Take a handful of minutes from your day to make this epic Low Carb Nut Bar recipe!
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NUTS!! I love ’em. Can’t live without ’em. So why not make a to-go bar that is basically just nuts? Honestly, my favourite part of a granola bar has always been the nuts and seeds, so who really needs the granola part, anyways?
I first thought of the idea because I have joined a kickboxing gym. You need a whole wack of energy to go punching and kicking for an hour, right? Eggs just weren’t cutting it for me, so I decided to make a bar packed with fats and protein.
What I didn’t expect was to have to fight my husband (who usually doesn’t like the whole nut bar thing) over these precious low carb nut bars. They are so addicting with their crunchy texture and sweet, salty flavour.
I hope you love this Low Carb Nut Bar recipe as much as we do!
Why it works
- Sweet, salty and crunchy, this bar has got it goin’ on with it’s beautiful flavour and addicting texture.
- These bars are so easy to make, it’s a little crazy! With only 5 minutes of your time, you’ll have some pretty epic bars for your post workout or breakfast to-go.
- The yummy sugar free sauce binds together the variety of nuts, to keep this bar free from oats and other ingredients like honey and sugar.
Ingredients
You don’t need a lot to create magic.
- roasted & salted peanuts
- roasted & salted cashews
- roasted almonds – see further down the post for directions on roasting your own almonds if you can only find them raw. (It’s super fast and easy!)
- unsalted butter
- organic peanut butter with no additives
- honey substitute
- vanilla extract
- coarse sea salt
Honey Substitute – Probably my favourite low carb product, this is a honey flavoured sugar free syrup that has been sweetened with xyltiol! it has zero aftertaste and is perfect for so many of my favourite recipes like this Keto Honey Mustard and a Honey Garlic recipe I’ve got coming your way soon! I get this Nature’s Hollow Honey Substitute from amazon!
Coarse Sea Salt – I prefer grey salt for the flavour but pink himalayan works great too!
Low Carb Nut Bar Recipe
It’s so easy, it’s a bit crazy.
Toss some butter and peanut butter into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute in the microwave, or melt in a saucepan until fully melted. Whisk in the honey substitute, vanilla and salt. Stir in the almonds, peanuts and roughly chopped cashews.
Pour the goods into a wax paper lined 8×8″ baking pan. Or whatever else you’ve got that is roughly 8×8″, no need to bake these beauties! Press them into the pan with a spatula, as firm as you can, then toss the whole pan into the freezer.
Freeze for 1 hour; about half way through the freezing time, press the nuts down a little firmer into the pan with a potato masher or flipper. This helps bind the nuts to each other a little better.
Cut into 18 and try not to eat them all in one sitting! 😜
Expert Tips
- Use roasted nuts because, let’s be honest, their flavour is SO MUCH BETTER than unroasted nuts!
- Never roasted a nut before? Read further down the post to learn how!
- Not a peanut fan? Swap the peanut butter for almond butter.
- Peanuts and cashews too high in carbs? Swap them for Brazilian and macadamia nuts.
- Make sure the butter is fully melted after the 1 minute of microwaving. If it is not, microwave it until it is.
- Make sure to stir the nuts into the sauce well, so that each nut is evenly coated with the yummy sticky sauce.
- Press firmly half way through the freeze cycle – this will help to get those bars to super stick to themselves, making this a great snack to-go or breakfast on the go.
Roasted almonds
Have you ever tasted an unroasted almond directly after one that has been roasted? The flavour comparison will completely amaze you. I honestly believe there is no point in eating almonds that have not been roasted.
Sorry unroasted almonds, I’m not interested.
Aleta – every day
I mean, why lose out on so much flavour for a just few minutes of time? I feel like almonds tend to get lost in the mix without the added crunch and flavour of a simple roast. Here’s how to get it done:
How to roast almonds
Heat your oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with a non stick baking mat.
Evenly spread the almonds over the baking and once the oven is ready, roast the almonds for 6 minutes, until they look a bit toasted and the incredible aroma fills the air. Cool slightly before using.
I like to make a large batch then store them in an air tight container in my cupboard, but you can absolutely just roast up what you need for each recipe. Have you ever had a flavour roasted almond? You’ve gotta try these BBQ Roasted Low Carb Almonds, which also happen to be INCREDIBLE in this Low Carb Nut Bar recipe!
How to store Low Carb Nut Bars
After you’ve removed them from the freezer and sliced them into bars, keep them in an air tight container in the fridge.
Not that they will, but these Low Carb Nut Bars should last at least a month in the refrigerator!
Here are some other recipes you might like:
Crunchy Low Carb Cheese Crackers
Low Carb Pepperoni Pizza Bites
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Low Carb Nut Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup organic peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey substitute
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 ¼ cup roasted & salted peanuts
- ¾ cup roasted & salted cashews roughly chopped
- ¾ cup roasted almonds *see post above for how to roast almonds *see post above for how to roast almonds
Instructions
Equipment Needed
- Medium microwave safe bowl or Small saucepan
- 8×8” Baking pan with Wax paper
- Cutting Board & Knife
Directions
- Add the butter and peanut butter to a medium sized microwavable bowl. Melt in microwave for 1 minute, or melt in a small saucepan until the butter has fully melted. Whisk in the honey substitute, vanilla and salt.
- Stir in the almonds, peanuts and roughly chopped cashews until fully combined with the peanut butter mixture. Pour into a wax paper lined 8×8" baking pan and press firmly with a spatula.
- Freeze for 1 hour; half way through the freezing time, press the nuts down a little firmer into the pan with a potato masher or flipper. Cut into 18. Store in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- Use roasted nuts because, let’s be honest, their flavour is SO MUCH BETTER than unroasted nuts!
- Never roasted a nut before? Read further up the post to learn how!
- Not a peanut fan? Swap the peanut butter for almond butter.
- Peanuts and cashews too high in carbs? Swap them for Brazilian and macadamia nuts.
- Make sure the butter is fully melted after the 1 minute of microwaving. If it is not, microwave it until it is.
- Make sure to stir the nuts into the sauce well, so that each nut is evenly coated with the yummy sticky sauce.
- Press firmly half way through the freeze cycle – this will help to get those bars to super stick to themselves, making this a great snack to-go or breakfast on the go.
Ok to use honey instead of a sub?
unfortunately honey is not low carb… that is why I use a honey sub instead! If you aren’t worried about your carb intake, then yes, you can use honey for sure 🙂
My husband and I are addicted to those sweet and salty granola bars you can buy in the store. They are so tasty – but also packed with sugar. 🙁 THESE are the perfect substitute! Thank you so much for such a great recipe. We both absolutely love them! 🙂
Thanks Rebecca! So glad you loved them!
My kids are all about nuts. I am going to make these bars for them. I know they will love them. They seem easy enough thanks to the easy to follow directions!
Thanks Sara I hope you all love them!
could sugar free jam be used instead of honey ?
Hey Carol!
I’ve never tried to replace the honey with sugar free jam though I don’t see why it wouldn’t work… perhaps sugar free maple syrup would fit the flavour a bit better but it’s worth giving the jam a shot too!
In your nutritional information you do not notate the about of sugar in each bar. Do you know this info?
Hey Jackie, there are 2.8 g of sugar alcohols in each bar, which we deduct from the total carbs along with the fibre, bringing each nut bar down to 4 g net carbs.
I love your Low Card Nut Bar recipe but am struggling to find the honey substitute. Is it a liquid or a solid? What brand is it?If I cannot find it, what would you suggest? Thank you so much for your awesome sounding recipe. Please email me your response.
Hey Mike!
I am sorry to hear you are having some trouble finding the honey substitute. I use ‘Nature’s Hollow Honey Substitute’ which is a honey flavoured syrup that has been sweetened with xylitol. So it is not powdered or granular, it has the same consistency and stickiness that honey has. If you cannot find that brand, you could use a different sugar free syrup of your choice. Sugar free maple syrup would also work! 🙂
Aleta
It was really bad
Thank you so much for this delicious nut bar recipe . I found the honey substitute in Walmart with the regular honey . It is called Honey Tree’s sugar free imitation honey .
50 calories, total carbs 17 ,suagar alcohol 17 , and total sugars zero . Cost$2.44 .
Whoa that is such a great deal! So glad you liked them Yolanda and thanks for sharing where you were able to find the honey sub 🙂
Have made this numerous times and love it! I use Health Garden xylitol honey from Amazon and its great. I also add in a few toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Question. Is there a way to make these stiffer? Almost like a payday bar? It just seems that the honey/butter/almond butter base just stays so soft even in the fridge.
Rosie I mix in a lightly beaten egg white on bars like this that won’t stick together and pop in the oven for about 10/15 mins to cook at 350 (keep eye on them not to burn) then let cool and cut. It might alter your reading for carbs slightly but it works
These look wonderful I eat nuts every single day when I am peckish I am definitely going to make these today. I haven’t got the substitute honey so will use a no sugar caramel sauce and if I find it not sticky enough to keep the bars together will add a whisked white of an egg. Thankyou so much for sharing your recipe