I think it’s obvious I love homemade foods. Even snacks like Twix or Snickers can be homemade and I just love that. I believe it was just a matter of time until I made my own homemade protein bars.

Homemade protein bars are the healthy option and here’s why

I’m guessing you’ve tried store-bought protein bars. Have you checked the ingredients list? If you have, was there something that bothered you? And if you haven’t – go get a bar that you like and check the ingredients.

In my experience, most protein bars have a ton of additives, colourings, preservatives, sugar, and tend to be annoyingly unhealthy. All I want from my protein bar is for it to have a short list of ingredients, the ingredients I know, and for it to be a healthy after-workout snack. Instead, protein bars seem to be just like any other sugary bar, just with more proteins which is not necessarily healthy either.

Recently I’ve found a brand of protein blends that I adore. They’re called Sun Warrior and I get them from Super Hrana in Slovenia, but I think they’re a global brand (based in the U.S.A.) and you can get them everywhere around the world. What I love most about them is that they don’t cause me any bloating. With brands I have tried previously, I noticed I’m always bloated, I might feel sick, they are loaded with sugar etc. These protein blends are sweetened with stevia which, as you probably know, is a healthy sweetener and a good alternative to refined sugar. Furthermore, they are vegan, made from fermented pea proteins, which is why they are easy to digest. I’m honestly excited about this brand.

As soon as I’ve found my beloved proteins, I knew I was equipped to create my own protein bars.

The usefulness of these protein bars

All you need for these homemade protein bars are 6 ingredients. All of them can be replaced by some other ingredients and all of them should be somewhere in your pantry.

There is no coconut oil or any other oil in them so they don’t melt. You can easily take them with you and they will keep the shape. I usually simply put them into a food container, no parchment paper in between, and they hold up very well. Recently I took them with me wrapped in aluminium foil and they were perfectly fine. No sticking together, no falling apart, no melting.

You can cut them however you like. You can cut bigger pieces or smaller ones, make them bite-sized, or full protein-bar-sized. Adjust them to your own needs.

What to change and what not to change in the recipe

As with any recipe, there are alterations you can make to this recipe so it fits your own needs. With this one, you can actually swap all the ingredients. But be aware that swaps mean an alteration that might cause the recipe to not truly work or for the taste to not be what it was supposed to be. If you swap most of the ingredients or all of them, you’ll end up with bars completely different from the ones I’ve created.

Protein powder: You can use any protein powder you want. I prefer vanilla or chocolate flavour and ofc vegan protein powder. These bars are based on protein powder, so I would not recommend swapping it. But if you really want to, use ground oat flakes or something similar.

Flax seeds: Swap them for chia seeds. You can try with any other seeds too, but chia and flax seeds bloat when soaked and therefore often work as a binder for vegan cakes etc. But you’re allowed to experiment, so go ahead.

Shredded coconut: I don’t think there’s anything like shredded coconut, but once again, you can use something else. Try with almond flour or other ground nuts.

Peanut butter: Go ahead and use any nut or seed butter you want. Do take into account that peanut butter has a lovely taste and lots of protein. It’s important especially if you’re not using protein powder as peanut butter would be the only rich source of protein.

Dates: I wouldn’t swap them myself, but you can try with any other dried fruit. Raisins tend to have quite of a neutral taste.

Dark chocolate: You can leave it out altogether. I love having that layer of chocolate on top, but you don’t need it. If you want to use any other chocolate, not the dark one, please do. Use the one you like the most! Just don’t use milk chocolate as it doesn’t melt well. I recommend using dark chocolate, but you can maybe use flavoured ones like orange, almond, mint etc. But hey, go ahead and experiment. We only learn when we try ourselves.

Do you like homemade protein or energy snacks? Try this recipe for tiger nut chocolate power balls and if you only need something sweet, go ahead and scroll through some of my favourite desserts (click here).

Making any of my recipes? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @littlekitchenvibes