Since beginning this blog, I’ve created many flavors of Homemade Larabars.
But when, out of curiosity one day, I googled homemade Luna bars, I was surprised to find zero relevant results. Really? No one had made these yet? It was definitely time to change that.
I don’t usually buy Luna bars, but every now and then I find myself craving either one of their chocolate-dipped coconut or nutz over chocolate bars. The following recipe more-closely resembles the latter:
Homemade Luna Bars
Inspired by Homemade Rice Crispy Treats.
- 3 cups rice crispies (I used brown rice crispies. For a less-crispy bar, you can sub 2 cups of the crispies for 1/2 cup oat flour.)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt (I used salted pb, too)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons nut butter of choice (for lower-cal option, see below link)
- 1/2 cup sticky sweetener, such as agave or brown rice syrup (I used agave)
- 2-3Â tablespoons protein powder (you can omit)
- melted chocolate chips or Sugar-Free Chocolate Sauce
Mix your pb, sweetener, extract, and salt. Melt (either in the microwave or stove), then pour over the cereal and powder, and stir very well, making sure to coat all the crispies. Smush and smash the crispies. (Get mad; it’s fun!) Line a pan with wax paper and spread the mixture evenly into the pan. Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the mixture, then press down as firmly as you can. Really press it down! Spread the chocolate on top, and freeze for at least a half hour before slicing.
Click for lower-sugar and Lower-Calorie Options.
I didn’t bother to figure out the nutritional info for these, as it will vary depending on what protein powder and chocolate sauce you use. But they are probably pretty comparable, calorie-wise, to packaged Luna bars. (The bars in the photos were made with the no-sugar chocolate sauce.)
Do you like energy bars?
My favorites are probably my Hot Fudge Brownie Larabars.
But I don’t always have time to make homemade bars. So if I’m in a hurry and need a quick and portable snack, I’ll often grab a cookie dough Larabar or a chocolate-chip Z bar, or a chocolate Jocalat bar… I’m picky about my energy bars; I only like the ones that have chocolate!
AWESOME! so glad I found this recipe, will try making them this week
Would these work well with almond butter?
I read that some people have tried this and had good results. Although I’m not Katie, I’d say it’ll work pretty well with almond butter.
Glad to find this recipe, been looking for some healthy snack food!
I tried this with:
3 cups rice krispies + 3 scoops protein powder
1 medium banana blended with 3/4 cup splenda, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp salt
Microwaved banana blend then added to krispies+powder mixture
Added 1/8 cup plain yogurt to add some moisture
Put mixture into pan just as Katie noted.
Chocolate sauce was just cocoa powder and a bit of splenda and water.
Turned out absolutely great! A little soft after 30 minutes of freezing, but I’m sure it’ll harden up tomorrow. Thanks for the inspiration Katie!
I just made these using regular Rice Krispies and corn syrup for the sweetener. I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan. Instead of spreading chocolate I melted a 4 oz ghiradelli white chocolate bar and spread that over it. Super yummy. Thank you for the recipe. My friend and I love to get together and combine the power of our blendtecs to make your larabars!
It sounds great, but how many servings are there in one batch? I’m guessing around 5?
I put these in probably an 8×8 and got about 8 generous bars! If you double this, you could get away with quite a lot more and save time. These bars were SOO delicious!
How many bars can you make from the above recipe please? Thanks!btw looove your blog.:-)
Should be about 6.
These are fabulous! I made them with almond butter, instead of pb, and didn’t even need to melt them. They just stirred right up 🙂 Also added 3 TBSP. of chocolate whey protein…can you say yumm…Thank you for the recipe!
I’ve made these a few times now and they’re so so good! Way better than a luna bar in my opinion. I’ve made them with both peanut and almond butter; I prefer peanut. I made them yesterday and added 1/4 cup flax meal and I used 1/4 cup of chocolate egg white protein powder (Jay Robb brand). So good, very healthy. Great recipe!
Hi Katie! Long time follower, first time commenter. 🙂 I just made these for the first time a few days ago. I don’t know why I waited so long! I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a long time! I guess I thought I’d just try the other recipes first since I could just grab a Luna Bar at the store.
I did the option for using part oat flour, and used sunflower seed butter…because that is the only nut butter I allow myself to keep in the house. Otherwise the jar is gone in a few days! I knew they would be good, but they are seriously one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I can’t even imagine if I would make them with peanut butter!! I’d seriously have to eat the whole pan…especially after they sit for a about a day and get a little softer.
Thank you so much for all of the work you put into all of your recipes!! You are amazing!!!