Healthy Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars (Nutella-ish, but BETTER!)
What are these Healthy Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars you speak of? They’re basically like Nutella-infused protein bars — sweet, chocolatey, and hazelnutty — but without all the junky ingredients. These are made secretly GOOD for you! They’re no bake, super easy to make, decadently fudgy, and supremely addictive. You’d never know they’re sugar free, whole grain, gluten free, dairy free, and vegan!
Wholesome and all natural chocolate-hazelnut protein bars? Yes puh-lease.
One bite and you’ll be screaming, “Gimme MO of those Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars!!”
If you’re looking for a tasty, quick breakfast/snack on the go, make these Healthy Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars. Natural ingredients come together to make this fudgy goodness as guilt-free as possible so you can feel good about eating them. You can have ALL the taste of Nutella® but without all the nasty sugar, added oils, and preservatives.
These protein bars are for serious chocolate lovers only. Either join the chocolate-lovers club or get outta here.
You must make these protein bars as soon as you step foot inside your kitchen. You will have quick and easy snacks all ready for you for the entire week! If they last that long. All by myself, these lasted me 3 days (there is NO such thing as taking things slowly). When I was in college, I used to take them to school to snack in between classes. Every time the bell rang, a huge smile would creep on my face. Oh yeah, the bell meant it was snack time. I’d eat a protein bar before class (for concentration, fuel, and energy) and a protein bar after class (as a post-class reward, duhhh).
I wonder how long this chocolate-hazelnut goodness will last in YOUR home? Not long, I’m sure. Not long at all 😉
LOOK AT THE FUDGINESSSSSS!
Healthy Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 128g (½ cup) Roasted Hazelnut Butter **
- 1 cup + 2 tbs Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Crème-Flavored Stevia Extract
- 168g (1¼ cups) Chocolate Brown Rice Protein Powder
- 80g (⅔ cup) Oat Flour
- 3 tbs Unsweetened Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (optional)
Instructions
- Line an 8x8” brownie pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In an electric stand mixer bowl tted with a beater attachment, add all of the ingredients. Mix on low speed until everything is fully incorporated.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for one last mix. Mixture should be thick and fudgy, like cookie dough.
- Scoop the mixture into the brownie pan and atten it out. Tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Lift the mixture out of the pan. Slice into 12 bars. Individually wrap the protein bars in plastic sandwich baggies. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or stash them in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
- **You can buy hazelnut butter online or you can make it at home. Making nut butters at home saves a TON of money, but you do need a good food processor to do it!
- Do not use whey/egg/casein protein! The mixture will be gooey and won’t solidify.
- Keeps for ~1 week in the fridge or ~3 months in a sealed sandwich baggie in the freezer.
THIS HOMEMADE PROTEIN BAR RECIPE IS 1 OF 48 RECIPES IN MY DIY PROTEIN BARS COOKBOOK!
WITH FLAVORS LIKE SNICKERZ, CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRY, CARAMEL MACCHIATO, AND S’MORES, YOU’LL NEVER BUY PROTEIN BARS FROM THE STORE AGAIN.
To learn more about the book and see some sneak peeks, see this page.
I am so incredibly lucky to be a part of such a loving, adoring, and supportive online community. Here are some of the pictures readers have shared with me on social media and via email of their Mo-tella Protein Bar remakes!
Thanks Lauren G!
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Thanks @brekbp!
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Thanks @coachheatherf!
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These Healthy Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars are super healthy, packed with healthy fats, fiber, complex carbs and high-quality protein. Yeah, I’ll take twelve. *whistles and looks away*
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Be happy.
Live fully.
Eat protein bars.
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– Jess
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PS: If you like this recipe, then you’ll LOVE the DIY Protein Bars Cookbook! To learn more, click here!
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Indulge − no strings attached!
I just went out and got the ingredients I’ll need for your other protein bars. I guess I’ll just have to add more to my list for the next trip I make! These look fantastic!
Sorry for the grocery store runs… but these are SO worth it 😉
OK this post could NOT have better timing! i just finished up a batch of protein bars! I made these and now they’re in the fridge, based on the dough taste they’re prettty darn good 🙂
Your fudge is way healthier than normal fudge!
These look interesting, I’ve never seen vegan fudge made with oat flour before! I’ve tried vegan “fudges” before and not been entirely satisfied with the too-soft texture; these look as though they have a bit more firmness and bite to them:) Will have to try… would it be possible to make these with regular cocoa powder instead of protein powder? Obviously the protein won’t be there, but that stuff is just so expensive xD
Shonalika-
These protein bars are soft and fudgy, but they still hold their shape when you bite into them 🙂
As for the cocoa powder, I’m afraid that won’t work. Cocoa powder is very bitter and the protein bars will have an overpowering bitter chocolate taste. The protein powder acts as a binder (it absorbs a lot of liquid), adds flavor and provides structure.
I want to try chocolate protein powder at some point anyway, as a lot of people mention/use it and I’m curious – I’ll wait till I do eventually get some locally and then give this recipe a shot 🙂
LOVE IT! I love how it has healthy benefits yet a decadence dessert flavor or nutella fudge!
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You are deadset my dream girl…. Marry me forever haha.
Hahaha! I wish I could ship you a thank-you batch of these Nutella Protein Bars… too bad I’d probably eat them all instead 😉
WOW! Cannot wait to make these. Would a chocolate pea protein work well? I have the Vital one that I don’t use anymore and thought I could utilise it making stacks of these!!
Hmmm, I haven’t tried using pea protein so I can’t be sure. Although, most vegan protein powders seem to work similarly — they all absorb a lot of liquid and seem to give off the same texture. If you give it a shot, I hope the recipe works out and that the protein bars taste DELICIOUS! 😀
-Jess
I just stumbled across this site yesterday and I’m completely obsessed. I’ve already purchased two products from your links and will doubtless get more as I try more recipes.
Question regarding the vanilla flavored Stevia: could one not add actual vanilla/extract/paste to the protein bars and stick with the unflavored Stevia? I’m a vanilla fanatic (I’m making your homemade paste tomorrow) and much prefer to stick with the bean rather than flavorings.
I’m so glad you found my blog!! You can definitely substitute the 1 tsp vanilla-flavored stevia with 1 tsp of regular stevia + 1/2 tsp vanilla paste.
If you’re a vanilla fanatic, go ahead and up the paste to 1 tsp or use the beans from about 1/2 a real vanilla bean pod 🙂
Hope you like the protein bars!
-Jess
Thank you! I think I’ll use the beans themselves since the paste will add some sweetness.
On an unrelated note, do you take challenges? Because I would dearly love to see you take on the greatness that is the Amaretti di Saronno cookie. Replicating that miraculous crunchy texture is a difficult task even using traditional ingredients. Only your diligence, fearlessness and stubborn refusal to settle for second best could make the magic happen with healthier ingredients.
Sure do! I’ll add the Amaretti di Saronno Cookies to my Recipe Wishlist — http://dessertswithbenefits.flywheelsites.com/recipes/recipe-wishlist/ — once I get home and get some decent internet access 😉
However, I’ve never really heard of that type of cookie before (I know! BIG SHOCK!), so is this the cookie you’re talking about? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaretti_di_Saronno
Thanks 🙂
-Jess
Hi there! Just wondering about possibly substituting the oat flour for coconut flour, will that work??
In my experience, coconut flour absorbs A TON of water… especially compared to oat flour. I have no idea how or why (probably the fiber?), so I don’t think it would work in this recipe. If you are looking for a low carb sub you can try using almond flour instead 🙂
The texture might not be the same or hold up as well compared to the original recipe, but I think it will work just fine!
Hope you like the recipe!
-Jess
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Thank you so much for sharing, Jessica!! 🙂
I’m a huuuge Nutella fan and I like some protein enhanced snacks, so this is the PERFECT combination for me.
Love your recipe to make Nutella all from scratch too!
Yay I’m glad you like the protein bars (and the Nutella)!! These are definitely a favorite of mine too 🙂
-Jess
What can I substitute the stevia for? Preferably agave or regular sugar. I can’t have stevia, Splenda or other synthetics. Thanks so much!!
I’m afraid there isn’t a good substitution for the stevia. The stevia extract I use isn’t synthetic, it’s all-natural and organic (unlike Splenda).
1 tsp of stevia has the sweetness of about 1 cup of sugar, and the vanilla-flavored version adds some flavor as well.
If you don’t mind trying some recipe testing in your kitchen, I would recommend replacing the stevia with 2/3 cup of organic agave nectar. You will also need to add another ~1/3 cup of oat flour and ~1 scoop of the brown rice protein powder to balance out the extra liquid from the agave 🙂
I hope these subs work out for you, and I hope you like the protein bars!!
-Jess
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Would love to make these – I have egg white protein … would that work? Thanks! OH, and the homemade Nutella? My daughter is indebted to you for life! Thank you!
No problem!! I hope you guys like the Homemade Nutella recipe!! 🙂
Though, I’m afraid the egg white protein powder won’t work in these protein bars. Only vegan protein powders work for some reason? I only use brown rice protein powder because I find that it has the best flavor and texture. For some reason, whey, casein and egg white protein powders make the protein “dough” super gooey and sticky. They don’t solidify 🙁
-Jess
Can you suggest an alternate to the stevia, himalayan salt, and maybe the oat flour? I know, sounds crazy,but hear me out. These sound like a nice thing to try making at the Home I work at, but my budget’s only so big, and it’s hard to justify such pricey ingredients
I totally understand! Thankfully, the Pink Himalayan Salt can be substituted with regular salt, and the oat flour is simply ground up oats… a pretty inexpensive ingredient 🙂
Just put about a cup of oats in a blender or food processor and blend until flour-like. Unfortunately, there isn’t a substitute for the stevia. It isn’t that expensive since it’s 100% organic and you only use a small amount at a time.
I hope you like the recipe!
-Jess
I just looked through the comments and found my mistake: DO NOT USE ANY OTHER PROTEIN POWDER.
I ended up wasting a lot of ingredients to only end up with (tasty) brownie batter-like sludge. Kind of bummed!
I’ll have to get brown rice protein powder and try again.
Oh no! I’ll update the recipe to give readers a little warning about other protein powders (I tried using whey in these protein bars once and all I got was Nutella “goo”). If you try the recipe again using brown rice protein powder, I hope you love em!! 🙂
-Jess
I came back to look at this site and realized I had commented on this. Thank you so much for editing the recipe a bit to make it more obvious that Whey is a “no-no.” You’re awesome!
Why can’t you use whey protein for this recipe? What does it do to the final product texture? These look fantastic btw! Thank you for sharing all your recipes!
I’m afraid whey protein just doesn’t work 🙁
For some reason the bars don’t solidify and the dough turns all gooey and sticky. I’ve tried making this recipe with whey so many times and each time it’s a complete fail! Brown rice protein powder is the magic ingredient here 🙂
-Jess
I can’t wait to make them, they look fantastic!!! I live in Romania and here I could find only unflavored brown rice protein. Do you think I could use it instead and flavor it with coco powder or just with chocolate extract?
Unflavored brown rice protein will work just fine! But you’ll definitely need to add some more cocoa powder and some sweetener. I’d say about 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and ~20 drops more of the stevia extract (or you can use a packeted sweetener, like Truvia or stevia… about 2-4 packets).
I hope you like the recipe Tatiana! 🙂
-Jess
Could you use natural peanut butter in place of the homemade Nutella?
Brittany-
Absolutely! Peanut Butter should replace the Nutella just fine 🙂
I do have a Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bar recipe in case you want to try that one too!
-Jess
Jess, I replaced the nutella with 2 tbls natural peanut butter and 4 tbls PB2…. and I did half almond flour mixed with the oat flour. I also added 1/4 cup of all natural honey (I have an insane sweet tooth!). They turned out great! Seriously tastes like peanut butter fudge. My bars were 169 calories and 15.7 grams protein. SUCCESS!!!! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Brittany-
Wow I’m so happy all those substitutions worked out for you!! I’m glad you liked the recipe, those nutrition facts sound AMAZING 😀
-Jess
Hello !!! Love your site !
Can I use chocolate soy protein powder ? thank you 🙂
Karine Gosselin-
Thank you so much!! I haven’t tried this recipe with soy protein powder so I can’t be sure, but I think it might work 🙂
All I know is that whey, casein and egg proteins DO NOT work… at all 🙁
I’m crossing my fingers the substitution works out for you!!
-Jess
Why no whey protein?
Jenna-
For some reason, whey, casein and egg white protein powder makes the dough super gooey and sticky. The bars don’t solidify 🙁
-Jess
I really want to make these and I only have whey!!! 🙁
Just wondering, for when I need to stock up on protein powders again, what are your views on the best ones? Are there any benefits, health, taste or performance wise, of vegan over whey?
I might get brown rice protein just so I can make these!! haha Haven’t seen any in the shops in the UK though, maybe just because I wasn’t looking for it!
So happy I found your site!!
I’m so glad you found my blog too! 🙂
I think all protein powders are definitely good to keep around as supplements and for recipes such as this 😉
Whey is easily digested and the protein has a higher bioavailability compared to brown rice protein. I prefer the taste/texture of whey, but whey just doesn’t work in a lot of recipes 🙁
One thing to keep in mind when you’re buying whey is to buy all-natural! I used to get Optimum Nutrition which has sucralose and artificial ingredients… and then the “natural” one has added sugar. I also took a university course on cows and cow farming practices from an actual member of MONSANTO, just so I could learn the dirty details. For this reason, I only buy organic, grass-fed whey now (the class really horrified me… the teacher was all FOR pumping cows full of hormones!).
I haven’t bought this whey yet, but it’s in my Amazon shopping cart for when I want to make some recipes with whey (it’s organic, grass-fed and pretty cheap compared to others):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B89182G/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
My favorite brown rice protein is SunWarrior, although there are cheaper brands out there.
Also, protein powder is much cheaper online (I save about $10 PER package by buying online). I hope this helps Chloë!
-Jess
This sounds awesome!!! However what can I do to substitute the vanilla flavored stevia? It doesn’t ship to Canada ): and I have no idea where I could pick it up here.
Charlee Leung-
Stevia is very difficult to substitute so I’m not sure of any substitute… have you looked at iHerb.com or Amazon.com? I believe they ship to Canada 🙂
-Jess
I tried the recipe but my dough was too gooey.
Since I’m allergic to almonds and hazelnuts, I tried a different milk alternative (in this case organic coconut milk beverage by So Delicious).
Also, my nutella was just made and hadn’t been kept in the fridge overnight (thus a bit runny, but with my alternatively using raw selfmade walnut butter, it was just as delicious)
Do you think that’s why my dough was too runny? It didn’t have the firm texture of cookie dough and it was just more sticky when I added more oat flour and a bit more protein powder but not FIRM…
Any advice? 🙁
I put it in the fridge for now and will see how it turns out tomorrow.
PS: Love your healthy dessert recipes, just found your Nutella recipe on Pinterest and followed you to your blog! Greetings from Germany!!
Valerie-
The coconut milk and homemade Nutella should have worked just fine in this recipe. Did you use whey protein instead of brown rice protein? If so, that’s why. Whey, casein and egg protein powders can’t replace brown rice protein because they don’t absorb as much liquid as rice protein 🙁
-Jess
So… I’m reading all your recipes, & they sound Devine! The issue I have is the stevia & truvia- I just can’t stomach the taste! *shudder* They all taste like sugar subs to me. My question is- how do I substitute sugar (for ex. turbinado) in your recipes? I’m assuming it wouldn’t be a straight sub? (For ex., if your recipe calls for 10 packets…)
Jennifer-
Thanks so much! I guess I’m the total opposite haha, I love Truvia especially in my coffee. The stevia doesn’t add an incredibly noticeable flavor or anything, but don’t worry, you can substitute it. As a rule of thumb, 1 tsp of stevia = sweetness of ~1 cup of sugar. This will increase the calories/carbs in the recipe quite a bit.
Since turbinado is granulated, you’ll want to stir it into the almond milk first and let it sit for ~10 minutes so it can dissolve.
(Also note that the DIY Nutella uses stevia too)
I hope you like the recipe!
-Jess
You should revise the title of this post. It claims dairy free and vegan which is how I found it, but Nutella is made with milk.
Kelly-
If you look at the recipe, you see that I use DIY Nutella… there’s a link for it too. My homemade Nutella is vegan and dairy free, which makes these DIY Protein Bars vegan and dairy free too! 😀
-Jess
If you don’t mind me asking, why do you advice against Whey protein powder? I noticed you specifically stated not to use it in one of your past recipes and I was just curious as to why you did not want us using it?
Selena-
I don’t have any issue with organic grass-fed whey protein powder, it’s just in my protein bar recipes, whey/casein/egg cannot replace the rice protein. Rice protein thickens up the dough so it’s like cookie dough, while whey/casein/egg protein powder turns it all gooey and sticky. It’s weird, I’m not sure why it does that? But that’s the reason 😀
-Jess
These look very interesting! Why not use whey protein though? I am not sure I can find rice protein… Will the end result be different?
Louise-
Whey, casein and egg white protein powder makes the dough super gooey and sticky. The bars just don’t solidify. Brown rice protein is the magic ingredient here 😀
-Jess
i have a lot of whey protein powder to use up. Is there a reason one shouldn’t use whey of not vegan?
Jacque-
For some reason, whey, casein and egg protein powders make the mixture super gooey and sticky and it doesn’t solidify. The brown rice protein absorbs liquid and creates a fudgy, cookie dough-like texture 😀
-Jess
All your recipes look so yummy! I accidentally bought powdered Stevia at Trader Joe’s after reading your recipe. Am I able to use that instead of the liquid?
Thank you!
A few years back I bought Trader Joe’s powdered stevia and absolutely hated it… but maybe that’s just me if they’re still selling it? Although, back then I tried it in coffee, not protein bars, so that could have contributed to my reaction. Is there a conversion chart on the bottle you got? 1 tsp of the liquid stevia I used has the sweetness of 1 cup of sugar, so however much the powdered stevia says is equal to 1 cup of sugar is how much you should use. I’m pretty sure it’s similar to liquid stevia, so I guess 1 tsp of powdered stevia should work. If there is no conversion chart, I’d recommend using a 1/2 tsp of powdered stevia and maybe add mini chocolate chips to the dough to compensate for any lacking sweetness (or you can give the dough a taste as you mix it and determine the sweetness level from there!) 😀
-Jess
Hey I was just curious, a lot of these recipes call for brown rice protein powder, can I use Pea protein powder instead? would the amount of protein change?
Holly-
I’ve never used pea protein powder before so I can’t be sure if it’ll work in place of the rice protein… but, since they’re both plant-based I’d say you can try it? All I know is that whey/casein/egg protein powders don’t work because they don’t absorb as much liquid as rice protein. If your pea protein powder absorbs a lot of liquid, then it might work! I’m crossing my fingers it does! 😀
-Jess
Almond flour, flax milk+protein, dark chocolate hemp protein powder and homemade Nutella, Fabulous! So much better than any of those protein bars and I’ve tried a lot of them. Thanks!
this may sound crazy but with all the protein powders you use, have you ever seen a suitable substitution for them in your recipes? i’m on a protein (phenylalanine) restricted diet and cannot do protein powder…but I can do many of your great recipes which are fab!
I haven’t seen a good 1:1 substitute for protein powder… I mean, it might be able to replace but it would take a lot of trial and error :/
I’m glad a lot of my other recipes will work for you though! I’ll try to be wary of how much protein powder I use now. Have a great week Jessica!
-Jess
So, where’s the recipe? All I see is a link to buy a book.
Hey Nanci! In case you didn’t see the bottom of the post, 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 cookbook. Don’t worry, though, there are still 450 or so remaining recipes still available on DWB! 😀
-Jess
ITS FRE$&-$#-+-: AMAAAAAZING!!! tastes like nutella fudge goowieness <3 thank you!!!! I'm so trying the peanut butter one tomorrow
Is there anyway we could get this recipe without buying the book? I’m a broke student who would love to try it out!
Hi Lou!
The Nutella Fudge DIY Protein Bars recipe is only available in the cookbook, sorry! But I just calculated the price, and it equals out to just 46 cents per recipe (or 25 cents if you get the Kindle version). I totally understand, I was broke in college too 😉
Best,
-Jess
I am having a difficult time finding the recipe. It does not appear on this page for me. Where can I find it?
Hey Amanda! 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 in case you wanted to try them out:
–DIY Triple Chocolate Fudge Muscle Brownies
–DIY Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars
Best,
-Jess
I eat a low carb diet. I see that your recipe is no longer available on your site. Are the recipes in your book low carb? I just don’t want to buy the book just to find out that I can’t use any of the recipes. Thanks!
A few of the recipes in the cookbook are truly low-carb (no grains, such as the Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars), but most of them use oat flour. Is that okay with you? I looked through the nutrition labels and the carbohydrate count, per bar, ranges from 7g-34g, depending on the flavor. In case you were curious, the protein bar with 7g of carbohydrates is the Coconut Butter Fudge Protein Bar. The protein bar with 34g of carbohydrates is the Protein Powder-Free Protein Bar.
Hope this helps!! 😀
-Jess
These look amazing – I’ve been wanting to make a healthy grab and go snack lately and these could even double as dessert. If I were lucky em ought to receive your cookbook, I would find the chocolate-iest one and start with that first ??
Caramel macchiato oh my gosh, yes! I LOVE anything espresso-y 🙂
I would make THIS recipe. I love NUTELLA anything!
omggg these look fantastic! what a great flavor idea.
i’d def make the s’mores first!
These protein bars look delicious. They look very fudgey, it’s hard to imagine they’re healthy! I’m always on the lookout for higher protein snacks so these would be perfect.
hi. I am interested (very) in these DIY protein bars, but I’d like to know if the bars are or can be EASILY adapted to suit my diet, which does not allow any grains or regular sweeteners. I am able to use protein powders, stevia…Thanks <3
and coconut and nut/seed flours
Hi Monika,
In the protein bar posts on the blog, I list all of the ingredients in the recipe. Oat flour is often one of them, so if you don’t eat grains then this book probably isn’t for you. If you do eat oats as an exception, then you might enjoy the cookbook. The top 4 common ingredients I’d say are brown rice protein powder, liquid stevia extract, nut/seed butters, and oat flour. Hope this helps!! 🙂
-Jess
Thanks for replying.
I wonder if coconut flour is a good sub for the oat flour…
Unfortunately, coconut flour is one of few flours that cannot replace other flours, and vice versa. It absorbs waaaay too much liquid. I have a Coconut Protein Bar recipe in the book, but it took a few trials to get it right because coconut flour is so finicky!