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)
- 2-3 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!
Diana @ moms living leaner says
AWESOME! so glad I found this recipe, will try making them this week
amanda says
Would these work well with almond butter?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
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.
Nancy says
Glad to find this recipe, been looking for some healthy snack food!
Kari says
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!
Rachel says
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!
Sam says
It sounds great, but how many servings are there in one batch? I’m guessing around 5?
Dani says
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!
Jana says
How many bars can you make from the above recipe please? Thanks!btw looove your blog.:-)
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Should be about 6.
Laura Kineston says
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!
Julie says
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!
Amy Robison says
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!!!
Carolyn Moore says
i was wondering….. Can I use honey as my sweetener?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Sure you can.
Leesha says
These are absolutely delicious and my little girl loves them too!
What is the best way to store them?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Fridge or freezer. Preferably freezer.
Allison says
AMAZZZZING!!!! I made the chocolate sauce (sugar free) and it was amazing!!!
Allison says
What I meant to say was that I made the Crisp Rice Bars with the sugar Free Chocolate sauce and they were amazzzzing!!!
Alissa S. says
I just want you to know…you’ve been included in a list of dancer’s favorite homemade snacks on the blog of Discount Dance Supply 🙂 way to go!
April Wallace says
Ok. These are amazing! My little guy always LOVED Luna bars. I sent them to school with him almost everyday, but we started the Nemechek Protocol and they were off the list because of the ingredients. Now I can give him back his favorite breakfast treat. I add in flax seed for more Omega 3s and fiber. Love, love, love!
Tikkirikkitumba says
I made this the other day and it turned out even better than Luna bars! They taste kind of like Reeses Puff cereal. I used 3 tablespoons of Orgain chocolate protein powder, and the flavor was just right. I wish there was a way to decrease the amount of honey and still have it stick together because there was more than enough sweetness from the sweetener in the protein powder (I think it has stevia) and the sugar count is much higher than luna bars but as it is it makes a great recipe for quick energy. I cut it up into single servings and wrapped each one in plastic wrap to keep in the freezer at work so it makes for a quick lunch!
Tikkirikkitumba says
Oh yeah I used honey instead of agave, regular Rice Krispies, Orgain protein, extra crunchy peanut butter, and about a cup of melted milk chocolate. Delicious!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you so much for making them! If you want to cut back on the honey, you can decrease it and add an equal amount of extra nut butter in its place. The bars will then be higher in fat but lower in sugar 🙂
Tikkirikkitumba says
Thanks for the reply! That sounds good too! I think I’m going to keep half of the honey and then try pumpkin puree for the other half and see if it still holds together (although it’ll be mainly right out of the freezer so it should be fine) I think it was somewhere on the list of suggestions and I just happened to have leftover pumpkin so it just might be fate. Either way this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Tikkirikkitumba says
Update: the pumpkin definitely doesn’t work! It makes it soggy and rice krispies lose their crunch. The original recipe is def the one!