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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
- Powdered Sugar Substitute
- Homemade Chocolate Chips
- DIY Liquid Stevia Drops
- Homemade Marshmallows (SF option)
Hope you enjoy the taste and the healthy boost that these Homemade Vegan Protein Bars bring to your wallet!
Grain-Free No-Bake Homemade Protein Bars
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:
- 1 cup sugar-free chocolate chips (melted; or try these Homemade Chocolate Chips or this Homemade Chocolate Bar for a DIY option)
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
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
How many servings do we cut to equal 7 net carbs?
Hi there. Looks like it should be 16 since there are 16 servings noted on the recipe card at the top and there are 7 net carbs in each serving.
Thanks!
These look so good!
You mention in the tips/notes about not grinding to ‘butter’ but you list nut BUTTER as an ingredient…confused.
Hope you like them! I mean you can put the nut butter in, but you don’t want to combine all of the ingredients together so that they make a butter. You want a lot of texture still. I think you’ll see when you make it.
These are so good! I used 3 T of a stevia based granular sugar substitute and a handful of chopped dates. (We like things really sweet!)
Melted 1/2 Lilly’s semi-sweet choc chips with regular.
Also added a few Tablespoons of collagen in place of protein powder.
I like things sweet too – so glad you liked them and HI Denise! So fun to hear from you!
This recipe was way better than I thought it might be. Very good. Even my husband liked it and he’s not into healthy much. Thanks so much. Yummy.
Sooo glad you liked it! That’s the second similar comment I got recently. The other was on this post. Sooo glad to hear that people who aren’t really into healthy stuff are enjoying things that are better for them!
These sound great for my little guy. I can’t get enough protein in him. Is the shredded coconut necessary? Could you sub with something else if you need the volume? Also, I would use honey. How much honey would be needed? Would it still be the two tablespoons?
Thanks.
Hi there. I am not sure what else you could use–maybe some chopped nuts or seeds or even dried fruit if you wanted something like that. I would opt for the first. Honey is sweeter than sugar so reduce it a bit. There are tips on how to do that in this post. Enjoy! https://wholenewmom.com/baking-with-honey-sugar-for-baking/
I’m looking forward to trying these and know my family will love them. I would like to send some with my children on a trip where there won’t be refrigeration. Do the bars have to be refrigerated? If you have already covered this in the post, I’m sorry. I did look but could not discern if this were necessary.
Hi there – you don’t have to but in warm weather they will get soft. You could use cocoa butter to make them a bit more firm.
Hope it works for you! If not, let me know and perhaps I can direct you to some other options. I’m hoping to work on more bars in the future :).
Looks delicious, but can you tell me how many carbs, protein and fats are in each serving?
And the calories for each bar?
Hi there. We just got the nutrition values entered. Please keep in mind that they are approximations. It’s really hard to do this and each calculator has different values. Hope you like them!
Delicious! Made them using almonds and used stevia ascthe sweetener. Put melted dark chocolate on top. I made these a postpartum/ lactation support foods.
Do you know the nutrition content?
Thank you so much! I can see if I can get my son to do the calculations now. We’ve been inundated with personal and blog issues. You can use any online calculator that you trust.
This recipe looks so yummy, thanks for sharing 🙂 I will definitely try it out!
Thanks, Hana! Sorry but I don’t allow people to promote their sites on my platform but hope you like the protein bars should you try them!
You mention liquid sweetener in blog post but I don’t see it in the recipe?
Hi Shannon! First of all, thanks so much for reading. I am so sorry for the delay in responding. I was really puzzled when I read your comment b/c I remembered liquid sweetener being in this recipe and had to go and figure out what happened. It seems that the recipe pulled information incorrectly when we did a recipe update awhile ago. I fixed it now–you can use any kind of sweetener really. Hope you get the chance to make them and like them and again, so sorry! I have been inundated and kept forgetting to research the problem and finally got to it :).
I have some grain free flour made from seeds and flax. If I were to use that instead how many cups would you suggest 1 1/2 perhaps?
Thank you,
Sue
Since you are talking about a blend it’s hard to say. Flax ground makes for more volume. You would have to know the proportions of the ingredients and figure it out from there. Might be too difficult I think or just do it and go by how the finished product looks.