To make these homemade peanut butter protein bars you only need a couple of basic ingredients and the best part is that they are made in no time – no baking. In terms of taste you can be creative. Add nuts, dried fruits, chia seeds, coconut, almonds, etc. to your dough or any kind of chocolate… whatever you like.
When I look at the ingredients list of a store-bought protein bar, I always wonder why there are so many ingredients added. Homemade protein bars are fantastic because you can decide which ingredients you want to use. They are also a much cheaper alternative if you eat protein bars regularly.
Tools & Equipment
- 15cm / 6-inch square pan
- Fork
- Medium bowl
- Parchment paper
- Quarter sheet pan
- Sharp knife
- Silicone spatula
- Small bowl
Recipe Tips
Chocolate: if you do not like chocolate, you can skip it. I like to have one batch completely without chocolate and one with chocolate stored. This gives you the possibility to choose what you prefer more. Feel free to make it the way you like it best. I made four different versions:
- Plain, without chocolate
- Chocolate chips on top
- Melted chocolate on top
- Completely covered with melted chocolate (small pieces)
Chocolate Protein Bars: substitute 15g of the protein powder with cocoa powder. Add about 20g of mini chocolate chips to the dough and / or use protein powder with chocolate flavor.
Protein Bars without Protein Powder: in case you do not like the consistency or taste of protein powder, replace it with 100g oat flour and increase the sweetener to 110g. Note: these bars contain about 40% less protein.
Directions – How to Make Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Line a 15, 2cm / 6-inch square pan with parchment, leave an overhang at the sides and set aside. Gather your ingredients.
In a medium bowl combine peanut butter, protein powder, maple syrup and salt and stir until a dough forms.
Place the dough in the prepared square pan, flatten with a silicone spatula and let it set in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Take the pan out of the freezer and cut the large protein square into 12 bars.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15 seconds intervals and stir in between. Add the oil and stir until smooth.
Dip the whole, half or just the top of the protein bars into the melted chocolate. Flip the bar over and place it on a sheet lined with parchment paper.
Press chocolate chips into the top of the plain protein bars. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set.
Storage: you can store these protein bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
My Summary for Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: these protein bars taste nutty, creamy and those with chocolate are obviously chocolaty. A lot of bought protein bars have an unpleasant aftertaste, these bars definitely do not have it.
Texture: they are soft, but not too soft and melt in your mouth.
PROS: the bars are done quickly, no baking required. You can make a lot of different variations.
CONS: none.
More “Healthy” Recipes
- Banana Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Banana Raspberry Nice Cream
- Peanut Butter Eggs
- Raspberry Almond Granola
- Twix Bars
