Best Homemade Protein Bars and How to Make Them

You have come to the right place if you are tired of spending a ton of money buying generic protein bars from the store. Here we will go over the best homemade protein bars currently available—so you can start making your own.

Homemade protein bars allow you to make the perfect snack for yourself and ensure that you get your nutrients. It also opens up avenues for those who have food allergies because you can substitute ingredients to make them fit your needs.

The best homemade protein bars help you save money in the long run, taste great, and can be altered to fit all dietary constraints. Take a look at some of the best recipes we have found, and come back soon because we will be adding more.

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1. Toasted Coconut and Vanilla Whey

Coconut, vanilla, and chocolate are classic combinations loved by the masses. Add that this is no-bake, has 16 grams of protein, and has lots of fiber; you will love this one, created by Anna Sward of Proteinpow.com. If you’re a fan of whey protein, this one is for you.

Ingredients

• ½ cup of vanilla whey
• ¼ cup of toasted coconut flakes
• ¼ cup of coconut flour
• ¼ cup of milk

How to Make Toasted Coconut and Vanilla Whey Protein Bars

• Mix the whey, flour, coconut, and enough milk, so the mixture keeps its form
• Shape into 3 bars
• Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the bars
• Freeze bars for 30 minutes or until set

Nutritional Value

The Toasted Coconut and Vanilla Whey recipe will make 3, one per serving. Each serving has 212 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 8.8 carbs. This bar a star is the 16.6 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber-packed into it.

Additional Info

These bars don’t have any side effects. However, if you are gluten-free, you may want to substitute some of the ingredients on our list to ensure you get a gluten-free version of the same protein bars.

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2. Oats & Peanut Butter

The Protein Chef, Derek Howes, created a cheap, easy, and delicious recipe. They have 18.5 grams of protein, the most by far in any homemade recipe. Testers find these extremely delicious and have even added extra mix-ins, like almonds, to make them even tastier. These delightful bars can help you get some of those nutrients in honey, oats, cinnamon, and other ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• ½ cup fat-free milk
• 2 tsp. Ground cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 4 ½ scoops protein powder
• 15 drops liquid sweetener
• 2 servings chocolate chips
• 1 (15 oz.) box seedless raisins

How to Make Oats & Peanut Butter Protein Bars

• Mix milk, honey, and peanut butter in a small pan over low heat until combined
• Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients
• Press into a square baking pan and let cool and harden
• Cut into 10 bars.

Nutritional Value

Protein powder is the main source of protein here, but natural peanut butter also contributes to that. Other ingredients, including milk, honey, and chocolate chips, can be swapped to create a vegan version of this bar. In addition to the 18.5 grams of protein, each bar has 316 calories, 14 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber, and 13 grams of sugar.

Additional Info

As far as side effects go, there aren’t really any issues with this one unless you are allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients that are used to make these homemade protein bars. Testers find these to be extremely delicious and have even added extra mix-ins, like almonds, to make them even tastier. There are many benefits of minor nutrients and minerals that you need to know about and getting enough nutrients can go a long way in making sure that you and your family stay healthy and strong.

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3. Cookies and Cream

A classic ice cream combination turned into a healthy snack? It can’t possibly be bad, and testers agree. It’s delicious… especially with real chocolate as one of the ingredients. Jennifer Trennum, the creator of this recipe, challenges those who make this recipe to eat just one.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup softened coconut butter
• 1 ½ Tbsp. cashew butter
• 2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 3 Tbsp. dark chocolate chunks

How to Make Cookies and Cream Protein Bars:

• Line a loaf pan with parchment paper
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth and well-mixed
• Pour mixture into loaf pan and press down to flatten
• Cover and freeze for 20 minutes
• Cut into 8 bars

Nutritional Value

These bars are gluten-free, vegan, and packed with 10 grams of protein. Described by testers as just like eating candy, the Cookies and Cream Protein Bars have no processed ingredients and less than 10 grams of sugar per serving. Each bar has 273 calories, 19 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates, and 5.5 grams of fiber.

Additional Info

Although these homemade protein bars don’t really have a common side effect you will have to deal with, there really isn’t anything you need to worry about across the board. They are a healthy alternative to the more sinful cookies and cream and can help take care of sweet tooth cravings without totally blowing your diet and weight loss progress.

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4. Carrot Cake

Who doesn’t love dessert? With the Carrot Cake recipe, courtesy of Leanne Vogel of Healthful Pursuit, you can have your cake and eat it, too… and you won’t have to run extra miles to burn it off.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 mashed banana
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup coconut flour
• ½ cup sprouted brown rice powder
• ¼ cup ground flax seed
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• pinch of ground clove
• ¾ cup shredded carrots¼ cup raisins
• 2 Tbsp. coconut butter, melted (for topping)

How to Make Carrot Cake Protein Bars

• Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl
• Sift together dry ingredients in a small bowl then add to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth
• Mix in the carrots and raisins
• Form bars with 1/3 cup of the mixture at a time and place on the baking sheet
• Bake for 22-25 minutes then allow to cool
• Drizzle with melted coconut butter

Nutritional Value

A Carrot Cake recipe that meets a variety of dietary needs since it is free of the following things: gluten, dairy, oil, yeast, refined sugar, corn, grain, and nuts. It uses fresh fruits and veggies as ingredients and can be made vegan by finding an egg substitute. Each has 242 calories, 8 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fibers, and 14 grams of sugar.

Additional Info

These are oven-baked and pack 13 grams of protein, are highly portable and are tasty with or without the raisins. Reviewers praise the cake-like texture and taste. The recipe includes traditional baking spices, like cloves and cinnamon, to make this protein bar taste like the real deal.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which protein bar is the healthiest?

The healthiest protein bar will be one that is full of nutrients, one that has the right amount of sugar and protein and also fats. Getting to make one that is full of nutrients is good for your body that is why we encourage homemade as you will have control of the quantity to use–and you can portion it out just the way you like.

No one bar is perfect for everyone so we encourage you to try several and find what works best for you and your unique likes and dislike sand your unique needs.

Which protein bar is for vegetarians?

This depends on which one you prefer but there are tons of vegan protein bars, this only means you avoid ones that have animal products by all means when you see any protein bar that has any product from an animal look the opposite direction. The good thing about the protein bars on our list is that you can tailor them to fit your dietary concerns.

They are harder to come by as some form of animal products are used in many recipes but it is possible to find ones that are 100 vegetarian and still just as healthy. It just takes a little more searching to find them!

Can protein bars make me gain weight?

One should stick to about 2200 calories per day, past that you are likely to add extra pounds, they look like a soft snack but if taken regularly they have the ability to weigh on you. If you are consuming a lot of fat and protein along with a lot of calories and are not off-setting it with lots of exercises the chances are you will start to gain weight.

This is simply because you are not burning through the calories you are adding with the protein bars.

Can I get a gluten-free protein bar?

Yes, you can make yourself one and not just that you can be able to find a gluten-free bar from the stores, ensure you have this in mind while purchasing and if it is one you want to make avoid buying ingredients that have anything to do with gluten. Making your own bars is a good choice for those with extreme gluten intolerance because it helps you avoid cross-contamination.

Second-hand contamination which can commonly happen in manufacturing plants is a serious issue, so make sure you specifically look for products that are certified gluten-free. If they are not then that means there is a possibility that they are not completely gluten-free and may have some ingredients that could hurt you if you have celiacs.

Are Homemade protein bars better than manufactured?

There is no doubt that the answer is yes, the homemade protein bars are better by far from manufactured ones for many reasons, like freshness, quality, and quantity, cost-effective and many other reasons that can be countless if you sit down to name.

If you have the time to invest in making some of the best homemade protein bars then it is by far the best choice you can make and is one of the easiest steps you can take to gain control over what you are putting into your body each and every day!