Finding a healthy, gluten-free, and dairy-free snack can be hard — and often pricey. These chocolate peanut butter Lara Bars are neither. They’re simple to make with minimal ingredients and cost only about 25 cents per bar.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Homemade Lara Bar

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These homemade Lara Bars are one of my favorite go-to snacks. The classic Lara Bar base is dates and nuts; this chocolate peanut butter version uses dates, peanuts, and cocoa powder for a rich, naturally sweet bar.

They feel like candy but are made from whole-food ingredients — though portion control still matters, because natural sugar is still sugar.

These bars are quick to make if you have a food processor (if you don’t, it’s worth getting one). They deliver chocolatey, peanut-butter flavor with minimal fuss.

Crunchy or smooth peanut butter?

I personally love crunchy peanut butter. For a texture closer to crunchy PB, reserve ½ cup of peanuts and add them at the end so you get larger peanut pieces in the bars. If you prefer smooth, add all the peanuts at the start so they blend completely. Either option is delicious.

I make these almost every week so they’re always available when cravings strike. I tend to reach for these instead of store-bought chocolate, which helps keep snacks a bit healthier.

If you’re pregnant, dates are often recommended to help with cervical ripening late in pregnancy, so these bars can be an enjoyable way to include dates in your diet. (Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized advice.)

Ready to make them? Here’s the recipe and instructions.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Lara Bars

Yield:
8-10 bars

Simple, clean ingredients with no grains and no refined sugar. An affordable homemade Lara Bar you can customize to taste.

Ingredients

1 cup dates, pitted and soaked in warm water for 5–10 minutes
1 ½ cups dry roasted peanuts
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt (omit if using salted peanuts)

Instructions

Drain the soaked dates well. Save the soaking water to sweeten coffee or tea if you like.
In a food processor fitted with an S-blade, combine dates, most of the peanuts (reserve ½ cup if you want larger peanut pieces), cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt.
Process on low for about a minute until the mixture begins to break down, then scrape down the sides.
Increase to high and process until the mixture is well combined and smooth. This can take a minute or two.
When the mixture starts to form a ball around the blade, add the reserved peanuts (if using) and pulse a few times to incorporate larger pieces. Scrape as needed.
Press the “dough” into a 6×4 glass dish or a small loaf pan. Alternatively, roll into balls—dust hands with cocoa powder to prevent sticking.
Refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm up.
Slice into bars and enjoy. Store in the fridge for best texture.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram — I’d love to see your version.