If you do not want to search the store for protein bars, there are simple protein bar recipes you can try from the comfort of your home. The ingredients are nothing special and readily available from your local grocery stores.
We will look at three top quality DIY protein bars that you can easily make. They involve no special culinary skills and are very nutritious.
Toasted Coconut And Vanilla Whey Protein Bars
Servings: 3
Prep time: 45 mins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- 1/4 cup Skimmed Milk
- 30g Dark Chocolate
- 1/4 cup Coconut Flour (or flour of your choice)
- 1/4 cup Coconut Flakes
Directions
- Select your protein powder and add your desired flour type (choose a flour type that you can eat raw like almond flour, oat flour, or coconut flour.)
- Mix the flour and protein powder with the milk. You can use either coconut milk or almond milk, etc. or you can even use nut butter if you want. Just make sure you add enough liquid so that the batter comes out like a dough. The idea is to have a batter that you can cut into bars with your hands.
- Now shape the batter into bars. You could add some casein powder if your batter is too moist. You need the batter dry so that it will be easy to shape into bars.
- Add milk until you get the preferred configuration, if the batter is too dry.
- Melt some chocolate in a glass jug. When it has melted, pour the chocolate over the bars. You can make it light or dark chocolate, depending on what you prefer.
- Freeze the bars for at least half an hour, and you are good to go.
Red Velvet Protein Bars
Servings: 4
Prep time: 40 mins
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
- 1/4 cup Coconut Milk
- 1 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- 2 Beetroot
- 40g Dark Chocolate
Directions
- Add your desired flour type to your protein powder. Again, we recommend using a powder that can be eaten raw like almond flour or coconut flour.
- Use either coconut milk or cow’s milk to bind the powder and flour. Add nut butter if you want, and just enough liquid to make them come out like a dough.
- Cut the batter into bars, adding a little bit of coconut flour until you achieve the desired thickness.
- You can also add milk if the batter appears too dry to get the thickness you want.
- Put a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water and melt the chocolate in it. Put the chocolate bar in it till you achieve the texture you want – light or dark. Bear in mind, however, that you will need less sugar and more antioxidant for a dark chocolate.
- Refrigerate the chocolate protein bars for half an hour, and you can pack or eat directly like that.
Cranberry Protein Bars
Servings: 8
Prep time: 35 mins
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Dried Cranberries
- 2/3 cup Puffed Rice Cereal
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1/3 cup Brown Rice Syrup
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Line the inside of an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper and place aside.
- Get a large mixing bowl and add the puffed rice cereal, coconut, hemp seeds (if using), and cranberries. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Get a small saucepan and stir the honey, vanilla, and brown rice syrup in it. Heat until it boils, stirring every now and then.
- Boil the sauce for about 5 minutes until it reaches 260 degrees, continuing to stir from time to time. Make sure you keep an eye on it as it tends to bubble and may burn. When done, pour it on the dry mixture and stir until it is all coated with the sauce. Be sure to stir fast before it hardens out.
- Now transfer the mixture to the baking dish you lined in the first step. Press the mixture firmly and evenly in the dish. Let the bars cool for half an hour until they reach room temperature. As an alternative, you can put it in a refrigerator to cool it quickly.
- Now lift the parchment paper from the dish and place it on a chopping board. Now cut and slice to the shape and size that you like. You can then transfer to a sealed container and store it at room temperature until you’re ready to eat them.
- You can make the bar last even longer by freezing them.
Healthy Matcha Green Tea Fudge DIY Protein Bars
Servings: 12
Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 128g Roasted Almond Butter
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla Crème Flavoured Stevia Extract
- ¾ tsp Almond Extract
- 168g Vanilla Brown Rice Protein Powder
- 80g Oat Flour
- 2 tbsp Matcha Powder
Instructions
- Get an 8 x 8 brownie tin and line with parchment paper. Put to one side.
- Add all the ingredients to an electric mixer. Using the beater attachment on low speed, mix until all the ingredient become fully engrained together. Scrape the side of the bowl and mix on medium speed for the final time. It should form a thick mixture like a cookie dough
- Put the mixture in the brownie tin and flatten it out. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer overnight.
- Carefully take the mixture out of the tin and place it on a chopping board. Cut into twelve bars and sprinkle with dark chocolate and milk.
- Wrap them in a sandwich bag and refrigerate for as long as you want.
This article was originally published by The Art of Healthy Living.