Store-bought protein bars can be expensive and often contain unnecessary additives. So, why not make your own? Our No Bake Homemade Protein Bar Recipe is not only delicious, but nutritious too. The best thing is, you can customize them to suit your tastes and dietary needs. A great way to increase your protein intake.
Homemade protein bars are much more cost effective. If you are eating one every day, then making your own protein bars will be much cheaper than those you buy in stores.
You control the ingredients, so you can avoid allergens, add your favorite flavors, and ensure they meet your dietary requirements. We make them a different way every time, as there are so many different things you can add in.
You can pack them with wholesome ingredients, ensuring you get a good balance of protein, fats, and carbs. Oats are the base, but there are nuts, seeds, dates and protein powder in there too.
For some more high protein recipes take a look at our quick Cottage Cheese Protein Bowl, easy Protein Bagels, creamy Protein Scrambled Eggs or our delicious Chicken Protein Bowl.
Or for a festive protein treat, try our Protein Snowballs.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Oats - This is the base of the homemade protein bars and helps to make them really filling, as well as giving them that slightly chewy texture.
- Flax seeds - This helps to add some extra protein to the bars. You could swap them for chia seeds instead.
- Protein powder - This is where the majority of the protein comes from. we used a chocolate protein powder, but you could use plain or a flavored one. How much protein is in these bars will depend on the type of protein powder you use. This will also change the sweetness too.
- Maple syrup - This is what helps to sweeten the protein bars and helps them to stick together. You may need to adjust this depending on how sweet your protein powder is. You can use honey or another liquid sweetener too.
- Dates - This helps to give a caramel flavor and texture and also make them a little sticky to hold together. We used Medjool dates and make sure they are pitted and softened.
- Vanilla - This adds a real warmth of flavor. Make sure you use extract and not essense.
- Salt - Just a pinch - this helps to bring out the sweet flavors.
- Milk - We used almond milk, but any milk will work. You could use coconut milk too, which adds some creaminess.
- Nut butter - we used almond butter to help with the texture and stickiness, but also to add some protein.
- Coconut oil
Variations
Chocolate - With some of these protein bars, we melted some dark chocolate and drizzled it over the top. Our kids went straight for those ones. You could also mix some dark chocolate chips into the mixture. We like these Refined Sugar Free Chocolate Chips.
Once you have cut these into bars, you could also dip each bar in chocolate so they are fully coated.
Nut butters - You can swap the almond butter for peanut butter or cashew butter. For a nut-free version, use sunflower seed butter or tahini.
Sweeteners - We used maple syrup as the main sweetener here, but you could use honey, agave nectar or date syrup.
Add-Ins - Include dried fruits like cranberries or raisins, nuts like almonds or walnuts, or seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Protein powder - Use a plant-based protein powder for a vegan option. If you’re looking to add collagen for joint health, using collagen powder is a great option.
How To Make Protein Bars - Step By Step
Prep: De-stone and soften the dates, either in boiled water for 10 minutes, or in the microwave for abut 1 minute.
Line a 6"x9" (15x22cm) baking dish with parchment paper.
- Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a food processor.
- Step 2: Blend well to combine everything.
- Step 3: Press the mixture into the lined baking dish, making sure it is even. See our video for tips to get it smooth.
- Step 4: Refrigerate for at least an hour then cut into bars.
High Protein Tip
What is considered high protein to someone, might not be to someone else. This homemade protein bar recipe might not be as high in protein as store bought ones, but there are ways to make the protein higher.
You could add some peanut nutter powder, or add more protein, or some extra seeds. You will need to adjust the other ingredients like milk and nut butter though, as you don't want them to be dry and crumbly. We kept them to 6g per bar because we knew our kids would be eating a lot of them!
Serving Suggestions
We tend to just eat these as they are as a breakfast on the go, a snack or packed into lunch boxes for days out.
However, if you would like to make them more of a filling snack, then why not crumble them on to some Greek yogurt and add some fruit?
Storage
Store: Store the protein bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to a week.
Freeze: For a longer shelf life, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. We wrap them up individually and then put them in a freezer bag and you can just take them out one at a time.
Defrost: You can defrost them at room temperature and they will only take a couple of hours.
Extra Tips
- If the mixture is too dry, add a little milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- If you are not using a chocolate protein powder in these homemade protein bars, then you can add a little cacao powder to give it a chocolate flavor.
- If you are making these to eat on the go, I would recommend leaving them as they are and not adding the optional chocolate as it melts easily and makes them messier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use your favourite brand of vegan protein powder and make sure you use almond milk and these can be vegan.
Yes, these can't be eaten straight away as they need time to firm up in the fridge. They need at least an hour, but 3-4 hours would be better. They can then be cut up and stored in the fridge.
More Snack Recipes
If you’ve tried this healthy protein bar recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
No Bake Homemade Protein Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g (3 cups) Oats
- 3 tablespoon Flax seeds
- 70 g (0.66 cups) Chocolate protein powder
- 6 tablespoon (0.33 cups) Maple syrup
- 150 g (1 cups) Dates - pitted and softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 70 ml (0.33 cups) Almond milk
- 2 tablespoon Almond butter
- 1 teaspoon Coconut oil - melted
Instructions
- De-stone and soften the dates, either in boiled water for 10 minutes, or in the microwave for abut 1 minute.Line a 6"x9" (15x22cm) baking dish with parchment paper
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor.
- Blend well to combine everything.
- Press the mixture into the lined baking dish, making sure it is even.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour then cut into bars.
Recipe Tips
- If the mixture is too dry, add a little milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- If you are not using a chocolate protein powder in these homemade protein bars, then you can add a little cacao powder to give it a chocolate flavour.
- If you are making these to eat on the go, I would recommend leaving them as they are and not adding the optional chocolate as it melts easily and makes them messier.
- To ensure this recipe is definitely gluten free, use oats that are certified gluten free.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Janet says
Very tasty
Katy says
These are delicious and easy to make. My husband loves them to take to work. Way cheaper and tastes better than store bought. Thank you!