Make your own dark chocolate and sea salt KIND-style bars at home—healthier, tastier, and with no baking required.
I’m a huge fan of KIND-style nut bars. They’re convenient, made from simple ingredients, and perfect for stashing in a purse or keeping at your desk. Instead of buying them at a premium price, you can easily make a batch at home that’s customizable and just as satisfying. Below is a simple no-bake recipe for dark chocolate and sea salt bars that yields about 10 bars and takes only minutes to prepare.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 tsp coconut oil, melted and cooled (or any neutral oil)
- 1/2 cup unsalted roasted almonds, whole
- 1/2 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts, whole
- 1/2 cup roasted walnuts, chopped
- 1/3 cup puffed rice (or Rice Krispies)
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or a thick liquid sweetener)
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (for drizzling)
How to Make Homemade KIND Bars
- Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, leaving a couple of inches of overhang on the sides. This makes it easy to lift the bars out once they’ve set. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with the melted coconut oil so the nut mixture won’t stick.
- In the greased bowl, combine the almonds, peanuts, chopped walnuts, puffed rice, and flaxseed meal. Toss to distribute everything evenly.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown rice syrup, honey, vanilla, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once boiling, whisk continuously for 3 to 4 minutes until the syrup thickens and becomes sticky—this is the key step for proper binding.
- Remove the syrup from heat and immediately pour it over the nut mixture. Stir quickly and thoroughly so the syrup coats all the nuts and rice.
- Press the sticky mixture firmly into the prepared pan, smoothing the top and ensuring there are no air gaps. Wet your hands slightly or use the back of a spoon to press down firmly so the bars will hold together. Chill or let sit at room temperature until set, about 30 minutes.
- Lift the set block from the pan using the foil overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 10 even bars and let them finish setting before adding chocolate.
- To make the chocolate drizzle, place the dark chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval until fully melted. Spoon or drizzle the chocolate over the cut bars and allow it to set at room temperature or in the refrigerator until firm.
- Store the bars in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze them for longer storage.
This recipe is extremely flexible. Swap nuts based on preference or what you have on hand, add seeds like pumpkin or sunflower for extra crunch, or stir in a spoonful of peanut butter for a different flavor profile. You can also experiment with different sweeteners—some people use maple syrup, though thicker syrups like brown rice syrup tend to hold the bars together best.
More Bars You’ll Enjoy
- No-Bake Almond Butter Granola Bars (Chewy-style)
- Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Healthier Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Bars
Nutrition (Approximate)
Serving size: 1 bar (makes about 10 bars)
- Calories: 214 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 17.5 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Fat: 12.4 g (Saturated fat: 1.5 g)
- Sodium: 133 mg
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 11.8 g
Nutrition values are estimates and should be used as a general guide.