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.
I like to make these Homemade Protein Bars in bulk (I make just about EVERYTHING in bulk) and then place in the fridge or freezer for a fast healthy snack for the family. Sadly, however, the freezer party typically doesn't happen. Most of my recipes make it to the fridge and that's it. They get eaten faster than I can get them there….but I'm working on it!
I know that a lot of people still purchase ready-made protein bars in the stores for convenience purposes, but it really is great if you can carve out a little bit of time and make a big batch of something like this and have it on hand.
You'll save a ton of money, have total control over the ingredients and well, they taste great too.
Try it and once you find a mix of ingredients you like, make a bunch of batches, freeze them, then grab them and go when you are on the run.
This homemade protein bar recipe is a lot healthier for you and for your wallet, plus who doesn't love some chocolate now and then, especially when it's this healthy?
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 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 effect on health
- Low carb for those who need it
- Allergy free – You can make these bars however you need to in order to avoid allergens or sensitivities
Carbs in Store-Bought vs. Homemade Protein Bars
I learned the hard way how the store-bought bars can be a real problem.
Recently, I bought a bunch of “healthy” bars on clearance for my kids. I thought I was doing a good thing for my family as they were heavily discounted, and some of them had more protein that most other bars in the store.
However, the addiction factor kicked in pretty quickly.
See, we don't have many processed foods in our home. I don't typically realize how “odd” this is, but when visitors look in our cabinets and fridge, they comment something like “Wow, you guys really do eat healthy!”
And the carbs have had a bad effect on one of the members of our family, who shall remain nameless.
My experience is that we are passing down weakened guts and immune systems to subsequent generations, and as such, more and more people can't handle carbs. Well, these bars have more carbs (in the form of nice sounding “organic cane syrup”, etc.) than I would typically let my kids eat, and though I figured that the protein and fats would balance it out, the fact is that they don't.
My kids do better on my homemade stuff and there is just not much of a way around it. So even though I thought I was giving them something “healthy”, I learned my lesson. Organic cane syrup is sugar. And we don't do well on it.
With these bars, you can control your carbs, which can be a very important thing.
Back to the Protein Bars…..
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.
Other Processed Food Replacements you might like
– Powdered Sugar Substitute
– Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips
– DIY Vanilla Liquid Stevia
– Homemade Marshmallows (SF option)
Homemade Protein Bar 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.
One warm weather tip – making these homemade vegan protein bars and the topping with cocoa butter instead of coconut oil will make them more stable.
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions for Homemade Protein Bars
- Sweeteners: Use vegetable glycerine as the liquid sweetener for a low-carb version. If you don't need low carb, use Sucanat or honey for more natural options. If you don't use glycerine, then 1 scoop stevia extract is a good choice or you could alternatively use xylitol or about 1/3 more erythritol.
- 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 tsp (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.
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 soy-free homemade protein bars--great for special diets.
Ingredients
Base:
- 2 cups nuts (preferably soaked)
- 1/2 cup organic 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 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp xylitol
- 2 tsp organic sugar-free vanilla extract
Topping:
- 1 cup sugar-free chocolate chips (melted; or try these Homemade Chocolate Chips or this Homemade Chocolate Bar for a DIY option)
Instructions
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Place nuts or seeds, flax meal, coconut, seed or nut butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
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Process until the nuts or seeds are ground into a coarse meal.
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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.
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Add coconut oil, sweeteners and vanilla to processor bowl and process until well combined to form a thick, yet crunchy paste.
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Press the mixture into an 8x8 square pan (you can be quite flexible here. A 9x9 will work just fine. A larger pan will produce thin bars, while a smaller pan will yield thicker ones)
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Place in refrigerator to chill.
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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.
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Top bars with the chocolate chips or bar. Top either before the bars chill, or melt the chocolate topping and top with it.
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Press the topping onto the chilled bottom layer.
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Place back in refrigerator to chill (if you can wait that long :-)!)
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Cut into squares and serve.
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Store in refrigerator.
Hope you enjoy the taste and the healthy boost that these Homemade Vegan Protein Bars bring to your wallet!
Would you eat these Homemade Vegan Protein Bars for–breakfast, snack, on the go?
Photo Credits: Naomi Huzovicova
pandy weck says
Hi Adrienne, I wanted to thank you so very much for the delicious protein bars. They were exactly what I was looking for. I tweaked your recipe just a little bit and thought I would pass it along. I powdered the Xylitol using my coffee grinder. Also I used maple extract from Watkins. It is clean and can be bought at Walmart of all places. Plus I used a little bit more then the recipe called for. If I were to use a protein powder would I need to replace the flax with the powder or just added into the mix? Also, does soaking the seeds increase the nutritional content? Do I need to let them Sprout or how does that work? Thanks again for going to the trouble of creating and then sharing these. You are a doll.
Adrienne says
You are so welcome! That sounds really interesting! Love the maple idea. I would replace some of the flax but I still need to work on that. Soaking doesn’t change nutritional info in a calculator but should help you get better nutrition from the bars. You don’t have to let them sprout but it’s healthier that way. However, almonds don’t sprout easily and sprouting causes mold often.
Yin Stewart says
“2 cups nuts preferably soaked” so do you use the nuts while they are still wet? Or after they are dried? Thanks!
Adrienne says
You dry them first – thanks!
Brenda says
I have to stay away from flax and rice. Anything else that I can use for a substitute?
Adrienne says
You could use more nuts or coconut for the flax. How about pea protein for the rice protein?
Kalli Spaugh says
Hi! Do these need to be stored chilled? I am going camping and would love to make and take them. (I know Coconut Oil has a low melt point)
Adrienne says
Yes, in the summer they will not hold together otherwise.
Nicole says
I’m excited to try these! Regarding protein powder, Moon Juice makes an excellent plant-based adaptogenic powder and the ingredients are just organic mushrooms! It is awesome. ?
Adrienne says
Thanks! Sounds very interesting. I did look at it and it’s not just mushrooms but other things as well. Do you know if they test their products for purity and contaminants?
colleen says
Hi! Can you recommend a good vanilla extract? I’m seeing added sugar in a lot of them. Thanks!
Adrienne says
There should be one in the post now – hope that helps!
colleen says
Yes, thanks so much!
Bernadette deGonzague says
What is the nutrient breakdown please?
Bernadette deGonzague says
If you’re posting a high protein low carb recipe i would assume you would have entered your ingredients into a nutrition calculator and posted it with the recipe…
Adrienne says
Hi Bernadette. So the ingredients are all low carb so it only makes sense that the resulting product would be low carb (assuming you use low carb sweeteners). As for the protein, I made a note in the recipe about it.
Having nutrition calculators is a rarely new thing on the internet. I’m working on it but it’s not simple and now I might need to change my recipe card totally so I appreciate your patience while I get this done. I’m busy doing loads of other things too like researching tons of other products, health topics since I’m a health and recipe blogger. Thanks again!
Adrienne says
Hi Bernadette. I’m working on putting that info into my posts but we’re running into some glitches. For now, you can use an online calculator to figure that out.
Sally says
what do these taste like?
so like if you had to pinpoint a flavour what would you say? (e.g. mint choc chip or peanut or coconut)
Adrienne says
It will depend on what you use as the base but if you use peanuts it will be like peanut butter. Almonds–like almond butter. Hope you like them!
Sally says
hi there, just wondering the nutritional benefits of a school assignment and I was wondering, especially for protein, sugar, fats but would love everything.
haven’t made them yet
Thanks!
Adrienne says
Hi there. I don’t have that feature on the blog yet but you can find calculators on the internet that can help with that. Hope your assignment goes well!
Sally says
thankyou and I were just wondering do you have a specific calculator for someone to find?
Adrienne says
Hi there – sorry I don’t. I am working on getting this done but so many things keep coming up like regulations we have to abide by now for EU visitors coming to our sites. Always something! You are welcome!
Melissa says
i can’t get my head around the chemical sweeteners… can you explain how they are healthy options??
Adrienne says
Hi there. So stevia is not a chemical. Xylitol is made from birch. Actually water is a chemical so I assume you mean synthetic? It depends on what is good for you. People who can’t eat carbs or have candida need to use sweeteners that either are low carb, or don’t feed candida, or both. So for them, those sweeteners are much healthier than honey or maple syrup. I eat some honey, but not much. Actually I don’t eat many sweets anymore. Does that help? There are conflicting reports on xylitol and erythritol. I personally think it’s best to blend sweeteners to minimize the potential issues w/ any one of them.
Roop says
The nutritional info of the bars please ?
Adrienne says
Hi there. We are trying to get this functionality up on the blog but it’s taking us awhile. Thanks for your patience. In the meantime you can use an online calculator of your liking to get the information.
Erica says
I made these bars today and they are sooo good! They came out a little crumbly but I am sure it’s because I over processed the final mix. Still- super good!
Adrienne says
Hi there. I’m so glad you liked them! I have some crumbly issues sometimes with these and w/ my Almond Joy Bars…..working on making them less crumbly :).
jessica says
dates?
Coralie says
need to know the carbs please.
Adrienne says
Hi there. We’re working on getting that functionality up on the blog. Thanks for your patience. In the meantime, you can plug your ingredients into an online calculator that you like. Thanks!
Abigail says
Hello! thanks for the recipe! I tried this out today, and they are pretty good. I had to make some substitutions for lack of a few ingredients. I also made a version of the homemade chocolate chip recipe you listed. When I went to cut the bars, most of the chocolate topping separated from the nutty part. Do you have any ideas why this might happen?
This is a yummy recipe! Thanks again!
Adrienne says
Hi Abigail. Thanks for the kind words and so glad you liked it! I’ve had some trouble with that but mostly with these Almond Joy Bars: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/healthy-chocolate-almond-joy-home-made-candy/
I hope to rework it, I think w/ more coconut oil in the topping, to make it work out better. Perhaps your subs made it worse? I will have to try them again but that might be it or maybe pressing it in will help more.
Joanne says
I’m sorry if I missed it, but I have looked all over this post and I can’t see any information on the portion size or nutrition facts for these bars.
Adrienne says
Hi there – sorry about that. We cut them into pretty small bars b/c they are very filling. At least 16 to an 8×8 pan. I am working to get nutritional info on to the blog but we are having some technical issues with it. Please find an online calculator that you like and use that in the meantime. Hope to have it ready soon!
Emme says
Would it be fine to leave out the fat? I cannot have coconut or cocoa, nor anything with dairy or soy. I’ve not found a solid fat I can have. What purpose does it serve? I’d love to try these out, as I currently don’t have any food I can take with me.
Adrienne says
Hi Emme,
Sorry you have those issues w/ those foods. Hmmmm…Have you tried palm? Or lard? Properly sourced, lard is considered to be healthy. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/6-reasons-why-you-should-start-eating-this-food/
If you don’t choose to use any of them you could maybe use a nut or seed butter instead but the bars will turn out differently. Hope it works for you!
Oh – these aren’t the most interesting treats, but you could try them: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/raw-almond-truffles-with-allergy-free-options/