Homemade Kind Nut Bars
KIND Nut Bars are such a delicious and healthy snack but can be a tad on the pricey side. Let me show you how to easily make your own for a fraction of the price!
If you love nuts like I do, then chances are you too have a little soft spot for KIND Nut Bars. I mean, they ARE so crazy sticky and sweet and salty and crunchy and deeeeeelicious! And pretty good for you, too!
I always thought that they would be just as complicated as they are good to replicate at home. Boy was I wrong. They are in fact totally easy, and surprisingly quick, to make! The only somewhat tricky part would reside in the fact that they are extremely sticky to handle! But, simply make sure that you keep everything they touch lightly greased or oiled and you’ll have no trouble at all!
Me, I like to brush everything with a little bit of coconut oil! Not only does it solve the “sticky” problem, but it also adds subtle hints of coconut to the final product!
Seriously, I think that once you’ve tried your hand at making a batch of these, you’ll never again spend so much money on the store-bought stuff!
And you’ll probably want to try your hand at making all kinds of substitutions and nut flavor combinations, too!
I know I do!
Your first course of action should be to grease and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on both the long sides for easier removal of the bars, then lightly brush the top of the parchment paper with a little bit of oil or fat of your choice (like I said before, I like to use coconut oil for that). Also lightly brush a second sheet of parchment paper of approximately the same size as your pan and set that aside.
Then, preheat your oven to 350°F and spread the almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts onto a large baking sheet; bake the nuts for 7 to 8 minutes, until lightly toasted and fragrant.
If you didn’t like this particular nut combination, you could very well change things up and use pretty much any combination of nuts that you like, so long as you keep the same kinds of ratios. Maybe use cashews instead of peanuts, Brazil nuts instead of macadamia, walnuts instead of hazelnuts, for example…
Once toasted, transfer the nuts to a large mixing bowl and add the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, buckwheat groats and sesame seeds. Set aside.
Here again, you could make all kinds of substitutions… Perhaps you prefer to use puffed millet instead of buckwheat groats, or chia seeds instead of sesame seeds. Try shredded coconut instead of pumpkin seeds, or even replace a handful of those seeds by a handful of raisins, or dried cranberries, why not?
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the honey, maple syrup and salt and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until the syrup reaches 260°F (hard ball stage) on a candy thermometer.
I’d like to tell you that it’s not so important to use a candy thermometer here, but unfortunately, it’s the only way to insure that the syrup reaches the exact right temperature needed to hold the nuts together and turn them into the sticky deliciousness that they are about to become. So yeah, definitely important, if not imperative to use one!
As soon as your syrup has reached the right temperature, stir in the vanilla and immediately pour the syrup over the reserved nuts and promptly stir until well distributed and evenly coated.
It’s important that you work fairly quickly, so the nut mixture doesn’t have time to set and harden before you’ve even had the chance to spread it…
So, quickly transfer the sticky mixture to the prepared pan…
Spread the mixture evenly throughout the pan with a rubber spatula.
If you find that your spatula tends to stick a little bit too much to your liking, you can slightly wet it, or brush it with a little bit of that fat you’ve been using…
Cover the nuts with the reserved greased sheet of parchment paper (that would be greased side down) and, with the help of a flat object such as flat bottomed drinking glass, press the mixture firmly to close in all the holes and compact those nuts really nice and good.
Now let the bars cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes (they should still be slightly warm and pliable at that point)…
…then carefully lift them out of the pan by pulling gently on the parchment paper and place them on a cutting board.
Cut into 20 bars; the best way to go about doing that is to use a good, sharp chef knife and to push it right down into the bars. Don’t use a sawing motion.
Allow the finished bars to cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. To avoid sticking, either place a piece of parchment paper between bars, or wrap them individually in plastic film.
Store your nut bars at room temperature in a cool dry place for soft, sticky bars; they will keep for up to a few weeks.
If you prefer your bars to have a brittle, candy-like texture, keep them in the refrigerator where they will keep for longer, too!
Well, that’s if you have good self-control…
Homemade KIND Nut Bar
Ingredients
The nut mix
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw peanuts
- 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
- 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup buckwheat groats
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
The syrup
- 1/2 cup unpasteurized honey
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on both the long sides, then lightly brush the top of the parchment paper with a little bit of oil or fat of your choice (I like to use coconut oil). Also lightly brush a second sheet of parchment paper of approximately the same size as your pan and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F; spread the almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts onto a large baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes, until lightly toasted and fragrant.
- Once toasted, transfer the nuts to a large mixing bowl and add the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, buckwheat groats and sesame seeds. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the honey, maple syrup and salt and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until the syrup reaches 260°F (hard ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Stir in vanilla extract and immediately pour the hot syrup over the reserved nuts and promptly stir until well distributed and evenly coated.
- Quickly transfer the sticky mixture to the prepared pan and spread evenly throughout the pan with a rubber spatula; cover with the greased sheet of parchment paper (greased side down) and, with the help of a flat object such as flat bottomed drinking glass, press the mixture firmly to close in all the holes and compact the nuts really well.
- Let the bars cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes (they should still be slighly warm and pliable at this point), then carefully lift them out of the pan by pulling gently on the parchment paper; cut into 20 bars.
- Allow to cool completely, then transfer to airtight container. To avoid sticking, either place a piece of parchment paper between bars, or wrap individually in plastic film.
- Store at room temperature in a cool dry place for soft, sticky bars. They will keep for up to a few weeks.
- If you prefer a brittle, candy-like texture, keep the bars in the refrigerator (where they will keep for longer, too!)
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!
103 Comments on “Homemade Kind Nut Bars”
Can you replace the honey with something more keto friendly? Like lakanto syrup.
nice post thanks
wow really amazing i love it and that is too much easy as i think but really amazing
I am looking for the recipe that was posted about a year ago. It wa a seed bar. Not the kind bar. I know there was peanut butter in it. I’ve purchased something similar at a health food store and it was called a birdie bar. I recently purchased your cookbook hoping to see the recipe there. Love your cookbook!!!!
Thank you Jenny!
Is this the recipe you’re looking for? It’s the only one I can think of… https://thehealthyfoodie.com/trail-mix-granola-bars/
Look so delicious! I must try this next weekend for my family. Thank you!
These are so delicious
and really easy to make. Great recipe!
Glad to hear you liked ’em, Ildi. Thanks for letting me know and for the 5 star review! 🙂
Love this recipe! Just wondering if we can use all maple syrup or all honey instead of both? Just for times when I don’t happen to have both on hand! 🙂
I used all Maple syrup but only 1 cup, it was wonderful.
Hi! Can I substitute maple syrup with something else? Thanks!
I just found this recipe today, looks totally yummy and can’t wait to try it! Have you tried substituting agave for either the maple syrup, honey or both?
Unfortunately, I haven’t… I’m not really a fan of agave, so I haven’t really experienced with it at all.
Thank you for the recipe, It’s great.
I’ll try it again with a little bit less honey, something like 1/3 lb.
Thanks for this recipe, looks delish & I can’t wait to try it!
Just made these today. They were easy to make and taste lovely. I added some coconut to mine. I have stored some in the fridge to harden a bit more as, when testing, they were a little sticky.
As Per Ayurved & Traditional wisdom one should never heat Honey. It becomes Toxic in Nature. You can research it
Rest of the recipe looks good
This isn’t actually true. You can cook and bake with honey. Heating it doesn’t make it toxic. How do you think they’ve been making mead for hundreds of years?
Made these twice. Flavour is fab.
BUT I find them a little loose and sticky. Have put a thin layer of dark choc on them to help hold them together.
Honey+ definitely reaches hard ball stage.
Any suggestions how to harden them up please.
Have you tried keeping them in the fridge?
Oh my! I have just made these and they are soo good! Drizzled chocolate over the cooling bars at the request of the kids. Endless possible combinations. Highly recommend. Definitely use a candy thermometer otherwise you might end up with a gooey miss! Thank you for sharing this.
Real happy to hear, Rachel! Thanks a bunch for the awesome feedback!
Hi made these yesterday Fairly easy to follow but make but the bars are still sticky and not holding together. I didn’t have a thermometer to measure the honey mixture and just waited till it boiled over thinking it was hot enough to pour. I’ve managed to cut them into bars and individually wrap but they barely holding together. What can I do now to help them harden or is it too late? Thanks!
Used the candy thermometer…260 degrees… didn’t set. Urrrrgh!
Real sorry to hear, Sarah. Have you checked your thermometer for accuracy?
I made them yesterday. I’m disappointed because even though the flavour is awesome, the consistency is goey.
I used a candy thermometer (I calibrated it and tested accuracy before using it for the recipe).
I stored the bars overnight in the fridge and they’re still sticky.
I’m not sure if the problem is that I used monkfruit maple syrup instead of regular maple syrup. The consistency of both is basically the same but monkfruit is healthier.
Monkfruit does not have the same caramelization properties as sugar, which is why you need real maple syrup unfortunately.
Im going to give this recipe a try, it truly looks like it’s going to be a very delicious nut bar recipe.
Vantastic nut bars. i also made a batch with a thin layer of dark chocolate poured over it. So delicious
Thank you, came out great. Vanilla in ingredients but absent from instructions.
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out, Ian. All fixed now! 🙂
Hi , your recipe seems quite healthy . Can I make it sugar free , if yes so what should I use instead of honey and maple syrup . Thank you.
Unfortunately, you need the sweet syrups to get the nuts to stick together… so it’s not possible to leave them out!
Very delicious & easy making bars ..My hubby & kids loved them. I bake them on 350 foreign height for 15 minutes, it helps sticks them together ..
Thanks for the great feedback, and for the tip, too!
did you bake them after you poured the honey on them?
Made these fantastic bars bout 6 months ago. Loads more times since. But just made 60 bars for my work colleagues as we are on cash tills at supermarket serving 1,000s of customers. Try you won’t be disappointed.
How very kind of you, Gillian! And thank you so much for the awesome feedback, I totally and sincerely appreciate it! 🙂
Very good bars. Multiple use for the bars. I usually take on a bike ride to sustain my energy. I’ve added chocolate chips which I melt on top after. One thing I’ve done while making them is keep all the nut mix in a warm bowl over a double boiler. This way when you add the maple syrup and honey mixture it stays softer longer to allow mixing and spreading. Otherwise everything would stick to my bowl and spatula and it was stressful to pour into a cookie sheet.
I made these with the nuts, seeds, coconut, cocoa chips and goji berry’s It was so easy but i agree you really do need the temperature gage i would have pulled it off way to early otherwise. I had one so it worked well, all my Nuts were pieces so end result was a bit crumbly but stays together with the sticky honey mix and even better in the fridge. Its very yummy even hubby likes it. Thanks
Thank you for the awesome feedback and 5 star review, Kathryn. I greatly appreciate it!
I would like to try the recipe but I don’t know how long to bake it for
I’m not sure I understand your question, Melissa?
You don’t bake the bars. You roast the nuts (for flavor). Boil the syrup.
Sounds like a great recipe, going to try it asap. As i can’t find any in the supermarket with no chocolate. Which I am allergic to. Thanks for this recipe
Thank you for the delicious and easy recipe, I made it twice so far, my husband and kids loved it. I used different nuts and dried fruits but kept the ratio the same. I also used roasted rolled oats instead of the buckwheat.
Do you think i can use all honey instead of honey+maple syrup? Maple syrup is quite pricey where i live and not that common ingredient.
I’m not sure, to be honest… my guess is the bars would remain soft and gooey if you were to use only honey. It’s worth a try, though, as the bars would still be edible, that’s for sure!
Do you have to use unpasteurized honey?
Mine never “set”. They are just nuts with sweetness. I wanted them to eat after a workout, but they stick to everything. I did use a thermometer.
Did you check your thermometer for accuracy?
Easy and delicious but was way toooooo sweet. Turned it into an unhealthy snack. Will try again with half the syrup (although that will still be excessive for a healthy bar)
I am wondering about using oat groats instead of buckwheat groats since that is what I have in my stash. What do you think and should I soak them first to soften them or would that mess up the whole recipe?
I made my version of these wonderful Nut Bars. Earlier though when I contemplated making these, I asked you about using oat groats instead. I then remembered a comment saying they used oatmeal. So that helped me decide on the oatmeal vs oatmeal groats (thank you). Then since I didn’t have almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, or groats I switched it up using 1 c. walnuts, 1 c. cashews, 1/4 c. quinoa, 1/4 c. raw peanuts, 1/4 c. cranberries, and 1/4 c. oatmeal. I also added the macadamia nuts, sunflower seed, and sesame seed. I chopped the nuts in to smaller chunks to make it easier to chew and press together. My syrup was made using raw local honey and locally made maple syrup from my son (syrup very blonde in color). You really do have to be prepared to work fast. It was a hustle yet they turned out so good. We have store bought bars here at home, but knowing they may have ingredients I’m not able to pronounce I more often choose not to eat them. These Nut Bars are definitely more healthy and will give me piece of mind when I need a boost or snack. Thank you for sharing. Also thanks to the comment section.
Oh my goodness. They are even better than yesterday. I am really happy I chose to pop the nuts in the food processor for a quick chop. The texture is perfect, and using a hard roller on them worked great. Actually they were hardening so fast I grabbed my quart Kerr jar of quinoa to roll them tight and smooth. They did not turn out sticky either.
Awesome! I’m really super happy to read this, Debra! Thanks much for taking the time to share your experience and for the stellar feedback! 🙂
Not sure what I did wrong but mixture was quite gooey an did not set well. Otherwise delicious. I didn’t and buckwheat groats as could get any.
Did you replace the buckwheat groats with anything?
Hey I made basically this recipe since it was the closest one to what I had for ingredients. I did use only maple syrup since I do have a good instant thermometer and can track the water content of the syrup.
I went for a “soft ball” level of hardness. This kept my bars pliable and not too tooth threatening. I’m not an expert in making candy so I think I crystalized the syrup too soon or something. Still really tasty. I would love to toss some sea salt into the ziplock bag of it to balance out the mapleyness.
I used raw almonds, cocoa covered almonds, dried cranberries, raw pumpkin seed and unroasted unsalted sunflower seeds. Maybe 2 cups of the almond, almond, craisin mix, 1 cup that I tossed into my mini food processor to chop, then a half a cup of pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
The ratios really don’t matter I’m guessing. They are all probably delicious.
I would like to find out how to not use so much syrup.
This recipe is excellent, delicious and held together beautifully. For those having a problem, I agree, test your thermometer.
Excellent explanation!
Hiya! Might be a bit of a silly question but is it 198kcal per bar or the whole recipe?
Thanks!
That would be per bar…
Brill!! Thank you!!
These worked perfectly. They are better than the ones I was buying and are a lot more economical. I am looking forward to experimenting a bit by adding puffed rice and popcorn to make them a little lighter – I cut the bars too big!
I’ve tried a few recipes but this by far is my favorite and its so simple to make.
I’m now using this as my basic recipe where I can change up the flavor or nut combos…so good.
Could I replace the maple syrup with date syrup? It’s impossible to get here in India not to mention pricey if at all. Kind bars are impossible to get here too and your recipe looks amazing. Just can’t decide about the syrup, think I’ll go ahead and try anyway. Thanks for posting!
I can’t really say without having tried it first, and I’ve never worked with date syrup, so I’m afraid I can’t be of any help. Please let me know how it turned out if you end up trying it! 🙂
Hi! What can I use as a substitute for maple syrup?
You could probably make some kind of simple syrup using light brown sugar and water…
I can’t wait to try this recipe. It’s so clear and easy to follow and all the ingredients make my mouth water. Thank you!
I done them today and they are set perfectly and tasty so yammy 🤗 I added dark chocolate on the bottom
As well
Thank you, I made mine with only maple syrup. it was very successful.
Many thanks for this foodie recepie. Good step by step instructions and the results are very yummy:-) Regards, Carlos.
Hi,
The bars I made didn’t set and crumbled.
Thank you
Very nice recipe.just a suggestion, instead of honey you can use jaggery ….the reason being…according to Ayurveda , honey should never be heated or boiled, but can be poured over or mixed in already hot ingredients.
I made this with walnuts, almonds, pecans and craisins. It was SO delishious, and was very satisfying as a trail snack.
I make these three times a month. Most loved in our house.
these are too sticky even after cooling in refrigerator. definitely took the syrup to hardball. disappointing.
Amazing ! The syrup is fabulous . Replaced different nuts with what I had on hand , kept my pumpkin seeds roasted with the shell added some raisins as well.
Hi there, these are delicious, how can i make them hard and stick together, they are falling apart when I lift them
CAN YOU substitute something for the buckwheat grouts?
It turned out perfect 👌
Thank you for the recipe 🌸
These turned out perfect!
Delicious! Used some pistachios and cashews as well as the listed ingredients. Really tasty and easy. Next time I’ll have my greased rubber spatula and greased parchment ready. I was kind of scrambling once my syrup came to temp but that was my fault. Will def make again. Nice having fairly healthy snacks available and ready to grab
literally the best thing I’ve ever made! it’s a little tricky getting to the hard-ball stage with the syrup if you don’t have a thermometer, but I just use cold water and it worked pretty well. I substituted pecans for the hazelnuts, chia seeds for the sesame, added a bit of coconut because coconut is delicious, and melted some dark chocolate for the top. Unfortunately I was unable to temper the chocolate so I have been storing them in the fridge, but honestly this is still one of the best recipes I have ever made. I’ve already sent the recipe to my friends…
Loved these. Added dried cherries. Husband agreed these were better than the original.
These taste good. A bit too much syrup than I prefer. I think it will help to lessen the syrup or simply adding more nuts/dry ingredients and heating to reach soft crack stage instead of just hard ball. I going to try that next and add my nuts right into the cooking pan so it doesn’t cool too fast and make it unworkable. Get the nuts good and well coated, then transfer to a baking dish. My next trial run will make 3 batches of dry ingredients, but only make 2 batches of syrup and boil to soft crack stage instead. And I will use slightly salted nuts….it needs more of a salted nut bar flavor.
Hi Sonia, Finally! a lady whom knows what she’s talking about! What a Brilliant moreish nut bar recipe, and looks very impressive, love it. Followed the instructions exactly as instructed & came out perfect. I have been looking for a failproof recipe where I can include some of the nuts that don’t taste good when eaten raw i.e. brazil nuts & walnuts & when added to this mix, they taste awesome. I will be sure to check out all your other recipes. Thank you Sonia.
I made these yesterday. Like many of the other people who commented, the flavor was delicious but despite the syrup reaching 160 degrees, these bars did not hold together and were a sticky mess. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I baked them for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. OMG! Awesome result!
The recipe was easy to make but short on ingredients. My pan was 3/4 full. It took a long time to reach hard ball stage, but it finally got there. Next time I’ll add more nuts and less sesame seeds. It made yummy 10 bars.
Great recipe and they taste so good. I use a bag of Wild Roots Costal Berry trail mix from Costco for one batch & diced dried pineapple & macadamia nuts from Sprout’s for the second batch. They came out perfect. Thank you Sonia, I love this recipe♥️
Love it I add more nuts and make more syrup 3/4 honey and 1/2 maple syrup
Mine didn’t set
I followed all the steps
I still ate it and it was delicious
Just disappointing it didn’t set
I used a slightly different combo of nuts and seeds (omitting the groats), coarsely chopped the nuts, and added 2T of almond flour to help bind the mix. I also added zest from one lemon and 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots (rolled in the almond flour to keep from being sticky). I made sure to keep the dry and wet volume the same though, and didn’t change the syrup recipe at all – and these came out GREAT. I only had a 9×9 pan, and that was actually perfect – rendered slightly thicker bars, but not noticeably. I was worried about the bars falling apart or being too crispy, but the texture and consistency were perfect. The three keys were definitely using a candy thermometer to be sure they syrup reached (and didn’t exceed) hard ball stage, working quickly to combine the honey mixture with the nuts, and making sure it was all packed well into the pan.
All in all, this is a great recipe, with lots of room for variation as long as you keep the wet and dry volumes the same. I will be using it as a base for my nut bars from now on!
Made these today. They are wonderful. I did put 85% dark chocolate on the bottom to hold together better. They won’t last long.
It turned out horrible…. I followed the exact recipe
Thank you for a superb recipe, a winner with all who tried it
Looks amazing. I would prefer to use much less sugar, perhaps a quarter cup. Any thoughts on an ingredient to help with binding? Egg? Would some water work? I want to make sure the syrup fills the pan so the top of the bars don’t fall apart. Thanks!
Unfortunately, you need the sugar syrups to get the nuts to stick together… so it’s not possible to cut back or leave them out!
You americans take so long to get to the point! Stop yapping and get on with it!
I made these before and they were delicious. I’m going to make again but i made a mistake of buying oat groats instead of buckwheat groats. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but how would it change the flavor do you think?
I’m afraid that the oat groats will be way too hard to be consumed raw… before you throw them in your recipe, try chewing on a few to get a feel of their texture and see if you like it. Flavorwise, they are super neutral, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
Thank you for this great recipe. I have made it twice in just over a week! I added sour cherries and cranberries and a few raw walnuts. I couldn’t wait for the bars to cool!