Homemade Protein Bars

These homemade protein bars are no-bake, endlessly customizable energy bars. Just like Luna and Power bars, and made with your favorite protein powder.

This protein bar recipe is not like those other fussy, confusing recipes out there. It's easy to follow and customize, and you can even make it without peanut butter!

Recipe ingredients

There are two main versions of these bars: with dates, and with peanut butter. Most of the ingredients in these bars are the same in both variations, but some are only in one, some only in the other.

In both variations

• Oats: Old fashioned oats are the main ingredient in these bars. We grind them into powder, but you can begin with oat flour instead. For 250 grams of oat flour, if you're measuring by volume, you'd need 2 cups + 1 heaping tablespoon of oat flour.
• Protein powder: Adds a ton of protein to these bars, and adds some flavor if you use a flavored protein powder. If you use a chocolate protein powder, it adds more richness to the bars. If you use whey protein isolate, it has no flavor and adds the most protein by volume.
• Salt: Brightens the flavor of the bars and balances the gentle sweetness.
• Milk: Adds richness and moisture to the bars and helps hold the ingredients together. Add milk slowly to make sure the bars set up properly.
• Maple syrup: Adds depth of flavor, sweetness, and helps hold the bars together. You can use another liquid sweetener like honey, but you'll probably need a bit less of it and it will change the flavor.
• Chocolate: Adds flavor, richness, and helps the bars hold their shape once they set. Unsweetened chocolate in the bars adds richness without extra sugar, since the bars already have added sweetness. For an optional chocolate coating or drizzle, use a sweetened chocolate or it will taste bitter or flat.

In the dates version (nut-free)

• Dates: hold this version together really well with their stickiness. I prefer Medjool dates, since they're stickier and have a rich caramel flavor. Deglet Noor dates are smaller, drier, and less sweet, so you may need more milk if you use them. If your dates seem dried out, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, squeeze out the water, and use the as usual.
• Vanilla: Adds more depth of flavor to this version, which has less strong flavors than the nut butter variety.

In the peanut butter version

• Peanut butter: Always use a “no-stir” type of peanut butter like Skippy or Jif, which is more solid at room temperature than the super drippy natural kind that usually only has the single ingredient (peanuts). You can use Barney Butter instead for a peanut-free variety, and I think Wow Butter would work for a nut-free version.
• Cocoa powder: Adds richness and deep chocolate flavor to the peanut butter bars, and helps mix with the nut butter to provide stability. I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder, since it is richer and deeper, but natural cocoa powder works.

How to make homemade protein bars

Process oats, protein powder & add wet ingredients

• Process oats in the bowl of a food processor into a powder (or use oat flour)
• Add protein powder, and maple syrup, melted unsweetened chocolate, and milk.
• Add either pitted medjool dates OR or cocoa powder & nut butter.

Process & press into a pan

• Process the wet ingredients with the dry just until the mixture holds together.
• Add more milk a little at a time if needed.
• Press everything into a pan, and chill.

Slice the bars, drizzle with chocolate, & serve!

• Slice the whole pan into bars with a sharp knife.
• Drizzle with some melted chocolate for extra flavor.

Expert tips

Don't just leave out an ingredient

There are lots of ways to customize these protein bars to your family's tastes and nutritional needs. There's no chemical reaction happening in an oven, so the mixture must have a certain texture right out of the food processor.

We want the bars to hold together well, so you must have ingredients that provide structure and bind the bars together. And of course without any protein powder, only the nut butter version has any significant protein.

Don't rush the firming time

These bars will take at least an hour in the refrigerator to become firm enough to slice, and to hold together properly, so plan ahead a bit.

Add liquid carefully

If you add extra maple syrup, increase the melted chocolate or add too much milk, the mixture will be overly soft and won't set up.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

As written and as long as you use dairy free milk and chocolate, this recipe makes dairy free protein bars. If you prefer a dairy-containing protein powder, try whey protein.

Oat-free

I have finally successfully replaced the oats in this recipe, and every other oat-filled recipe on this blog (and in my cookbooks!). You can read all about a potential substitute for oats in baking, and finally make this grain-free!

In place of oats, I like to use wide, flat coconut chips. The coconut chips take up a similar amount of space as the oats. Buckwheat groats also work well.

If you're looking for a bite-sized version, try my protein balls. They don't have protein powder at all, and there's no food processor involved. You do have to roll all those little bites, but there's a grain free variety in that recipe that you might really love.

Sugar free

Try replacing the maple syrup in the nut butter variation with Lankato brand maple syrup substitute. You may need a bit less, though, since it's quite sweet. Be sure your nut butter is made without added sugars, too.

Flavor variations

More neutral-tasting

For the dates version, use a vanilla or unflavored protein powder, and leave out the melted chocolate (you'll need a bit more milk to hold the bars together). For the nut-butter version, try using cashew butter as the nut butter for a more neutral flavor that really lets the chocolate flavor shine.

Fruit-flavored

Try replacing the cocoa powder with a freeze-dried fruit powder. You can either buy it as a powder, or buy freeze dried fruit by the bag and grind it into a powder.

Protein powder varieties

Instead of protein powder, try using collagen powder for a huge nutritional boost with no added flavor at all. You can use whey protein isolate, like in our gluten free bread flour.

I also really like Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides and Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides, which is less expensive.

Our favorite variation

My favorite way to make these bars is the “date version” with the melted unsweetened chocolate, and a drizzle of melted chocolate on top. I often press 1 to 2 ounces of mini chocolate chips to the mixture after processing.

Without the full chocolate coating, the bars are much easier to handle and transport. Including the melted chocolate in the bar itself makes the bar richer in taste and more firm for easy handling.

Storage instructions

These bars will stay fresh in a sealed container or wrapped individually in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They're easy to eat chilled without having to let them warm to room temperature.

For longer storage, you can freeze these bars for up to 3 months. Just let them defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.

FAQs