Sharing a super delicious and healthy homemade peanut butter protein bar recipe! Perfect for meal prep and grab and go snacks. Plus, they’re gluten-free and dairy-free.
Hey! how are you I hope your morning is going well! I’m getting everything together for Spring Shape Up – workouts and meal ideas going out Friday! — and jumping into a podcast interview. I hope you have a lovely morning!
How about a little protein bar with your morning coffee?
I love protein bars as an on-the-go snack because they are healthy yet delicious. At the same time, I don’t usually like the ingredients for many of the ingredients on store shelves. My top bars are great right now! Bars (which are impossible to find; usually Sprouts have them), Aloha and Chocolate Whole Foods bars.
Homemade Peanut Butter Protein Bars
While it is possible to find delicious ones with great ingredients, they can be a bit on the pricey side! They are very quick and easy to make at home, way less expensive, and they don’t require any cooking or baking skills. Peanut butter is one of the most popular ingredients used in protein bars (and one of my favorite flavors!), so today, I’m sharing a peanut butter protein bar recipe that you can make in no time!
What is a good protein bar?
A quick snack when you don’t have time for a full meal
Sometimes it gets busy and instead of skipping meals because you don’t have time to make a full meal, I rely on convenience. With these ready to go, you can enjoy one with a hard-boiled egg or apple – perfect if you don’t have time to actually cook anything. Is it a substitute for a real meal? No! It gives you extra fuel and nutrients when you are pressed for time and hungry.
For travel
I like to wrap up a homemade protein bar and put it in my bag when we travel, along with the usual suspects: jerky, tea, an apple, some chocolate, LMNT packs, trail mix, and a pouch of tuna. I can never find any of my protein bars at the airport, so it’s nice to have one on hand that you know you’ll enjoy.
Post-workout fuel
These are great if you’re heading to the gym and then straight back to an appointment or work. It gives you protein, carbs, and healthy fats, plus it’s portable and mess-free. 😉
Late night snacks
Despite what you may have heard, eating before you go to bed isn’t harmful if it’s macro-balanced. Sometimes if you’re hungry, you may need some protein and carbohydrates to prevent a nighttime glucose crash, which can interfere with sleep. Make sure it’s balanced and not too sugary, which makes these bars an excellent choice. My favorite bedtime snacks include hard-boiled eggs and some fruit, yogurt with some grain-free granola, and deli meat wrapped with hummus.
Peanut Butter Protein Bar Recipe
ingredients
- Vanilla or chocolate protein powder (I like Now Foods, DNS and Truvani)
- Chickpea Nut Butter
- Oats
- Maple syrup
- Mini chocolate chips
- coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- sea salt
- Monk fruit (*optional)
How to make peanut butter protein bars
Step one
Grind the oats into a flour in a high-speed blender or food processor. You can make them a fine flour or leave them with a bit more texture depending on your preference.
Step two
Add protein powder, sea salt, oats to a bowl and mix well.
Step three
In a separate bowl, stir together the maple syrup, vanilla, and peanut butter. If you want it less sweet, use more almond milk instead of maple syrup. It depends on the sweetness of the protein powder.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and then stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Step four
Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined 9×9 baking dish and set in the fridge to set slightly.
Step five
Combine the coconut oil and chocolate in the microwave for about 30 seconds and stir until melted.
Step six
Drizzle the chocolate over the bars and place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.
Step seven
Remove from fridge and cut into bars. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.
Homemade Peanut Butter Protein Bars
A healthy and delicious snack recipe that you can make ahead of time to enjoy throughout the week.
1 large spoons (70 grams) vanilla or chocolate protein powder (I like Now Foods, DNS and Truvani)
3 oz Chickpea Nut Butter
80 grams Oats (approx 1 cup) grind into flour
3 oz Maple syrup
1 oz Almond milk or water
2 oz Mini chocolate chips (plus extra 2 oz to sprinkle)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
A pinch of sea salt
Monk fruit (*optional)
Step one
Grind the oats into a flour in a high-speed blender or food processor. You can make them a fine flour or leave them with a bit more texture depending on your preference.
Step two
Add protein powder, sea salt, oats to a bowl and mix well.
Step three
In a separate bowl, stir together the maple syrup, vanilla, and peanut butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and then stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Step four
Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined 9×9 baking dish and set in the fridge to set slightly.
Step five
Combine the coconut oil and chocolate in the microwave for about 30 seconds and stir until melted.
Step six
Drizzle the chocolate over the bars and place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.
Step seven
Remove from fridge and cut into bars. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.
notes
If your protein powder is on the sweet side, use more almond milk and less maple syrup to hold them together. If your protein powder isn’t too sweet, add maple syrup and some monk fruit and stevia to your preference!
Are you going to make these??
Please let me know how they turn out!!
xo
Gina
My favorite meal staples and healthy snacks are:
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Homemade sous vide egg reduction
Chocolate protein bars
5 High Protein Meal Prep Recipes
Chickpea Curry Salad
An easy meal plan for busy moms
