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
that I used for these 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 homemade 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 homemade protein 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 of these cinnamon roll protein bars? 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
Tips for perfect healthy homemade protein bars
- 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
!Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped my Easy Homemade Protein Bars It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Easy Homemade Protein Bars (Cinnamon Roll)
Ingredients
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (40 g; a heaping 1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup rolled oats (96 g)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (26 g)
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter (118 g)
- 1/4 cup honey (74 g)
- 1/2 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.
magda saenz
i know these are old reviews but with the updates, what are the calories after all?
Denise
Hi Magda, I have just recalculated the nutritional info and it should be accurate now.
Brittany K
My bf is allergic to coconut. Is there something else I could use instead of the coconut oil?
Denise
Hi Brittany! Unfortunately I have only tested with coconut oil. I’m not sure if butter would work in this or not. You could try swapping for some extra nut butter? Let me know if you give them a try!
Lori
Can liquid coconut oil be used? And would it be the same measurement? I’m new to the different kinds of oils. Thanks!
Denise
Hi Lori! I haven’t tried with liquid coconut oil and am worried that the bars might not set up properly if you used it.
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Denise
Hi Vanessa! They keep for around 7 days in the fridge or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
Suzanne
This looks so good! Does the protein powder taste come through much?
Denise
Hi Suzanne! I used a french vanilla protein powder so it complimented the flavors of the bars nicely. I didn’t find it overpowering at all.
Melissa
Hey! I just made the bars using the measurements in the recipe section and they are really thin if I put them in an 8×8 dish…are you using the 8×8 for the double recipe that is pictured? Or are the bad supposed to be so thin? (I’m talking about an 1/8 of an inch thin)
Denise
Hi Melissa, huge apologies, the recipe card should have said ‘loaf pan’. The recipe was originally written for an 8×8 inch pan but the food processor was overly full. I am so sorry about this mistake and am updating the card asap 🙂
Lindsay
OMG these are so good!
Denise
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to leave a review 🙂
Carol Abbott
They are so yummy.Great satisfier for a sweet craving
Denise
Glad you enjoyed, Carol!
Tim
Do you think these could work in a good blender too? My food processor is only 4 cups.
Thanks! Looking forward to trying them out.
Denise
Hi Tim! I haven’t tried, but if you have a good blender it may work.
Janelle
These are absolutely amazing! The perfect protein-packed snack!
Denise
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for your review!
Jasmine
Hi 🙂 Can you recommend something to use instead of oats? Would another gluten free flour work? Thanks!
Denise
Hi Jasmine! Unfortunately I’ve only tested as written, but that’s a good idea to test an alternative flour.
E
Hi, I am really confused about the calories listed here. I added all the calories from everything I used and divided by 6 (I cut them into 6 instead of 16), and I got around 265 calories… That’s for a piece way bigger than what yours would be. Are you sure you added correctly?
Denise
Hi! You are correct, I just ran it through My Fitness Pal and got a different value…looks like one of the ingredients must have been off in the database I was using. I’ve updated the info, thanks for catching that!
liz
hi. if you put 40g of protein in this and make 16 bars, how is it that you claim 7g of protein per bar?
Denise
Hi Liz, sorry for my late reply, I’ve just returned from holidays! To clarify, it’s 40 g of the protein powder, not of pure protein. And there is also protein from the other ingredients, most notably the nut butter. I also want to point out these are purely estimates…hope this helps!
Grace
Hi!
I don’t suppose you have any suggestions for alternatives to nut butters for this? I have a nut allergy but I’m trying to find a good protein bar recipe I can actually eat!
Thanks 🙂
Denise
Hi Grace! I have only tried it with almond or peanut butter, but I bet sunflower seed butter would work! Alternatively you could try a date-based recipe (like this https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/nut-free-energy-bites-seed-free-coconut-free-option/) and try adding protein powder to it. But I haven’t tried that so I can’t say 100% how it would turn out. I hope this helps!
Kathleen
Hi
I don’t have a protein powder? Is there any substitute for that?
Thank you
Denise
Hi Kathleen, with this recipe I’ve only tested with a protein powder…you may be able to make them wihtout the powder but I can’t say for sure. You might be interested in this recipe as an alternative: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/chocolate-almond-quinoa-snack-bars/ (you can leave out the quinoa)
Caira
These look awesome! I can’t wait to try them out. Have you heard anything about eating protein powders during pregnancy or breastfeeding? All the labels have a “warning” but I can’t find any info good or bad. Thanks!
Denise
Hi Caira, No, I haven’t heard anything…and I should probably know because I’m nursing my baby right now! I don’t consume any large quantities, but if you were to, I’d check with a doctor.
Hollie
I just made these, they’re so good! Thank you for all of your great recipes. I’ve made several and enjoy them so much!
Denise
So happy you enjoyed them, Hollie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite
I love making homemade protein and granola bars!!! This texture looks AMAZING 🙂
Denise
Thanks so much, Brittany!