Chocolate Chip Protein Bars Recipe
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These Chocolate Chip Protein Bars are a fantastic snack you make in batches at home!
I don’t know about you, but paying $4 for a single protein bar puts a bit of a strain on my wallet. Especially when I like eating them on a regular basis. That’s why I love making my own bars. Specifically, this clean eating chocolate chip protein bar recipe. It uses simple ingredients that are easy to find, and I love the flavor.
I came across an article on eHow.com, on how to make your own protein bars. It just gave a general outline, so I printed it out and got to work. I tried several different methods and many different ingredients.
The main thing I found is that the oats you use make all the difference. And it really comes down to personal preference.
If you like a harder, chewier bar, use old-fashioned oats (not the quick-cook kind). But if you use these, be prepared to let the bars sit for a few days in an airtight container before you eat them. Otherwise, it’s very similar to chewing hay (not that I chew a lot of hay, mind you; it’s just the image that came to mind when I tried these bars with the rougher oats).
If you like a softer bar (which I do), then use quick-cook oats (the 3-minute kind).
Other than that, the recipe is pretty basic and very easy.
How Many Protein Bars A Day?
The number of protein bars you can eat a day will depend on your macros and calorie limits. Keep in mind that protein bars were never meant to be a sweet and tasty snack, but that’s how most of us use them these days. However, that’s a great way to get more calories than intended because protein bars are really meant to be a quick meal replacement bar. Not a dessert after you’ve had a full meal.
When Should You Eat A Protein Bar?
The best time to eat a protein bar is when you don’t have time to squeeze in a full meal. This is often in the afternoon when we are in the midst of our work days and just cannot get away for lunch.
How Much Is Too Much Protein?
This will depend on how active you are. Very active people need more protein than those who are more sedentary.
According to the Mayo Clinic:
More than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight each day is excessive.
Mayo Clinic
If this is a concern for you, your best bet is to talk to a registered dietician. While there are plenty of macro calculators online, a dietician will be able to give you the most accurate advice tailored to your own individual needs.
Are Protein Chocolate Bars Good For You?
Store-bought protein bars are rarely healthy. I’m not saying they don’t exist, just that a truly healthy one is hard to find. My best advice to to read the ingredient list.
Can I Use A Different Protein Powder?
Yep! Use any protein powder you are comfortable with. Some folks who are plant-based or vegan will prefer something like pea protein or soy protein. Plant-based protein powder is fine. You can also use brown rice protein powder, but I find that it sometimes has a funny texture that I don’t like. So choose carefully.
About The Ingredients
Oats – Use plain, quick-cooking oats.
Peanut butter – All natural, no sugar added. You can also use almond butter or cashew butter if you prefer. Any nut butter or seed butter (if you are nut-free) will work. Sunflower seed butter is also a good choice.
Honey – Any type you want. You can use maple syrup, but the bars won’t be as sweet.
Apple sauce – Unsweetened.
Dark chocolate chips – Grain-sweetened is best.
Whey protein powder – More info here. Make sure it’s an unsweetened protein powder.
Ground cinnamon – Not cinnamon sugar. Just plain cinnamon.
Chia seeds
How To Make Chocolate Chip Protein Bars
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Roast the oats in the oven on a cookie sheet, without oil, for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely.
IMPORTANT: BE SURE your oats have cooled down completely from being roasted, or they will totally melt your chocolate chips.
Knead all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
Spread out the batter on a cookie sheet or other baking dish (I used a quarter sheet). Press dough down evenly over the pan.
Bake at 350F. for 15-20 minutes or until the bars are a nice golden brown color.
Cut and allow to cool. Store in a zipper-top plastic bag or food storage container.
Storing Chocolate Chip Protein Bars
Store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freezing Chocolate Chip Protein Bars
These freeze well. Wrap them well and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before eating.
Products Mentioned
- Whey Protein Powder (amazon affiliate link)
More Protein Bar Recipes
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Chocolate Chip Protein Bars Recipe Card
Chocolate Chip Protein Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups oats
- 1 cup peanut butter (no sugar added)
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
- 2 tbsp. dark chocolate chips (grain sweetened is best)
- 1 cup whey protein powder (see link above)
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp. chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Roast the oats in the oven on a cookie sheet, without oil, for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely.IMPORTANT: BE SURE your oats have cooled down completely from being roasted, or they will totally melt your chocolate chips.
- Knead all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
- Spread out the batter on a cookie sheet or other baking dish (I used a quarter sheet here).
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the bars are a nice golden brown color.Cut and allow to cool. Store in a zipper-top plastic bag or food storage container.
very good!! thanks Tiffany
Trude – You’re welcome!
Hi Tiffany, I sure hope you can help. These granola bars look great and I think I will make them for an “at home” snack as my kids school is nut free. Granola bars can be so unhealthy and of course my kids want to eat them all the time. Have you made, can you make or do you know of a recipe that is clean and nut free. Any suggestions??? Also, I don’t know how comfortable I feel giving my little ones protein powder, is this safe? Hope you can help with my little granola bar challenge.
Shari – You should talk to you doctor or a dietitian about the protein powder for your child. I used 100% whey, so I had no problems giving it to Mini Chef. But every child is different. I’m working on a granola bar recipe, but have not finished it yet. I will make it a point to do a no-nut version. But for right now, I don’t have anything yet. I’m so sorry!
I have a couple of questions. First, how can I cut down the fat of these? I would like them to be around 6 grams of fat a piece. I will not include the seeds, and if I cut down the peanut butter, will I need to compensate for that moisture loss in some way? maybe through more applesauce or egg whites?
I will also be using 1/2 cup raisins instead of choc chips. Is there anything I need to to since 1/2 of raisins is substantially more volume than 2 tbs of chop chips?
Thanks!
Shaun – You could try cutting the peanut butter in half and using apple sauce instead. You might end up with a different texture though. The raisins shouldn’t be an issue. Use as many as you want. Let me know how they turn out!
Remember, this is “good fat”. Don’t be afraid of it! It’s the fat inside of french fries we want to avoid. Using a natural peanut or almond butter ensures very low or no sugar and quality fats! Hope this helped! GBY!
Instead of 1 cup of peanut butter I used 1/2 cup of PB2 (which is nothing more than dehydrated peanut butter — it’s clean), added 1/2 cup of fat free greek yogurt and 1/4 cup of unsweetened organic applesauce. Although good fat, I was looking for a pre/post workout quick grab and need to keep fat low pre/post workout so by making these changes was able to accomplish that and increase the protein as well 🙂 They are yummy!!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Tiffany! I don’t use most protein powders because of food allergies, do you think oat flour would be a decent substitute for the whey powder? I’m looking to make something more granola bar-ish to eat after my morning workouts on my way to work. I already make a high-protein smoothie, so I need a grain to go with it!
Court – You could try it. Maybe do 1/2 cup more flour and 1/2 cup more oats. Let me know how they turn out! P.S. – I’m working on a granola bar recipe. Hope to have it soon!
Ok, the verdict is in! I made them with the oat flour and they came out great! They remind me of an oatmeal peanut butter cookie, but they are healthy! They haven’t cooled just yet, but they are awesome!
Court – FABULOUS!!! I’m so happy that worked out!
these are sooo good!!! my son loved them, they taste like your being bad!! LOL
Michele – Yes they do! So glad you and your son enjoyed them! 🙂
These are great! Just tried them last night and hubby loves them! My kids think they are cookie bars. I never heard of chia seeds before this. Very interesting. I’d love to know more about the health benefits of them. Thanks for your work. The other protein bars I used to make took like 100 ingredients and a lot of steps. this one was easy and delicious.
Jenny – Fabulous!! Here’s more info on chia seeds if you’re interested: https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-ingredient-chia-seeds/. Truly a fabulous addition to any eating plan!
Just made these and am waiting on them to finish cooling, they smell delicious! I’m wondering how to cut them though so I’m getting the proper serving size…. how many bars should this recipe make? 12? 16?
Kelly – They made 15 bars. 2 cuts lengthwise, and 4 cuts widthwise.
Okay, crazy question here!! Forgot to get the whey protein powder. I saw above where you said 1/2cup flour and 1/2 cup more oats. All I have is the Whole Wheat Flour Pastry, will that work? Still converting everything out in our pantry, so this is all I have 🙁 …..If that won’t work, I’ll have to plan another trip to the store!!
Amy – I would add extra flour, but add a little at a time to be sure the mixture doesn’t get too dry.
These look really yummy and a nice alternative to the kiddie bars I buy.
Are you using rolled oats or the quick cooking kind?
ASM – I believe they were the 3 minute type.
Finally got around to making these tonight (after seeing them months ago on twitter) and they are so AWESOME!!!!
Dominica – Fabulous!!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Hello, My name is Angel and Im new to your blog and clean eating. My husband, daughter and I are processed food junkies and I’m sick of it! Thankfully Im not sick FROM it …Yet. I love your blog, I’m making a grocery list right now, and your blog is like my food bible. Anyway, for this recipe would it be okay to use dried raspberries or strawberries, because I don’t like chocolate. ( I know everyone just did a double take at the screen when I said that, lol)
Angelonna – I know several people here who don’t like chocolate, so you’re not alone. Yes, you can sub with dried fruit, just be sure it has no added sugar. Enjoy!
Hey Tiffany! Quick question – I put the recipe into livestrong.com so I could log my food, and it turned out saying it was more like 10g of protein instead of 20g. I’m wondering if I measured my protein powder differently? How many scoops did you use, and was it 1 cup weighed on a scale (8 oz by weight) or 1 cup packed? Thanks so much!! 🙂
Kathy – One measured cup. Not weighed. Could be the difference in our protein powders.
Loved these! I’m not a big sweet fan and these were perfect for me. Used raw cacao instead of chocolate chips and added Mila (chia seeds) + hemp hearts instead of a full cup of protein powder for a real health boost. One question, do these freeze well? Thank you for sharing!
Leeanne – Sounds yummy! I’ve never frozen them, but yes, I’m sure they would freeze just fine!
Hey girl! I made these and they were delicious but very crumbly! (honestly they all pretty much fell apart. sad face) I used Vegan protein powder, do you think that could have something to do with it? I am just learning how to cook so I have no idea what I could have done!
Naomi – Hmmm. Something definitely went wrong there. It could have been the protein powder, but I’d be more willing to bet that you measured something incorrectly. Most likely the agave, peanut butter or apple sauce. Also, be sure you are using regular peanut butter. Not one of the low fat varieties.
Tiffany, I’m dying to make these, but I’ve never used whey or soy protein powder before. When I looked at the ingredients, it looked like all chemicals. Is that the kind you use?
Bette – Ask the clerks for 100% whey. If there’s extra stuff, it’s usually all garbage you don’t want anyway.
AS FAR AS PROTEIN, for anyone interested, I love Garden of Life Raw Protein. It has 17 gms protein, 1 g fat, and is vegan, organic, gluten free, dairy free, etc… I use it for all my protein needs since i cannot tolerate whey. I did try it in this recipe and the bars stayed together and tasted great! You can get the protein on Amazon. Best to you! Hugs…
Kristin – Thanks!
Thanks! So the protein powder I saw at Walmart must be something totally different because I couldn’t pronounce one ingredient! I’ll check out my health food store. I think it all went wrong when I tried to get a bargain at Walmart….
Bette – You’d be surprised how affordable 100% whey can be!
I was looking at protein powder for bodybuilders!!!
Okay, not to beat a dead horse…but, the protein powder at the health food store was the same stuff at Walmart – tons of ingreds. I couldn’t pronounce plus fructose. That scares me, 100 % whey was 40.00! That’s out of my budget, so I opted for Brown Rice Protein powder for 17.00. I’m cheap and healthy!
Bette – Wow!!! $40!!!! I can’t believe that! I get it dirt cheap here at my local health food store. I wonder what the difference is. Hmmm… Well, I’m glad you found a good middle ground!
Are you sick of me yet??? What brand do you use? Then, I’ll sail off into the sunset…until my next question!
Bette – I don’t use protein powders any longer. But when I did, I bought it in bulk at my local health food store. No idea what the brand name was sorry!
Love your recipe! I tweeked it a lil to fit my needs.. well to not have to make a trip to the store added more applesauce and no agave! Turned out great! Thanks for sharing so many recipes! I plan on trying as many as I can! 🙂
Dolce – Fabulous!!! It’s good to know it can be done with just apple sauce. I might have to try that myself!
The Cinnamon Choc Chip bars sounded so good I had to try them. I made a few minor substitutions. I used soy nut butter for peanut butter since I have a sensitivity and used pecans instead of choc chips and chia seeds. They tasted okay, but very crumbly. They wouldn’t hold their shape at all. Suggestions about what may have changed them? I would like to post the recipe on my own blog, if I may, but need a better batch than this! Thanks.
Sg – Baking is all about ratios. When the ratios are off, you end up with something that doesn’t work right. So my best guess here would be that the nut butter you used was lower in fat, the nuts didn’t provide the moisture that the choc chips did and removing the chia seeds also removed a portion of the moisture as they turn into a gel-like substance when they get wet.
Try adding apple sauce or bananas for moisture and maybe a little oil for fat content. You’ll have to play around with it to get the ratios correct. Good luck!
Sigh. This is not up my alley! I see that my subs probably did me in. Would you mind if I use your recipe (without my substitutions) in my blog, if I give you credit?
Sg – Sure, I just ask that you link to my site and that you do not use my photos. Hope your next batch goes better!
Thanks — but Beliefnet doesn’t like us linking to folks outside the Beliefnet community, so guess my readers will have to miss out on this recipe. I appreciate your quick response and I will be following your blog.
Sg – Thanks!
Do I have to use chia seeds? Can I just leave them out?
Lisa – No, you don’t have to use them. You can leave them out.