Homemade Kind Nut Bars

I am a snacker through and through, so I try to avoid packaged snacks as much as possible and make my own. After all, homemade is always best!

I’ve loved Costco Nut Bars and KIND bars for years, and one day I thought it would be fun to try making them at home.

Through trial and error, I created these Homemade KIND Nut Bars, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

These bars are crunchy and chewy, dipped in dark chocolate, and they include just a few simple ingredients.

The best part about making them yourself is that you’ll save money (KIND bars are a minimum of $2 apiece on sale), and you can customize them with your favorite nuts and add-ins. Not to mention that you control the quality of the ingredients as well!

This is a snack that’s right up there with my favorite no bake peanut butter bars and banana peanut butter oatmeal bars.

They’re wholesome, absolutely delicious and they double as a treat! 🙂

Why you’ll love this recipe

• If you love dark chocolate Kind bars, you’ll flip for these! Plus you get to customize them with your favorite nuts to make them your own.
• They’re irresistibly crunchy and chewy, and dipping them in dark chocolate is optional but highly recommended.
• They take just 10 minutes to prep and they bake up in 10-15 minutes.
• It’s much more cost effective to make homemade KIND bars, so you’ll save money!

Recipe ingredients

• Nuts. You’ll need 4 cups of nuts for this recipe, and any combination will do just fine. I recommend using raw whole nuts if possible as they toast in the oven as they bake. I used unsalted dry roasted peanuts that I purchased from the bulk bin in my supermarket. If desired, sub part of the nuts with puffed rice cereal, dried fruit or a combination of both.
• Sweeteners. I’ve used a combination of brown rice syrup and honey for the perfect flavor and sticky consistency that’s needed to bind the nut bars together.
• Coconut oil. A small amount is used to soften the chocolate for the perfect drizzling consistency.
• Dark chocolate chips. Sub with semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or omit entirely if you prefer not to dip the bars in chocolate. This recipe works perfectly with dairy-free chocolate chips.
• Sea salt. A few sprinkles of flaky sea salt enhances the flavors nicely.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

How to make homemade kind bars

I found out how easy it was to make homemade Kind bars one day when I grew tired of paying the high prices. They are $2.00 or more in some stores, and I do love controlling my ingredients as well!

With this recipe, I can customize my nut bars with my favorite nuts or add-in’s, and dip them in my favorite dark chocolate as well.

Dipping the nut bars in dark chocolate is totally optional but highly recommended. If you’re not a fan of dark chocolate, you can use semi-sweet or even milk chocolate.

Pro tip: Customize bars using any combination of nuts, or sub 1/2 cup of the nuts with puffed rice cereal.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

Prepare the bars

1. Combine the nuts in a large bowl.
2. Place the honey, brown rice syrup and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or until hot.
3. Pour the mixture over the nuts and stir well to coat.
4. Pour the nut mixture into the prepared baking sheet, and press down evenly using a wooden spoon, rubber scraper or parchment paper as the mixture is sticky.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly, checking for doneness after 10 minutes.Remove from heat and cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Cut into bars.

Dip the bars in dark chocolate

1. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl and heat at 50% power in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and repeat in 30 second increments, stirring well each time, until the chocolate has melted.
2. Dip the bars into the chocolate to submerge the bottom, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the top of the bars and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using.
4. Let stand at room temperature until set.

Recipe FAQs

Customization ideas

The sky is the limit on the number of ways that you can customize this nut bars recipe. Below are some ideas for inspiration:

• Use your favorite nuts or seeds. Pecans, peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts or pistachios are all great options. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are fabulous as well.
• Binder. Brown rice syrup, honey and maple syrup are nice options. They’re nice and sticky and help hold the bars together. Use one or a combination for a variety of flavor. A 1/4 cup of nut butter can also help bind the bars together as well.
• Add-ins. Consider swapping the nuts out with 1/2 cup or so of puffed rice cereal, dried fruit, unsweetened shredded coconut. You can also add a tablespoon or two of flax seed meal or chia seeds.
• Flavor enhancers. Add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract or ground cinnamon.
• Chocolate. Dark, semi-sweet, milk or even white chocolate are all great options.

Recipe notes

• Pro tip: Customize bars using any combination of nuts, or sub 1/2 cup of the nuts with puffed rice cereal.
• All oven temperatures vary, so begin checking for doneness after 10 minutes to ensure the bars aren’t getting too toasty around the edges.
• Dipping the bars in dark chocolate is optional but highly recommended!
• Store nut bars between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Refrigerate during warm weather to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t melt.

More snack recipes you’ll love

• Fruit on the bottom yogurt cups
• Peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies
• Peanut butter granola
• Roasted nuts