Cherry Pie Lara Bars Recipe

This cherry pie Lara bars recipe is a wonderful, homemade version of these delicious, store-bought bars.

There is nothing like a good snack bar when you’re on the go. But store-bought bars often have unwanted ingredients added. Enter, the homemade snack bar. In this case, a homemade Lara bar.

Lara Bars® is a registered trademark. The Gracious Pantry makes no claim to this name. It is used for reference only.

A side view of a stack of Cherry Pie Lara Bars sitting on a wood cutting board.

The real Lara Bars are regular packaged bars you can buy at the store, and they have all-natural and clean ingredients, which makes them a great option when you need something quick and easy. But having made these, I have to tell you two things:

  1. They are probably the most fabulous, wonderful, yummy things I’ve had in a very long time.
  2. I don’t see any reason for buying them when you can make something this good at home, and with such ease. These homemade larabars are seriously simple to make. Let me show you…

All you’ll need is a food processor and some plastic wrap. I should mention that while these are clean food, they are definitely a once-in-a-while treat. You’ll see what I mean if you read the nutrition info below.

Using Different Nuts

Softer nuts are your best bet. Nuts like cashews and walnuts are great options. You can certainly use harder nuts like almonds, but you’ll have to be sure you blend longer. You may want to do a combination of nuts if you want to use almonds just for the sake of the finished texture. But the choice is yours.

Using Different Fruits

You can use any dried fruit you like. Opt for dried fruits without added sugar. Some suggestions to try are:

  • Raisins
  • Dried apples
  • Dried apricots
  • Dried papaya

Dietary Adjustments

Vegan / Plant-Based – These are already naturally vegan and plant-based. No changes are necessary.

Paleo – This recipe is already paleo! No changes are needed.

Dairy-Free – This recipe is already dairy-free. No changes are needed.

Sugar-Free – This will depend on how you define sugar-free. If you only worry about added sugars or processed sugars, then this recipe is perfect as is. If you worry about total sugars, then you may want to skip this one. Dried fruits are very high in natural sugars.

Keto / Low-Carb – There is no way to make this keto or low carb. Sorry!

Gluten-Free – Nothing in this is wheat based. So the only thing you’d have to watch for is cross-contamination. Read packages to see what other foods they are processed with.

Grain-Free – These are naturally grain free.

Recipe Variations For Cherry Pie Lara Bars

  1. You can add chopped nuts to this for a crunchier bar. Peanuts are the only ones I would avoid here simply for the purpose of flavor.
  2. Dark chocolate chips could be stirred or “kneaded” into the dough.
  3. Lemon zest would give this some extra “zing”.

About The Ingredients

Dates – Pitted. Any kind will work, but Medjool dates tend to give you the best texture overall.

Dried cherries – No sugar added.

Pecans – Raw pecans work best.

Ground cinnamon – No sugar added.

Pinch of salt – This is optional. You would use only a tiny amount to help accentuate the sweetness in the fruits.

How To Make Cherry Pie Lara Bars

Cherry Pie Lara Bars Recipe ingredients laying gathered on a wood cutting board.

Gather all the needed ingredients.

Cherry Pie Lara Bars Recipe ingredients in a food processor tumbler.

Place all ingredients in the processor.

Blended Cherry Pie Lara Bars Recipe ingredients in a food processor tumbler.

Pulse and blend until all ingredients completely mix together.

A stack of Cherry Pie Lara Bars sit on a wood cutting board.

Shape the mixture into bars. This is easiest if you wrap the dough in plastic wrap so it doesn’t stick to your fingers. Once wrapped in plastic, press it into a cookie pan or small casserole dish. You can line it with parchment paper first, if you wish. Once the “dough” is pressed flat, place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours or until completely firm. Then cut into bars.

Storing Cherry Pie Lara Bars

These are best kept in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. They will last for 2-3 weeks. If you find them to be too hard straight from the freezer, you can let them come to room temperature sitting on your counter.

Freezing Cherry Pie LaraBars

Wrapt these well in plastic wrap or an airtight container and keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Recipe Supplies

Food processor sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)
Glass food storage containers sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)
Kirkland plastic wrap sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)

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A stack of Cherry Pie Lara Bars sit on a wood cutting board with nut pieces sprinkled around them.

Cherry Lara Bars Reccipe

A delicious, homemade version of these popular, store-bought bars.
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Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Freeze Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 10 minutes
Servings: 4 bars
Calories: 273kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Food processor

Ingredients

  • ½ cup dates (pitted)
  • ½ cup dried cherries (no sugar added)
  • 1 cup pecans
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Gather all the needed ingredients
    Cherry Pie Lara Bars Recipe ingredients laying gathered on a wood cutting board.
  • Place all ingredients in the processor.
    Cherry Pie Lara Bars Recipe ingredients in a food processor tumbler.
  • Pulse and blend until all ingredients completely mix together.
    Blended Cherry Pie Lara Bars Recipe ingredients in a food processor tumbler.
  • Shape the mixture into bars. This is easiest if you wrap the dough in plastic wrap so it doesn't stick to your fingers. Once wrapped in plastic, press it into a cookie pan or small casserole dish. You can line it with parchment paper first, if you wish. Once the "dough" is pressed flat, place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours or until completely firm. Then cut into bars.
    A stack of Cherry Pie Lara Bars sit on a wood cutting board.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25the recipe | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 552IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe is from the Gracious Pantry® archives and was originally posted on 4/11/10.

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35 Comments

  1. The only larabars I haven’t cared for are the cherry, I don’t like cherry pie either. Thanks for the recipe, I’m going to tweak it and maybe make the peanut or cashew cookie ones. The recipe is 2x the calories of the larabars, though. So maybe 8 bars instead of 4.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Sure! You can break the bars down into whatever size you choose (as many servings as you like)!

      I’ve heard from a lot of folks that they don’t like the cherry bars. You can certainly switch them out for whatever dried fruit you’d like. This recipe is very flexible!

      Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Chef Vanda says:

    Awesome…I bet the combination of ingredients could be endless ~_~ Love it Tiff thank you!! I do like Lara Bars as a raw food snack!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Chef – Yes, they are endless! And so very delicious too!

  3. Thanks for this! I like Lara bars, but I find them to be pretty expensive. I’d wondered if I could make them myself. Now I can!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Linda – Definitely! And there are so many different combinations too. Get creative!

  4. Chrystal Nelson says:

    Is there really 820 grams of fat per bar? Seems a little off…

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Chrystal – Oh gracious no!! That was a typo on my end. Sorry. It’s been fixed. Thanks for letting me know!

  5. I’m so happy that these are really easy to make! This would save me a lot of $$ as LARABARs are usually $2 apiece. You’re right that these are once-in-a-while treats, but I think the fat is natural from the nuts, so you’d be consuming good fats rather than bad (eg. trans) that you would usually find in a store-bought granola bar. Thanks for putting up this recipe! 🙂

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Zuzu – Yes, the fats are healthy fats. But it’s still a matter of finding balance in your diet. Even with good fats. Glad you enjoyed it!

  6. I live overseas and can’t get these bars anymore so I’ve tried many recipes. I’d about given up and then tried this recipe of yours. Oh my gosh! Their perfect! Both the consistancy and taste were what I’ve been looking for. Thanks so much for this recipe!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Sue – I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays!

  7. Love this! I can’t wait to make them. I have a question though. The recipe says it makes four bars, but the nutritional data says 1 bar or 1/2 of the recipe. Is it really 1/4 of the recipe or does the recipe make two bars with that nutritional count? Thanks!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Allisone – Ooops! My mistake! Let me go fix that now….

  8. Thank you! I was crossing my fingers that the numbers would go that way. 🙂

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Allisone – LOL. Glad I could help!

  9. Christine says:

    I tried making a quarter of the recipe today in my mini food processor – I didn’t have the proportions quite right but it was still totally delicious!! I can’t wait to make another one! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Christine – Fabulous! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!

  10. Tiffany, i made these today, with a few substitutions, since I’m allergic to nuts and can’t get unsweetened cherries where I am. I used 1/2c dates, 1/2c apricots, and 3/4c raw sunflower seeds. They were great! On my second batch, I added 1/4c unsweetened large flaked coconut and they were even better!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Janet – That sounds heavenly!!! I love that about Lara Bars. You can pretty much use anything and they will still turn out yummy. Enjoy!

  11. I love Lara Bars and so want to learn how to make my own. Thank you for this! I must try them!

    Winks & Smiles,
    Wifey

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Wifey – Fabulous! I’m sure you’ll love them. What I like about these are that they are a bit more chewy, which I prefer. Hope you like them too!

  12. I never heard of Lara Bars until I read your recipe. This sounds wonderful. Especially for the mini people who are still growing vertically (and rapidly). Lots of good nutrients in a yummy treat.

    1. Anonymous says:

      Jodi – Most definitely! This is a great snack for the those growing rapidly!

  13. Anonymous says:

    Laura – I no longer use protein powder. But yes, please let me know how it works out!

  14. Anonymous says:

    Jen – Yes, dried fruit is high in sugar. No way around it.

  15. graciouspantry says:

    Shana – I wouldn’t worry about it. As long as they stuck together and formed a bar, all you did was reduce the fat content! Haha!! Seems okay to me.

  16. graciouspantry says:

    Rvd – I get mine at Whole Foods. They are the store brand and are fruit juice sweetened.

  17. graciouspantry says:

    Some lara bars are clean, others are not. You have to read the ingredient list.

  18. Tricia M. says:

    Did you ever try it adding the protein? I am really curious how it turned out if you did!

    1. graciouspantry says:

      No, I haven’t. I kinda stopped using protein powder all together.

  19. Tricia M. says:

    I recently became obsessed with Cherry Pie Larabars so I am super excited to try this!

    1. graciouspantry says:

      Awesome! I hope you enjoy them!

  20. canadasun says:

    What is the best way to store these? One thing I like about Larabars is that I can toss one in my bag and eat it at work or after the gym when I am hungry. Best way to wrap or package homemade energy bars?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      canadasun – Parchment paper works great! 🙂