How To Make No Bake Protein Bars
So this recipe was inspired by my collaboration with the adorable Sara Lynn from Domestic Geek. We decided to do a collaboration together and come up with some amazingly delicious and nutritious post-workout snacks. She made some AH-MAZ-ING energy bites .
The key to making snacks is that they have to be easy, and these are ALL those things. I like to make a huge batch at the start of the week, pop them in the freezer, and have post-workout snacks for the month!
The base of these no bake protein bars is nut butter, maple syrup, protein powder, oat flour, dates and flax seed. So lots of healthy fats, protein and fibre going on already! Then we have fun.
My first protein bar flavour is my Peanut Butter Banana. Here weve got peanuts, banana chips, raisins and chocolate protein powder. Whats not to love?
Next is my Tropical option with vanilla protein powder, cashew butter, mango and coconut. Its legit like taking a relaxing holiday.. except youre exhausted from burpees.
Finally, is my Chocolate Almond Cherry. This one comes with dried cherries, chocolate protein powder and almonds. PLUS a bonus chocolate drizzle on top. These seem to be a consistent winner across the board.
You can easily customize these bars using depending on whatever you have on hand. If youre not vegan, dont worry about using vegan protein powder. If youre not gluten free, you can just use regular oat flour. Your workout, your post-workout snack, your rules!!
Ingredients Needed In Healthy Snack Bars:
- Peanut Butter: use the natural drippy kind that’s made with just peanuts and salt. It mixes together great and helps everything to stick together.
- Honey: this is what makes the recipe sweet. We just harvest our honey and I love using the raw honey to sweeten things. Shop local for honey if you can!
- Protein Powder: lots of options here, Bob’s Red Mill has a new almond protein powder that I’m excited to try. I’ve also used their pea protein for this as well as collagen peptides. You can use vanilla or unsweetened, or feel free to try anything else you like or have.
- Flax Seed Meal: this stuff is packed with protein and fiber and I love it. This is ground flax seed, called flax meal.
- Chia Seeds: these little seeds are packed with all kind of nutrition too and they are great at helping your bars stick together.
- Quick Cooking Oats: I love the complex carbohydrates these add and quick cooking oats have the best texture for this recipe.
- Shredded Coconut: this add a little texture. Look for unsweetened.
The Homemade Protein Bars Were Better Than Packaged
My kids couldnt get enough of these bars. They had even gotten good enough that my husband mentioned them out of the blue one day.
You know, those protein bars were really good. Thats high praise for him.
My kids had started asking, Are those bars hard to make? Thats code for please make them again.
They have the soft texture of a brownie, and theyre not too sweet. For something more cookie-like, give my classic protein cookies or my peanut butter protein cookies a try. 🙂
I also get are these bars good for you? Thats also code for can I eat them all day every day and be healthy? I also get the same sort of questions when I make my protein pancakes!
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What Vegan Protein Powder Should You Use
Vegan protein bars are a great snack option for meal plans, a mid-afternoon snack, or a post-workout recovery.
Although you could buy these, its possible to only use a few minutes of your day to make your own protein bars.
Its a great option because you can control what ingredients are in them and how much nutrition you want.
I would highly recommend choosing Transparent Labs.
It not only tastes great in protein bars, but its also a great source of organic rice and pea protein with 24 grams in every scoop.
Organic Food Bar Vegan Protein Bar
Per Bar :
- 33g carbs
- 22g protein
Packed with 22g of protein per 75g bar, these raw protein bars by Organic Food Bar really are a vegans dream snack. With no nasty artificial flavors or preservatives, these bars are great for anyone looking to bump up their daily protein intake or just needs some extra energy during the day.
Unlike other protein bars, these bars contain only 100% raw ingredients, which means no preservatives, additives, GMOs or trans fats.
Currently, the bar comes in 2 exciting flavors which are the standard Chocolate as you might expect, but also Pumpkin and Pea if you prefer a healthier and more natural taste.
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No Cow Protein Chunky Bar
Per Bar :
- 25g carbs
- 21g protein
With a name like No Cow, you feel confident knowing that these bars dont contain any animal by-products such as dairy. In fact, not only do they not contain any animal by-products at all, but they also dont contain any soy, gluten, GMOs or added sugar.
If you take a close look at the ingredients, youll actually see that each one of these 60g bars only contains 1g of sugar and 210 calories. Compared to other protein bars on the market, thats an incredibly low amount of sugar.
Suitable for fitness enthusiast and anyone with a dairy or gluten intolerance, these Chunky Peanut Butter bars are available in packs of 12 or 24.
Ingredients To Make Your Own Protein Bars
- Rolled oats: Oats are naturally gluten-free and a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Use rolled oats for the best texture. Quick oats will also work well, but its best to avoid steel cut oats as they will be tougher to eat.
- Natural peanut butter: I prefer to use natural peanut butter as it doesnt contain any added salt, sugar or oils. You can use peanut butter with oil and cane sugar though. Its also easy to make your own peanut butter.
- Dates: Dates provide natural sweetness, eliminating the need for refined sugar and also help to make the mixture sticky and bind well.
- Almond milk: To keep these bars vegan, I op to make them with almond milk. If you are not vegan, you can use dairy milk. Alternatively other plant based milks like oat or soy will also work well or even just water!
- Vanilla extract: For a little extra sweetness and to help bring all of the flavors together. Use pure vanilla rather than imitation if you can.
- Protein powder: I add vegan protein powder to boost each bar to a whopping 13g of protein. I use a plain flavored powder.
- Ground Flaxseed: I use flaxseeds wherever I can! They are loaded with healthy essential fats as well as a good amount of protein. When ground, flaxseed can actually help bind the way egg whites would.
- Salt: A little salt helps to balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Dark chocolate chips: Because everything is better with a little chocolate! Dark chocolate is also a great source of antioxidants.
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Storing And Freezing 5 Ingredient Protein Bars
To store: If you made no bake butter protein bars, they will keep well in a covered container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Plant-based protein bars are freezer friendly and can be stored in the freezer. Keep them in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
If youre a fan of granola bars and energy bites, dont miss these:
Do Protein Bars Have Gluten
Some protein bars contain gluten, but some dont. Whether a protein bar contains gluten or not should be written on the label.
Gluten is a protein that is found in a variety of different grains, including wheat, rye, barley, or oats if they werent grown separately from gluten-containing grains. You might see these ingredients on the ingredients list of the nutrient label instead of the word gluten itself.
You may also see derivatives of these grains on the label as well, such as malt .
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Frequently Asked Questions About Gluten
Are protein bars full of sugar?
Most store-bought nutrition bars contain added sugars that can be detrimental to fitness goals. Making homemade protein bars allows you to be in control of how much of sugar is added.
Can you substitute nut butters in protein bars?
Swapping out peanut or almond butter for different nut butter is a great way to change the flavor of a classic homemade protein bar. Try using almond-hazelnut butter or cashew butter.
Can whey protein be used in place of vegan?
Whey protein is not interchangeable with vegan due to the way it absorbs. Because vegan protein powder absorbs more liquid than whey protein, the texture of bars will be much different and can normally not be made without tweaking the other ingredients.
How To Store And Freeze These Protein Bars
- To Store. Store the bars at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also store them in the fridge, though I find they taste best at room temperature.
- To Freeze. Place bars in an airtight freezer-safe storage container and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to wrap mine individually, then remove them from the freezer as needed.
Ready for a pantry upgrade? Give these Peanut Butter Protein Bars a try! Youll smile every time you open the door and find them waiting for you.
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What Protein To Use In Granola Bars
You may be wondering what protein to use when making homemade granola bars. I used vegan and gluten free vanilla protein powder for this recipe.
You can use a dairy based protein powder like whey if that agrees with you. You can also use flavorless protein powder like this one or even a chocolate protein powder.
I always recommend you use a protein powder you enjoy. If you dont enjoy a the flavor of a protein powder mixed with water and milk, chances are you wont enjoy it in a recipe. So choose something youve had before and know you like!
Protein powders I recommend are: Garden of Life Plant-Based, Garden of Life Whey, Orgain, Active Stacks, Collagen, Legion Whey, Legion Plant-Based, Nuzest Clean Lean
Its really about finding what works best for you. You may need to experiment to find the right protein powder!
I do not recommend using yogurt or another protein in place of the protein powder in this recipe as the bars will not have the same consistency or hold together well.
How To Store Protein Bites
You can store these breakfast protein bites at room temperature but chilling them in the fridge prevents them from getting too soft or mushy.
Just place the energy balls in a single layer in an airtight container or in zip-lock bags.
FOR MEAL PREP AND FREEZER:
You can make a double batch of this healthy protein balls recipe ahead of time and place them on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to set. Then we store them in freezer-friendly zip-top bags.
Then you just grab one or two in the morning or any time you need a quick pick-me-up.
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How Do You Make Homemade Vegan Protein Bars
The first step is adding all of the ingredients into the food processor. Blend until combined well but still has texture.
Melt the chocolate then pour on top of the granola mixture. Spread evenly. You can always add more chocolate but I wanted a thin layer since this is supposed to be a healthy snack rather than a dessert. Top with coconut shreds and extra chocolate chips.
Stick the bars in the fridge, let them sit for an hour, then feel free to cut them and devour these homemade vegan protein bars!
They are beyond delicious.
Amount Of Carbs And Protein
Depending on your specific health and fitness goals, you might want a protein bar that is high in protein but low in carbs or has a relatively similar amount of both.
Take a look at the number of grams of carbs and protein to see if it meets your needs.
For example, if you want to gain muscle, search for a bar that has a higher amount of protein than carbs to increase muscle recovery and muscle growth like the Misfits Protein Bar.
If you want to maximize your endurance, going for a gluten free protein bar that contains higher amounts of carbs than protein will be better to provide your body with fuel for your prolonged workouts, such as the Huel Protein Bar.
If youre using a protein bar as a meal replacement on a weight loss journey, search for a bar that has relatively similar amounts of protein and carbs, like Quest Bars. This will ensure that you have enough carbs to keep your energy levels up but you are still consuming enough protein to preserve muscle mass on your weight loss journey.
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Whats In These Healthy Snack Protein Bars
These delicious and chewy gluten free protein bars are combo of roasted almonds, roasted peanuts, whole grain rolled oats, peanut butter, honey and brown rice syrup.
However, homemade version of protein bars with wholesome ingredients provides you healthier, less processed snacks than any store-bought!
Almonds are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber, and associated with numbers of health benefits.
Peanuts and peanut butter are also whole foods that pack a lot of nutrition. Not only do peanuts taste good, they are a good source of protein and rich in various healthy nutrients, as well.
Whole grain rolled oats is among the healthiest grains. Theyre a gluten-free and great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, too.
Being low in carbs and high in protein, fat, and fibers, peanuts almonds and oats are an excellent source of various vitamins and minerals.
As a natural sweetener and a bond for all these healthy ingredients I used raw honey and organic brown rice syrup. Organic brown rice syrup is a sweetener that replaced high fructose corn syrup.
And finally, I added one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet-dark chocolate! Dipping the bottom of these delicious Gluten Free Protein Bars in melted dark chocolate makes them great for everything from healthy snack to party dessert! They look so pretty and delicious, too.
Gluten Free Protein Bars Coles
Your Gluten free protein bars coles images are available. Gluten free protein bars coles are a topic that is being searched for and liked by netizens now. You can Find and Download the Gluten free protein bars coles files here. Find and Download all free images.
Gluten free protein bars coles. Aloha is a company that has always believed in the fact that plants are the best form of nourishment available to use, and they should be eaten as much as possible by humans. Baked = when were finished blending, rolling & pressing the ingredients we stick the trays in the oven and bake them like you would a croissant. Inghams is dedicated to providing the best quality chicken that is at the heart of your table. Nuts 33% , soy protein crisps , glucose, white choc compound 10% , choc cookie pieces 7% (tapioca, chickpea flour, sugar, cocoa solids , rice bran oil,.
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What Makes These Homemade Vegan Protein Bars Healthier Than Store
I always read the labels of store-bought granola/protein bars hoping for clean ingredients but I am left disappointed. There are a couple brands out there with clean labels but honestly, most of the time, I find store-bought granola bars have WAY too much sugar, oil, tons of added artificial ingredients and weird additives. Id much rather make my own. These are refined sugar free, theyre gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, and soy-free. What more could you ask for?
The healthy fats in these protein bars in addition to the protein from the nuts and seeds will help to keep you full longer in between meals.
What To Put In Your Protein Bars
Feel free to customize your high protein, low carb bars recipe however you want!
- Something sweet: I like adding sugar free chocolate chips. You could also experiment with white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or even dried cranberries.
- Adding some crunch: Any nuts or seeds will work if you dont want to use sunflower seeds. Pecans, almonds, or even pumpkin seeds will be delicious! Just make sure to chop any larger ingredients.
- Texture: Ingredients like chia seeds or flax are a fun way to play around with the texture while adding a nice health boost.
- Protein: I use whey protein in my recipe for texture and protein. However, you could use another flavorless powder like collagen peptides. You could also make these with a flavored protein powder. Just make sure to reduce the amount of sweetener you use since most flavored protein powders are sweetened.
- Nut or seed butter: You can substitute the almond butter for any nut or seed butter you prefer. There are plenty of options at the store! Or, make your own by throwing the nuts or seeds in the food processor and processing until a butter forms.
How do you like to make your low carb protein bars? Let us know in the comments below!
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How To Make Peanut Butter Protein Bars
The ingredient list is short, simple, and a slam dunk.
- Peanut Butter. Healthy fats, protein, and the all-out delicious factor. You can use any kind you like, be it shelf stable or drippy peanut butter.
The consistency of your batter can vary based on the type of peanut butter you use. If your batter is looser than you would like, simply add an extra tablespoon or two of oats until it holds together.
- Oatmeal. Rolled oats are hearty, rich in fiber, and give the Peanut Butter Protein Bars their structure.
- Honey. For its natural sweetness and glue factor.
- Protein Powder. Pump em up! To make these protein bars with protein powder, stir in 1/2 cup of your favorite brand of protein powder. You can use whey- or plant-based protein. I recommend vanilla, though I suspect chocolate would be tasty too.
- Flaxseed Meal. Omega-3s please.
- Coconut Oil. To help the bars bind and solidify.
- Cinnamon and Chocolate Chips. No ho-hum bars here. These Peanut Butter Protein Bars are loaded with the good stuff.
Once you have the ingredients, its as simple as stirring. These healthy oatmeal protein bars are made in one bowl.
Press your bar batter into the pan, pop them into the fridge, and theyll set within an hour.