Name: Baked Protein Bar Recipe No Peanut Butter
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Ingredients:; 1 cup shredded carrots; 2 cups oats; 1 cup shredded coconut; 1 cup unsalted mixed nuts (or any nuts you prefer); 1/4 cup flax-seed; 1/4 cup cocoa powder; 1/2 cup chocolate protein powder; 2 bananas, sliced; 5 tbsp unsweetened, unsalted almond butter; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 4 tbsp brown rice syrup; Splash of almond milk (if necessary); Optional Toppings:; 3 tbsp coconut oil; 3 tbsp stevia; 3 tbsp shredded coconut; 2 tbsp stevia-sweetened chocolate chips; 2 tbsp unsalted sunflower seeds; 2 tbsp unsalted pumpkin seeds; 2 tbsp dried cranberries

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This easy baked chocolate protein bar recipe no peanut butter necessary, will bust any cravings you’ve been having – trust me, I’m a terrible carb and sugar monster! But I’ve been really trying to reduce my sugar, and also random overprocessed ingredient, consumption.

Store Bought Protein Bars / Granola Bars Can be PACKED with Sugar!

I got a free box of protein bars at the grocery store as a promotion and I was instantly hooked. I’ve been reading labels carefully but because the granola bars were free, I didn’t look. The packaging was all about “nourishing” bodies, but the label revealed the truth: they were packed with sugar – fake sugar, real sugar, corn syrup, you name it! Sure, there were some healthier ingredients, like nuts, but that wasn’t the whole truth. If I’m going to eat a whole whack of sugar, I’d rather just enjoy a brownie or sundae – I don’t want it snuck into “nourishing” foods. If you’ve recently gotten the ick from store bought protein bars, let me show you my easy baked protein bar recipe no peanut butter needed! It’s seriously EASY to make homemade protein bars – just whirl a bunch of ingredients in a food process until it’s a sticky “dough,” press into a parchment lined pan, and bake. Once you get the hang of baking your own protein bars, you’ll find that this is a great way to use up dribs and drabs of ingredients in the pantry. Here’s my latest batch of homemade chocolate protein bars:

I photographed these chocolate protein bars right out of the oven – they were still steaming and warm – so they’re especially moist. I store them in the fridge and they do harden up a bit, but remain very chewy.

Baked Protein Bar Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup unsalted mixed nuts (or any nuts you prefer)
1/4 cup flax-seed
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate protein powder (look for one with no added sugar)
2 bananas, sliced
5 tbsp unsweetened, unsalted almond butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp brown rice syrup
Splash of almond milk (if necessary)

Optional Toppings:

3 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp stevia
3 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp stevia-sweetened chocolate chips
2 tbsp unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tbsp unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp dried cranberries (look for no added sugar)

Notes on ingredients: to keep this protein bar recipe low sugar, make sure to check the labels on your ingredients: watch for added sugar in the dried cranberries, try to choose a protein powder with no added sugar, and choose an unsweetened almond butter.

How to Make Your Own Chocolate Protein Bars:

The steps for making your own protein bars or granola bars are so simple!

Shred the Carrots + Pulse in Other Ingredients:

Grab your food processor and shred the carrots first. Then add the mixed nuts, nut butter, shredded coconut, coconut oil, bananas, brown rice syrup, flaxseed, protein powder, cocoa powder and oats. Mix until it’s all really finely chopped and blended completely, but not quite a paste – you want some texture to remain, not smooth like baby food! It should only take a few minutes of pulsing. If the mixture becomes too thick or your food processor struggles, add a splash of almond milk.

Bake at 350 for 15 Minutes:

Press the mixture into a parchment lined pan (I used 8 x 8 for a thicker bar) and bake at 350 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.

Add a Melted Coconut Oil Coating and Toppings:

Before the bars are done, melt the coconut oil and stevia in a pan on medium heat. When the bars have been in the oven for 15 minutes, take them out and pour on the oil. Cover with toppings: shredded coconut, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips, nuts and seeds or dried fruit (but watch for extra sugar in dried cranberries). You can skip the topping completely, or just boycott the stevia if you prefer, but I find that the tiny bit of stevia in the coconut oil and the chocolate chips adds a hint of sweetness I crave. The brown rice syrup in the bars (also optional) is not very sweet so, overall, these bars are not sugary in the least.

Bake for Another 15-20 Minutes; Let Cool:

Pop back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool an hour before cutting up. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container.