Happy Monday, friends! 😀
Don’t believe me? How about now… ?
Still no, eh? Tough crowd. I know, I know – Mondays can be a little rough. That’s why I spent part [10 minutes] of my weekend baking up some treats to share with you guys… And by baking I mean throwing a few ingredients in a bowl, mixing them together, tossing the mixture into the fridge, and calling it good. So… no-baking, I guess? I mean, sure, there was some minor stove work involved…
… but let’s not get caught up in petty details – let’s talk about the finished product instead.
Snack/protein/energy bars. Everyone loves them. They’re quick, they’re easy, they’re convenient, and with the proper ingredients, they’re pretty healthy and satisfying too. They’re also the bane of my existence. Why? Two words – peanut.allergy. Almost every single commercial bar out there is either loaded with peanuts or may contain traces of the pesky buggers; and most of the peanut-free versions leave a little something to be desired in terms of staying power. But that’s what weekend afternoon baking sessions are for, right?
If these bars look a little familiar, it’s because they were completely inspired by my Rice Krispie Energy Bites. I loved the flavour of those so much that I wanted to recreate them – only this time with a different texture. So, I swapped out the cereal for oat flour and was rewarded with a softer, denser, and fudgier bar.
I also threw in regular oats and crispy rice cereal to add some texture and crunch; and chocolate because… well… who really needs a reason for chocolate?
The result is, in a word, phenomenal. Imagine a subtly sweet bar that’s packed with flavour and wholesome ingredients. A bar that’s soft and fudgy enough to melt in your mouth, yet dense and textured enough to surprise you with the occasional crunch. A bar that satisfies not only your body, but your soul as well. Deep. Now stop imaging and go whip up a batch! It only takes all of 10 minutes!
I’d love to know if you make this (or any!) recipe! Tag @runwithspoons on Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
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No-Bake Almond Fudge Protein Bars
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats, ground into a flour
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1/3 cup vanilla protein powder (I used whey)
- 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 cup almond butter (or peanut butter)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Optional: 2-3 Tbsp. chocolate chips for melting
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine oat flour, quick oats, protein powder, and crispy rice cereal. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- In a small pan over medium heat, add almond butter and honey, stirring until the almond butter is melted and fully combined with the honey. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Remove from heat and pour into the dry mixture. Stir until everything is fully combined.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan. Using a spatula or your hands, spread the mixture evenly in the pan, pressing down firmly.*
- Optional: place chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and nuke on high in 20 second intervals, mixing between each. When chocolate is fully melted, drizzle over the top of the packed mix using a spoon.
- Place pan into fridge and allow to cool for ~30 minutes before cutting into bars.
Notes
* make sure to press the mixture into the pan very firmly or the bars may fall apart.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
I have to say that for being ridiculously easy to make, these guys are also ridiculously difficult to resist. Photographing them was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a while, and it’s a miracle that I had anything left to showcase at all with the amount of snacking that went on behind the scenes. You guys know what I’m talking about… uneven edges, broken pieces, crumbs… a nibble here, a tiny sliver there. Oi. At this rate, I’ll be whipping up another batch very, very soon.
Happy Monday! 😀
Can you tell me how many grams of protein are in the bars once made?
Each bar has 6g of protein.
I tried these today and had a little problem with dryness. Once I added more AB and honey it was easier to work with. The taste is the best thing about them!
This recipe was great but I had to add more liquid to get the dry ingredients to hold together. I drizzled in some almond milk to get the consistency I needed. Great flavor though!
Is this 1 cup of oat flour or 1 cup of oats that are then processed into a flour?
1 cup of oats that are processed into a flour. Sorry about that! I need to go back and make it clearer.
thanks!
Hi,
Would it be okay to use soy protein powder instead? Cuz I’ve found it to be cheaper,
Thanks in advance!
Hi Rama! Soy should be fine 🙂
Good morning from Ottawa – Canada’s nation capital,
Just wondering if these need to be refrigerated. If so can they stay out, in my daughter’s locker for a few days?
Thank you for your reply and your delicious recipes.
Carole
Hi Carole! They should be fine in your daughter’s locker for a few days 🙂
What are the macros? Calories, fat, proteint, and carbs???
135 calories, 6g protein, 4g fat, and 19g carbs — based on 12 servings without the chocolate topping.
How many calories are in these?
Around 135 without the chocolate topping.
too dry…but a good starting point for something better
thanks
WOW! I’m getting ready for a three-day conference out of town and was looking for some healthy snacks to make and take. I came across this recipe via Greatist and whipped up a batch. As fabulous as they are easy, and I had all of the ingredients in the pantry. Phenomenal. Count me as your newest fan!
Great recipe! Do you know the protein value in one serving?
If memory serves, I believe it was around 6g.
Thanks for sharing! These are so delicious!
I made these twice and followed the recipe exactly. The first time, they were too crumbly. The second time, I added peanut butter, but they were still crumbly. What am I doing wrong? They are still yummy!
Hi Leez! The only thing I can really think of is that you might not be packing them in to the pan firmly enough? Or that your AB/honey might have a different consistency than mine. Try adding a few more Tbsp. of honey, or decreasing the amount of oat flour by a few spoons.
Hi,
They look amazing.. Going to make them soon, just wondering how much protein is in each bar!??!
Yours, in good health!
Mary
Would these work if I just used more oat flour instead of adding quick oats? I just grinded up the last of my oats…but I really want to make these! They look great.
Yup! They’d be perfectly fine that way too. The texture might be a little different, but barely enough to notice.
Do these need to be refrigerated? I was thinking of making them for a long trip, but won’t have access to a ‘fridge.
They shouldn’t need to be, nope! But I wouldn’t keep them for longer than 1.5 – 2 weeks.
Hmm, I made these and they looked quite different from the picture! I am sure I made some mistakes along the way–I measured the oat flour before I processed the oats and I used rolled oats instead of quick oats which I realized has quite a different texture. I think I also needed to increase the amount of nut butter I used (I used crunchy peanut butter since that’s all I had on hand). Even though I failed, the flavor was still pretty good! And admittedly I have eaten the entire batch of failed bars…can’t let food go to waste! I will definitely be trying this recipe out again 🙂
It may have just been the consistency of the ingredients, since that of nut butter and honey can vary a lot. Try increasing the PB to 1/2 cup and make sure that you really pack the mix tight before you put it in the fridge. That should help!
Omgg Amanda I just had to let you know I made these last night to have as snacks for the week and the outcome was AMAZING! I’m always hesistant to make stuff with protein powder but I have a huge tub that is never used so I figured why not? They were so easy to make too so they’re probably going to be a regualr thing for me 🙂
Great recipe and seriously so addicting! May only last a few days…
These look delicious on your website however when I went to make them tonight they are not at all like your picture! They are very crumbly – should I have added more peanut butter to make them stick better? Thanks for any tips . . .
Hi Abbie. Try increasing the nut butter to 1/2 cup and make sure you press down really firmly when you’re packing the mix into the pan.
Ok – thanks!
Thanks Amanda,
I’ll give them a try this weekend & let you know how they turn out.
Greg
Hi Amanda,
Your protein bars look yummy, and I need something to help me drop off some of my extra weight, & these sound like a great snack compared to what I normally eat. I have a question though.
My store doesn’t sell oat flour, but you said to use regular oats in a blender to make your own flour. My store sells quick oats, and then oats, but they don’t call them regular oats. The outside of the container has a picture that pretty much looks the same as the quick oats. Do you know if there’s a difference?
Thanks,
Greg
Hi Greg! Quick oats are just processed a little more to help them to cook faster, but since you’ll be grinding them into a flour it doesn’t make much of a difference. The only difference you’ll notice is when you’re cooking them on the stove — oats tend to have a thicker and chewier texture than quick oats.
What brand protein powder do you suggest? I also have a peanut allergy and most whey powders I saw had the “may contain traces of peanuts” warning on them…
Hi Mallie! I use Proteins+ by Genuine Health.
These look awesome! I’m going to try this recipe for sure. BTW, can you provide the Nutrition Info on these? I looked on this page but couldn’t find it. It’s long so I might have missed it. Thanks!
Hi Twilla. If memory serves me, they each have around 135 calories, 6g protein, 4g fat, and 19g carbs — based on 12 servings without the chocolate topping.
Oh. My. Gosh. These are AMAZING! I just made them and had insane difficulty in not eating the entire pan. I made a few adjustments due to not having some of the ingredients and it still turned out great! Thank you so much for posting this! I’m never going back to chalky store-bought protein bars!
Can the protein powder be substituted for anything? I understand this’ll reduce the amount of protein, but there is nowhere I can buy whey or protein cheaply in my area.
You could probably just sub it with more oat flour, although you may have to add a little bit more honey (1-2 Tbsp.) to adjust the sweetness and help the bars hold together better.
Thank you very much 🙂
How many calories per serving in these?
If memory serves, around 135 without the chocolate topping.
And btw they are awesome. They just didn’t cut as nicely as yours did
How do u cut them so straight and clean?
I just made sure to pack them into the pan really tightly and refrigerate them until they were firm — they stayed together without a problem.
Love these! Just made them and they are about gone! My oldest daughter 13 1/2 says they are phenomenal! Although, these were a little crumbly, so next maybe I should add a little more almond butter or honey 🙂
Hi do you know how many calories and carbs and protein these pack
They look really nice
Thanks for the awesome recipe, can’t wait to try it. I do have a question for you. I use dairy free protein powder (San Raw Fusion), would I use the same amount in the recipe? I’d hate to play the add a little bit of this, little bit of that guessing game to fix it. Thanks so much!
I haven’t tried it myself with this recipe, but I’ve substituted protein powders in the past with no problem so I’m assuming you could use the same amount in these bars as well 🙂 If they end up too dry, you could always just add a splash of almond milk to the batter and it should be fine.
They were too dry…they fell apart the second I touched them. Will try it again and add almond milk.
I tried these about 4 weeks ago and I now make them every week, I keep them in the fridge cut and ready to go. The last batch I doubled and made in a 13″× 9″ pan. If you haven’t tried these yet…..what are you waiting for! SO GOOD!