Homemade Protein Bars

These homemade protein bars are a family and fan favorite! They’re full of big peanut butter and chocolate flavor, using your favorite protein powder and a few extra ingredients. It’s a plant-based treat you can feel good about!

Homemade protein bars

Why we love this recipe

Want to whip up a fun, homemade version of your favorite protein bars? When Alex and I started this website in 2010, we were all about making recipes from scratch. A lot has changed since that time, but the theme has stayed true. Recently though, we’ve been turning to packaged protein bars to get us through the afternoon on the regular.

So, we’ve created our own homemade protein bar recipe! This one comes out so tasty: it’s nutty and chocolaty, with just the right sweet and savory combination. They take just 15 minutes to whip up, and you can store them in the fridge for weeks! As you might expect, these are a huge hit with the family.

“I love, love, love these super tasty and easy to make protein bars! The amount of syrup is perfect since they are not overly sweet. The dark chocolate and sea salt is definitely one of the most decadent flavor combinations there are. These are the most perfect and easy to make protein bars.” -Annika

“Love them! We eat a lot of Perfect bars and this is such a good substitute. I love that it’s not only cheaper, but I know what’s in it.” -Ruth

Ingredient notes for homemade protein bars

We had this homemade protein bars recipe tested by a bunch of recipe testers (thank you to our Instagram readers!). We wanted to make sure this recipe worked with various types of protein powder. Here are a few things to know about the ingredients:

  • Protein powder: Use your favorite brand; plain protein powder seems to work best flavor-wise, but you can also use vanilla. We used this Orgain brand protein powder.
  • Natural creamy peanut butter: The brand we use has some added salt but no added sugar. You can substitute almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower butter as desired.
  • Pure maple syrup: We like maple syrup labeled “Grade A: Dark Color and Robust Taste,” since we find it has the best flavor.
  • Almond flour: This helps to round out the flavor and texture. If you prefer you can use oat flour, but the texture will be a bit more tough.
  • Coconut oil: After a few rounds of testing, we found coconut oil helps to make a soft texture for the bars.
  • Vanilla extract: This is optional, but we like the pureness in flavor that it gives; it helps to mask some of the protein powder flavor.
  • Dark chocolate chips: A thin coating of chocolate covers the top; you can also double it for a treat variation.
  • Sea salt: One of our recipe testers suggested topping with flaky sea salt and other testers loved it! It’s optional, but it makes a great sweet and salty combo.
Homemade Protein Bars Ingredients

Are they a treat or snack?

These protein bars taste pretty sweet, so we like them as a snack. Typically we cut them into much smaller pieces than you see above and use them as healthy little treats. We tried to model them after our favorite Think bars, but they came out a little sweeter. For a bar that’s a little less sweet, try our homemade granola bars.

Variation: add more chocolate!

As written in the recipe, these homemade protein bars are sweet but not too sweet. If you’d like these to taste like more of a treat, double the ingredients for the chocolate layer.

One recipe tester tried this and make it in an 8″ x 8″ pan. She loved the more chocolaty flavor and said they tasted like “Reese’s peanut butter cups”!

How to choose protein powder

Here at A Couple Cooks Alex and I don’t often include protein powder in our recipes since we prefer to use more natural sources of protein. However, the brands on the market have improved in the last few years. Alex did a little research into how to find healthy protein powder and here’s what we found:

Storing leftovers

These homemade protein bars store refrigerated for up 2 weeks. If you’re placing them in a bag lunch, they hold up well at room temperature for a few hours. (We put them in our son’s lunch and he loves them!)

More homemade snacks

We love how these homemade protein bars are a vegan snack and gluten-free snack that is so easy to whip up at home. Here are a few more fun homemade snacks that pack in the protein:

Dietary notes

These homemade protein bars are vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Frequently asked questions

Why should I make protein bars at home instead of buying them?

Homemade protein bars are often much cheaper than store-bought ones, especially if you buy ingredients in bulk. You know exactly what’s going into your bars, allowing you to avoid artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and other additives you might be trying to avoid. You can also customize the recipe to your needs: for example, using almond butter or sunflower butter, etc.

Can I substitute the maple syrup?

We like this recipe best with maple syrup. Honey is a good alternative, or you can try agave nectar or even a sugar-free option like stevia or monk fruit.

My bars are too crumbly, what did I do wrong?

Try adding a tablespoon of water or milk at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the dough holds together.

How should I store these protein bars, and how long will they last?

Store your protein bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. They could also be frozen (we have not tested this because ours disappear too fast!).

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Homemade protein bars

Homemade Protein Bars

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  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Chill Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 large or 16 small
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Description

These homemade protein bars are a family and fan favorite! They’re full of big peanut butter and chocolate flavor, using your favorite protein powder and a few extra ingredients. It’s a plant-based treat you can feel good about!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup (see Notes)
  • ¼ cup almond flour
  • 1 ½ tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus ½ teaspoon (divided)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup plain protein powder (or vanilla; see Notes)
  • ⅓ cup (2 ounces) dark chocolate chips (or double; see Notes)
  • Sea salt, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Mix the peanut butter, maple syrup, almond flour, 1 ½ tablespoons melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and protein powder in a bowl. It should come together into a playdough-like texture.
  2. Line a 9″ x 5″ pan (see Notes) with parchment paper. Place in the filling ingredients and press into an even layer (you can roll a small glass over the top if desired). 
  3. Place the chocolate in a liquid measuring cup with the ½ teaspoon coconut oil and heat in 10 second bursts in the microwave until melted. Pour over the peanut butter layer and spread until fully covered (it helps to drizzle all over first and spread, vs pour into the middle). If desired, sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
  4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chocolate is set. After 30 minutes, immediately into 8 squares or 16 smaller rectangles (avoid storing uncut or the bars become difficult to cut). Bars store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. 

Notes

Most recipe testers preferred a plain protein powder in this recipe, but vanilla also works.

We like maple syrup labeled “Grade A: Dark Color and Robust Taste” — we find it has the best flavor.

The recipe as written uses a thin layer of chocolate for a healthy snack. For a chocolate PB dessert variation, use 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips. When you use more chocolate, you can also make it in an 8 x 8 pan for a more even chocolate to peanut butter ratio.

We have not tested this recipe with other nut butters, but it should work with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter.

  • Category: Snack
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: Snack
  • Diet: Vegan


from A Couple Cooks
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Sonja Overhiser
October 02, 2024 at 09:30AM

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