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Save money and make your own protein bars at home. These homemade cookie dough protein bars are low carb, healthy and so easy that they come together in 5 minutes without baking. Better than Quest bars!
I love protein bars and I would eat them everyday. Multiple times a day. But, we all know, protein bars can get pretty expensive – and quite unhealthy as well. So I decided to make my own and came up with this cookie dough protein bar recipe. Honestly, once you try homemade protein bars you’ll never go back!
Why you will love cookie dough protein bars?
These peanut butter protein bars are so good that I ate the whole batch in two days. Literally. And I’m pretty sure you’ll love them too, because they are:
- Rich in high quality protein
- Low carb
- Free from artificial ingredients, gums & co.
- Gluten-free
- No-bake
- Incredibly easy and cheap to make
- Peanut buttery and chocolatey, just like cookie dough
Homemade protein bars are perfect as a on-the-go snack, to pack for school or work or to eat after a workout. And as they taste like cookies, they are also great as a protein dessert.
Healthy protein bars at home
A long, endless list of unknown, nasty and artificial ingredients. Every time I read the ingredient list of protein bars, my heart stops. In the back of my mind I think “Matteo, you’d better stay clear of those things. A healthy snack is something different”.
However, I love protein bars. So I took my protein powder and headed off to the kitchen to make my own. A couple of fails later, I finally came up with these delicious peanut butter protein bars!
Ingredients for homemade protein bars
This homemade protein bar recipe uses just 5 simple ingredients. In case you are still missing something, I have included a list of substitutes for you. So keep on reading!
Here’s what you need to make protein bars at home.
Protein powder. This recipe uses whey protein powder, but any protein powder works. Whey, casein and vegan protein powder, they are all good. However, opting for vegan protein powder or casein you may need to adjust the dough with more peanut butter or maple syrup. The reason is that these protein powfders are more absorbent than whey.
Speaking of flavor, I recommend vanilla, peanut butter or cookie dough protein powder. Also unflavored options will work, but you may need to adjust the sweetness with more maple syrup.
Almond flour. The use of blanched, deoiled almond flour will give you a batch of of protein bars that are also low in carbohydrates. Almond flour is rich in protein, nutrients and is perfect for cookie dough protein bars!
As a replacement you can also choose oat flour, but no normal flour (normal flour can’t be eaten raw).
Peanut butter. This recipe uses natural peanut butter. You can swap it out for cashew butter, almond butter or any nut butter of your choice. In case of nut allergies, opt for tahini or sunflower seed butter.
Maple syrup. Maple syrup con be replaced with honey, agave syrup or date syrup. For keto protein bars you can also use sugar-free syrups, such as fiber syrup.
Chocolate chips. Opt for extra dark chocolate chips (sugar—free) and your peanut butter protein bars are also going to be healthier.
How to make cookie dough protein bars at home
This cookie dough protein bar recipe is so quick and simple. It is whipped up in five minutes in a bowl and does not require baking. Here is how to make them!
Step 1. In a large bowl stir all ingredients together to form a cookie dough. Start with the dry ingredients – protein powder, almond flour and pinch of salt – then add peanut butter and maple syrup. Finally, fold through your favorite chocolate chips.
Step 2. Line a 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 in) pan with parchment paper or grease with little oil so that the protein bars won’t stick to the bottom. Transfer the dough to your prepared pan, smooth it out and refrigerate for about 1 hour. After it has set, cut into bars. Keep stored in the fridge for a maximum of 4 days.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions
Although this recipe works best with protein powder, you can also make it without. Replace protein powder with more almond flour or oat flour and adjust with more nut butter or more almond flour to consistency. The nutritional values will undoubtedly vary.
Yes, vegan protein powders work fine but you might need to adjust the dough with more peanut butter or maple syrup, only if your dough is too dry. The reason is that vegan protein powder absorbs more liquid than whey.
Use vanilla, peanut butter, cookie dough or unflavored protein powder.
Make sure to use almond flour in combination with keto syrup and sugar-free chocolate chips.
No, this homemade protein bar recipe does not require baking or cooking.
After making, seal in a food container and refrigerate for a maximum of 4 days.
More protein powder recipes
- Protein frozen dessert
- Low calorie protein brownies
- Protein chocolate cake
- Chocolate protein muffins
- Moist protein banana bread
- Chocolate protein bites
- Greek yogurt protein brownies
- Protein ice cream
- Fudgy flourless protein brownies
- Protein chocolate ice cream
Cookie Dough Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 70 grams (¾ cup) protein powder, see notes*
- 30 grams (⅓ cup) almond flour, or oat flour
- 85 grams (⅓ cup) peanut butter, or almond butter, cashew butter
- 60 grams (¼ cup) maple syrup, or honey
- 1/8 tsp salt, skip if using salted peanut butter
- 35 grams (3 tbsp) chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl stir all ingredients together to form a cookie dough.
- Line a 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 in) pan with parchment paper or grease with little oil so that the protein bars do not stick to the pan. Transfer protein dough to the prepared pan, smooth it out and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Once the dough has set, cut into bars.
- After it has set, cut into bars. Keep stored in the fridge for a maximum of 4 days.
Notes
- Use whey, casein or vegan protein powder of choice. If you utilize vegan protein powder you may need to adjust the dough with more peanut butter or maple syrup. Add more of one of the two if the protein dough is too dry.
- Use unflavored, vanilla, peanut butter or cookie dough flavored protein powder.
- Use gluten-free protein powder if necessary.
Hi – have you tried freezing these?
Hey dear Tina,
thanks a lot for your comment. Yes, I actually tried it once and they freeze quite well. The only thing is that the protein powder tends to make them a bit sticky after defrosting. If you want to freeze the protein bars, place in an airtight food container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw them ahead of time, before serving.
I hope I could help you,
Matteo
Matteo,
What is the shelf life in the fridge as there is nothing in these that would spoil that I can see? No Eggs, Milk, Butter, etc.
Looking forward to your reply…..Thanks!
Hey dear Craig,
thanks for your comment. These homemade protein bars will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. Just make sure to store them in an airtight food container to prevent moisture and humidity of the fridge from affecting the consistency and taste of the bars.
Have a great day,
Matteo
Thanks for the great recipe. These were super easy to make, and they’re delicious. I omitted the chocolate chips and added cinnamon. I did find them a little too sweet, so next time I’ll start with 15mL of maple syrup, and adjust from there.
Hey dear Chelsea,
I am the one thanking you for your nice feedback, thanks a lot! So glad you liked these homemade protein bars. Regarding the sweetness, it really comes down to the protein powder that you are using. Some brands (and flavors) are sweeter than others, and therefore the amount of maple syrup to add may be slightly lower. So delicious with cinnamon, I love your swap by the way!
I wish you a great day,
Matteo
Excellent!!!
Hey my dear Liza,
thank you very much for your feedback?!
I needed to add more pb and maple syrup because it was dry (used unflavored whey protein concentrate) but the flavor was very satisfying so that a little bite went a long way. Thank you.
Hey dear Cynthia,
thank you for the feedback.
I am really glad that you like the taste of my protein bars. They are definitely delicious! With regards to the texture, this really depends on the protein powder used. So you had a great decision to adjust the dough!
Have a great weekend,
Matteo
I had to add quite some milk, otherwise the ingredients were impossible to blend. Used whey and protein powder, but peanut butter 100% peanuts. Is that why I had to add milk? Still tasted very good tho 🙂
Very good and easy.had no oat flour so I made some in the food processor. I wanted to pull the fat content down a little. So I put pb fit for half of the peanut butter. But They were a little sweet for me. May omit the honey next time. Had to add 1/3c water because of the pb fit. Really good thank u!
Hey dear Naomi,
thanks a lot for your comment. I am glad to hear that you liked these protein bars.
Regarding the sweetness level, it really comes down to the type of protein powder used: its flavor, how it’s sweetened, etc. I recommend testing out with different amounts of honey or maple syrup and see how it is!
Let me know if you still have any question 😉
Have a great day,
Matteo