Name: Homemade Protein Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted) (fresh drippy, no added sugar, no added oil (note 1)); 1/4 cup Maple Syrup ((note 2)); 3/4 cup Vanilla Protein Powder ((note 3)); 1/2 cup Hemp Seeds ((note 4)); 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract ((note 5)); 2 ounces Dark Chocolate ((note 6)); 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil (melted (note 7))

These Homemade Protein Bars are simple, healthy, and delicious no-bake snack bars, loaded with over 15g of protein and ready in under 25 minutes.

I love healthy and homemade protein bars, like my Cookie Dough Protein Bars, Quinoa Bars, or Brownie Protein Bars but today I wanted to make a really simple version with as few ingredients as possible that I can take after a workout.

While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

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Homemade Protein Bars

These Homemade Protein Bars are simple, healthy, and delicious no-bake snack bars, loaded with over 15g of protein and ready in under 25 minutes.

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Prep Time: 10

Freezer: 15

Total Time: 25

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 245.7 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

▢ 1 cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted) - fresh drippy, no added sugar, no added oil (note 1)
▢ ¼ cup Maple Syrup - (note 2)
▢ ¾ cup Vanilla Protein Powder - (note 3)
▢ ½ cup Hemp Seeds - (note 4)

Optional

▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract - (note 5)

Chocolate Shell

▢ 2 ounces Dark Chocolate - (note 6)
▢ 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil - melted (note 7)

Instructions

Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper lightly oiled with coconut oil. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, stir the peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract if used. Stir until smooth and consistent.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients: protein powder and seeds. Use the spoon to stir at first, then when it looks crumbly and dry, use your hand to squeeze and knead the dough to form a ball. If too dry, add melted coconut oil, one teaspoon at a time (up to 3 teaspoons) until the dough comes together. I didn't add any oil as my peanut butter is fresh and drippy.
Press the dough into the loaf pan and smoothen the top with a spatula.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until fully melted.
Pour the melted chocolate on top of the bar.
Freeze the bar for for 15 minutes until the chocolate shell is firm.
Place on a chopping board and slice into 10 protein bars.

Notes

Note 1: Peanut butter can be replaced with the same amount of fresh, drippy sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option. Or try almond butter, or cashew butter to create a variation of protein bar flavors.

Note 2: You can replace the maple syrup with any liquid sweetener, including sugar-free monk fruit syrup.

Note 3: Pea protein powder works the best in this recipe, but hemp, almond, or peanut protein powder are suitable plant-based powder alternatives. I didn’t try whey protein powder in this recipe as it’s not dairy-free.

Note 4: Any seeds work in the recipe. Hemp seeds have the most protein per serving bringing the bar to 15g of protein each. If you use sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds the bar will drop to 12g of protein per serving. Feel free to swap seeds for freeze dried strawberries, chocolate chips to create different bar flavors.

Note 5: If your protein powder already has a strong vanilla flavor you can skip vanilla extract.

Note 6: I am using 85% dark chocolate or 70% dark chocolate bar depending on the sweetness I feel like for the day. Any chocolate works.

Note 7: Or other oil like light olive oil, avocado oil, this is used to melt the chocolate.

Storage: Store the bars in the fridge in an airtight container or for up to 1 week or freeze them for up to 1 month in Ziploc bags and thaw in the fridge the day before.

Equipment

9-inch x 5-inch Loaf Pan

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Nutrition

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

You only need 4 simple ingredients to make the base and 2 more for the optional chocolate layer.

Peanut Butter – This is the base, providing richness and binding the ingredients. Almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter is fine too.
Maple Syrup – This sweetens the bars. Sugar-free monk fruit syrup or other liquid sweeteners are also fine.
Vanilla Protein Powder – This adds protein and flavor. Pea, hemp, almond, or peanut protein powders all work.
Hemp Seeds – Hemp seeds add protein and nutrients. Other seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds work, but they lower the protein content.
Dark Chocolate – This creates a rich chocolate shell. Any dark chocolate will work but I like over 70% cocoa (or more).
Coconut Oil – This helps melt the chocolate smoothly. Other oils like light olive or avocado oil are fine.

How to Make Homemade Protein Bars

This recipe is super easy to whip up, here’s how in pictures.

Combine the maple syrup and peanut butter until smooth.

Adding protein power and seeds to the Homemade Protein Bars base.

Incorporate the hemp seeds and protein powder into the peanut mixture.

Stir the mixture with your hands until it holds and sticks.

Homemade Protein Bar base in a loaf pan.

Press the bar base into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

Pouring melted chocolate on the Homemade Protein Bars in the pan.

Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl and pour the mixture on the bars.

Homemade Protein Bars ready to set in the freezer.

Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 minutes to set.

Carine’s Tips

Let me share a few more tips for the best possible bars:

Skip Chocolate Layer – Omit the chocolate layer to reduce calories to 50 Calories and the prep time to under 10 minutes.
Protein Balls – Shape the mixture into balls for bite-sized protein snacks.
Seed Variations – Use hemp, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds.
Add Coconut Oil – Add melted coconut oil to the base batter if the mixture is too dry.
Nut-Free Option – Use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
Fresh Peanut Butter – Use a fresh jar of drippy peanut butter for a smooth texture.
Protein Powder Flavor – Adjust or omit vanilla extract depending on your protein powder’s flavor.
Melt Chocolate Gently – Melt the chocolate in short bursts to prevent burning or use the double boiler method.