These no-bake peanut butter protein bars are naturally gluten-free, easy to take on the go, and made with a fun secret ingredient!
Are you noticing a trend? It's kind of been peanut butter everything around here. I, for one, am l-o-v-i-n-g this trend! I'm like seriously obsessed with peanut butter lately.
For me, peanut butter is the ultimate snack food. It is quick, easy (hello, spoon in jar) and a great source of protein and healthy fats. I almost always turn to peanut butter for a snack, whether it is slathered on a rice cake with sliced apple or mixed into energy balls. Nut butter always hits the spot. And honestly, a scoop on my way out the door is often how I fuel up before a workout.
So today we are using peanut butter as the base for a no-bake power bar that is both snack worthy and dessert worthy.
How to make Homemade Power Bars
I'm calling this recipe a power bar because it's my spin on the classic protein bar. I'll admit, I'm not a fan of power bars. I think they're kind of stuck in the 80s and haven't advanced with the rest of the industry.
But the concept of power bars is on point. They are portable, higher in protein and a convenient option after a workout.
The only problem? Even though they use minimal ingredients, cane sugar is listed first. One peanut butter power bar contains 26 grams of sugar. 26!
We're obviously flipping this recipe inside out and reinventing it with SQ approved ingredients. Our base? Dates, nuts and seeds, some protein powder and quinoa.
And we're making it all in our food processor!
Our No-Bake Protein Butter Power Bars
There are so many things to love about this recipe, but I'll narrow it down to my top three faves. These bars are…
a) no-bake, meaning they're a cinch to throw together
b) cheaper than store-bought
c) amazingly delicious!
Homemade Protein Bars
You know those raw protein bars that cost nearly $2.00 a bar?
Well with this recipe, you can have a 12-bar stock of those treats on-hand all the time. Plus, you'll be saving a bunch of money! What's better than that?
I combined many of my all-time favorite ingredients (minus the chocolate, we’ll save that for next time) and whipped it into a simple, satisfying bar that's perfect for mornings or afternoons.
Enjoy!
More Easy Peanut Butter Recipes:
- Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies
- Quinoa Pad Thai Salad
- PB&J Energy Bites
- Chocolate & Peanut Butter Vegan Rice Crispy Treats
No-Bake Peanut Butter Power Bars
Ingredients
- 7 – 8 Medjool dates pitted
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 cup unsalted smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- Add the dates to the bowl of a food processor fit with the steel blade and process until chopped. Remove the lid and add the nuts, quinoa and seeds and process until a meal has formed. Next, add the protein powder and process a few times until combined. Once you have a sandy text, add the peanut butter and honey and process until a thick dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking pan. I used a loaf pan for skinny, thick loaves, but you can also use a square baking dish for bars that thinner. Place the bars in the freezer until set, about 1 – 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and slice into bars. Store in freezer until you’re ready to eat them.
Video
Nutrition
I made these and they are super sweet, I’ll cut down on the honey next time.
Can I swap the raw honey for maple syrup?? but then again together with dates isn’t it going to be too sweet???
You can definitely sub! If you use a darker maple syrup I don’t think they would be too sweet!
Any recommendations for a protein powder replacement? thanks!!
Umm maybe flaxseed meal?
These look delicious. Any suggestions on how to incorporate oats into this recipe? Amount? If they can be added straight from the package or should be toasted first? Many thanks.
I think you could just swap them in for some of the other dry ingredients. Maybe just swap out the cooked quinoa 🙂 And no they don’t need to be toasted!
Wow – these are SO good! I only had chocolate protein powder and it tastes great with the peanut butter. My husband even loved them and he’s super picky!
AHHH what a combo!! So so good!
Looks good. Would be very helpful to see the nutritional facts listed here as well, so that we (those of us who care about such things) don’t turn away from it because we’re daunted by having to input it all into a nutrition calculator to see if it pencils out for our diets.
Hi, i tried the links fir the recipe but it does not work. Could you help me out please. Thanks
Hi Jocy – the site was down briefly, but should be back up and working now. These are a great healthy snack!
Hi there! I’ve recently discovered your lovely website, which matches my obsession with quinoa! I made this recipe a week or so ago, with the intention to bring some along with me in a ziplock bag for a long marathon training run. I subbed almond butter for the peanut butter and made them into balls versus a bar. They got pretty mushy on my run, but still tasted great and supplied me with a natural alternative for nutrition/energy, compared to a processed ‘gu’ or ‘gel’. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Hi Alyssa,
I just made these and they were fantastic! I didn’t have any sunflower seeds so subbed in some chopped toasted pecans and dried cherries. So many things you could sub in…..even cocoa nibs 🙂 My daughters even agreed to take these as their snack at school rather than the traditional granola bar. Thanks so much for giving me a much healthier alternative!!
Oh yay! They seriously are amazing, aren’t they?!? Love, love, LOVE your additions!! I’ll have to try those 🙂 xo!
Hi Alyssa, I made these wonderful no-bake power bars last night, and they are the perfect raw treat. I really am getting into the raw desserts of late and this is a choco bar without the chocolate, but the next time I make them I plan to coat them with a chocolate topping. I did substitute the peanut butter for almond butter, and I didn’t have any protein powder and so left that out. I did have raw almonds on hand and medjool dates, used unpasteurized honey (I am assuming that raw honey is unpasteurized). I loved all the ingredients you used upon reading your e-mail, and was excited about making these right away, and was really hoping that the taste would be that great go to treat.
So I just wanted you to know that these are definitely a keeper for me. I love quinoa more and more each time I work with it, and love the recipes you have here on your blog. Keep up the great work.