How to Make the Best Vegan Protein Bars

Aug 22, 20222 min read

Made from whole foods you can pronounce, these easy bars are truly the best you will find, and you’ll know exactly what’s in them.

No more wondering where to buy vegan protein bars or which bars are the healthiest. These are less expensive, great for you, and taste wonderful.

Vanilla Protein Powder. Talk about a super scoop! You can use your favorite brand vegan protein powder.
Dates. Instead of honey, I made these vegan protein bars with dates. Naturally sweet and caramel-y, dates are also rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
Rolled Oats. A powerhouse ingredient that’s packed with fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Rolled oats and quick oats both work well in this recipe. If you need the bars to be gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten free rolled oats like these.
Peanut Butter. The “glue” that holds the protein bars together, peanut butter offers healthy fats, is low in carbs, and it tastes scrumptious. Feel free to make these bars with a different nut butter or sun butter (heads up! Sun butter will turn the bars green-ish, but they will still taste yummy).
Chia Seeds. Despite being so tiny, chia seeds contain an impressive amount of fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants.
Almond Milk. Since every brand of nut butter is different, the almond milk keeps the bars from being too dry and ensures you can adjust the bars to the perfect texture.
Salt. FLAVOR!

Add peanut butter, dates, and oats to a food processor, pulsing until the ingredients break down.
Add the chia seeds, protein powder, and almond milk.
Pulse until thoroughly combined (it should resemble cookie dough as in the photo above). Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and stir in the chocolate chips.
Press the dough into a pan and let firm up in the refrigerator or freezer. Slice into bars of desired size and ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

Double Chocolate Protein Bars. Use chocolate protein powder instead of the vanilla protein powder.
Protein Bars with Flax. Swap ground flaxseed meal for the chia seeds.
Chocolate Dipped Protein Bars. Instead of folding chocolate chips into the batter, drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled bars (or do both…).
Lower Calorie Protein Bars. Omit the chocolate chips or swap them for a different mix in, such as dried blueberries or dried cranberries.
Vegan Protein Bars with Almond Butter. Swap almond butter for the peanut butter; this version would be delightful with dried blueberries added in place of the chocolate chips

To Store. Store the bars in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Due to their “no bake” consistency, the bars will become soft at room temperature.
To Freeze. Place the bars in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.