will catch my comment because of the word penis? Well, I just used it twice for good measure.) A HP wand would go stellar with a Spartan outfit.
LOL. Mate, you never fail to make me lol. Unlike Fran.
These look awesome! I’ve always wished I could eat Kind Bars. Honestly there aren’t really any nut free granola bars that I love. The Good Bean bars and Krono Bars are decent, but I’d rather make my own (like these!).
Thanks ChelseaKale. I made these for you.
(not really 🙂
I used to be into granola bars in college and thought they tasted delicious, until I found out how to make my own. only last weekend, I picked some up on my drive to Houston and it tasted like cardboard, im not even exaggerating. I will definitely be trying your version soon, how could you not esp with that cheeky yogurt drizzle 🙂
You need to, they are so good!
A++ for story telling! Love it! Please tell me you got Harry’s wand and not one of the others!
Have I ever gone gaga at Whole Foods bar section? Are you kidding? EVER.SINGLE.TIME! I remember last time in London when I had to pay almost 50 Pounds for bars. The cashier lady wanted to know where I come from because apparently only tourists would hoard bars like this. GUILTY 😉
My favorite one is the apple cinnamon raw bite at the moment. It contains fruit, nuts and some spices only and tastes hands down like apple strudel.
Bar fail? Nakd Bar without a doubt!
I did! It can ONLY be Harrys 😉
NAKD bars are fail whale. True story- I ate 5 once for a meal and was still hungry
‘As with anything good in the United States, Australia most definitely did not have them, nor had an equivalent to it in terms of taste or ingredient list’ – yes! Same with with Uk! grrr!
We do have a bar range in the UK called ‘nakd bars’ which are pretty tasty. They aren’t like kind bars, more like Lara bars and are full of clean goodies like dates, raisins and nuts.
YES! They are like larabars but I literally have to eat 5 of those bars to be satisfied.
YES to the HP wand and these Kind bars–they look just like the real thing! <<that is the point, isn't it? 😉 pinning!!
Thanks budddddddy. We need to hang out and discuss all things harry potter and coffee.
There are very few bars that I actually enjoy too. Most taste like glorified and gross cardboard. These look awesome though and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Hollie…lol cardboard. Sounds like some recipes out there too… :p
I’ve never been a big bar fan, cause I feel like three bites and an hour later I’m hungry again. That said, I have had Kind bars and they’re delicious. Way better than other ones I’ve tried! I’m also super jealous of your Harry Potter wand. I really want to go to Universal and see the HP park!
You need to, dude I was like in a Candy Store! (I went to Honeydukes bahahaha).