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Healthy No-Bake Protein Bars (Low-Carb, Vegan, Gluten-free)

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These Homemade Protein Bars are no-bake, easy to make, and so good! Skip the overpriced store-bought bars, and make these instead for a healthy breakfast, snack, or treat on the go or anytime!

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I'm always on the lookout for healthy snacks for my family, especially easy recipes since I am pretty busy.  We love my recipes for healthy chocolate truffles, no-bake cookies, and kale chips, but this recipe for homemade protein bars is one of our all-time favorites.

It's a great grab-and-go snack and is full of yumminess that you and your family will love.

If you've been buying protein bars in the store, here is your chance to make them at home for much less money and likely with much healthier ingredients.

You'll save a ton of money, have total control over the ingredients, and well, they taste great too.

homemade protein bars ingredients in blender
Place nuts, flax, nut butter, and salt into a blender.

How are These Homemade Protein Bars Healthier?

  • Seeds and nuts give a great dose of healthy fats that are good for you and great for leveling out your blood sugar levels.
  • The optional organic protein powder provides a nice dose of protein.  (Yes, I know this is not necessarily considered a “real food”, but for those of us dealing with food allergies, sometimes this is the best we can do)
  • Coconut oil is a great healthy fat as well
  • No preservatives
  • No questionable “natural flavors”
  • No highly processed protein powders (depending on what you choose if adding a protein powder.)
  • No extruder-processed puffed grains and such that have been cited for questionable effects on health
  • Low carb – there's a low-carb option for those who need it
  • Allergy free – make these bars however you need to in order to avoid allergens or sensitivities
hand putting bottom layer of low carb protein bars ingredients in pan

These originated as a recipe for Almond Power Bars on Elana's Pantry.  I tweaked the recipe a bit, made it more suited to variation, and gave nutrient-boosting and sugar-free alternatives.

Warm Weather Tips

The only problem with these homemade protein bars is that they don't travel well in warm weather.  So take a cooler bag along with you if you plan to eat them on the road when it's not cool.

Making these homemade vegan protein bars with cocoa butter instead of coconut oil will make them a lot more stable.

pouring chocolate for diy protein bars into pan

Storage

You can keep these bars at room temperature for about 4-5 days, or store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

I like to make these Homemade Protein Bars in bulk and then place them in the fridge or freezer for a fast healthy snack for the family. They'll keep well in freezer for up to 6 months at least when packed in a freezer-safe container.

homemade protein bars in a stack on a plate

Recipe Notes and Substitutions

  • Sweeteners: Use vegetable glycerine, xylitol, or erythritol (add in about 1/3 more) as the sweetener for a low-carb version. If you don't need low-carb, use Sucanat or honey or even maple syrup for more natural options. 1/32 teaspoon stevia extract is also a good choice.
  • More Protein: Substitute up to the total amount of the flax meal with the same amount of rice protein for an extra punch of protein. Nutribiotic makes a great brand from non-GMO brown rice. You could also use some of this great grass-fed gelatin to firm up the bars and give more protein.
  • Be Careful Processing! Please note the recipe says to process the nuts to a coarse meal. If you over-process, you'll end up with nut butter. That will still taste great but will make the bars more dense and not solid unless you freeze them. Still yummy, though!
  • Nut Options: For nuts, almonds, and organic macadamias are good options. Mixing several kinds works well too. You can also substitute 1 1/3 cups of coconut butter or seeds for nut-free. If using seeds, organic sunflower and organic pumpkin seeds work well.
  • Flax Meal: Here is a good brand of organic flax seeds for making flax meal. You can also use rice bran or organic protein powder instead of flax meal.
  • Coconut Butter: You can also substitute coconut butter for the nut or seed butter.
  • Coconut Oil: You can substitute an alternative solid fat for the coconut oil. Use organic cocoa butter or butter for a more warm weather-stable bar.
  • Stevia: You can use 1/32 teaspoon (1 scoop) of stevia extract (see How to Use Stevia) instead of xylitol.
  • Chocolate Chips: If you would prefer to make your own chocolate chips, here are my Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips. My Homemade Chocolate / Carob Bar (1 cup of chips per bar recipe) is another option.
  • THM: This recipe qualifies as an “S” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.\

More Processed Food Replacements

Here are some of our favorite recipes to take the place of store-bought products.

Hope you enjoy the taste and the healthy boost that these Homemade Vegan Protein Bars bring to your wallet!

no bake homemade protein bars in stack on gray and white plate

Grain-Free No-Bake Homemade Protein Bars

This Vegan Homemade Protein Bar Recipe is one of our favorites – Grain-free, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan homemade protein bars–great for special diets.
4.89 from 27 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 290.3kcal

Ingredients

Base:

  • 2 cups nuts (preferably soaked and dried)
  • 1/2 cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in a blender or spice grinder)
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened and organic if possible)
  • 1/2 cup seed or nut butter (made from soaked and dried nuts or seeds is preferable)
  • 3/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons low carb sweetener (or other granulated or liquid sweetener–see Recipe Notes)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 or more tablespoons protein powder, collagen, or colostrum (optional for more protein)

Topping:

Instructions

  • Place nuts or seeds, flax meal, coconut, seed or nut butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
  • Process until the nuts or seeds are ground into a coarse meal.
  • Melt coconut oil over low heat. If the temperature of your home is around 76 degrees, you can skip this step and add the oil directly to the food processor as it will be soft enough to process easily.
  • Add coconut oil, sweeteners and vanilla to processor bowl and process until well combined to form a thick, yet crunchy paste.
  • Press the mixture into an 8×8 square pan (you can be quite flexible here. A 9×9 will work just fine. A larger pan will produce thin bars, while a smaller pan will yield thicker ones)
  • Place in refrigerator to chill.
  • If you are making your own chocolate/carob chips or chocolate/carob bar, prepare while the protein bars are chilling, but do not harden the chocolate chips or bar.
  • Top bars with the chocolate chips or bar. Top either before the bars chill, or melt the chocolate topping and top with it.
  • Press the topping onto the chilled bottom layer.
  • Place back in refrigerator to chill (if you can wait that long :-)!)
  • Cut into squares and serve.
  • Store in refrigerator.

Notes

  • Sweeteners: Use vegetable glycerine, xylitol, or erythritol (add in about 1/3 more) as the sweetener for a low-carb version. If you don't need low-carb, use Sucanat or honey or even maple syrup for more natural options. 1/32 teaspoon stevia extract is also a good choice.
  • More Protein: Substitute up to the total amount of the flax meal with the same amount of rice protein for an extra punch of protein. Nutribiotic makes a great brand from non-GMO brown rice. You could also use some of this great grass-fed gelatin to firm up the bars and give more protein.
  • Be Careful Processing! Please note – the recipe says to process the nuts to a coarse meal. If you over-process, you will have a nut butter, which will still taste great, but will make the bars more dense and not solid unless you freeze them. Still yummy, though!
  • Nut Options: For nuts, almonds and organic macadamias are good options. Mixing several kinds works well too. You can also sub 1 1/3 cups coconut butter or seeds for nut free. If using seeds, organic sunflower and organic pumpkin seeds work well.
  • Flax Meal: Here is a good brand of organic flax seeds to purchase to make flax meal. You can also use rice bran or organic protein powder instead of flax meal.
  • Coconut Butter: You can also substitute coconut butter for the nut or seed butter.
  • Coconut Oil: You can substitute an alternative solid fat for the coconut oil. Use organic cocoa butter or butter for a more warm weather-stable bar.
  • Stevia: You can use 1/32 teaspoon (1 scoop) of stevia extract (see How to Use Stevia) instead of xylitol.
  • Chocolate Chips: If you would prefer to make your own chocolate chips, here are my Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips. My Homemade Chocolate / Carob Bar (1 cup of chips per bar recipe) is another option.
  • THM: This recipe qualifies as an “S” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 290.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.4g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26.2g | Saturated Fat: 10.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.83g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.29g | Sodium: 58.2mg | Potassium: 191.93mg | Fiber: 8.3g | Sugar: 1.3g | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1.1mg | Net Carbs: 7g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.

Would you eat these Homemade Vegan Protein Bars for breakfast, snacks, or on the go?

Photo Credits: Naomi Huzovicova

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406 Comments

  1. I’m looking for the nutritional information on these bars and… Not seeing them. Am I just not seeing them or is this not something that you offer? I’m not a big counter of macros but I just wanted to get a sense of how many carbs are in these. Is this something you could let me know? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi there. I don’t have nutritional information on my site for several reasons. First of all I offer many substitutions so it would be very complicated. I would recommend plugging in the ingredients you wish to use in an online nutrition calculator. Hope that helps!

      Reply

      1. Thank you Adrienne! I made the bars today with the xylitol and they are amazing. I have been using my same protein bar recipe for a few years. I could not find any other recipes that were as good (and clean eating) as the one I have been using. Well…this one is my next go to. Love them!

        Reply

    1. Hi Kaye. That depends on how small you make the bars. We make them pretty small b/c they are very rich. Enjoy!

      Reply

  5. I CANNOT wait to make these! Finally a healthy, high fat protein bar I can feel good about. I’m already imagining the flavor varieties that can be made, too!

    Reply

    1. Yes, Phil – I haven’t done this b/c I have been advised that it might not be wise and would be difficult since typically I provide a lot of alternatives. I’m trying to figure out if there is a way to can do that for my readers. In the meantime, there are some sites where you could enter the information of the ingredients that you wish to use and calculate the nutritional information. Hope that helps and clarifies.

      Reply

  7. I put these ingredients in fitness pal and it shows these bars are 704 calories per bar. Is that correct? I did 8 servings. That seems really high. They look yummy so I would really like to try them.

    Reply

    1. Hi Terri. I think those are big bars. Mine are pretty thick so I cut them into small pieces. Hope that helps.

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    i have been looking for a quick, healthy bar when I came across this one.
    I made them yesterday and boy, are they delicious!
    I can see that I shall be making these a lot in the future.
    Many thanks for such a terrific recipe.

    Reply

  9. Do you think these will set up properly without the coconut? Should I replace it with something else or omit/reduce one if the other ingredients?

    Reply

    1. They should be OK without but you might need something in it’s place to give them more substance. Maybe more nuts? I just read something amazing – sauerkraut is apparently a fabulous sub! So I bet cooked shredded cabbage would work great.

      Reply

  10. I loved the recipe! However it was liquidy after mixed. They hardened in the freezer but as soon a so take them out they start to soften again within a few minutes. I don’t know what I did wrong

    Reply

          1. Same measurements. I used 2 cups nuts (cashew, almonds, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, chia) 1/2 cup flax, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup coconut oil, salt, sugar, vanilla. My house is about 63 degrees

            Reply