Homemade Protein Bars: A No-Bake Peanut Butter Recipe with a Dark Chocolate Top

In short

Everyone loves peanut butter. If you want homemade protein bars without baking, this recipe combines a peanut butter and almond flour base with a dark chocolate top. You have to try it: it is easy to make and incredibly tasty.

Every bodybuilder knows how nice it is to have a food with protein ready and available on the go, like protein bars. It is also a great way to deal with cravings for sweets.

You can see every ingredient that goes into these bars. They use ingredients you may already have in your cupboard and are sweetened with maple syrup.

And most importantly, they are very tasty. There are lots of protein bars that are not particularly appetizing. Just seeing all the ingredients lets you imagine what a wonderful taste these have!

Getting to know the ingredients

Protein bar base

• Almond flour: packed with protein and the base of this recipe.
• Protein powder: increases the amount of protein in the bar. I recommend a powder with a relatively neutral flavor, such as vanilla, chocolate or cookies and cream.
• Peanut butter: an excellent source of good fats and protein. It also helps hold all the ingredients together.
• Maple syrup: to add a little sweetness! You can replace the maple syrup with dates or blend dates with warm water to make a date spread. Dates still contain natural sugar, so this does not make the bars sugar-free.
• Sea salt: optional. If you like added sea salt, you are welcome to add it. Although peanut butter has some saltiness, I recommend half a teaspoon to strengthen the flavors.

Dark chocolate coating

• Cocoa powder: the base of the dark chocolate.
• Maple syrup: I prefer pure maple syrup to add sweetness to the chocolate. You can also use date paste, or leave the chocolate out completely. Neither change makes the base sugar-free if it still contains maple syrup or dates.
• Vanilla: optional, to enrich the flavor.
• Coconut oil: gives the chocolate a smooth and creamy texture.

Homemade protein bar recipe

Makes one 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) pan, cut into 16 squares.

For the base

For the dark chocolate layer

The gram weights come from the standard portions in USDA FoodData Central. Flours and powders differ in how much a cup weighs, so I recommend weighing them if you have a kitchen scale.

Allergens

• Peanuts (peanut butter).
• Tree nuts: almonds (almond flour).
• Milk, if you use a whey or casein powder. Some plant powders contain soy. Check your powder's label.
• The variations below can add more tree nuts (almond or cashew butter), gluten (oat flour, unless labelled gluten-free), and milk or soy (store-bought chocolate).

Preparation instructions

1. Mix the almond flour, protein powder, maple syrup, peanut butter and salt (if using) in a small bowl. Mix until no lumps remain and the texture is uniform.
2. Line an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) baking pan with baking paper. Press the dough into the pan until you have an even layer.
3. In another small bowl, mix the coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla and maple syrup with a whisk or mixer. Then warm it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. The texture should be liquid.
4. Pour the chocolate over the pressed dough in the pan.
5. Put the pan in the refrigerator for about two hours, or until the chocolate sets. You can also put it directly in the freezer. Once it has set, cut into even squares and enjoy. Keep them in the refrigerator when you are not snacking on them.

Variations you can make in the protein bar recipe

• Peanut-free: use almond or cashew butter.
• Nut-free: use a seed butter, such as sunflower seed butter. Just make sure it has a liquid consistency. For the flour, use oat flour instead of almond flour. For allergies, check every label, including the powder, seed butter, flour and chocolate, for "may contain" warnings. If you avoid gluten, choose oat flour labelled gluten-free.
• Without homemade chocolate: you can use any store-bought dark chocolate and melt it. Check its label for milk if you avoid it.
• Without maple syrup: leave out the maple syrup and add date spread to the bars and chocolate. This is a syrup swap, not a sugar-free version. Since it may be a little drier, you can make the date spread more liquid with water or add more peanut butter, starting with 1/4 cup (about 65 g).

For the oat flour swap, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that most flour is raw and not treated to kill germs. For this no-bake recipe, choose oat flour sold as heat-treated or ready to eat.

Storing the protein bars

The protein bars need to be refrigerated to stay firm. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also freeze them and keep them in the freezer for about two months.

They are very tasty even after freezing. Just let them thaw for a few minutes before eating. Since nothing in this recipe is cooked, I recommend starting with clean hands, bowls and a clean pan, and throwing bars away if they smell off or show mold.

With this protein bar recipe, you will always have tasty protein available. Instead of buying protein bars all the time, you can make a batch and keep it in the refrigerator. And if you already have a craving for something sweet, this bar brings the benefit of protein.

Want a protein pancake recipe too? Try my protein pancake recipe.

Nutrition per bar

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central values; brands differ.

How this was estimated: almond flour uses the USDA entry for almonds, and peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, cocoa powder and vanilla use their own USDA entries (listed under Sources). Protein powder labels vary, so the powder line uses a typical label range for whey or plant powders: about 20-24 g of protein and 110-130 kcal per 30 g scoop. The maple syrup adds about 6 g of sugar to each of 16 squares.

For daily protein amounts and food sources, see the protein guide and the list of high-protein foods.

Frequently asked questions

How much protein is in a homemade protein bar?

It depends on the recipe and how you cut it. By an estimate from USDA values, these have about 7-8 g per bar when you cut 16 squares, or about 10 g when you cut 12 larger bars.

How many calories are in these protein bars?

About 205 kcal per bar when you cut 16 squares, or about 275 kcal when you cut 12. Most of the calories come from peanut butter, almond flour and coconut oil.

Can I make them without peanut butter?

Yes. Use almond or cashew butter, or a runny seed butter such as sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.

Do homemade protein bars need to be refrigerated?

These do. They stay firm in the fridge and soften at warm room temperature.

How long do homemade protein bars last?

You can store these bars for up to 2 weeks in the fridge and about 2 months in the freezer.