Healthy Red Velvet Fudge DIY Protein Bars (+ Video!)
Have you ever had (or even heard of) all natural, low sugar, high protein, high fiber, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and 100% healthy RED. VELVET. FUDGE?? Well, if you haven’t made these Healthy Red Velvet Fudge DIY Protein Bars, then I’m betting you haven’t.
First of all. Yes, Healthy Red Velvet Fudge exists. It’s staring you in the face right now.
Second. You will fall in love with this stuff SO HARD that after you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
You would never ever know that these Red Velvet Fudge DIY Protein Bars are actually good for you. It tastes just like any other chocolatey fudge — it’s sweet, it’s rich, it’s flavorful, it’s fudgy.
BUT, the big difference? This is good for ya. It’s naturally red (no artificial food coloring here), low in sugar (no white sugar here either), gluten free (yup, no bleached white flour), and vegan too. I swear you’d never know it, though.
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Watch me make these no-bake Red Velvet Fudge DIY Protein Bars on camera:
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Healthy Red Velvet Fudge DIY Protein Bars
Ingredients
Protein Bars:
- 2 Fist-Sized Beets
- 128g (½ cup) Roasted Almond Butter
- ½ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1 tbs Natural Butter Flavor
- 1½ tsp Vanilla Crème-Flavored Stevia Extract
- 210g (1⅔ cups) Chocolate Brown Rice Protein Powder
- 80g (⅔ cup) Oat Flour
- ¼ tsp Salt
Chocolate Coating:
- 6 oz Bittersweet Chocolate (melted; I used 70% Cacao)
Instructions
For the Roasted Beet Puree:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse and gently scrub two fist-sized beets. Wrap them completely in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for ~1½ hours, or until a fork pierces through with ease.
- Let sit until it’s cool enough to handle, then carefully unwrap the foil. Use a butter knife to scrape o the beet skins (they will fall off easily). Chop the beets into chunks and place in a food processor. Puree until completely smooth.
For the Protein Bars:
- 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.
For the Chocolate Coating:
- Place a silicone baking mat on top of a jelly roll pan and line the protein bars on top. With a large spoon, ladle the melted chocolate over the protein bars. Try to encase the entire protein bar with chocolate, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Refrigerate until firm (~1 hour). 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
If you like this recipe, then you’ll LOVE my DIY Protein Bars Cookbook! With 48 protein bar recipes, you’ll never buy protein bars from the store again. To learn more about the book and see some sneak peeks, see this page!
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I am so blessed 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 Red Velvet Protein Bar remakes!
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Watch Gabby make my protein bars!
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I think the fact that these protein bars are hiding a VEGETABLE should persuade you a little more to make this recipe, huh? 😉
You gotta make these Healthy Red Velvet Fudge DIY Protein Bars ASAP!!
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Be happy.
Live fully.
Eat protein bars.
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
These are so fun! Amazing ingredients list too 🙂
I love how you use beets instead of food coloring! I am baking some today!
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Wow, these bars not only look yummy, but they’re beauties!
The only thing missing is Stevia in the Raw.
I checked the link and some people really seem angry that this stevia is full of fillers.
What’s your take on this? Is it to help bulking the recipe?
Would just liquid stevia extract would do?
Stevia in the Raw is not full of a bunch of random ingredients, just maltodextrin and stevia. One reason I used Stevia in the Raw in this recipe is because I found out a lot of my readers were using Splenda (sucralose) which is artificial/manmade, unlike stevia and maltodextrin. I would rather have my readers (and myself, my family and my friends) eat natural foods rather than artificial foods.
Another reason is because the bag of Stevia in the Raw I have states that it is gluten-free, so it is safe for those with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity (Splenda doesn’t say it’s gluten-free, the maltodextrin they use is probably from wheat)
The last reason I used Stevia in the Raw is because it’s cheaper than the liquid stevia extract I usually use, is more widely available, and is easier to find. If you use liquid stevia extract I would recommend using 3/4 tsp. Hope this helps!
-Jess
DO you find stevia in the raw bitter? i have a bag of it, but every time I use it, I find it bitter…
Rena-
In my personal experience, I only find stevia to be bitter when I accidentally use too much. In case you were wondering, these protein bars don’t taste bitter at all 🙂
-Jess
Love the bright, vibrant red color!
I find it really difficult to get hold of a couple of the ingredients you used, but you have no idea how much I want to eat this, that I may just embark on an Amazon shopping trip!
I get pretty much all of my ingredients online from Amazon — it’s SO much cheaper than buying in stores! I hope you get to make these protein bars, a little shopping trip is TOTALLY worth it 😉
-Jess
I am allergic to oats!
Do you think I could substitute a protein powder or coconut flour?
Thanks!
(as a side: maltodextrin is very high on the glycemic-index and is therefore not really all that healthy)
Thankfully this is a no-bake recipe so most flours can replace the oat flour, I just find that oat flour has a cake-like flavor in certain applications. You can replace the oat flour with brown rice flour, sorghum flour, almond flour or more chocolate brown rice protein powder (approximately 3-5 extra scoopfuls worth, or however much until you reach that fudgy cookie dough texture).
Usually when one ingredient in a recipe is high glycemic I balance it out with other ingredients that are low on the glycemic index, like nut butters, oat flour, cocoa and chocolate brown rice protein powder. Healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, fiber and proteins digest slowly within the body. If the stevia in the raw is a concern, you can replace it with 3/4-1 tsp of liquid stevia extract.
Hope this helps, and I hope you like the recipe!!
-Jess 😀
The color of the protein bars is really good and gives a treat to eyes. Its nice to know that these protein bars come with a good texture and different flavor.
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These look fantastic! I just made your red velvet brownies and it’s delicious! 🙂 I was just wondering if I could replace the protein powder with Whey Protein Concentrate? If so, should I substitute an equal amount or different? Thank you!
Lili-
YAY I’m so glad you liked the brownies!! 😀
As for the whey protein substitution, I’m afraid it won’t work 🙁 For some reason whey protein doesn’t solidify and it turns all gooey. I’ve tried making whey protein bars (without liquid sweeteners like honey or agave) for so long but every batch seems to fail!
Hi there
Just wondering as I do craft shows, festivals all over the south east every weekend selling homemade fudge, but things don’t seem to be going very well as they used to be and found that people just don’t want it as they are dieting!! And i wanted to come up with a new idea on a healthier fudge of which i came across your fantastic site. Would you be able to supply us with a number of different types wholesale?- etc the fudge protein balls, peanut butter fudge, red velvet fudge? If you could it would be fantastic as there isn’t any other stalls that have this type of food on! I think it would be a big seller. Look forward to hearing from you.
Thankyou
Kelly
Kelly-
Ooo those craft shows sound awesome!! I wish I was in the South East so I can attend 🙂
I think it would be great to provide you with the various fudges I’ve made, though, I think they are best served fresh (and I’m not sure how they would ship since they require refrigeration). Also, because they’re sugar-free and preservative-free, they won’t last weeks and weeks like typical fudge.
I think my most popular fudge recipes include my Healthy Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Protein Bars and my Healthy Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars. I would recommend trying those out at home, make any adjustments you like (such as adding 1 tsp of vanilla paste or a handful of chocolate chips) and bring them to your shows!
They are pretty simple to make since they don’t require any melting or cooking, you just mix, flatten it into a pan, slice and serve 🙂
-Jess
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OMG!!!! those look AMAZING!! i CANNOT wait to make this!!!
do you think they whey protein powder would work in it? i don’t have any other kind at home,so i was wondering if you think that would work.
Aw thanks J! 😀
However, I’m afraid whey protein powder won’t work here. Whey turns the mixture all gooey and sticky… I’ve tried it multiple times and nothing I do can make whey work! Sorry 🙁
-Jess
Sorry for my ignorance, but is there any chance these bars can stay stable/binded without the rice protein powder? For example, can the ultra-solidifying coconut flour be used in place of the protein powder? I just don’t want so much protein :s
It’s a *lovely* recipe anyhow and if not, I’ll probably end up trying it any way. It’s a pleasure to see a raw recipe without dates (sorry date lovers!). 🙂
Lynn-
I’m not a date-lover either! I have no idea why so many people like them haha 🙂
As for the protein powder, I’m afraid there’s no replacement. I’ve tried using coconut flour instead but it turned out gritty and not fudge-like. Sorry!
-Jess
Am I able to miss out the butter flavour and use maple syrup of blue agave nectar instead?
Annika-
The butter flavor helps cover the beet flavor, and it also gives it that classic “Red Velvet Cake” flavor. I wouldn’t recommend omitting it.
Also, the stevia is difficult to replace because it’s a dry ingredient that dissolves quite easily, and 3/4 cup of maple syrup or agave would throw off the liquid:dry ratio. Sorry!
-Jess
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I didn’t see a protein cookie recepie that substituted flour with protein powder. Let me know if one exists.
Thanks.
Do I have to use the classic blend or will any blend by Sun warrior create the same product? Eager to make these bars although I can’t find the protein powder anywhere. Also will it matter whether I use vanilla instead of chocolate?
Thanks!
Sonya-
I use the classic blend 🙂 (I’ve tried the warrior blend and it doesn’t work at all… it absorbs WAYYY too much liquid).
The chocolate is what makes these red velvet, but it won’t hurt too much by using vanilla. Hope you like the recipe!
-Jess
I’ve tried to replace the sunwarrior protein with whey – I wish I had read the comments earlier.
So as you mentioned it doesn’t solidify. Do you think I can salvage this mess by adding an egg and baking it? Do I even need an egg?
Phil-
Sorry about the inconvenience! For some reason whey, casein and egg proteins just don’t work 🙁
I think baking the mixture is a great idea, I would try that. I would bake it at 350 degrees until firm, or until the edges have browned slightly. I hope this salvages the protein mixture! 😀
-Jess
Thanks for the quick reply Jess. So I’ve baked it and it’s very very dry, like one-bite-no-more-saliva dry. Barely edible on its own but it’s allright with coffee or a glass of milk.
I replaced the flour with coco flour and probably overdone it quantity wise because I initially wanted a cookie-dough like texture (almost doubled quantities). I guess my take on your recipe still needs tinkering 🙂
Phil-
Aw darn!! It could have been the coconut flour. When I first started baking with coconut flour everything was dry and crumbled like sand. I think brown rice protein powder is just the way to go in my protein bar recipes!
-Jess
These look good and I am hoping to try some of the bars out soon. I know you said in a previous comment that these bars are not designed for long time storage. But how long would you say these would last?
I am a stay at home mom to 3 kids ranging from 1 to 7. Needless to say, my time isn’t always available. So I’d like to do one day where I make certain snacks for the week in advance. Would these last, say 5-7 days in the fridge?
Kim-
These bars last around 5-7 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container or sandwich baggie 😀
You can freeze these too if you like! They last about 2 months in the freezer. I hope you like the protein bars!
-Jess
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Red Velvet is my favorite and when I saw the healthier version of the fudge, I got excited to make it!
Looks delicious. Can’t wait to try recipe. Although nothing I make looks as pretty as yours.
What can you use instead of almond butter or milk. As i have a nut allergies…
Hi Nat! Are you allergic to all nuts? Almond butter can be replaced with cashew butter, walnut butter, and pecan butter. If those don’t work though, you can use any seed butter you like! I’d recommend raw pumpkin seed butter since it’s flavor is pretty basic. I wouldn’t recommend sesame seed butter/tahini or sunflower seed butter because those flavors are really strong and might not suit this bar very well. Hope this helps! 🙂
-Jess
I’m not understanding how the protein content is so high. I’ve calculated and recalculated but never seem to get anywhere near the protein content listed here and this is with using higher protein per weight listed in your recipe. Please help.
Are you calculating the quantity of protein powder stated in the recipe in the DIY Protein Bars Cookbook?
Looks like you’re adding only 150g of protein (mix is only 72%) so max per bar protein content should be 12.6g only.
So I read not to use whey, but I have a TON of it and not a whole lot of money (like…so little I had to wishlist the Kindle version of your book and am waiting for a little extra to buy it haha)…did you attempt whey? How gooey is it? Like gooey gross blob you’d have to eat with a spoon? Or like when you try to bake something like cookies but they never quite harden for some reason? like….could you describe the consistency? I’m thinking I might be able to sacrifice for consistency not being perfect and still get extra protein and fix my sweets cravings…
I mean, I’ve tried it so many times and can never get it to work, but I feel ya… protein powder is expensive and wasting food is wasting money! I eat the protein goo because it still tastes great, it’s just not something you can take on the go with you. It’s kind of like a sticky toffee fudge pudding goo texture (it’s so hard to describe, sorry haha) that sticks to the roof of your mouth. I hope this helps! 🙂
It does! Thank you for trying to explain, I appreciate it! I may make some red velvet goo soon then haha
(and I did just buy the book! Yay! I’m excited to try your recipes!)
Awwww thank you so so much for your support Gabby!! I hope you like all the recipes you try!! Definitely let me know if you have any questions 🙂
No problem! (answering your last comment, not sure it will post in order)…finally got around to getting the ingredients, sending you an email, so please watch for it!
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Just realized I had a good number of viewers coming from your site and saw that you added the video to this entry. Thank you for sharing the video, and I’m so glad you liked it!
Can the Vanilla Cream Stevie be substituted with plain stevie and vanilla? If so in what quantities? Also, can the butter flavor be replaced with real butter? My goal is nothing artificial. Thanks for the help.
Absolutely! I’d recommend just omitting the vanilla extract and substituting the plain stevia with the vanilla stevia.
You can omit the butter flavor if you like, but it is in fact a natural ingredient 🙂
Can’t seem to find flavored brown rice protein. Can I just substitute it with pea protein? Would that have any significant impact on flavor, texture or anything important?
Pea protein doesn’t substitute for rice protein, unfortunately. Have you checked Amazon, iHerb, or Thrive Market?
Thanks for the reply. I’ve finally found some, but it’s in vanilla flavor. You think that’d be okay for this recipe? Also, can I substitute the natural butter flavor with.. anything else? Thanks!
Vanilla protein powder will work just fine! I’d suggest adding 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to the recipe though 🙂
You can try subbing the butter flavor with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract… it won’t be as good as the original, but it’ll still be tasty!! Hope you like the bars!! <3
I did make this recipe, and so did my friend from whom I got the recipe. I followed your recipe exactly except, not having the butter flavoring I used the same measurement of a combination of almond extract & vanilla extract.
My experience is that I give the taste an A+! But the texture—for both me and my friend— was very wet. Not like what you demonstrated in your photos or video.
My guess is that everyone’s definition of a fist sized beat might be slightly different. I am thinking my beats were bigger therefore there was too much liquid as compared to solid in this recipe. I’m going to have to tweak the liquid to solid ratio and then I think this will be as amazing as yours look.
But again I stress the taste is there and I’m so thrilled to have some thing like this with beets in it. Always looking to add more beats to my diet. This is a real winner! Thank you for posting this.
Can I use this recipe with the baked method ? thankyou
I’ve baked these protein bars before to test it out but wasn’t a fan. They just got dry and hard. I baked them at 350° F for 12 minutes, if you want to try. But I like the fudgy texture most 🙂
I made these with beets, but following your “fist size” I think didn’t work out well for me. Do you have an appromixate amount in grams or cups you recommend using?
Absolutely delicious! They definitely taste like a protein bar you’d buy in the store. I was so happy to find these and find out they taste sooo good!
I appreciate your idea of no food colouring, but you can make a surprise with them. Add some blue or yellow, Mix the ready bars and you don’t know what colour you are going to get. It can be red, purple or orange. Food is supposed to be fun.
Healthy red velvet fudge protein bars? Sign me up! As someone in the protein bar business, I love seeing creative flavor combos like this that balance indulgence with nutrition. Do you think adding a sprinkle of crushed nuts or coconut flakes would work for extra texture? Definitely inspired to try something similar!