How To Make Homemade Protein Bars
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Protein bars are a convenient snack. They typically dont require reheating and are easy to take with you and enjoy on the go.
Because theyre a rich source of protein, these bars can provide a boost of nutrition before a workout or support recovery afterward. They might even benefit weight loss and help you feel full between meals .
Many commercial brands of protein bars contain ingredients like added sugar, additives, preservatives, or common allergens like dairy and nuts.
To avoid these, you might consider making your own bars at home. Or, maybe you just enjoy experimenting in the kitchen!
In any case, this article is your guide to making your own protein bars at home. It includes a few easy recipes, ingredients to use and avoid, and a comparison of homemade and store-bought options.
First, lets take a closer look at the main steps youll take to make your own protein bars at home.
How To Make Homemade Chocolate Icing
With the bars in the freezer, you can now turn your attention to making the homemade chocolate icing. There are only two required ingredients here, coconut oil and sugar free dark chocolate. These two ingredients make sure that your chocolate icing is both delicious AND nutritious, as dark chocolate provides several cardiovascular benefits while the coconut oil contains medium chain triglyceride fatty acids, which help your body enter ketosis more quickly. Simply melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together to make the icing.
To finish off the protein bars, cut the frozen mixture into 16 bars and then dip them into the chocolate icing. Freeze for another 30 minutes and youre all set! There are very few protein bars out there that taste better than these. They are definitely now one of my go-to options for a convenient protein source either before or after my workouts.
PS. Bars are lifesavers especially when the ingredients are made of actual nutrients instead of just empty calories. There arent too many ketogenic options at restaurants and fast food chains, so these are a must in my home. Theyre far healthier and more filling too! Watch out for more recipes like this in the near future!
Quick Tip: Make Your Own Almond Butter
The other essential ingredient in this recipe is almond butter. Gosh, almond butter is just delicious and doesnt require any additives at all its THAT good! Its also high in healthy unsaturated fats, copper, magnesium, vitamin E, and more. Plus, its so easy to make your own at home. To make your own almond butter, you just need some raw almonds and a food processor. Simply blitz your almonds in your food processor until it releases its oils and starts to resemble a nut butter. It will take maybe 5-10 minutes depending on your appliance, so be patient and stir. Once its done, set it aside and wash your food processor before proceeding with the recipe.
Now that youre ready with your homemade almond butter, youll want to combine your flaxseed meal, coconut flour, sweetener, chocolate protein powder, cacao powder and hemp seeds in your food processor. Flaxseed is a superfood that has many health benefits such as improved digestion, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced risk of stroke, and many more. Its also shown to have properties that help regulate blood sugar levels, making it a good addition to those at risk fo diabetes or obesity. . Coconut flour is a great addition to this recipe as well because it contains good fats and tons of fiber, making it low-carb and nutrient-dense. It has a strong nutty flavor that pairs well with the almond butter and chocolate whey protein powder.
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The Keto Ingredients In Keto Protein Bars
Keep reading for more details on the ingredients, substitutes and step by step instructions on how to make our delicious keto protein bars
Keto Protein Powder I use an unflavored Whey Protein Isolate. You can choose from your best keto protein powders both flavoured or unflavored for this recipe.
Sukrin Syrup You will need a sticky keto sweetener like Sukrin Gold to make these bars. It is what holds the bar together.
MCT Oil I use MCT Oil but you can use coconut oil or a neutral taste olive oil if preferred.
When Should I Eat These
Need a healthy mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack? These are absolutely perfect for that! Whether you pack these in your kids lunches, bring them to work with you, take them in your purse when youre on the go, or even to a pot luck they come in so handy! I even like having them for a treat after dinner. They are filling so I often have a bite sized piece.
I always say, eat when youre hungry and stop when youre full. If you are in the need of a snack, I encourage you to eat! Butgo for something nutritious. These bars are truly the perfect snack.
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Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Chocolate Protein Bars
These delicious Homemade Keto Protein Bars are a no bake recipe that’s low carb, sugar free, gluten free and nut free as well! Just 5 minutes of prep time to make a perfectly healthy no-bake energy bar for a grab-n-go snack! Just 5 total grams of carbs or 3 net grams of carbs per serving and 6 grams of protein per bar!
Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Organic Protein Powder
Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Organic Protein Powder helps you lose weight, build muscle, and maintain blood sugar levels.
It is for diabetics and people who are sugar-conscious.
The Protein Powder is made with all-natural, raw ingredients, including peas, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, MCTs, legumes, and hemp protein.
Hemp and ground coconut provide you with nutrition. It keeps your body healthy and helps you perform well using organic plant-based ingredients and electrolytes.
In addition, it is vegan, non-GMO, non-soy, sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
The delicious flavors include vegan chocolate, chocolate, berry, espresso, and unsweetened protein powder.
You can add this blend to your favorite shaker container or blend it into a delightful smoothie for the perfect pre or post-workout recovery drink.
It contains 27 grams of protein and 6 grams of BCAAs.
Specifications
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How To Make Keto Protein Bars
Im going to show you how to make the best keto protein bar recipe! They take just 15 minutes to make and are better than anything youll find in the store.
- Mix together the dough for keto approved bars. In a food processor, pulse blanched hazelnuts until they reach a fine meal-like consistency. Add in almond flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, Besti powdered sweetener, and sea salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
TIP: Blanched hazelnuts ensure a smooth texture in your bars. If yours have skins, roast them in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees until toasty, then rub between 2 sides of a kitchen towel to remove the skins before using in this protein bar recipe.
- Add wet ingredients. Add almond butter and melted cocoa butter to food processor and process continuously until a dough forms and starts to pull away from the center. When you are processing the bar dough, scrape down the sides frequently so that all of the ingredients are getting incorporated.
TIP: The dough should be firm and shiny, and feel firm to the touch.
- Form bars. Press the protein bar dough tightly into the lined pan.
TIP: Secure the edges of the parchment paper to the pan with clips. This helps the parchment paper from sliding around.
- Chill bars. Place the high protein low carb protein bars into the fridge until very firm.
- Cut and store bars. Lift the bars out of the pan and slice.
Are Protein Bars Allowed On A Keto Diet
Many traditional protein bars have sugar added and are simply a candy bar with protein added, OR they taste like sawdust. There are some that are keto, but they are often expensive.
This is why I created my own chocolate keto protein bar recipe, so it can still taste like chocolate without the added sugar. This one is 100% keto approved, with just 2g net carbs in each bar.
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Garden Of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder
The unflavored powder contains 22 grams of sugar-free, plant-based protein sourced from USA-grown peas and 13 grams of natural organic sprouts in a smoothie blend.
This Post-workout nutritional shake can help your muscles recover and get you back in the gym quicker.
With 110 calories, it has a crunchy texture with probiotics and enzymes that help digestion.
Additionally, the product is gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, soy-free, dairy-free, and vegan friendly.
You can mix this powder into water, almond milk, or fruit smoothies its ingredients are organic.
Specifications
- Sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan friendly.
- Enzymes and probiotics help with digestion.
- Mixes easily into a smoothie.
Things To Consider:
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Note On Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
First Published: January 21, 2015… Last Updated: May 19, 2020
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Homemade Protein Bars With Oats
Pictured is the protein bars using oats. As mentioned earlier, you only need four ingredients to make the oat version-
- Old fashioned oats
- Smooth nut or seed butter
- A sticky sweetener
- Protein Powder of choice
The combination of these ingredients provides a wholesome, filling oatmeal protein bar between meals. Whenever Im in a time pinch, I sometimes have 3-4 of them as a wholesome breakfast option too!
How To Make Low Carb Snack Bars
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Mix all the wet and dry ingredients together in a medium to large mixing bowl.
Spoon the mixture into an oiled bar pan or into an oiled baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until the logs are baked through.
Remove from oven and cool enough to handle. Remove from bar pan and allow to cool fully on a wire cooling rack. Transfer to an airtight storage container. Store in the fridge.
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Homemade Protein Bars Without Protein Powder
Making protein bars without protein powder is easy, and only needs THREE ingredients-
- Natural Sugar Free Maple Syrup
The coconut flour is naturally low in carbs and high in fiber, and the nut/seed butter provides a solid dose of protein. I prefer homemade protein bars with almond butter, as they have a mild flavor without being overpowering!
Can I Replace The Coconut Flour
If you dont follow a grain free or keto diet, you can use another flour instead of coconut flour. Here is what can be substituted instead:
- Almond flour: You can use almond flour or almond meal as another low carb and grain free flour. However, you will need to double the amount of coconut flour required.
- Oat flour:Oat flour can also be used instead of coconut flour, and you will need to double the amount.
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What Protein Powder Should I Use
I normally use unflavored whey protein in this recipe, and it always works out perfectly. Its the same protein that I use in my post-workout keto smoothies. Keep in mind that protein powder absorbs more liquid than other ingredients, so if you are adding too much, you can wind up with a dry, crumbled mixture.
These Gluten Free Protein Bars Were Better Than Packaged Protein Bars
My kids couldnt get enough of these bars. They had even gotten good enough that my husband mentioned them out of the blue one day.
You know, those protein bars were really good. Thats high praise for him.
My kids had started asking, Are those bars hard to make? Thats code for please make them again.
They have the soft texture of a brownie, and theyre not too sweet. For something more cookie-like, give my classic protein cookies or my peanut butter protein cookies a try. 🙂
I also get are these bars good for you? Thats also code for can I eat them all day every day and be healthy? I also get the same sort of questions when I make my protein pancakes!
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No Bake Apple Pie Protein Bars
While these bars do have some of the tastes of apple pie, they dont have the sugary gooeyness that really comes along with a real apple pie. That makes them easily portable and a great healthier treat just about any time of the day. Using applesauce rather than real apples cuts down on your prep time, so take advantage.
Copycat Cashew Cookie Larabars
Another homemade version of the popular Larabars, this recipe using only three ingredients, and its perfectly suited to the paleo diet. With the ground dates, you might find that it gets a bit sticky when rolling it out. Try putting a piece of wax paper over the top if this is a problem for you. These delicious when you want something sweet but healthy, and if you love the Larabar version, youll probably like this one as well.
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No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
This paleo protein bar recipe has the yummy combo of peanut butter and chocolate you probably love, but its significantly healthier than the classic candy. The fat from the peanut butter, protein from the protein powder, and fiber from the chia seeds are sure to pack a big punch when it comes to keeping you feeling satisfied throughout the morning. Try them as an afternoon pick-me-up as well.
Pumpkin Pie Protein No
This protein bar recipe for those eating paleo makes use of coconut flour, which lends a surprising texture to the tiny bites. They taste and feel quite like a little bite of pumpkin pie in your mouth, but lack a lot of the sugar you might find in a traditional pumpkin. Whats especially nice about these is that theyre not crunchy or nutty like most forms of no-bake treats.
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What Are Protein Bars
Protein bars are probably the most popular snack for everyone who has an active and busy lifestyle. Protein bars are nutritious snacks containing a high amount of protein and vitamins, and depending on the brand, each bar contains 5-20g of protein. These bars are a convenient source of energy that can be used as a meal replacement or as a snack if youre looking for muscle gain.
Healthy Millionaires Diy Protein Bars
Want an affordable snack that tastes like a millionaires treat? These protein bars are just the thing for you!
Theyre made with rich, nutty almond butter and a decadent layer of caramel. These fudgy bars will satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt.
Best of all, this recipe doesnt require any baking. Just combine your ingredients, coat them with chocolate, and pop them in the fridge!
Do you know whats better than cookie dough? Cookie dough protein bars!
These bars are just like your favorite treat but are also packed with protein.
The classic cookie dough is infused with plant-based protein powder to make this dessert nutritious.
Its the perfect snack thats genuinely satisfying without leaving you feeling guilty or overstuffed.
Celebrate the flavors of fall with these apple cinnamon raisin protein bars.
Theyre packed with wholesome ingredients and tons of protein to fuel you through your day.
These bars are made with nuts, raisins, dates, apples, and spices for that classic fall flavor.
And if that didnt sell them for you, they contain no artificial flavors or preservatives.
Make them in big batches and keep them on hand when hunger strikes.
Grab one of these as a pre-workout snack or post-workout refuel!
These bars are so good, youll want to hide them from your friends.
Fudge brownie protein bars bring the best of a healthy, satisfying treat!
The first bite will melt in your mouth with the sweet, rich taste of chocolatey goodness.
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Tips To Make Chocolate Caramel Fudge Bars With Protein Powder
These high protein chocolate caramel fudge bars are extremely easy to make, with just making one layer at a time. Heres some tips to get them right!
- Use whey-caesin and whey protein powder when specified. It works well with the ratio of ingredients here.Whey-caesin absorbs more liquid, and whey absorbs less, so you need to adjust the liquid accordingly.
- Let the base cool before adding the caramel layer, or it will melt away.
- Add milk or water little at a time when preparing mixtures Even a little extra will make them too runny.
- Mix the dry ingredients well before adding in the wet so you have a smooth mix.
- Dont add too much yogurt in the topping It will comt together Just continue to mix.
How Much Protein Is In These Pecan Bars
Each bar is going to have a whopping 24 grams of protein and 31 grams of good fats. Wow, how amazing is that?
If you are going to use sugar free chocolate chips like I did, each bar will only have 19 grams of sugar. That is far less than your average protein bar you come across at the store.
Another really amazing thing about these bars is how well they keep in the refrigerator. You could even throw some in the freezer if you know you won’t get to them quickly enough.
Feel free to add these to your breakfast, take them on-the-go and eat them as a snack or even try them for dessert. Low carb protein bars are so delicious and filling.
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