11 Healthy Protein Bar Recipes to Announce the DIY Protein Bars Cookbook!
Tired of buying protein bars from the store and shelling out all that cash for them? Then make protein bars at home! Here are 11 popular protein bar recipes that I’ve posted on the blog over the years — they’re all no-bake, ultra fudgy, and perfectly sweet. You’d never know they’re refined sugar free, gluten free, vegan, and all natural. Yup, that means there are absolutely no preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial flavorings in these homemade protein bar recipes.
This is the perfect time to announce that the DIY Protein Bars Cookbook is officially PUBLISHED!
*happy dances*
This was a long time coming. I poured my heart and soul into this book, and I could not be happier to hold these copies in my hand 🙂
The DIY Protein Bars Cookbook is a collection of 48 easy, healthy no-bake protein bar recipes!
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From Peanut Butter to S’mores, from Red Velvet to Death By Chocolate (and soooo many more), you’ll be sure to find a favorite. Or three. Or four dozen. 😉
Words cannot even describe how amazing these homemade protein bars are!
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And there are options for everyone — gluten free protein bars, vegan protein bars, low carb protein bars, etc. Each protein bar recipe is not only healthier than storebought, but they’re cheaper too.
Yes, for real. I even did a cost comparison analysis in the book — each bar costs just a little over $1 to make (anything around $1.12 to be exact!), which means you can save up to $2.07 PER protein bar by going the DIY route.
*jaw drops to floor*
Anyways, enough talk. Here are all the protein bar recipes I’ve posted to the blog over the years.
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1. Chocolate Fudge Protein Bars
These are literally like brownies — fudgy, sweet, chocolatey… except they don’t require any baking! Oh, and they’re actually good for you too. This post also includes a FREE recipe printable, plus a cooking video showing you how to make these yourself!
I also based these Black Velvet DIY Protein Bars off this recipe.
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2. Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Talk. About. Fudgy. These Peanut Butter DIY Protein Bars are packed with peanut butter flavor, kind of like, you know… peanut butter out of the jar? Don’t judge me! We’ve allll been there.
Be sure to check out my Peanut Butter & Jelly DIY Protein Bars too!
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3. Triple Chocolate Protein Brownies
Are you craving brownies? Yes? Okay, me too. These Triple Chocolate Fudge Protein Brownies will satisfy your every chocolate/sugar/dessert/brownie craving and more. They’ll pretty much restore your faith in everything.
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4. Cookie Dough Protein Bars
Cookie Dough DIY Protein Bars?!? Hell yes. I’ll take seven. These are fudgy, sweet, buttery and rich, just like cookie dough, but without the white flour, white sugar, butter, and eggs. There’s really nothing better than protein cookie dough guys. Y’all need this in yo life.
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5. Chubby Hubby Protein Bars
Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby Ice Cream is loved by all. And so are these Chubby Hubby DIY Protein Bars. They’re packed with peanut butter, pretzels and chocolate chips (and none of the white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavorings).
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6. Millionaire’s Protein Bars
Wanna feel like royalty? Make these Millionaire’s DIY Protein Bars. They have a rich, almond butter fudge protein base, a layer of liquid gold caramel, and a thick shell of decadent dark chocolate. That’s as rich as things can get.
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7. Snickers Protein Bars
Protein-packed candy bars? Um, I’ll take seven of these as well. And to-go, please. Because I’m not sharing.
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8. Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Cinnamon spice and everything nice! Wait, no, it’s cinnamon spice and everything nice, healthy, nutritious and delicious. And packed with protein, of course!
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9. Red Velvet Protein Bars
Red Velvet. Fudge. Protein Bars.
Need I say more? 😉
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10. Matcha Green Tea Protein Bars
If you like matcha, then these are for you. It’s got all the flavor of a cup of matcha green tea, just in the form of a fudgy protein bar!
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11. Nutella Protein Bars
Do you like/love-so-much-you-want-to-marry Nutella? Oh my gosh! Me too. That’s why these Nutella DIY Protein Bars are one of the top 10 recipes on this blog!
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So, um… are you drooling? Because I’m drooling. Like, a lot. Thank goodness I have a stash (aka a lifetime supply) of protein bars in my freezer. Which is actually kinda dangerous because my freezer is about 15 feet away from me… hold on, I’ll be right back.
*nom nom nom*
Okay, I’m back 😉
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this protein bar recipe roundup! If you’re a protein bar addict (like me), then I think you’ll fall in love with the DIY Protein Bars Cookbook.
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It warms my heart to know that thousands of people around the world have a copy of my book in their very own homes, make my recipes, and send photos of their homemade creations to me <3
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Be happy.
Live fully.
Eat homemade protein bars.
(And leave none for Gretchen Wieners, bye)
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
Despite the number of granola bar recipes I’ve tried, I’ve never made protein bars! I love them and I’m super excited to try them out! I’ll need to blog about these recipes too!
Oh man, super excited! You have no idea, protein bars used to be a huge staple in my pantry back in NY but since moving to Germany, everything is in euros and twice as much!
The cheaper ones are also loaded with a bunch of unwanted ingredients so would be awesome to make some of these. I’d probs make the birthday cake one first because I like to pretend it’s my berfday all the time.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway and good luck to everyone else out there!
-Aya
Yeaaahh… death by chocolate just calls my name!
Jessica, the protein powder I use works just fine with your recipes. I think since they are both Sunwarrior brands, that helps lol. I just have to make sure I weigh everything and it usually works out great! 🙂
Inez-
Wow, you must have better luck than me! I’ve tried the Warrior Blend in my protein bars before and it didn’t work at all 🙁
It absorbed SO much liquid, and then when I added more milk I accidentally added too much and it turned into a pudding. So sad! I’m glad it works for you though 🙂
-Jess
I’d be so stoked to win this!
definitely s’mores! yum!!!
I’d make the chubby hubby…or the millionaires, or the death by chocolate….I think.
I’d probable try to make like 8 at a time because I’m terrible at deciding 😀
Abbie-
Haha, your train of thought sounds a lot like mine! I usually make 2 batches at a time because I like having a bajillion on hand lol 😉
-Jess
I would make the Millionaire’s Fudge, it sounds absolutely divine, but then again, they all do!
Hey Jessica, I’ve got a quest for you. Christmas time is coming up and for Americans that mostly means gingerbread. For the British it means fruit cake. But for me as a German it means speculoos! So I was strolling through my local grocery store and saw this speculoos spread, which I used to love before I started eating healthier. Then I looked at the ingredients and put it back in the shelve. 😀 So I was thinking, if there’s anyone who could make a healthier version of it, it’s you! 😀 I’d be very happy, if you could give it a try. 🙂
Max-
How funny! I just got a request for a healthified Fruit Cake today! I’ll add the Speculoos Cookie Butter onto my Recipe Wishlist right now 🙂
I’m afraid I’ve never actually tried Speculoos because I’m allergic to gluten, but I’ll try to make a DIY version as best as I can.
-Jess
PS: So proud of you for putting that sugar-in-a-jar back on the shelf lol 😉
I finally bought some Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder and can’t wait to start trying out some of these bars!
Thank you so much for hosting! This is incredible–you raise some amazing points! Plus homemade is made with love 🙂
Thank you for this giveaway!
Can’t wait to try the new and improved Snickerz bar!
Death by Chocolate sounds ahhhhmazing! Love to win the cookbook, but if not I’ll definitely be buying anyways! :))
I’ve been looking for more at-home recipes for protein bars because…well, let’s just say my quest addiction is getting out of hand. this book is going to be a god-send to me! i cant wait to sneak some candy bar flavored ones to my anti-protein bar boyfriend, too 😉
Jess-
Oh gosh, I TOTALLY understand your Quest bar addiction! They’re like, 100% addictive material. BUT, so are these DIY Protein Bars 🙂
And they come in way more flavors too! 😀
I’m pretty sure these DIY Protein Bars might be able to convert your anti-protein bar boyfriend… I mean, they’re so healthy, they’re kinda like breakfast 😉
-Jess
Fabulous! I cannot wait to try these out. Your recipes are a big hit in my house!
Can’t wait for dem #gainz!
Oh my god this is so epically awesome!!!!!!!
OOOOOOOH! I would definitely make the red velvet cake protein bars first! This is so amazing, its the perfect opportunity to show my family how delicious, cheap, and REAL a protein bar can actually be!!!!! Simply and purely AWESOME! 🙂
Oh man, the s’mores ones sound good!
I can’t wait to try these recipes. They all look so delicious. My only challenge is which one to do first… lol.
best of luck with your book
Whoah!! I am so ready to try the revamped red velvet!! Let me at ’em!
Definitely want to try the Matcha Green Tea Bar because I love green tea and it kind of reminds me of the green tea frappe from Starbucks and the colors look beautiful!
This green tea bar looks really good, and unique, I want this bar now!!!!
Eliza 🙂
My favorite is the chubby hubby and the oatmeal raisin ones:) To die for
My favorite is the oatmeal raisin ones! To die for
When I’ve found your blog, I instantly tried out the snickerz protein bars. 🙂 I just wanted to thank you for these awesome ideas, I really, really love them! I think I will make the nutella fudge protein bars next time.
The first recipe I’d like to make is, “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.” Yum!
Congrats! All of the protein bars look amazing and I cant wait to get the book so I can try them out !! I was wondering if you could use the sunwarrior warrior blend instead of the sunwarrrior classic or would that make a big difference in taste/texture?
Monica-
Thanks so much! I hope you like the cookbook 😀
As for the Warrior Blend, I’m afraid it won’t work. I tried using the vanilla Warrior Blend in one of the recipes and it absorbed WAY too much liquid! I tried adding more milk and nut butter but it just didn’t work. And then I accidentally added too much milk and it turned into a pudding 🙁
I think only plain brown rice protein powder works in the recipes 🙂
-Jess
Jess,
I just wanted to say thank you for posting these recipes! I recently found out that I have celiac’s disease and I’m trying to find protein rich foods to help keep me full for my triathlons. These will be perfect! I look forward to reading all of the other goodies you have on here and am super glad I stumbled across your blog.
Keep up the great work!
-Angela
Angela-
I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis! However, I’m glad you found out now rather than later. I hope you love love LOVE all the protein bar recipes 🙂
Good luck in your triathlons!!
-Jess
Thank you so much for sharing this list of delicious recipes. My diet plan provides 150g protein daily. You made it a lot easier for me to get those down 😉
I really wish people would stop misleading the public by trying to make it seem that unrefined sugars are treated in any way that is metabolically significant from refined sugar. People ignorantly gravitate towards organic vegan cold pressed agave nectar or things like that because it sounds exotic and different and it gets in your stomach and your body says “oh look, sugar.” Sugar is sugar is sugar is sugar. It is a misnomer to label things like the adjective healthy. The nutritionally ignorant out there will get the wrong message and think they’re making a smart choice in their weight loss goals, and they aren’t. You just know somewhere in Brazil some mother is saying “No no Jose, you can’t eat that, that has sugar cane juice in it, here, this one has corn syrup, its much healthier.”
Also, people pushing “non-GMO” as a healthy choice should also be held to account. Provide a link to any peer reviewed study showing someone being harmed by eating GMO food. You have the whole Internet to search, surely you can find one Don’t be an anti science luddite. Sure, some GMO science companies do shitty things with patent laws, or aren’t very nice to farmers, but the science does not create food any less healthy than what is out there, and potentially more healthy (see golden rice, etc).
Ah Congrats girl!! So exciting 🙂 Happy for you!
Is there a specific reason not to use whey protein (other than the making it not vegan part)?
Linsey-
For some reason, whey, casein and egg white protein powder makes the dough super gooey and sticky. The bars don’t solidify 🙁
-Jess
Wow these look so delicious! I cant wait to try!
I love the ideas and concept of the protein bars but many of your recipes say do not use whey protein powder, it will not work. I am curious as to why. I have finally found a great whey one, after many trials, that is affordable to me and I do not want to go through that process again with brown rice protein. Sun Warrior brand is not in my price range.
Thanks so much! Sadly, whey (and casein and egg) protein powder doesn’t absorb nearly as much liquid as the brown rice protein. I’ve tried it countless times with no success 🙁
What’s supposed to be thick like cookie dough, turns sludgy and sticky and gooey. There are many brown rice protein powder brands cheaper than SunWarrior, just check Amazon.com or iHerb.com 🙂
Hope this helps!
-Jess
I stumbled onto your blog while looking for healthy baking tips and you may not believe but I’m glued to it now..
Thx alot for the amazingly practical and may I add healthy!! recipes.
Where can i buy this Diy Protein Cookbook in malaysia book store?
iyxielaazlee-
This cookbook isn’t available in stores, it’s just available online at Amazon.com 🙂
However, I don’t think Amazon ships to Malaysia… I’m sorry! But, you can check out the Kindle version here:
http://www.amazon.com/DIY-Protein-Bars-Cookbook-Homemade-ebook/dp/B00RB1NWWY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
I hope this helps!
-Jess
They all look amazing & so tempting to make but I am really concerned about the time spent making them & frequency I have to make them for a daily supply. How long can I keep them in the freezer?
Hoda-
Yes! The bars can freeze (I actually have ~3 batches in my freezer right now) 🙂
I’d limit the freezing time to ~3 months. Hope you like the recipes!
-Jess
Yeah. Will keep u posted when I try them. Thanks for the prompt reply!
Hi if I’m lack of Stevia/Truvia can i use honey instead? Or any other sweetener that you recommend ?
I wouldn’t recommend using liquid sweeteners like honey, pure maple syrup or agave because the bars won’t solidify with all that extra liquid. You might need to adjust the recipes a little by adding more flour or protein powder. I mean, if you don’t mind a lot of trial and error you can do that! But honestly, the recipes the way they are have been tested multiple times and are sure to work. If you can’t find stevia in the grocery store, I would recommend buying it online from Amazon, Thrive Market or iHerb.com … it’s much cheaper online anyways! I always get my stevia online 😀
Hope this helps Ivy!
-Jess
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Yes, for whey protein bars!
I’m always looking for new protein bar recipes so this post is perfect for me. 🙂 So many great ideas in one place, thanks for the collection!
First of all, your bars look amazing! I have been experimenting making my own bars at home, sans recipe, and I really want to try yours out – do you think a blend of pea/brown rice protein would work well in your recipes?
Kim-
Thank you so much! 😀
As for the brown rice protein powder substitute, I’m not sure if another kind will work. The only thing I’ve ever tried was rice protein… but, I guess trying a different protein powder is worth a shot! I would assume it would work since it’s still got rice protein, and pea protein seems like it has similar absorption capabilities. If you try the substitution out, I hope it works!!
-Jess
Are there any actual recipes on this site or just continuous advertising to sell a book? I have pressed EVERY LINK on the page and for the life of me….CANNOT FIND THE RECIPE :/
Hey Lakecia! In case you didn’t see the bottom of the posts, the recipes that were included in my new cookbook, The Naughty or Nice Cookbook, were taken off the blog since they were retested and improved specifically for the book. If you’re still not sure why I did this, please read this recent post:
http://dessertswithbenefits.com/healthy-single-serving-chocolate-microwave-cake/
Best,
-Jess
The link is NOT a recipe for the protein bar I was looking at. I was not interested in making a zapped cake (microwave cake). I was interested in your healthy protein bars thus searched the links provided, but all I get is a forced entry to purchase the cookbook. And I would gladly purchase it, but not the way it is being forced upon me when I want to try one recipe I became interested in. Just an FYI….it may help sell if you would post a recipe instead of making it seem like the links are recipes…but instead they take you all over the place to order your cookbook. You never know…I make the protein bars I was interested in and wallaaah!….It makes me want more so I order the cookbook. But thanks anyways honey.
Lakecia,
Miscommunication… I sent you the link to the microwave cake because I wanted you to read the first few paragraphs, as it explains WHY I don’t provide the recipes that are in the cookbook (basically, it is unfair to all of the people who purchased the cookbook. They paid for the recipes, so it just isn’t fair to provide those recipes online for free).
I also wanted to say, no one is forcing you to buy the book. It’s okay if you don’t want to buy it, that’s your choice… just like how thousands of others chose to purchase DIY Protein Bars 🙂
Anyways, just thought I’d let you know that I do still have protein bar recipes on the blog, I didn’t wipe every recipe off the face of the earth 😉
–DIY Triple Chocolate Fudge Muscle Brownies
–DIY Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars
Best,
-Jess
Do you have any actual protein bar recipes on the blog? I’d like to try a couple to see if the cookbook will be for me. Thanks.
Hey Tina! The recipes that were added to my cookbook, DIY Protein Bars, were taken off the blog since they were remade and improved specifically for the book 😀
If you’re curious as to why I did this, I explain it in this post: http://dessertswithbenefits.com/about/why-i-removed-some-recipes-from-the-blog/
I do have a couple protein bar recipes still on the blog:
–DIY Triple Chocolate Fudge Muscle Brownies
–DIY Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars
Best,
-Jess
Hi, I’m a bit late to this thread and have been searching for an answer so I hope this gets to you…
My husband and I decided to ditch our current expensive protein bars (pure protein for him & perfect bar for me) for healthier, more cost effective DIY versions. So I bought your book and am gearing up to start making them. When looking for the protein powder I noticed that sun warrior now makes a plus version of the classic protein powder. It has slightly more protein and less sugar among other things, I was wondering if the plus version will still work in your recipes? I don’t want to invest in an ingredient that will ruin these beautiful bars! TIA for an answer and thanks for all your hard work.
Hi Jenn! Kudos to you for kicking out the storebought protein bars! That was a hard step for me to take years ago.
Sorry for any confusion. All of the recipes cal for SunWarrior Classic protein powder, not the Plus. I’ve tried the Plus before and I’m really not a fan of the flavor. It also absorbs too much liquid so the protein bars don’t turn out with it.
Great question! Hope you like all of the recipes! 😀
-Jess
“DIY protein bar recipe” is a redundant phrase. “DIY protein bars” will have a recipe otherwise it would not be possible to make. And I assume that “protein bar recipes” are something I will be making myself. You should omit one of the two redundant words in the article’s title. Unless it is an article on how to write your own protein bar recipes.
With that said, it is a good collection of articles with decent recipes, a few of which I might try.
Wow I really want to try the matcha green tea protein bars! I’ve recently gotten so obsessed with green tea, its so good and healthy for you! The rest of them look amazing too, it must have taken a lot of hard work to get a whole book published. Good job <3
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