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These homemade Fruit and Nut Bars are packed with nutritious ingredients, offering a perfect balance of sweet and crunchy in every bite. Whether you’re looking for a quick breakfast, a midday snack, or a healthier treat, these homemade bars are sure to satisfy your cravings and keep you energized throughout the day.
These homemade snack bars are inspired by KIND Nut Bars that we all love. But these nut bars are way more affordable. In less than an hour, you can make a this nut bar recipe that tastes amazing and keeps well.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Nut Bar Recipe
- Nutritious and Delicious: These bars are loaded with fruits, nuts, and seeds, providing a wealth of nutrients and natural sweetness.
- Easy to Make: Simple and straightforward, this recipe can be whipped up in no time, making it ideal for busy lifestyles.
- Customizable: You can easily switch up the ingredients to suit your tastes or dietary needs.
- Perfect On-the-Go Snack: These bars are perfect for packing in lunchboxes, gym bags, or for a quick snack on the run.
Fruit and Nut Bar Ingredients
- Nuts – Use half whole nuts and half chopped nuts for texture. Choose your favorite or use a combination of cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, etc.
- Dried Cranberries – You can use any dried fruit such as raisins, golden raisins, dates, coconut, etc. Cut larger fruit into smaller pieces.
- Seeds – Add sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), sesame seeds and flaxseeds.
- Salt – A touch of salt makes these perfectly snackable.
- Honey – You can also substitute pure maple syrup if desired.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla extract enhances the flavor of all the other ingredients.
Ingredient Substitutions ad Variations
- Nut Alternatives: Use walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts in place of almonds and cashews.
- Dried Fruits: Substitute with raisins, dried cherries, or dried blueberries.
- Seeds: Add chia seeds or flaxseeds for additional nutrition.
- Sweeteners: Replace honey or maple syrup with agave nectar or brown rice syrup.
How To Make Fruit and Nut Bars
Step 5: Bake the nut and seed bars. Bake anywhere between 30-40 minutes until the nuts start to brown a little. They will have a nice deep golden-brown color.
Step 6: Cool and cut. Cool the bars in the pan completely. For about 2-3 hrs. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 12 bars.
Step 7: Wrap and store. Wrap each bar individually in parchment paper. Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Tips To Make the Best Homemade Snack Bars
- Use Fresh Ingredients: Ensure your nuts and seeds are fresh to maintain the best flavor and texture.
- Press Firmly: Press the mixture firmly into the baking dish to ensure the bars hold together well.
- Cool Properly: Allow enough time for the bars to chill and set before cutting.
- Cut Evenly: Use a sharp knife to cut the bars into even pieces for a professional look.
- Store Correctly: Store the bars in an airtight container to keep them fresh for longer. If your home is too hot, store them in the refridgerator.
What to Serve with Homemade Fruit and Nut Bars
- Yogurt: Pair with a cup of Greek yogurt for a balanced breakfast or snack.
- Fruit: Serve with fresh fruit slices for added flavor and nutrition.
- Smoothies: Enjoy alongside a refreshing smoothie for a complete, on-the-go meal.
- Tea or Coffee: Perfect with a warm cup of tea or coffee for a delightful snack break.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store these nut bars in the fridge, especially if you live in warmer climates. They will keep for at least a week or longer.
You can but I personally do not like freezing these nut bars. I do not like the texture after freezing them.
Yes, ensure all your ingredients, especially the dried fruits and sweeteners, are certified gluten-free.
More Nutritious Snack Recipes
- Chocolate Chia Protein Pudding
- Vanilla Protein Energy Balls
- Healthy Banana Oat Muffins
- Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Almond Joy Energy Bites
- No-Bake Energy Balls
Our Fruit and Nut Bars are a delicious snack that you can enjoy anytime. Easy to make and fully customizable, these bars are packed with nutrients and flavor. Try this recipe today and enjoy a tasty, nutritious treat that will keep you energized throughout the day.
If you try this recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave a star rating in the comment section below because I love hearing from my readers. Also follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on Facebook |Instagram |Pinterest for all of my latest social posts and recipes.
Fruit and Nut Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole nuts, I used use cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts.
- 1 cup chopped nuts , I used cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts.
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp flaxseeds
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray with cooking spray and line an 8” square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix them thoroughly.
- Transfer the mixture to the baking pan. With the help of the spatula flatten the nuts down in one layer by firmly pressing on them.
- Bake anywhere from 30-40 minutes until the nuts start to brown a little. They will have a nice deep golden-brown color.
- Cool the bars in the pan completely. For about 2-3 hrs. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 12 bars.
- Wrap each bar individually in parchment paper. Store in the refrigerator for 1 week or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- Use Fresh Ingredients: Ensure your nuts and seeds are fresh to maintain the best flavor and texture.
- Press Firmly: Press the mixture firmly into the baking dish to ensure the bars hold together well.
- Cool Properly: Allow enough time for the bars to chill and set before cutting.
- Cut Evenly: Use a sharp knife to cut the bars into even pieces for a professional look.
- Store Correctly: Store the bars in an airtight container to keep them fresh for longer. If your home is too hot, store them in the refridgerator.
Was so happy to find this recipe. Something went wrong tho. After baking and cooling I was able to take them out of the pan in one piece. The top looked perfect but when I took them out the bottom was very moist. When I tried to cut it fell to pieces. Anyone have this problem? I packed it into the pan
Hi Sindy,
Sorry it didnt work out for you. Sometimes the type of honey you use makes a difference. Always use thick honey as it binds the ingredients more. Also, you can always cook it extra at a lower temp if it hasn’t darkened much in color yet so the moisture in the honey dries out more. And allow to dry out completely. Another thing that helps is you can use a silicone spatula to press them together more after they bake.
Taste wonderful but to dry falls apart it needs more liquid but very tasty 😋
This is one of my favorites
Excellent reciipe
Recipe is great but your cooking time.e is seriously seriously wrong! 30 mins and its burnt
I wish I read the comments first. I too agree that I left them in at your minimal 40-minutes and they are a bit overdone. I’ll still eat them as they are good but I think you should revise or make a note as I read yours but not what others had to say. Maybe check at 30 to see if brown? I’ve never made these before so thank you for the inspiration! I’ll try again.
Thanks for the note! I will adjust it accordingly.
I have had so much fun making these. I bought a variety of nuts and a good seed mix along with some flake coconut and dried fruits from Michigan. Have purchased local honey from a variety of hives here at home and the flavors are fantastic. Thanks for this truly wonderful recipe that is healthy and easy.
Hi Barb,
Thanks for leaving a review. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Hi Miriam
My husband says that these bars are the best he’s EVER tasted, both bought & home made.
Cheers
Ros
So happy to hear that. Thanks for the review.