Easy homemade protein bars that taste just like a cinnamon roll! Save yourself money by making your own protein bars; they are no-bake, made with a few simple ingredients and soooo much better than store-bought! Post includes a video tutorial.
Ever since baby was born, I have been hungry. Not just hungry but HUNGRY!
I need protein to keep me full and have been loving protein bars to help fill me up. I've tried a few different brands out there...some are totally full of chemicals (not going to name names here), while others are full of real ingredients (ie: Rx bars!).
The thing that they all have in common? Protein bars are expensive! Some of them are up to $4 per bar, which is pretty pricey for a snack.
My solution? Let's make homemade protein bars! I was surprised at how easy these were to prepare and not only that, but they rival pretty much any protein out there in terms of flavor.
How to make homemade protein bars
With just a few simple ingredients, you will have the BEST tasting protein bars out there!
In these cinnamon roll protein bars I added:
- Vanilla protein powder- I'm still loving the AllWhey French Vanilla Protein Powder that I used for these Sheet Pan Protein Pancakes. It adds a big boost of protein (30 g), a nice vanilla flavor, and a touch of sweetness. I haven't tested with a vegan protein powder yet.
- Rolled oats- blended in the blender until they're powdery
- Cinnamon- because these are cinnamon roll protein bars 😉
- Almond butter- natural only! I have also tested with natural peanut butter but natural almond butter had a slightly better flavor.
- Honey- for a bit of sweetness and to help bind the bars
- Coconut oil- again to help bind the bars
First we blend our dry ingredients in a 7 cup food processor (this is the food processor I have!), then we add in our wet ingredients and blend.
Finally, we press the bars into a prepared baking dish (line with parchment), and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. I HIGHLY recommend the sea salt, it really brings out all the cinnamon roll flavors in these protein bars!
A note about batch size: these photos show a double batch of the bars. I recommend sticking with a single batch of bars because they blend together a lot easier.
How to store these bars? These protein bars must be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. Because of the natural nut butter, they soften significantly at room temperature. I would even recommend freezing for longer term storage!
How can I change up the flavors? You could totally switch up the spices and flavorings in these bars:
- almond: go with a neutral flavored protein powder and add almond extract with sliced almonds
- mint chocolate chip: try adding a chocolate protein powder and some chocolate chips; maybe even some peppermint extract
- peanut butter: swap the almond butter for PB and/or use a PB flavored protein powder
- lemon coconut: try adding in some lemon zest and pulsing in some shredded coconut at the end
- coffee chocolate: add a tablespoon of espresso powder, some cocoa powder and chocolate chips
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these homemade protein bars. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Recipe tips
- This is my favorite food processor!
- I have tested this recipe with AllWhey French Vanilla Protein Powder; I bet it would work great with a vegan protein powder however I have not tried.
- Make sure to use NATURAL nut butter; I tested with both natural almond butter and natural peanut butter.
- Looking for more protein-packed snacks? Try these Fudgy Black Bean Brownies, these 7 No Bake Granola Bars, my favorite Easy Homemade Hummus, these Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars, or these Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas, or this round up with 36+ Healthy Snack Recipes
Easy Homemade Protein Bars (Cinnamon Roll)
Ingredients
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (40 g; a heaping ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup rolled oats (96 g)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (26 g)
- ½ cup natural almond butter (118 g)
- ¼ cup honey (74 g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water *if needed
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Combine the protein powder, cinnamon and rolled oats in a 7 cup food processor fitted with a steel blade. Blend until the oats are powdery and blended.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil. Pour into the food processor.
- Add the almond butter, honey and vanilla extract (I like weighing it in the food processor to save on dishes)
- Process until it clumps and forms a ball in the fist of your hand.
- If mixture feels dry, add 1 tablespoon of water and process again.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Scoop the protein bar mixture into the pan and press firmly with a spatula.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Freeze for a minimum of 30 minutes before slicing into bars.
- Keep bars in the fridge as they become soft at room temperature.
