Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe - Practical Stewardship (2024)

Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe

Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe - Practical Stewardship (1)

Have you ever tried a KIND Bar? They are so tasty and hit the spot, but the bars are really pricey. They typically are well over a $1 per bar. So it was time to come up with something more frugal.Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe - Practical Stewardship (2)

This copycat KIND bar recipe makes me so, so SO EXCITED! I have been itching to share this for awhile now.Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe - Practical Stewardship (3)

I am going to talk a lot about money in this recipe post because I think it’s so fascinating, and I am a bit of a money nerd, loving to know how much I saved by taking the road less traveled.

I was shopping a couple of months ago with my friend, T, and she was buying some KIND Bars for her husband. At that point I had never had a KIND Bar. She was going to buy a single one, for I think, $1.79. Then I found the four pack. I couldn’t believe how much they cost, at $4.74 for the pack of 4, making them $1.19 a bar. $1.19 is actually cheap for a KIND Bar, since around town $1.79 seems to be the going rate for a single bar. They are just so delicious that I set out to make my own more frugal version of a KIND Bar.

I was so interested to see how much money I would save (and potentially save my friends) that I did a cost break down. I am showing the exact amount of money it costs me to make one batch of KIND inspired Bars, which makes 12 bars. No, I didn’t count the gas to the store to buy the bars, or the cost of using the oven to make the bars. May be they cancel each other out?!?

Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe - Practical Stewardship (4)

Here it goes:

  • $5.60 for 2 cups mixed nuts at Costco ($13.99 for 2.5 lb. package)
  • $0.48 for 1/3 cup of honey at Costco ($13 for 5 lbs.)
  • $0.08 for 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut at Winco ($2.74/lb. sold in the bulk section)
  • $0.05 for 1/4 cup of ground flax seed that I grind myself, purchased at Winco ($0.80/lb. for the ungrounded flax seed)
  • $0.00 for a teaspoon of chia seeds at Winco-it was so light it registered as nothing ($8.74/lb. sold in the bulk section)

This totals $6.21 for 12 homemade bars. If you buy them singly, they are $21.48 ($1.79 x 12), and if you buy three 4 packs, it’s $14.04 for the 12 bars. So that’s a savings anywhere from $7.83 to $15.27 for 12 bars!!

Yes, the ingredients are expensive, mainly the mixed nuts and honey, but this is such a tasty and healthy snacks. I know the mixed nuts you can get for cheaper if you buy them with peanuts, but I like the mixed nuts from Costco that don’t have any peanuts in them (even though I am not opposed to peanuts). Making your own is so much more frugal and economical, plus they are fresh and scrumptious.As far as the recipe is concerned, I started with this recipe as a base, but the bars were thin, and it had way too much coconut for my taste, so I experimented, experimented, and experimented some more. My family has thoroughly enjoyed all of my experimenting, because even when I made them too sticky, they still tasted great.

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Homemade KIND Inspired Bars

Author Sonja

Ingredients

  • 2cupsmixed nutscoarsely chopped
  • 1/3cuphoneyI've made them with maple syrup for vegan
  • 1/4cupunsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4cupground flax seeds
  • 1/2 to 1tchia seeds
  • optional1/4 cup dark chocolate chips & 1 t coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper, or grease the pan. I have done both.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  3. Combine all ingredients, minus the chocolate. If you combine the ingredients in a mixer, like a Kitchen Aid, the nuts will grind up more. So if you like be chunks of nuts, mix this by hand.

  4. Press nut mixture into your pan. I like to use a damp potato masher to make the process easier.

  5. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown.

  6. If you are drizzling on chocolate, do it now. (I like to melt 1 t coconut oil mixed in with the chocolate chips to smooth it more. I melt both together for 30 seconds in the microwave; mix and heat for another 30 seconds, and then drizzle.)

  7. Cool for 15 minutes, and cut into bars.

  8. Store in a cool, airtight container.

The Verdict: I can’t tell you how much I am absolutely in love with these bars, and really my whole family is. We eat them for desserts or snacks. They can be portable, and are just plain fabulous. I absolutely love a drizzle of chocolate on them. YUM!!

Troubleshooting: If they end up too sticky for you, just roll the bars in some coconut to absorb the honey. I think when they are mixed by hand, the bars are stickier. The mixer breaks down the nuts a bit to give the bars more area for the honey to stick to. The bars don’t seem really sticky to us at all.

Need other snack ideas?

4 Ingredient Almond Butter Granola Bars

Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe - Practical Stewardship (6)

Peanut Butter Granola

Interested in following our Snack Attack board on Pinterest?

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Homemade KIND Inspired Bars Recipe - Practical Stewardship (2024)

FAQs

Are kind bars healthy? ›

Kind bars may look natural but, in addition to sugar, some contain a variety of artificial sweeteners, flavors and preservatives, which according to Dr. Mark Hyman, “can disrupt our gut microbiome and lead to inflammation and weight gain.” Not exactly the kind of gut feelings we're looking for in a snack.

How do you make granola bars stick together? ›

Honey – Along with the nut butter, it helps all these ingredients stick together! I love its warm amber flavor in this recipe. Vanilla extract – It amps up the bars' warm flavor.

Is it OK to eat a KIND bar everyday? ›

Technically, you could include some of these Kind bars in your daily macro goals, even on keto — but they're by no means healthy. They don't belong in your diet if you don't want to consume more than half of your carbs and sugar for the day in a tiny bar without real nutritional substance.

Why are KIND bars so expensive? ›

Not only are they healthy snacks, but they are specialty snacks for a specialty market, so that adds to the price. With the lowest priced bar ringing in at $1.00, KIND bars are on the low end for most energy bars. To produce a gold-standard nutritious snack using just 6 simple ingredients, it cost $1.23 per bar.

What is a healthy binding agent for granola bars? ›

Ground Flaxseed. Adds protein and, when combined with the wet ingredients, becomes a glue-like binding agent that helps hold the bars together. Wheat Germ. A superfood boost that adds folate, fiber, vitamin E, and other key nutrients to these no bake granola bars (as well as this Healthy Granola).

What is the best glue for granola bars? ›

Honey and brown sugar help make a glue for the bars.

The honey and brown sugar really helps with keeping the bars together. Chocolate chips added to the mixture help, too. We add some to the granola mixture while it is still warm.

What is the healthiest snack bar to eat? ›

There are hundreds of bars on the market, but here are 10 you can feel good about grabbing whenever hunger strikes.
  • KiZE Bars Peanut Butter. ...
  • RBar Blueberry Breakfast. ...
  • Simple Squares Cinnamon Clove Protein Bar. ...
  • RX Bar Chocolate Sea Salt. ...
  • Health Warrior Organic Honey Cracked Pepper with Turmeric Pumpkin Seed Bar.

Why are KIND bars so healthy? ›

Almonds are frequently used as a main ingredient in KIND bars, while peanuts, cashews and pecans are other popular additions. These nuts are particularly high in monounsaturated fats, which qualify as a “healthy fat.” Monounsaturated fats help reduce blood pressure and protect against heart disease.

What bars are the most healthy? ›

Best Protein Bars With Healthy, Natural Ingredients
  • OverEasy Peanut Butter Breakfast Bar. Courtesy Image. ...
  • Rise Bar Almond Honey. ...
  • Epic Protein Beef Sea Salt + Pepper Bar. ...
  • GoMacro Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bar. ...
  • Promix Snickerdoodle Protein Puff Bar. ...
  • Perfect Bar Peanut Butter. ...
  • ALOHA Peanut Butter Cup Bar. ...
  • Kize Cocoa Protein Bar.
Nov 1, 2023

Which candy bar is the healthiest to eat? ›

  • Endangered Species Extreme Dark Chocolate Bites. ...
  • Smart Sweets Sweet Fish. ...
  • Lily's Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Bar. ...
  • Little Secrets Mini Crispy Wafers. ...
  • Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar. ...
  • Thrive Market's Paleo Dark Chocolate Bar. ...
  • Alter Eco Raspberry Blackout Bar. ...
  • Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Visit Page.

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