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Easy, no-bake protein bars without protein powder! They are frugal, vegan, gluten-free, and boast 9 grams protein per bar.
No matter how many years it’s been since leaving school, late summer will always feel like the start of new year. I imagine I will still be tidying my desk, sharpening some fresh pencils (I love that smell!), and perusing new lunch boxes when I’m ninety, and that is just fine with me.
So, regardless of whether you, or anyone else in your household is in back-to-school mode, ’tis the season (in magazines, cookbooks, and food blogs–mine included) to consider shaking up the packed lunch routine. Cheers!
This frugal and easy protein bar recipe has me celebrating the new school year. Even better: the high protein content comes from whole food ingredients, not expensive powders.
The bars are dense and delectable–definitely worthy of breakfast on the go, or fitness snack (before or after your workout). Or enjoy as dessert to satisfy candy bar cravings :).
No Protein Powder Required
Each of these bars packs 9 grams of plant-based protein, without using protein powder. The protein comes from real food ingredients–most of which you likely have in your pantry–instead, including canned chickpeas, peanut butter, and flaxseed meal.
Recipe Benefits
- High in protein (9 grams of protein–this will vary slightly depending on which nuts/seeds you choose)
- High in fiber (6 grams fiber per bar)
- No-bake and no-cook (no oven or stovetop required
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free (unless you add the optional chocolate topping)
Ingredients
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
These bars live up to their cheap and easy moniker when it comes to ingredients. No expensive protein powder or other pricey additives, just simple options from almost any grocery store. Here is what you will need:
- Rolled oats (certified gluten-free, as needed)
- Canned chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)
- Peanut butter (or any nut butter or seed butter you prefer. See notes below.)
- Maple syrup
- Flaxseed meal
- Vanilla extract
Step by Step Instructions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
- Grease, spray or line (with parchment paper or foil) an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan.
- In a food processor or blender, process the the oats until fine and powdery. Add the chickpeas, flaxseed meal, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Process until blended and completely smooth, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the container (it will be a thick, fudge-like dough).
- Scrape the dough mixture into the prepared pan, compacting the dough and smoothing the top. If desired, drizzle the top with melted chocolate and/or sprinkle with a few chopped peanuts (or other nuts or seeds).
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes, until firm. Cut into 8 bars or squares.
Optional Chocolate and Peanut Topping: If you want to gild the lily, you can melt an ounce of dark chocolate (chopped chocolate or chocolate chips) with half teaspoon of coconut oil (I melt the two in the microwave, in 10 second increments, until smooth). Drizzle over the bars and, if desired, sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts.
Storage
Store the homemade protein bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator/fridge for 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 6 months.
Taste & Texture
The bars have a peanut butter fudge flavor and firm texture. Don’t worry, you will not taste beans when you take a bite: the combination of maple syrup, vanilla and peanut butter blocks any flavor of chickpeas.
If you like, you can vary the flavor further by adding a teaspoon or so of your favorite spice or spices (e.g., ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice).
Substitutions
- Peanut butter alternatives: Use an equal amount of any other smooth nut butter or seed butter in place of the peanut butter, For example, cashew butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter or tahini.
- Peanut alternatives: Swap any other chopped nuts or seeds (toasted, roasted, or raw)for the peanuts, such as walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, green pumpkin seeds, or sesame seeds.
- Chickpea alternatives: I have not tested the recipe with other beans, but you should be able to swap in other canned or cooked beans such as white beans (e.g., cannellini, white navy beans, or Great Northern beans).
- Maple syrup alternatives: An equal amount of brown rice syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, or (if you do not follow a vegan diet) honey can be used in place of the maple syrup.
- Sugar-free alternative: Use an equal amount of liquid sugar-free substitute in pace of the maple syrup, and use no added sugar peanut butter. If opting for the chocolate topping, use sugar-free chocolate.
Enjoy!
Related Recipes
Protein Bars without Protein Powder (No Bake)
Equipment
- 1 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats , (certified GF, as needed)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas , (from one 15-oz/425 g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup peanut butter , (see notes for alternatives)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 ounce dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips), melted with 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- Optional: Chopped roasted peanuts, (see notes for other options)
Instructions
- Grease, spray or line (with parchment paper or foil) an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan.
- In a food processor or blender, process the the oats until fine and powdery. Add the chickpeas, flaxseed meal, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Process until blended and completely smooth, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the container (it will be a thick, fudge-like dough).
- Scrape the dough into the prepared pan, compacting the dough and smoothing the top. If desired, drizzle the top with melted chocolate and/or sprinkle with a few chopped peanuts (or other nuts or seeds).
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes, until firm. Cut into 8 bars or squares.
Notes
- Peanut butter alternatives: Use an equal amount of any other smooth nut butter or seed butter in place of the peanut butter, For example, cashew butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter or tahini.
- Peanut alternatives: Swap any other chopped nuts or seeds (toasted, roasted, or raw)for the peanuts, such as walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, green pumpkin seeds, or sesame seeds.
- Chickpea alternatives: I have not tested the recipe with other beans, but you should be able to swap in other canned or cooked beans such as white beans (e.g., cannellini, white navy beans, or Great Northern beans).
- Maple syrup alternatives: An equal amount of brown rice syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, or (if you do not follow a vegan diet) honey can be used in place of the maple syrup.
- Sugar-free alternative: Use an equal amount of liquid sugar-free substitute in pace of the maple syrup, and use no added sugar peanut butter. If opting for the chocolate topping, use sugar-free chocolate.
I don’t have flaxseed meal. Should I increase the oats by 1/4 cup or just leave it as is?
Hi Jan,
I would add the extra 1/4 cup of oats–you might need to add a tablespoon or two more (start with 1/4 cup, though), since flaxseed meal is so absorbent.
Exactly what I was looking for. Great for packing on hikes and in lunches. Thanks!
Love these! Like reese’s pb cups. I up the peanut butter flavor by adding 1/3 cup pbfit powder in place of about 1/3 cup of the ground up oats. So yum! If i am too lazyb to melt chocolate, i press some mini chocolate chips into the “dough.”
Can you tell me how much potassium is in them?
Hi Lynn,
Apologies, I do not have a nutritional calculator that determines potassium. You could look up the individual ingredients (amounts of potassium), add up, and divide by number of servings
Is there something I could sub for the chickpeas? I’m allergic to gluten, dairy, egg, nuts, beans, soy, and coconut.
Hi Beth! Can you eat lentils, or is it all legumes? If you can eat lentils, you can use cooked lentils in place of the chickpeas. If not, I would suggest using soaked raw sunflower seeds or pepitas (soak in boiling water for about 15 minutes and then rain).
These are so good. I use your recipe as a base and change it up with whatever butter i have handy, like cashew butter, sun butter, or tahini. I add chopped dried fruit and nuts to the bars, too. My tip, if you add ingredients like nuts and fruit to the bars, chop them up fine. Bigger pieces can make the bars not stick together that great. .
I absolutely loved these! Everyone in my family did too! I used half PB powder and half regular and it worked out fine. I also just added some protein powder in and I can’t even taste it. (It doesn’t have a good taste…). Thank you for this recipe!
Oh, that is excellent, Charlie! I just ran out of my most recent batch, I think I will follow your lead and add some protein powder to my next batch, too. Cheers!
Hi, I think your recipe looks awesome! I really like not adding powders. But… I need to watch fat. I’m wondering, can I replace PART of the peanut butter in the recipe with PB2 (which is peanut powder which you mix with water to form a paste). What do you think? I’m thinking maybe, 1/3 to 1/2 of it.
Hi Amy! I think that, for this recipe, it would work exceedingly well. I think you could definitely go up to 1/2, but, now you have me curious…I think you could possibly do a complete sub, but you might want to add about a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to the PB2 paste to help everything hold together. I would love to hear how it goes!