These no-bake chocolate protein bars are super soft, gooey, fudgy, and delicious. This vegan recipe contains only 6 ingredients and is very easy to make! Watch the video below to see the easy instruction steps!
Super Soft Chocolate Protein Bars
Say hello to these soft, gooey and fudgy chocolate protein bars which are currently my new favorite dessert! I love all kind of bars such as brownies, peanut butter bars or blondies. I thought a combo of a blondie bar and chocolate might be extraordinarily delicious. And honestly, these bars really didn’t disappoint!
They look similar to homemade Butterfingers, however, they aren’t crunchy. I am pretty sure it would be easy to change the recipe a bit and turn these cashew butter bars into homemade vegan Butterfingers. These protein bars are my new favorite because they are:
- Healthier than most chocolate candy bars.
- Quick and easy to make without an oven!
- Vegan and protein-rich.
Just 6 Simple Ingredients
I am not kidding! This recipe is really simple and contains only the following 6 ingredients:
- Vegan protein powder
- Nut-butter or seed butter of choice
- Liquid sweetener of choice
- Banana
- Dairy-free chocolate chips
- Coconut oil
I used a vanilla flavored protein powder which is already sweetened. Therefore, I only added 3 tbsp (60 grams) of sweetener. If your protein powder isn’t sweetened, I would suggest adding about 70 grams of sweetener.
Nut butter: I used cashew butter, however, you can also use almond butter, peanut butter, coconut butter, sunflower seed butter, and even tahini if you don’t mind the slightly bitter taste of tahini.
Liquid sweetener: I used maple sure, but you can certainly also use agave syrup, rice malt syrup, Yukon syrup or any other liquid sweetener.
I also added half of a small banana which acts as a binder and holds the mixture together. Applesauce might work as well (I didn’t try it though) or maybe two flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 5 tbsp hot water).
You can use dairy-free chocolate chips or any dark chocolate of choice.
How To Make Chocolate Protein Bars?
I recommend using a food processor because it’s easier than using a blender. The procedure is really simple and straight forward:
- First, process the ingredients for the protein layer in your food processor.
- Melt the dairy-free chocolate with the coconut oil in a water bath or in a microwave.
- Pour the chocolate onto the protein layer and put the pan in the freezer to set.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and cut the deliciousness into bars.
- Check my step-by-step VIDEO right under the recipe instructions!
How To Store?
You should store the protein chocolate bars in the refrigerator (for up to 5-6 days) or for up to 3 months in the freezer. I always make sure to have a batch in my freezer, because you never know when the sweet cravings kick in, right?! 😀
When you freeze the bars, make sure to let them thaw for about 20 minutes before serving.
These Chocolate Protein Bars are:
- Vegan (dairy-free)
- Can be made gluten-free (check your protein powder)
- No-bake, which means no oven required
- Healthier than most protein bars
- Quick and easy to make with only 6 ingredients
- A delicious dessert
Should you try out this delicious chocolate protein bars recipe please leave a comment and rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see how it turned out!
Make sure to also check out the following vegan chocolate bars:
- Homemade Snickers
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- Cookie Dough Bars
- Homemade Bounty Bars
- Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Oat Breakfast Bars
No-Bake Chocolate Protein Bars
Ingredients
Protein Layer
- 1 2/3 cups (225 g) protein powder (*see notes)
- 3-4 tbsp (70 g) maple syrup (*see notes)
- 1/4 cup (60 g) cashew butter (*see notes)
- 1/2 of a medium banana
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Chocolate Layer
- 1/2 cup (90 g) dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Watch the video (scroll down a bit) for easy visual instructions. I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe.
- Line a pan with parchment paper with an overhang on all sides (for easy removal). My pan measures 6x6 inches resp. 15x15 cm (inside measurements). If your pan is much bigger, you should better double the recipe, otherwise, the bars will turn out too thin.
- Process all ingredients for the protein layer in a food processor. Scrape down the sides of the container and mix again. The dough should stick together when you press it between your fingers. If it's too dry, add more liquid sweetener or banana. If it's too sticky, add more protein powder.
- Press the dough evenly into the lined pan and put the pan in the freezer.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a double-boiler or in a microwave and pour the melted chocolate on top of the protein layer.
- Put the pan back in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate is firm.
- Cut into bars and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer!
Notes
- I used a vanilla flavored protein powder which is already sweetened. The main ingredient is powdered oat flour. If you use unsweetened protein powder, I would suggest adding more sweetener.
- You can use almond butter, peanut butter, etc. instead of cashew butter. For a nut-free version, I would suggest sunflower seed butter or coconut butter.
- I left out the vanilla extract because my protein powder has an intense vanilla flavor which I love!
- Nutrition facts are for one bar when you cut the batch into ten bars.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Hi Ela,
thanks for a great site. Made that treat exactly as writen in your recipe.
I had to add much more maiple and when that wasnt enough I added some soy milk.
it tastes great but, do you think it was so dry because I used pea protein? and I used a scale.
Also watched the video and it wasnt like it all.
what did I do wrong?
Thanx 🙂
Hi Dorit, I am glad it tasted great. Sorry to hear the texture wasn’t right. It might be the pea protein, but I cannot say for sure because I never used it in this recipe. The one I used is based on oats, so it probably doesn’t soak up as much liquid. 🙂
Can i use honey instead of maple?
Any liquid sweetener is fine.
What can I sub for banana
Hello! It’s actually mentioned in the blog post: “Applesauce might work as well (I didn’t try it though) or maybe two flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 5 tbsp hot water).”
I doubled the recipe, used almond butter instead of cashew, and substituted ground flax seeds for the protein powder and it turned out great!
Yay! Sounds brilliant. Thanks for your great feedback, Allison. 🙂
Love it!! I’ve been using protein powder in my breakfast smoothies so why not add it to my desserts as well! Great recipe!
Absolutely! I hope you will like them. 🙂
Perfect texture, wonderful taste. Loved this recipe. The best homemade protein bars I have ever eaten. Thank y so much for sharing your recipes, love from Portugal!
Aww, thanks so much for your sweet comment, Nidia. I am very glad you loved this recipe. Sending love to Portugal! 🙂
These bars were amazing and I loved how soft they turned out. I used an unsweetened protein powder and simply added more maple syrup. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Valentina! Thanks for your amazing feedback. 🙂
Hi I don’t like protein powder can I use anything else thks in advance
Marie claude
You can use finely powdered oat flour instead of protein powder but you will most likely need to add more of the wet ingredients (cashew butter, banana, and sweetener). Hope this helps!
These protein bars look so delicious! Love that your chocolate slices are vegan and so easy to make ? and even though, they contain much chocolate, they’re still healthier than regular chocolate treats. ❤️
Yes, that’s correct, Bianca! I hope you will give them a try soon. 🙂
What protein powder brands do you prefer? Thank you!
Hi Andrea, I have been using the vanilla protein powder from “Jimmy Joy”. But I am sure any dairy-free protein-powder which tastes good on its own would work in this recipe.
I would not use pea-based protein powder because it has a strange taste. As mentioned in the blog post, you can also use finely ground oat flour instead of protein powder. Hope this help! 🙂
Bonjour,
Je vais tester cette recette mais avant dans les ingrédients, il manque les mesures pour chacun (poudre de protéines, beurre de noix,édulcorant liquide,demi banane : ok, pépites de chocolat et huile de noix de coco) s’il vous plait.
Je vous suis régulièrement votre compte d’Instagram qui est magnifique et vos recettes sont top ! Merci pour ces partages.
Excuse moi je suis française et je suis nulle d’écrire l’anglais….
Merci à vous
Bonne continuation
Hi Florence, I don’t understand French, so I translated your comment with Google Translator. You said the recipe lacks measurements? That’s not true though because every ingredient has the measurement in grams AND in cups.
Omg I read that comment so wrong. But either way, I feel the measurements were way off, at least for me…
Which protein powder did you use? Did you watch the video to see how the texture should be?
c est inscrit, une demi tasse de pépites de chocolat et une cuillere à table d huile de coconut.