With just 3 simple ingredients you can make these Copycat Cashew Cookie Larabars that are grain-free, refined-sugar-free, vegan, and kid-friendly!
Perfect On-the-Go Snack
These 3 Ingredient Cashew Date Bars AKA Copycat Cashew Cookie Larabars bring me back to college. I always had a Larabar in my backpack because they’re made with simple, whole ingredients and are the perfect energizer snack!
Cashew Cookie Larabars were my all time fav –> sweet, chewy, with a pinch of salt. I can taste these through the screen right now!
check it out!
For more snack ideas, check out our healthy snack recipes page!
What You Need
Like I shared above, this recipe calls for 3 super simple ingredients!
- Medjool dates: Dates are sweet and sticky and the base of these bars. The biggest tip I have for your dates is to make sure they are fresh and SOFT.
- Cashews: Cashews are packed with healthy fats and my favorite nut!
- Coarse salt: You’re going to love the sweet and salty aspect that coarse salt brings to these bars.
Easy Swaps + Add-Ins
Nuts – you can use pretty much any kind of raw nut for this recipe. Try peanuts, walnuts, pecans, etc.!
Add-Ins – Since there are only 3 ingredients in this recipe, add-ins are going to be your BFF. Here are some ideas:
- Chocolate Chips
- Chia Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Sprinkles
Easy Assembly
- The best part about this recipe is that you literally pop everything into a high-speed food processor and mix on high until the dough pulverizes together.
- Then, add a few more cashews, pulse them into the dough so they are coarsely chopped and BOOM. Now, you’re ready to transfer the dough into a pan.
- Transfer dough into a square pan and use your fingers or a spatula to press it into the pan. Freeze for 30 minutes then remove dough from pan, slice, and enjoy!
dough not sticking?
If your dough is having trouble sticking or if your dates won’t puree it’s probably because your dates weren’t fresh/soft enough.
To make your dough stick, simply add water by the teaspoon until things soften up. It’s as easy as pie.
Storage
Fridge: We recommend storing your no-bake bars in the refrigerator. After slicing, place them in an airtight container and then into the fridge. They will last up to 2 weeks.
Freezer: Option to freeze these bars for later. You can either slice them into single-serve bars and wrap them in tin foil or wait to slice them and wrap the entire recipe to thaw and slice later. Will last up to 3 months.
Copycat Cashew Cookie Larabar Recipe
Incredibly easy 3-ingredient cashew date bars AKA Cashew Cookie Larabar copycat recipe! These are vegan, gluten-free, and kid-friendly!
Ingredients
- 30 pitted Medjool dates
- 1.5 cups raw cashews, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- First, line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place 1 cup of the cashews into a high speed food processor and pulse on high until the cashews are ground up into crumbs.
- Then, add the pitted medjool dates to the food processor and blend for 3 to 4 minutes on high until the dates become pureed and your dough is formed. You may need to stop the food processor a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula.
- Add the last 1/2 cup of cashews and the salt to the food processor and pulse until the cashews are broken up into small pieces. After everything is blended up the dough should look and feel like cookie dough.*
- Next, make a big ball out of the dough and place the dough ball into the lined 8×8-inch pan.
- Press the ball down into the pan with your hands or a spatula until the dough is evenly spread on the bottom of the pan.
- Place the pan in the freezer to set for 20-30 minutes to set.
- Remove from the freezer and remove the bars from the pan by lifting two ends of the parchment paper up and place the bars on a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the bars into 10 bars.
- Enjoy bars and place the remaining bars into an airtight container and place them in the freezer.
Tips & Notes
*If the dough is too wet, add another 1/4 cup of cashews to the food processor and blend. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time until it reaches a malleable consistency.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 10 Calories: 223 Sugar: 48 Sodium: 17 Fat: 2 Carbohydrates: 55 Fiber: 5 Protein: 2Keywords: larabar
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What I usually do with homemade Lärabars is store them in the freezer. I actually do this with most of the treats I make like my Grain-Free Protein Peanut Butter Cookies and Brownie Cookie Dough Swirl Protein Balls since they last longer this way.
Plus I actually think they taste good frozen. Is that weird?
What’s your favorite Lärabar flavor?
Delicious, perfect, but I bought a food processor just to make these and burned the engine out on the first try…. like it was smoking… any tips on a powerful and affordable food processor?
★★★★★
Oh wow I’ve never heard of that! We have a Kitchenaid and love it!
How many gramms is each bar? 🙂
Me encanta esta receta !! Es un snack muy healthy 😉
https://ingenieriademenu.com/que-es-el-snacking/
★★★★★
Your cashew date bars sound like the perfect snack for someone with diabetes like me. I’m gonna try these out very soon and will keep you posted. Thanks, Kenny 🙂
★★★★★
Going to try it out in the next couple of days,can’t wait.
Simple and tastes the same as the original! These bars cost 1.95 where I live in Hawaii so I’ll be making my own from now on! Mahalo!
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YAY! So yummy!
So easy and tastes just like a Larabar. My wallet and daughter thank you for this recipe!
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Hi Lee, thanks for the recipe! I have multiple food allergies and found Larabar’s Cashew Cookie is one of the few bars I can eat (with no dairy, soy, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, oats, or corn…ugh!). So I wanted to try and make them myself. My only question is regarding using raw cashews without soaking to reduce their phytic acid. I make my own cashew milk and have always been told to soak them. Any thoughts?
I haven’t tried this recipe using soaked cashews and I am hesitant to tell you to do that because it will create so much more moisture!
Thanks for the recipe.
The container of dates calls for you to wash them prior to use. Do I still do that before putting them in the food processor? Any tips?
Hey Cheryl! I’ve never washed my dates, but you’re more than welcome to do so!
Have you ever tries adding protein powder to these?
I have not, but I totally think you could! I wouldn’t go any more than 1/4 cup!
Do you find that you save money on this recipe over buying them? (Amazon subscribe & save is the best deal I’ve found.)
Thanks!!
Am I doing something wrong. the dates just form a ball and dont mix with the cashews…
It is likely that your food processor is not strong enough!
After the ball forms,, open the processor and use your hands to break it up into little pieces (it will be sticky). Then add the cashews and pulse. I found I had to add a few drops of water to get it to ball up again, as it was more of a sandy mixture when I added the cashews.
So simple and soo good! Can even add cinnamon or cocoa powder if you’ want to switch it up.
★★★★★
Funny I just stumbled upon these. I tried to make this version a few weeks ago because I’ve been into making my own lara bars recently. I soaked my cashews to make them easier to blend but I think that backfired because they were too moist! Wouldn’t really form into bars after refrigerating. Still delicious though. I’ll try em again without the soaking the next time I can afford to buy more cashews…
Love your blog btw. Keep up the great work!
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you! Yes, soaking your cashew probably made the batter too wet! Bummed they are so dang expensive. Try Trader Joe’s! Cheapest I’ve found 🙂
Ah, no biggie – this is how we learn things right? I actually find cashews the cheapest at Aldi (which TJ’s owns)…TJ’s might be comparable though, I haven’t checked their prices lately. But hey I just splurged for some more today! Time to make more Lara Bars…
How long do they last in the frig? How long do they last in the freezer? Can they be stored in the pantry?
I would say 2 weeks in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer, and a week in the pantry!
Ok 🙂 Thank you!
How long do they last in the fridge?
Bish you broke my food processor. Any savings from making it myself are totally cancelled out by the wear and tear on my kitchen equipment.
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Um. Cashews are like the softest nuts on Earth, along with… dates?
Sounds like you had a bish-azz food processor, “Rude-y.”
Some people…
The dates tend to freeze the processor blade because of their chewiness. That burns out the motor. You have to pulse and watch carefully. Katie wasn’t being rude; she was just telling her very real story. Chill out, Blue.
Would you consider doing an update where you show the calculations of whether it is actually more cost-effective to make these?
Hi! Love this idea. Would this work in my Ninja? I don’t own a food processor. Also, do you know how much per bar your version is? I LOVE my daily cashew cookie but is the cost per bar cheaper this way? Thanks!
Hey Lady! I have not done any calculations of the cost on these guys. If you buy in bulk (both the dates and cashews), I bet for sure you could get the bars under $1.
Nope. You’d have to buy them wholesale to make them cheaper. I love the recipe, but the blog post is misleading and sells you on a cost savings that does not exist. It’s great if you want to know exactly what is in your snack, and for that, it may be worth the premium price. It’s just not a budget saver.
I priced out bulk (11 lbs of Dates & 5 lbs of cashews) and can make them for $0.45 ea. Not factoring in cost of salt, parchment or plastic wrap to freeze them individually. Sure beats $2 ea. But you and spouse have to eat one a day to use them up in a reasonable time. Also I don’t calculate the same nutrition content listed above which doesn’t show calories. I get 230 cxals which is same as real thing.
But great idea and helpful tips on making so THANKS!