An easy, healthy no-bake snack to keep on hand! These homemade nut-free protein bars are made with vegan protein powder to make a healthy snack or fueling post-workout option.
Soft, chewy, and topped with chocolate, these gluten-free protein bars are a great meal prep recipe!
Truly, high-protein, gluten-free, no-bake snacks like protein bars are a busy mom staple!
Due to the fact that they're easy to whip up and even easier to eat while you're rushing around.
Plus, these bars are a dairy-free, protein-packed way to curb a chocolate craving (just like this double-chocolate protein fluff!).
Reap the benefits of a quality snack plus curb a craving!
Why You'll Love This Nut-Free Protein Bars Recipe
- an easy, no-bake recipe
- allergy-friendly (dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free)
- school safe (peanut free!)
- great for a post-workout snack
- topped with chocolate
Ingredients You'll Need
The gluten-free, nut-free protein bars are actually only made with five ingredients! Which is why I love them.
It also means they're ultra-simple to whip up. Learn everything you need to know about making homemade protein bars (step-by-step guide!).
The chocolate on top is just extra yumminess!
Regular oats: oats are an easy way to bulk up the recipe and stretch it further. Plus, they're a great source of recovery post-workout.
Vegan Protein Powder: the protein powder you choose will affect the flavor and the texture of the protein bars. Make sure you choose a gluten-free protein as per any allergy requirements. For best results use Orgain Protein Powder.
Sunbutter: a peanut-free butter made from sunflower seeds. Make sure to grab one with no added sugars.
Maple syrup: the protein powder in these peanut-free bars keeps them pretty sweet so you don't need much!
Coconut oil: coconut oil gives these nut-free protein bars a really indulgent flavor to them. Remember that each coconut oil will have a slightly different flavor.
And thanks to the bars being nut-free, they make a wonderful, school-safe snack( just like this nut-free granola recipe).
How To Make Nut-Free Protein Bars
- Mix together the protein powder and oats.
- Melt the coconut oil and whisk together the syrup and sunbutter.
- Pour the wet into dry and mix until everything is sticky.
- Dump the mixture into an 8x4 pan and press smooth. Freeze.
- While the bars are freezing, make the chocolate coating.
- Heat the coconut oil and cacao butter over low heat until melted. Add in the rest.
- Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the gluten-free protein bars and freeze to set.
Step By Step Photos
Notes On Vegan Protein Powder
While these homemade nut-free protein bars were originally made with whey protein, given I am now dairy-free and gluten-free they use a vegan protein powder (learn more about making dairy-free living easy here).
If you're making the switch to vegan protein powder, there are a few things you should note:
- vegan protein powder absorbs liquid. So, most recipes with whey are not directly interchangeable
- vegan protein powder tends to be less sweet than whey. This means that you normally have to add a bit more sweetness to counter the flavor
- each vegan protein powder is slightly different based on its blend (pea/rice/etc). Meaning, one protein powder may absorb better than another
Thus, the protein powder you choose for these no-bake protein bars recipe will affect the flavor of the bars.
Choosing A Protein Powder
Since making the swap to a vegan protein powder I now have a few brands I love. Orgain Protein Powder is one of them and what I used for these nut-free protein bars.
Orgain protein powder is allergy-friendly (no soy, gluten-free, kosher, etc), has no added sugar and no artificial sweeteners, and actually won Preventions Cleanest Packaged Food Award!
Likewise, it has 21 grams of vegan protein per scoop and it’s a clean enough brand that I feel comfortable giving it to my girls. If you want to give it a try, check it out and use code mamabear30 for 10% off your first-ever order.
I also adore Genuine Health as a brand as well as Botanica.
Options For The Healthy Chocolate Topping
This nut-free protein bars recipe is topped with homemade chocolate.
The chocolate is a blend of cacao butter and cacao powder (learn more about the benefits of cacao powder and the difference between it and cocoa powder).
However, if you want something a bit more simple you can still make these gluten-free protein bars! Simply melt a bit of coconut oil (1-2 tsp) with paleo chocolate chips. I'd start with ⅔ cup and see if that covers it.
Teaching Tips And Substitutions
The thing with homemade protein bars is that you can always tweak them. I've kept this protein bars recipe extremely simple so that just about everyone can whip it up.
However, there are lots of ways you can tweak it to suit your preference:
- nut butter can be used for Sun Butter if you don't need to avoid nuts
- you can add in mini chocolate chips for a sweeter profile
- top the chocolate with shredded coconut if you have any
- mix in a few dried cranberries to sweeten it
These homemade, no-bake protein bars are soft, chewy, and a great post-workout snack. Likewise, they make a tasty grab and go option in a rush.
However, there are so many ways to customize them don't be afraid to add!
How To Store Them
The best part about homemade protein bars is that they hold well in both the freezer and the fridge!
Store in air-tight containers for both. In the freezer, they will freeze solid so you'll need to move them to the fridge or room temperature before eating. Or, you can pop them from the freezer into a lunchbox in the morning and they'll b good to go by snack time.
Gluten-free protein bars should last about a week in the fridge. Though personally, we never have them that long as we gobble them up pretty quickly 😉
Fast, crave-worthy snacks that hit your protein goals (without tracking or extra cooking time).
Frequently Asked Questions About Nut Free Protein Bars
Protein bars when made with minimal sugars and no processed oils can be a healthy addition to any diet and a tasty way to increase daily protein intake.
Homemade protein bars are normally placed in the freezer to set and firm up. From there they can be stored in the freezer for a couple of months. However, once they're firm they can be stored in the fridge and are ready to eat.
Other Wicked High Protein Recipes You'll Love
- Chocolate peanut butter protein balls
- Peanut butter and jam protein balls
- Homemade protein bars with chocolate
- Protein cookie dough
- Chocolate fudge protein balls
- Savory blueberry protein oatmeal
- Chocolate peanut butter bomb shake
- Chocolate protein fluff
- Coconut protein balls
- High protein cookies
- High protein pancakes
- Yogurt protein pancakes
- Energizing protein bar
- Easy, no-bake vanilla protein bar
- High protein snack recipes
Fast, crave-worthy snacks that hit your protein goals (without tracking or extra cooking time).
Gluten-Free Protein Bars With Chocolate
Video
Equipment
- 8x4 baking tray
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 scoops vegan protein powder about ¾ cup
- 1 cup regular oats gluten-free
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil measured solid
- ¾ cups sunflower seed butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- Chocolate Topping
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil measured solid
- ⅛ cup cacao butter
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the protein powder and oats.
- In a small bowl, melt the coconut oil and whisk the sunflower seed butter and syrup until smooth.
- Pour the butter into the oat mixture and mix until combined. It will be sticky.
- Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Dump the mixture into the pan and use another piece of parchment paper on top to press the oats into the pan evenly. Press down hard to make them really stick together,
- Place in the freezer.
- While the bars are freezing, make the chocolate coating.
- In a small pan, heat the coconut oil and cacao butter over low heat until melted. Slowly add in the honey and cacao powder. Whisk until no clumps remain.
- Remove the bars from the freezer and pour the mixture over top making sure to get all areas- use a silicone spatula for this.
- Once covered, return the bars to the freezer to set (about thirty minutes).
- Remove from the freezer and cut into 8-10 bars. Keep in the freezer until ready to eat and thaw for 5-10 minutes before consuming.
Notes
- Store nut-free protein bars in air-tight containers. In the freezer, they will freeze solid so you'll need to move them to the fridge or room temperature before eating.
- They should last about a week in the fridge.
- Grab the allergy-friendly ingredients you need from my Pantry Staples
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Kate says
I made these for a weekend trip and they were a huge hit! I'll be making them again.
fitasamamabear says
Aw that's awesome to hear!
Jennifer says
Love these! I make them every few months just to keep them on hand for snacking. Yum!
fitasamamabear says
Right?! Snacks already made keeps you sane lol
Allyssa says
This tasted so amazing! Thanks a lot for sharing this super easy to make recipe! Fam really loves it! Will surely have this again!
Mandy Applegate says
I made a batch of these protein bars and now I have them to look forward to at lunchtime - delicious!
fitasamamabear says
Hehe yes! They're a tasty one
Jere Cassidy says
Finally, I found a protein bar that doesn't have peanut butter in it. I wasn't familiar with sunflower seed butter but easily found it. Great recipe, easy to make and love the chocolate on top.
fitasamamabear says
Sun butter is a great switch up!
Jenni says
I have never made my own bars like this before, but they were so good! They tasted great, too!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks for giving them a go! You'll be hooked now lol