We all love breakfast bars because they give us a quick boost of energy and they are delicious with nuts and dried fruits. However, the store-bought ones that are sold as “organic” and “healthy” are still full of preservatives used to increase their shelf life.

homemade kind breakfast bar recipe photographed from the top view after it is sliced.

Making my homemade version of healthy nut bars at home is easy. You can make them in less than 20 minutes. And as long as they are individually wrapped in wax (or parchment) paper in an airtight container, they keep fresh for 5 to 6 days.

The best part of it is that you can use whatever nuts and dried fruit you have at home.

Homemade Kind Bars stacked on top of each other and photographed from the front view

What is a kind bar?

Kind Bars are a brand of breakfast bars that are mostly sold in supermarkets and coffee shops. Made up of nuts, dried fruits, sugar, and other various granola ingredients, they are considered as one of the most popular snacks in the US.

As their popularity increased, they extended their arsenal and added different types of KIND bars, ranging from crunchy breakfast bars to nut butter protein bars.

My version here, the following homemade KIND bar copycat recipe, follows a similar set of ingredients and combines cereal, nuts and dried fruit for a chewy granola bar.

Are Kind bars vegan friendly?

Yes, they are. KIND granola bars contain wholesome, familiar ingredients like nuts, dark chocolate and spices.

healthy nut bars placed on a plate

The formula – How to make Homemade Kind Bars

This quick and easy recipe for homemade KIND bars gives you a formula as simple as mixing together your nuts, fruit and other dry ingredients, heating up the brown rice syrup adhesive that will bind the bars together, and finally letting them cool.

Below is my step by step guide to making them at home with substitutions to some of the ingredients used in the recipe so that you can easily create your own version.

Step 1: Line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil (you can use parchment paper as well), leaving a couple inches overhanging the sides. You can see a visual of this in the how to video below.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients below in a large bowl. Below, you will find the ingredients I used along with a few suggestions and tips to help you create your own version.

  • 1 ½ cups puff cereal – You can use brown rice cereal (Nature’s Path is my favorite brand (affiliate link)), kamut puffs, or rice puffs would also work.
  • 1 ½ cups nuts (preferably unsalted) I used a combination of walnuts, almonds, and pistachios, but any unsalted nuts you have would work. Cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, etc. would all deliver delicious nut bars.
  • 1 cup dried fruit (no sugar added) I opted for dried apricots, mulberries, and figs, but any combination of dried fruit would work here. Feel free to play with seasonal dried fruits like dried apples and cranberries in the fall and dried cherries and berries in the summer.
  • ½ cup shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)This is an optional, but I think it gives a great chewy texture to the granola bar.
  • 1 tablespoons chia seeds – It is no secret that chia seeds are full of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins. While I recommend adding them to your granola mixture, if you do not have any at home, you can omit from the recipe.
Healthy nut bars covered in chocolate photographed close up from the front view

Step 3: Prep the liquid mixture – Whisk all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Stirring constantly, heat it over medium heat for 2 minutes. It should be a very smooth mixture.

  • ½ cup brown rice syrup: Brown rice syrup is a natural sweetener that has a similar consistency to corn syrup. It is less sweet than sugar and can be used as a substitute when baking or cooking. Most commercial granola bars use brown rice syrup instead of sugar. You can find it at a health food store or online (Lundberg is my favorite brand) – affiliate link
  • ¼ cup unsalted nut butter: In the kind bar recipe below I used almond butter, but you can also use peanut butter. To keep it healthy, I always use butters with no sugar, salt, or preservatives.
  • 2 tablespoons natural sugar (optional): I try not to add in extra sugar, but if your dried fruit is not enough, you can use additional sugar. If you decide to add sugar, I would recommend natural sugars liked date, maple or coconut sugars.
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt: Salt really enhances the sweet and earthy flavors of the nuts and fruit so do not skip it. I am a big fan of sea salt and that is what I used in this recipe.

Step 4: Pour the hot mixture over the nuts and fruits mixture. Stir it until all nuts and fruits are coated with the liquid mixture.

Step 5: Transfer everything to the lined baking pan. Spread the nut mixture out evenly, flattening it with the bottom of a ramekin or back of a spatula. It will be sticky, but you do want to make it as compact as possible so that it will be nice and thick.

Step 6: Place it in the fridge for 2 hours or preferably overnight. Once cooled, use the overhanging foil to lift the block of granola out of the pan. Place it on a cutting board and cut it into bars.

What is the best way to store these Kind energy bars? Can I freeze them?

Once they are fully cooled, I usually slice them into 6 or 9 equal pieces and then wrap them individually with parchment paper (wax paper would also work). Then I place them in an airtight container (Ziploc or a container with a tight lid) to make sure that they have a longer shelf life.

Yes, you can keep them in the freezer. Since these copycat KIND bars are mostly made from nuts, they don’t freeze rock hard. As long as they are wrapped individually (like I did in the video) and kept in an airtight container, they would be good for up to 2 months in the freezer.

And the best part is that there’s no need to thaw them (or wait for them to come to room temperature) before eating, just grab and go. I hope you agree that making them at home is much more convenient and budget-friendly than spending $4 on a KIND energy bar at the coffee shop.

Homemade Kind Bars served with milk

Can I substitute brown rice syrup with honey?

While honey can be a great substitute for other sweeteners, honey in this recipe will be much too sweet and will not bind the ingredients as strongly as brown rice syrup. The same goes for maple syrup and agave.

A Few helpful tips for the best healthy homemade kind bars

  • Can I make this without using any sugar? Absolutely. I personally find that the sugar amount that the dried fruits provide is more than enough. If you feel the same way, want to make homemade KIND bars with low sugar content, simply omit the 2 tablespoons of natural sugar used in the recipe.
  • Want your KIND Bars to be thinner? Simply, use a larger pan to make a greater quantity of less thick bars.
  • Can I drizzle them with chocolate? You sure can. To do so, melt your favorite chocolate in the microwave for 45 seconds or until it is fully melted and then drizzle your kind bars with it.
  • How Many Calories in a KIND Bar? These bars are 359 calories and only have 9 grams of sugar. They contain healthy fats from nuts and 6 grams of protein. See the printable homemade bar recipe at the bottom of the page for the full KIND breakfast bar nutrition information.
homemade kind bars half drizzled with chocolate photographed from the top view.

The combinations for this DIY KIND bar recipe are endless. Use whatever nuts and fruit you have in the house to experiment with your favorite flavors and make the best KIND bars.

Other Healthy Breakfast Options You Might Like


Homemade Kind Breakfast Bar Recipe

5 from 9 votes
Yields8 bars
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Have you ever wanted to make your own version of “Kind” bar in your very own kitchen?
This post gives you the formula to create VEGAN Homemade “Kind” Breakfast Bars. Be as creative as you want and/or make it with whatever you have on hand.

Ingredients 

For The Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups rice puff cereal
  • 1/2 cup unsalted almonds
  • 1/2 cup unsalted walnuts
  • 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios
  • 1/3 cup dried figs, chopped
  • 1/3 cup dried mulberries, chopped
  • 1/3 cup dried apricot, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

For The Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsalted almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar – Optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions 

  • Line an 8X8-baking pan with parchment paper leaving a couple inches overhanging on the sides.
  • Mix puff cereal, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, figs, mulberries, apricots, chia seeds, and coconut flakes in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Whisk brown rice syrup, almond butter, and sugar (if using) in a small saucepan. Stirring constantly, heat it over medium heat until they are all fully combined and melted, a minute or two. It should be a very smooth mixture.
  • Pour the hot mixture over the nuts and fruits mixture. Stir until all nuts and fruits are coated with the liquid mixture.
  • Transfer them into the lined pan. Spread them evenly. Using the back of a ramekin (or back of a spatula or spoon) press to make it compact.
  • Place it in the fridge for 2 hours, or preferably, overnight.
  • Using the overhanging parchment paper, take the block of granola out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Cut it into smaller pieces.
  • Individually wrap them in wax or parchment paper and keep them in an airtight container.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @foolproofliving or tag #foolproofeats!

This post was originally published in December of 2013, but updated with new photos, a how-to video, and more helpful information to help you as you make your own healthy homemade breakfast bars.

About Aysegul Sanford

Hello Friend! I'm Aysegul but you can call me “Ice." I’m the cook/recipe-tester/photographer behind this site.

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37 Comments

  1. I am working with my kid on losing weight and finding/making healthy snacks for him as good alternatives. What would you consider to be the standard size for each bar for me to cut up once finished in the pan? Do you know about how many calories this yields?

    1. Hi Jon,

      I would cut the 8X8 bar into 9 pieces and would call each piece standard size.
      Unfortunately, I do not know the calories. And, I don’t know if calorie counting softwares lead people in the right direction all the time. Especially because I don’t have a way of knowing if it is accurate or not, because I am not educated as a nutritionist.
      With that being said, this is a healthy-ier snack than any other store-bought bar as you know what you are putting in it. Basically, no additives, preservatives, or things that are hard to pronounce.

      If you are looking for a healthy snack, may I offer you a couple of other recipes?

      Fully-Loaded Breakfast Bars – These bars are full of nutritious ingredients like chia seeds, ground oats, applesauce, and pumpkin seeds. Instead of using butter, you use white beans. And surprisingly, they are delicious. Perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
      Cheesy Oven-Roasted Kale Chips – I serve these instead of pop-corn. After flavored with a quick tahini sauce and baked in the oven, these are simply delicious. Not to mention, they are addictive.
      Vegan Cocoa Truffles– These truffles are made with dates, apricots, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and coconut. They are all high in calories but those are good calories. As long as you eat them in small amounts.

      These are just a couple of recipes that you can use for snacking. Let me know if you have any questions or if there is any other way I can help you.

      Thanks for stopping by!
      Best,

      Aysegul

  2. This has become a family favorite for a quick energy snack!! A HUGE hit! Do you have a breakdown of the nutritional info?

  3. 5 stars
    Made these a couple of weeks ago – chocolate cherry. Am whipping up a batch of cranberry-orange walnut today – going to try using walnut butter. The only thing I like to do is put it in a slightly larger pan (9×7 or 9×9) – that way I get a couple more and they’re not SO thick! This has become a “go-to” recipe in my house!

  4. 5 stars
    I followed the measurements exactly. The only thing I changed was that I used agave syrup instead of brown rice syrup. I couldnt find the brown rice syrup. I kept the measurents the same. They ended up not sticking together. I cant cut them into bars because they fall apart. They are still very good, just not able to have them “on the go”.
    Im thinking it may have been the agave and am planning on using honey next time.

    1. Hi Ellen,
      Brown rice syrup is much denser and stickier than agave. That could be the reason why it turned out different than what you expected.
      I am not sure where you live but most health stores do sell brown rice syrup.
      Honey is a good option too but you may still not the get the same results. Though, I have never tried this, I wonder how would it be if you were to cook the liquid mixture made with honey a little longer to reduce it and make it a little more denser?
      Does it make sense?

      1. None of the other liquid sweeteners, to my knowledge, will allow them to ‘stick’ together as well. It has something to do with the chemical properties of BRS which allows it to reach the ‘candy’ stage in heating and become hard when cooled, like sugar does. None of the other sweeteners do that. However, you could probably cut down the quantity a bit and sub with some of the others (honey, syrup, etc.) and still have it firm up well. Also, heating either honey or syrup to boiling, especially for so long, might be killing any of the beneficial aspects of those alternatives, but I don’t know that for sure. 🙂

  5. I made a batch of these tonight but they didnt turn out right. They are very gooey, not able to be cut into bars. Any thoughts on what may have gone wrong? The have been in the fridge for 3 hours now.

    1. Hi Ellen,
      I am sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out right.
      The only thing that I can think of that would make it too gooey is the ratio of the nuts, dried fruits, and puff cereal to the liquid ingredients.
      Did you use the exact amounts listed in the recipe?
      I need to know more about the end product to be able to tell you what may have gone wrong.
      Let me know. – Thanks.
      Ice

  6. Hi! Thanks for the base to many exciting ventures with bars! Just popped a batch in the fridge, made with honey as I couldn’t find brown rice syrup in time, pb2 & puffed millet. Suggestion: I toasted my millet a few minutes & it is now a crunchy pop in your mouth. Unfortunately I only thought to do this after I made the batch. I’m sure toasting any puff cereal will prove nice 🙂 thanks again!

    1. Hi Naomi,

      What a great idea to toast puff cereal!!! I never thought of that.. Thanks for sharing.
      Good to know that it works with honey as well. Especially, for those who can’t find brown rice syrup.
      I am so happy to hear that you liked it.
      Like you said, the possibilities and combinations are endless.

      Thanks for stopping by..

      Cheers!
      Ice

  7. Looks good! I was wondering if you have any suggestions for substitutes for the brown rice syrup? My small town doesn’t sell any. Would agave or honey work?

    1. Hi Roxanne,

      Thank you. I have never tried it with honey but I would give it a try. It may slightly be sweeter but it would not be bad. You can adjust the sweetness with adding less amount of dried fruit.

      Let me know how it turns out.

      Thanks again for stopping by..
      Cheers – Ice