How to Make Homemade Protein Bars: The Nutrition Bar Formula that Ended my PowerBar Addiction
Beans in homemade protein bars? Well, they are the magical fruit! Credit: cookbookman17
No Meat Athlete Ultimate Homemade Protein Bar Formula
(Adapted with permission from No Meat Athlete)
Ingredients
For each bold item, select an option from the bulleted list:
1 can beans, rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked beans)
- White beans
- Black beans
- Pinto beans
- Chickpeas
- Adzuki beans
½ cup binder
- Almond butter
- Peanut butter
- ¼ cup of ground flax seed mixed with ¼ cup water
- Pureed pumpkin
- Mashed avocado
¼ cup sweetener
- Maple syrup
- Brown rice syrup
- Agave nectar
- Honey
¼ cup soft, sweet fruit
- Applesauce
- Mashed banana (about half of one)
- Chopped dates (remove the pits!)
- Crushed pineapple
- Homemade fruit puree
1 teaspoon extract (optional)
- Lemon
- Vanilla
- Almond
- Coconut
- Coffee
1 teaspoon dry spices (optional)
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cardamom
- Instant Coffee
1 cup dry base ingredient (a combination is usually best)
- Protein powder (Whey protein is good and widely available; Vegans can use a hemp, rice or pea protein, like Vega Sport)
- Brown rice flour
- Spelt flour
- Cocoa (max ½ cup)
- Whole-wheat flour
- Buckwheat flour
1 cup stir-ins (singular or combined)
- Shredded coconut
- Dried cranberries
- Raisins
- Dried apricots
- Chopped nuts
- Cacao nibs
- Dry cereal
- Crushed pretzels
- Chocolate chips
- Chia Seeds
- Flaxseed
1 ½ cup oats or similar
- Old-fashioned
- Steel-cut
- Gluten-free
- Poha (rice flakes)
- Rice bran
- Quinoa flakes
Sea salt (as needed)
Note: You’ll have the most success if you use unsalted, unsweetened versions of ingredients, then control the sweetness and saltiness through the sweetener and added salt.
Directions
1. In a food processor, combine beans, binder, sweetener, soft fruit, extract, spice and salt until smooth. Add the oats and dry base ingredients and pulse just to combine. Add stir-ins and pulse again just to combine. If the consistency seems spreadable, you’re good. If it’s too dry, add 1/4 cup of water; if it’s too runny, add an additional 1/4 cup of the dry base ingredient.
2. Spread mixture into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing into 12 bars. Can be stored on the counter for several days or refrigerated up to one week.
Next: Variations on the Formula.