Larabars are often cited as a great an emergency Whole30 food option, as these fruit and nut bars have very few ingredients and no weird additives.
Because Larabars are one of the few quick and easy Whole30 compliant foods, it’s great to stash them around for when hunger hits, in your purse, car, gym bag, or at your office.
Why Are Larabars Whole30 Compliant?
Look at a Larabar recipe and you’ll see all stuff that you recognize. Larabars don’t contain any mystery ingredients or foreign-sounding additives.
Made of real fruit and nuts, they are truly natural and compliant with the whole foods lifestyle.
Whole30 Larabars: Which to Choose and Which to Lose
It is worth noting that not all Larabars are Whole30 friendly, but many are.
Wondering exactly which Larabars are Whole30 approved? We’ve got you covered! Here is a list of Whole30 Larabars that are Whole30 compliant vs. non-compliant.
Just make sure to look at your ingredients list and only eat Larabars that contain:
- No chocolate chips
- No peanut butter
These ingredients are no-gos on the Whole30 diet, so take a pass on any bars with those ingredients.
Again, for those wondering which Larabars are Whole30 approved, we list the compliant and non-compliant Larabars below.
Whole30 Compliant Larabars:
- Apple Pie
- Banana Bread
- Carrot Cake
- Cashew Cookie
- Cherry Pie
- Chocolate Coconut Chew
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- Lemon Bar
- Pecan Pie
Non-Compliant Larabars (Avoid These):
- Blueberry Muffin
- Cappuccino
- Chocolate Chip Brownie
- Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Coconut Chocolate Chip
- Gingerbread
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
- Peanut Butter Cookie
- Snickerdoodle
Note: It’s also important to distinguish between the classic Larabars and the Larabar ALT bars. The ALT bars are a totally different breed and likely not compliant, so avoid those!
Where to Buy Whole30 Larabars
Most health food stores and even some convenience stores offer Larabars. However, if ordering online is more your style, Amazon offers a wide array of Larabars that you can get delivered to your door.
The 16 flavor variety pack of Larabars is a great choice if you want to try a bunch of flavors – just make sure to remove the non-compliant ones. (the 16 back contains 6 non-compliant bars and 10 complaint bars).
If you’d rather get all Whole30 Larabars, you can snag a 16 pack of your favorite flavor. Popular Whole30 Larabars include Pecan Pie, Cashew Cookie, and Cherry Pie.
Larabars are Great, But Don’t Overdo Them!
Keep in mind that Larabars are, more or less, candy. As far as candy goes, they are the healthiest you can get, made with nuts and fruit. However, they lack the protein needed to keep you full for a long period of time, so use Larabars sparingly only when you really need them.
It’s suggested that you shouldn’t use these as a dessert or as a cheap trick for sugar satisfaction, as the spirit of Whole30 is all about stomping out those sugar cravings. However, when you really need a quick emergency food, Larabars are a great Whole30 safe snack choice to have handy.
For other Whole30-friendly bars, you may want to check out Epic bars, who are officially endorsed by Whole30. Epic bars use real meat as protein sources, so they’re more suitable for really staying full and align a bit more closely with the Whole30 mindset. See our guide to the official list of Whole30 approved protein bars here.
However, again, it’s not recommended to replace all your meals with any type of bar – whole food meals with ingredients you source yourself are best.
We want to know – what are your favorite Larabar flavors? Share your top picks in the comments (I love the Cherry Pie myself)!
You are aware that the Larabars are no longer Whole30 *Approved*, correct? They were removed as Whole30 approved over a year ago due to misuse of them.
Yes Simmie, Larabars are no longer officially endorsed by Whole30, but they are still compliant – especially when used appropriately. 🙂
Hi , new to whole 30 and just saw they have sugar grams on the packages. Is a certain amount allowed?
Hi Pamela – the nutritional info isn’t actually important. Plenty of fruits and various foods have sugar in the nutritional panel as that’ simply part of the food’s makeup. For Whole30, all you need to pay attention to is the ingredient list. If there’s no sugar or sweeteners in the ingredient list, you’re good to go. The larabars listed as approved on this page do not have any sugar or sweeteners in the ingredient list (think honey, maple syrup, nectar, etc). Most Whole30 bars contain dates, nuts, and other fruit. Make sure to avoid anything with semisweet chocolate, since that chocolate is sweetened.
What about the ‘Organic with Superfoods’ Larabars? I’m looking at the Turmeric, Ginger, & Beet one and it looks OK: Dates, Almonds, Unsweetened Apples, Beet Powder, Turmeric, Ginger.
Hey Josh – I’ve never seen the Organic with Superfoods kind before, but all the ingredients you listed are Whole30 compliant, so you’re good to go!
*overdo (overdue means late)
Great info, none the less. Thank you!!
Thanks for the catch – updating now! 🙂
Totally missed the vanilla extract in my blueberry muffin Larabars! Thanks!
No problem! Happy to help Rebecca.
Me too! I bought today at Walmart in a box five for $5
I didn’t know vanilla extract was non compliant. I also got carrot cake which is ok.
According to this, vanilla extract /is/ compliant? So I’m confused: https://whole30.com/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/
Sorry about that Kay – vanilla extract got switched to being compliant just this year, so we need to work on updating some of our content. Thanks for the reminder!
My favorite are lemon and key lime..
I noticed raisins are listed in the apple pie bars; aren’t raisins a no-no?
Nope, they’re ok! You just need to be careful about added sugars and sulfates with them. http://forum.whole30.com/topic/1253-raisins/
The compliant larabars have a lot of sugar, I’m assuming it’s from the fruit, which is ok, in moderation?
Yup, that’s right. To be truthful, Larabars, while technically compliant, are not really recommended by Whole30 officials. Instead, it’s suggested you use RxBars, which are more protein based, so not as packed with sugar like Larabars are. The danger with Larabars is that, due to their high fruit content, people will use them as dessert substitutes. However, as long as you are careful and don’t go overboard, they can be handy, especially to have on hand for eating emergencies. They also tend to be more readily available at grocery stores than Rx bars (at least from what I’ve seen).
This list is SO wrong. You can’t have peanuts on Whole30, so all of the bars with peanuts are NOT compliant. It doesn’t have to be peanut butter, peanuts are enough to make it non-compliant.
Correction, the web browser distorted my view of the “non-compliant” section … my bad.
Thanks for this information – what about the Larabar Bites?
No, Larabar Bites contain chocolate chips. They’re Fair Trade chocolate chips, but chocolate chips are out since they are sweetened, not simply 100% cocoa.
How are they compliant when nutrition facts list 18g of sugar on the apple pie bar?
Nutritional facts show all sugar in an item – including sugar that is naturally occurring in produce like fruit. You really want to be looking at ingredient list and don’t worry about the nutritional info. For further reading: http://forum.whole30.com/topic/19040-nutritional-label-vs-ingredients-list-sugar/
Omg I swear people never Google a single thing and wait for someone to tell them things. No wonder there’s so much misinformation out there. We NEED sugars. Fruits naturally have their own sugars. And they are good for you. No one will get fat eating too much fruit. It just doesn’t happen. So when you’re looking at grand of sugar… That is very different than an added ingredient of sugar. So if the ingredients don’t list sugar, then it’s good for you kind.
There is overdo and overdue
to overdo an an exercise…and the the plane is overdue
I really appreciate this list. I was looking for something to keep on hand in the event of an emergency. I just ran across Larabar – Cinnamon Roll, is that a go or no go?
Yup, it’s compliant! Ingredients: Dates, Walnuts, Almonds, Raisins, Cashews, Cinnamon
I’ve never seen that one either! Sounds great! I love cinnamon!
So if the ingredients are compliant and a product has, for example, 2% sugar, it’s ok?
Yes, because when the sugar is listed in the nutrition information (but is absent on the ingredient list) then it’s referencing the natural sugar in the fruit.
How is coco powder compliant when you cant have chocolate…
Chocolate, in its most popular iteration, always had sugar. Pure 100% cocoa powder does not have any sugar. Trust me, have a little lick of cocoa powder and you’ll understand why it’s compliant. There’s nothing sweet about it!
What about the “fruit + greens” Lara bars? Are they Whole 30 compliant?
Wow, just checked them out – I haven’t seen them before. Will definitely work on adding those to the list!
Yes, those are all compliant, FYI.
I’ve never seen those! Cool!
I just found my one true love on Whole30…Key Lime Lara Bars!!! Just came from Easter dinner where all I had was meat and roasted veggies…that Lara bar hit the spot…actually felt like I was eating a slice of key lime pie!! Funny…I made up a Whole30 compliant Easter Basket for hubs and I…filled it with Lara bars, nuts and unsweetened dried fruit (yes, I know those things go in moderation)…Never would suspect that with my monstrous sweet tooth, I’d ever find those things exciting but I totally do now!! I love that I can get excited over healthy foods now!!
That sounds good! I just found a bunch of flavors at Walmart a box of five for 4.98. I got carrot cake and Blueberry but I see blueberry not compliant. I’ve been eating larabars for years but not sure if I’ve had the lime one. Sounds delicious! I really like them all! Carrot cake is very good!
I want to know about sales for 30 brand protein bars are they at Sam’s Club
I’ve tried Cherry Pie and Banana Bread so far and both are to die for!!!