Homemade Honey Nut KIND Bars

This easy homemade KIND bar recipe is simple, delicious, and healthy. Make a batch today for a week of healthy snacks!

Say hello to your new favorite easy healthy snack recipe – these homemade honey nut KIND bars! Just like store bought KIND bars, these are made with whole nuts, seeds, and dried fruit that you can see. Packed with a variety of whole nuts and dried fruit, these bars are lightly sweetened and held together with honey. They’re a filling and delicious healthy homemade snack!

As a Registered Dietitian, I love making and sharing healthy snack ideas with you all. An ideal snack will have a combination of protein and fiber, and these homemade KIND bars have both! They’re also rich in heart healthy fats, so they really pack a nutrition punch.

This easy healthy snack recipe makes 10 bars. It’s gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and plant-based.

Ingredients in homemade honey nut KIND bars

Here is everything you need to make these homemade KIND bars:

• Raw unsalted nuts: You can use whatever nuts you enjoy most in these bars. I used a mixture of almonds, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts. I also mixed in some pumpkin seeds.
• Dried fruit: I used dried cherries for this recipe, but you can use dried cranberries, raisins, or chop up some dried apricot instead.
• Honey adds light sweetness and helps all the ingredients stick together. I don’t recommend substituting honey with maple syrup, because it is thinner and won’t have the same sticking power as honey.
• Cinnamon to add warm and comforting flavor.
• Salt enhances all the flavors in this recipe.

How to make homemade honey nut KIND bars

First, toast the raw nuts in the oven. Toasting the nuts greatly enhances their flavor and texture, so don’t skip this step!

Combine the toasted nuts with dried cherries, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour the honey over everything and mix thoroughly to coat all the nuts in the honey.

Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, and pour the nut mixture into the pan. Use a spatula or your clean hands to press the nuts down into the pan in an even layer. Be sure to press down very well so everything sticks together.

Bake the bars in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the honey starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely. You can stick the bars in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

Once completely cool, cut into 10 rectangular bars.

Tips for making + storing homemade KIND bars

• Measure the ingredients accurately. You want to measure the nuts, dried fruit, and honey precisely in this recipe. If you use too many nuts or dry mix ins, there won’t be enough honey to coat everything, and the ingredients won’t stick together.
• Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with parchment paper to easily remove the bars to slice them. Honey is of course a very sticky ingredient, so you don’t want the bars sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Store in the refrigerator. To keep the bars together, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator, especially in warmer temperatures. They should keep well in an airtight container for up to two weeks stored in the fridge.

Almonds nutrition benefits

Almonds are an incredibly nutritious food to include in your diet. One ounce of almonds contains:

• 3.5 grams of fiber
• 6 grams of plant-based protein
• 14 grams of fat
• An excellent source of magnesium, manganese, and Vitamin E

A majority of the fat in almonds comes from monounsaturated fat. This type of fat is considered a healthy fat, because it lower “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood, therefore lowering your risk for heart disease or stroke. Other food sources of monounsaturated fat include olive oil, olives, and avocado.

Peanuts nutrition benefits

Peanuts are technically a legume like beans, but they have a similar nutrient profile to nuts and seeds. Peanuts are a very healthy food to eat. One ounce of peanuts provides:

• 2.4 grams of fiber
• 7.3 grams of plant-based protein
• 14 grams 4 grams of fat
• An excellent source of niacin, vitamin E, copper, and manganese

Similar to almonds, a majority of the fat from peanuts comes from unsaturated fat – both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. And because peanuts are technically a legume, they have more protein than any other nut.

More healthy homemade snack recipes to try

• 6 Healthy Snack Ideas, Plus Smart Snacking Tips from a Registered Dietitian
• No Bake Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls
• No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
• No Bake Chocolate Chip Almond Oat Bars
• No Bake Birthday Cake Batter Balls

Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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