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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Protein Bar Recipe (no bake, with protein powder)

    Published: Dec 19, 2022 · Modified: Mar 28, 2023 by Gaby Dimova · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

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    This protein bar recipe is gluten free and vegan, no-bake, and made with healthy ingredients. It tastes like cookie dough and is perfect for all chocolate and peanut butter lovers!

    These homemade protein bars have a chewy texture and are made with just a few simple ingredients that you can find at almost any grocery store. They're one of my go-to recipes to make so I can have a quick snack to grab on a busy day. In my opinion, they're better than store-bought protein bars because they don't have any preservatives and artificial sweeteners and are packed with healthy fats. They're a great post-workout snack or the perfect snack to curb your sweet tooth.

    hands holding a protein bar recipe with a bite into it

    Why make your own homemade protein bars

    More affordable option

    Store bought protein bars can be expensive. Even the cheaper brands that tend to have more added sugar and other unnecessary ingredients are still a few dollars per bar. Not to mention the bars with more natural ingredients. When making a batch of these in bulk, it comes out so much cheaper than buying from the store.

    More environmentally friendly

    Store bought protein bars come individually wrapped and usually that wrapping is not recyclable. When you make homemade bars, you can package them in small Tupperware or a reusable bag and avoid waste altogether.

    Easier to modify to individual dietary restrictions

    Many protein bars on the market aren't fit for everyone's dietary needs (gluten free, vegan, nut-free), but when making your own, you can make sure that they are!

    I made these gluten-free protein bars by using almond flour. Even if you don't have any almond flour on hand, you can substitute it for coconut flour or oat flour. Just make sure that the oat flour you are using is certified gluten free.

    To keep these protein bars vegan, make sure you are using vegan protein powder instead of whey protein powder, and that the chocolate/ chocolate chips you are using are dairy-free.

    Even though I use peanut butter in the recipe, you can easily substitute the peanut butter for almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter, if you have an allergy.

    They're easy to make

    This recipe doesn't require any baking. You simply mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, add to a baking dish, top with the melted chocolate, and you have your chocolate peanut butter protein bars ready to snack on!

    peanut butter protein bars on a plate

    What you'll need to make this protein bar recipe

    Bar Ingredients

    • natural creamy peanut butter: this is the kind that is runny inconsistency and only has peanuts and salt as the ingredients. You can also use almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
    • vegan vanilla protein powder: you can use any protein powder you like, but I like vanilla protein powder in this recipe.
    • almond flour: I used blanched almond flour. You can also substitute coconut flour or oat flour if you would like, but I do find that this recipe works best with almond flour.
    • maple syrup: you can also substitute agave nectar or brown rice syrup, if you prefer.
    • chocolate chips: I used dairy-free dark chocolate chips.
    • pinch of sea salt

    Optional add-ins:

    If you wanted to add even more healthy ingredients, here are some options:

    • chia seeds
    • flax seeds (I recommend grinding them first)
    • pumpkin seeds
    • sunflower seeds
    • hemp seeds

    You may need to add more wet ingredients to balance out the dry ingredients that you're adding if you choose to add any of these.

    You can also add cacao powder or cocoa powder to make these delicious bars extra chocolatey. I would add 1-2 tablespoons to the recipe if you wanted to make a chocolate version.

    Topping Ingredients

    • melted dark chocolate 
    • a touch of coconut oil 
    • flakey salt (optional)

    The whole recipe, including the full nutritional information, can be found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

    protein bars on a plate

    Which protein powder to use to make the best homemade protein bars

    For this recipe, I used vegan vanilla protein powder. I'm vegan, which is why I use plant-based protein powder as opposed to whey protein powder.

    To choose the healthiest vegan protein powder, I like to look for a protein powder that is high in grams of protein and grams of fiber, and low in grams of sugar.

    Some of my favorite vegan protein powders are Ancient Nutrition, Orgain, and Vega, but there are so many more out there!

    I personally like vegan protein powders that are made with pea protein, because I think the taste is the best.

    Note: I make this recipe quite often, and I sometimes like to use cookies and cream flavored protein powder (this one in particular) to make the flavor go from vanilla protein bars to cookie dough protein bars.

    How to make these healthy protein bars

    To a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, protein powder, almond flour, and maple syrup. Combine them well. This is your cookie dough protein base.

    Next, fold in the chocolate chips. 

    You can also combine all of the ingredients in a food processor (except the chocolate chips).

    pouring peanut butter into a bowl
    peanut butter
    adding almond flour and vanilla protein powder to a bowl
    almond flour
    adding maple syrup to a bowl
    maple syrup
    adding chocolate chips to a bowl
    chocolate chips

    Add parchment paper to the bottom of a baking dish or a loaf pan (I used a 5 x 7 " baking dish). 

    Transfer the dough to the baking dish and press in the mixture tightly using your fingers or a spatula. Make sure to create a flat, even layer.

    Melt the dark chocolate chips and measure out ½ cup of melted chocolate. Combine the coconut oil with the chocolate and mix them well.

    pouring melted chocolate in a ramekin
    dark chocolate
    pouring melted coconut oil into a ramekin
    coconut oil

    Pour the chocolate mixture over the cookie dough layer and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until the chocolate hardens. 

    Once the bars are done, top them with some flakey salt, slice them into whatever size you prefer, and enjoy!

    hands packing homemade peanut butter protein bars in a baking dish
    pouring melted chocolate on top of peanut butter bars
    knife cutting into a peanut butter protein bar recipe

    Video

    For more high protein snacks and other healthy recipes, try these

    healthier date snickers

    chocolate chip cookie dough protein truffles

    banana sushi

    hands holding a protein bar

    Protein Bars (no bake, with protein powder)

    Gaby Dimova
    This protein bar recipe tastes better than store bought bars and is packed with clean and nutritious ingredients.
    5 from 16 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 274 kcal

    Equipment

    • large mixing bowl
    • baking dish

    Ingredients
      

    Bar Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cup peanut butter
    • ½ cup vanilla protein powder
    • ½ cup almond flour
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • â…“ cup chocolate chips

    Topping Ingredients

    • ½ cup melted chocolate
    • 2 tablespoon coconut oil

    Instructions
     

    Directions

    • In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, protein powder, almond flour, and maple syrup. Combine them well. This is your cookie dough protein base.
    • Note: use natural peanut butter for this recipe. This is the kind that contains only peanuts and salt and it is much runnier in consistency.
    • Next, fold in the chocolate chips.
    • Add parchment paper to the bottom of a baking dish (I used a 5 x 7 " pan).
    • Transfer the cookie dough in the baking dish and pack it in tightly using your fingers or a spatula. Make sure to create a flat, even layer.
    • Melt your chocolate and measure out ½ cup. Combine the coconut oil with the chocolate and mix them well.
    • Pour the chocolate mixture over the cookie dough layer and refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.
    • Once the bars are done, top them with some flakey salt, slice them, and enjoy!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 274kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 9gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 122mgPotassium: 225mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 2IUCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword homemade protein bars, vegan protein bars
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    How to store these vegan protein bars

    Since all of the ingredients used in the energy bars are shelf stable, they can be stored at room temperature, but I like to store them in the fridge so that they last longer. Either way, definitely store them in an airtight container. They last for 6-7 days in the fridge.

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    Comments

    1. Stacie

      July 26, 2022 at 9:18 am

      I might be missing it but didn't see nutrition info on these?

      Reply
      • Gaby Dimova

        September 29, 2022 at 11:15 pm

        I didn't have it up but I now have it on there! 🙂

        Reply
    2. VEGGIEIB

      August 25, 2022 at 10:32 pm

      Which protein powder do you suggest? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Gaby Dimova

        August 29, 2022 at 11:31 am

        I like the protein powders from Ancient Nutrition, Orgain, and Garden of Life!

        Reply
      • Sandy

        January 08, 2023 at 1:20 am

        Love this! Can you give us ingredients in grams too please?

        Reply
        • Gaby Dimova

          January 19, 2023 at 11:30 am

          Hi there! So sorry I don't have them for this recipe, I'm going to add them in the future!

          Reply
    3. Mallory Jayjohn

      January 06, 2023 at 11:44 am

      Are the nutrition facts per bar if you cut them in 12 bars, or for the entire dish?

      Reply
      • Gaby Dimova

        January 06, 2023 at 12:53 pm

        per bar 🙂 keep in mind this is for a standard protein powder, so the protein powder you use might be different!

        Reply
    4. Sean

      January 19, 2023 at 6:54 pm

      5 stars
      Do I have to use Almond Flour?

      Reply
      • Gaby Dimova

        February 13, 2023 at 8:04 am

        Oat flour will also work 🙂

        Reply

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    My name is Gaby and I'm the face behind Veggie World Recipes! On my site, you will find recipes that are vegan and made with a healthy twist. My goal is to make plant-based cooking accessible, fun, and always delicious!

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