Homemade Kind Nut Bars are a delightful snack—crunchy, chewy, and satisfying. Dipping them in dark chocolate is optional but highly recommended for a richer treat. These bars come together in about 30 minutes and are easy to customize with your favorite nuts and add-ins.
I’ve always preferred homemade snacks to packaged options. After enjoying store-bought nut bars like KIND for years, I decided to recreate a similar bar at home. After some testing, this version became my go-to: a simple mix of nuts bound with sticky sweeteners, baked until golden and optionally finished with dark chocolate.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- These bars capture the same crunchy-chewy texture you expect from dark chocolate nut bars, and you can tailor them with any nuts or mix-ins you prefer.
- Dipping the bars in dark chocolate is optional but adds a decadent finishing touch.
- Quick to prepare: about 10 minutes to mix and press, 10–15 minutes to bake, plus cooling time.
- Making them at home is more economical than buying single-serve bars, and you control the ingredient quality.
Recipe ingredients
- Nuts (4 cups total). Any combination works: almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, cashews or pistachios. Raw whole nuts toast nicely in the oven; I used dry roasted unsalted peanuts from the bulk bin. You can replace up to 1/2 cup of nuts with puffed rice cereal, dried fruit, or shredded coconut if desired.
- Sweeteners. A blend of honey and brown rice syrup creates a sticky, flavorful binder that holds the bars together.
- Coconut oil. A tablespoon helps smooth the chocolate for dipping or drizzling.
- Dark chocolate chips. Use dark, semi-sweet, milk, or dairy-free chocolate according to preference; dipping is optional.
- Sea salt. Flaky sea salt on top brightens the flavor.
The ingredient list below includes exact quantities for a 16-bar yield.
How to make Homemade Kind Bars
These bars are straightforward to make: mix, press, bake, cool, then cut. Baking to toast the nuts gives the bars a crisp texture and deeper flavor. You can customize the nut combination and add-ins, and finish with chocolate if you like.
Pro tip: Substitute up to 1/2 cup of the nuts with puffed rice cereal for a lighter crunch.
Prepare the bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed quarter sheet pan or a 13×9″ baking dish with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment.
- Combine 4 cups of mixed nuts in a large bowl and toss.
- In a small bowl, heat 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup brown rice syrup and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until warm and pourable.
- Pour the warm syrup over the nuts and stir thoroughly to coat every piece.
- Transfer the nut mixture to the prepared pan and press it down firmly and evenly. Use a wooden spoon, rubber spatula or another sheet of parchment to press the sticky mixture flat.
- Bake for 10–15 minutes, checking at 10 minutes. The mixture should be golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
- When cool, cut into 16 bars using a sharp knife.
Dip the bars in dark chocolate
- Place 1 cup dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then continue in 30-second increments at 50% power, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth.
- Dip the bottom of each bar into the melted chocolate, then place bars on parchment to set. If desired, drizzle additional chocolate over the tops.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the chocolate while it is still wet. Let the chocolate set at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
The basic recipe uses a mix of nuts bound with honey and brown rice syrup. You can swap up to 1/2 cup of nuts for puffed rice cereal, dried fruit, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds or pepitas. Optional additions include chia seeds, flax meal, vanilla extract or ground cinnamon. Chocolate is optional; choose dark, semi-sweet, milk or dairy-free chips.
Sticky sweeteners like honey, brown rice syrup or maple syrup bind the nuts. This recipe combines honey and brown rice syrup for a balance of flavor and stickiness.
Baking toasts the nuts and helps the bars set firm and crisp, so it is recommended.
Pack the mixture firmly into the pan, use sticky sweeteners, and allow the bars to cool completely before cutting. Use a sharp knife and press straight down for clean edges.
Customization ideas
There are many ways to personalize these bars:
- Nuts & seeds: Try pecans, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- Binder: Brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup work well. Nut butter (about 1/4 cup) can also help bind the mixture.
- Add-ins: Puffed rice, dried fruit, unsweetened shredded coconut, chia or flax seeds.
- Flavor enhancers: Vanilla extract or ground cinnamon for a flavor boost.
- Chocolate options: Dark, semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate; or skip chocolate entirely.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Substitute up to 1/2 cup of the nuts with puffed rice cereal for a lighter texture.
- Oven temperatures vary—begin checking the bars after 10 minutes to avoid over-browning.
- Chocolate is optional, but it adds richness and texture contrast.
- Store bars between sheets of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Refrigerate in warm weather to prevent chocolate from softening.
More snack recipes you’ll love
- Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups
- Peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies
- Peanut butter granola
- Peanut butter protein balls
- Spicy maple rosemary roasted nuts
Did you try this recipe? If so, please leave a review below and tag @flavorthemoments on social media so I can see what you made.
Recipe at a glance
Yield: 16 bars • Prep: 15 mins • Cook: 15 mins • Inactive time: 1 hr • Total: 1 hr 30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw walnut pieces (or substitute additional almonds)
- 2 cups dry roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (for chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed quarter sheet pan or 13×9″ pan with parchment and lightly spray.
- Combine nuts in a medium bowl.
- Heat honey, brown rice syrup and salt in a small bowl until warm and pourable. Pour over nuts and stir to coat.
- Press mixture firmly into the prepared pan. Bake 10–15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cut into 16 bars.
- For chocolate coating: melt chocolate chips with coconut oil at 50% microwave power in short increments, stirring until smooth. Dip bottoms of bars, set on parchment, drizzle remaining chocolate on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let set at room temperature.
Nutrition (per bar, estimated)
Calories: 308 kcal • Carbohydrates: 22 g • Protein: 9 g • Fat: 23 g • Saturated Fat: 6 g • Fiber: 4 g • Sugar: 13 g • Sodium: 129 mg
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