No-Bake Low-Carb Protein Bars
"I have been looking for a protein bar that is not full of carbs.
The following is a my own interpretation of a recipe I found online. You could experiment with other ingredients (i.e., other types of protein powder, coco powder, nuts and seeds, etc...). If you come up with other variations, let me know! :)"
- Ready In:
- 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Yields:
-
6 bars
- Serves:
- 6
ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup flax seed meal (grind whole flax in a coffee grinder)
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 10 tablespoons protein powder (I use rice)
- 3 tablespoons carob powder
- 1⁄8 teaspoon stevia powder (or to taste)
- 1⁄3 cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⁄2 cup water (more or less, as necessary)
directions
- 1. Mix all dry ingredients well.
- 2. Mix together almond butter and coconut oil in a small cup (if the oven is warm (not hot!) I place it in there for a minute to soften it before stiring.
- 3. Add almond butter and oil to dry ingredients and mix WELL (I actually use my hands to do this). The mixture will be rather dry and crumbly.
- 4. Add vanilla extract and water (I'd recommend adding water gradually, starting with 1/4 cup, so you don't overdo it) and mix well.
- 5. Grease a 9x9 pan (or similar size) and press dough into pan. I press for a few minutes with my hand to create a consistent thickness.
- 6. Chill in the fridge for several hours to set, then cut into approximately 6 pieces. Wrap each one individually for a quick snack, or store them with wax paper in-between.
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Reviews
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I added your receipy to Myfitnesspal and it produced the following nutrition table for it per serve (1 bar) As you can see below the nutrition table looks excellent and is the best DIY munch bars I could find! Each bar is 184 Calories mainly derived from the Cocoa and Coconut products. Fat 11.2g Cholesterol 0g Sodium 20.8mg Potasium 163mg Total Carbs 8.7g Protein 18.1g Vitamin A 0.8% Vitamin C 0.2% Calcium 9.2% Needless to say I used low carb protein powder instead of the rice as a protein source. I can produce a calorie breakdown if anyone is interested but I'm a low Carber at heart! -
My first thought when I licked my fingers after mixing and pressing these bars was "hm - I don't know...". But what a surprise when I got them out of the fridge and tried the first bar! They're amazing. I made one batch with sesame seeds, carob, whey protein and stevia for DH, and although he usually doesn't like stevia he liked the licorice flavor they lent to the bars ("Oh, great - low carb licorice!!"). As I'm allergic to stevia and carob, I made my batch with raw cocoa powder and rice syrup, used a little less water and replaced the sesame seeds by hemp seeds because I hadn't any sesame seeds left. Also I used brown rice protein for me, and first I thought the strong flavor of the rice protein would make the bars inedible. But resting time in the fridge made the flavors blend together so the special flavor of the protein vanished, and the result is the best I had so far with this kind of protein bar! They're soft but not sticky like some bars that glue your teeth and kind of glop down your throat. I'll sure make this again and try mixing in some coffee or pumpkin pie spice :D Thanks for posting! Made for Healthy Choices ABC. -
Quite good, and much more economical than buying low carb protein bars! I did have to sub based on what I had available, so I used chia seeds rather than sesame, and sun butter in place of the nut butter. Chewy and satisfying. I will say to pay attention about not adding the water all at once. I only needed a little more than half the amount to get these to the right consistency. -
These are absolutely wonderful. I replaced the sesame seeds with hulled hemp seeds. I also used Jay Robb Chocolate Whey Powder so I did not need to add the cocoa powder. I also added 1 tsp of butterscotch flavoring. I only needed 1/4 cup water. This is a yummy, easy protein bar. Thank you for posting such a great low carb protein bar. My kids loved it too and gave me a "Two Thumbs Up" for them. I love it. -
I am super pleased with these bars and so is my husband! I, also, made a batch with chia seeds, which turned out very good. Used a raw protein powder from garden of life. Hoping to try some different variations just for variety. Not sure what yet, but I'll experiment a bit....the other reviewer mentioned pumpkin pie spice....probably will give that a shot.
Tweaks
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I added your receipy to Myfitnesspal and it produced the following nutrition table for it per serve (1 bar) As you can see below the nutrition table looks excellent and is the best DIY munch bars I could find! Each bar is 184 Calories mainly derived from the Cocoa and Coconut products. Fat 11.2g Cholesterol 0g Sodium 20.8mg Potasium 163mg Total Carbs 8.7g Protein 18.1g Vitamin A 0.8% Vitamin C 0.2% Calcium 9.2% Needless to say I used low carb protein powder instead of the rice as a protein source. I can produce a calorie breakdown if anyone is interested but I'm a low Carber at heart!
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I love Quest bars but wanted to make my own low carb protein bars and I found this recipe. Like others have, I substituted the sesame seeds for chia seeds. I made a double batch of this recipe and also added two tablespoons of psyllium husks. I used "Rivalus banana cream" whey protein powder and dark cocoa powder instead of carob as the bulk foods store didn't carry carob and I wanted a chocolate banana flavored bar. The cocoa powder was valued at 7 g of carbs, 0 g sugars and 28 g of protein (I had no idea it was that high) per 100 grams serving. I used 3 table spoons of it as another site said to reduce the amount of cocoa powder by half if substituting it for carob, which I did. I used the liquid glycerin based stevia as a sweetener instead of the powder based form. After refrigeration, I cut them into 60 gram bars using a food scale and got about a dozen of them. I thought the end product tasted fantastic, thanks for sharing the original recipe!! -
Quite good, and much more economical than buying low carb protein bars! I did have to sub based on what I had available, so I used chia seeds rather than sesame, and sun butter in place of the nut butter. Chewy and satisfying. I will say to pay attention about not adding the water all at once. I only needed a little more than half the amount to get these to the right consistency.
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These are absolutely wonderful. I replaced the sesame seeds with hulled hemp seeds. I also used Jay Robb Chocolate Whey Powder so I did not need to add the cocoa powder. I also added 1 tsp of butterscotch flavoring. I only needed 1/4 cup water. This is a yummy, easy protein bar. Thank you for posting such a great low carb protein bar. My kids loved it too and gave me a "Two Thumbs Up" for them. I love it.
