Protein Granola Bars

These thick, chewy Protein Granola Bars are wholesome, customizable, and packed with 9 grams of protein each. Perfect for a quick, satisfying snack!

Looking for more high protein bars? Try these quinoa granola bars and homemade protein bars.

Once I made my high protein granola, we’ve been eating it in insane amounts, especially the kids! I had an idea to turn it into protein granola bars because it would be so handy for a grab and go healthy snack or a bite between meals.

After 3 tries I perfected the recipe! I do have this healthy granola recipe on iFoodReal that’s great for yogurt bowls, but these bars are higher in protein and perfect for when you want something sweet and healthy on the run.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Not high in sugar: Compared to store-bought granola bars, and even this sugar is wholesome.
• Higher in protein: These bars pack more protein than regular granola bars. They’re somewhere in between protein bar and granola bar which is a nice balance for kids.
• Great nutrition values: High in fiber, protein and complex carbohydrates.
• Actually taste good: Kids are picky with bars, especially protein bars, but these were gone in my house within 5 hours between 3 kids.

Ingredients for Protein Granola Bars

This recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients. It’s also gluten-free if you make sure oats, protein powder and chocolate chips are certified gluten-free.

• Oats: Feel free to use either rolled oats or quick oats. I used rolled oats.
• Almonds: I chopped my raw almonds so they’re easier to eat and spread out more evenly in each bite.
• Ground flaxseed: Ground flax holds the bars better and acts like a glue. Plus, whole flax seeds are not digestible by our bodies, who knew?!
• Dates or prunes: Pitted and chopped. I had dates on hand, so I went with their caramel-like goodness. Prunes would add a fun twist with a bit of tanginess and a different texture.
• Whey protein powder: Use your favorite flavored or unflavored whey protein powder. I’m a big fan of LeanFit whey vanilla. Please see Variations section below for plant-based protein powder.
• Chocolate chips: I used dark chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Just remember, semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips will add more sugar.
• Egg whites: Help bind everything together, give the bars a chewy texture, and add a protein boost without extra fat.
• Maple syrup or honey: I used pure maple syrup. You can also use brown rice syrup, agave nectar for a plant-based option, or your favorite sugar free liquid sweetener, just avoid granulated ones.
• Extra virgin olive oil: You’ll actually get to enjoy all the benefits of extra virgin olive oil since we are not baking the bars at a high temperature.
• Warm water: Helps bind the ingredients by thickening the ground flax seed. Kind of like built-in flax eggs.

How to Make Protein Granola Bars

This protein granola bar recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep, then we bake and cool. It’s so easy!

First, preheat your oven to 300 F and line a square 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.

• Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, flaxseed, dates, protein powder, and chocolate chips. Mix well with a spatula.
• Add wet ingredients: Next, add the water, egg whites, maple syrup and olive oil. Take your spatula and mix very well until combined.
• Press and pack the mixture: Scoop the mixture into your prepared baking dish, leveling it out with a spatula as you press it down. Then, use the bottom of a glass to really pack it in tight.
• Bake and cool: Bake for 40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center feels firm. Let it cool in the dish for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a cooling rack and let it cool for another 2 hours. Make sure it’s almost completely cool before slicing.

Tips for Best Results

It took a bit to perfect these homemade protein granola bars. Here are my top tips.

• Follow the recipe: I will list a few variations below but other than that it’s important to follow exact measurements for wet and dry ingredients for the bars to hold.
• Don’t skip egg whites: They act like glue and add more protein. You can also use 2 large eggs.
• Leftover egg yolks: You can add them to cottage cheese scrambled eggs, this way you will add back the protein and eat not only fat.
• Mix well: The mixture should be sticky and wet, so keep mixing until well combined.
• Let bars cool before slicing: Otherwise they fall apart. Cool them first in the dish, then transfer to a cooling rack, this step is important!
• Cut with serrated knife: A regular sharp knife will not work as well, these bars are pretty chewy and hard so you will almost have to saw them with a serrated knife into 16 bars, which works well.

Variations

• To add more protein: Add 1/2 cup of nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter. In this case, you can also add another 1/3 cup of protein powder because there will be more liquid.
• Vegan protein powder: It is more dry, so you would be able to use way less of it, like 1/4 cup. You can add a nut butter from tip above and add more powder then. It’s all about having that gooey mixture to stick.
• Other dried fruit: Instead of dates use dried cherries, cranberries, apricots, raisins, or figs.
• Less sugar: Skip chocolate chips and/or use sugar-free syrup.
• Other high in protein nuts and seeds: Swap some of the almonds for pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or peanuts.
• Add flavor: Mix in a splash of almond or vanilla extract, a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, or some coconut flakes or cocoa powder. For seasonal fun, try adding a dash of pumpkin pie spice.
• Add a chocolate drizzle: Melt some chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 20 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle it over the cooled granola bars, and let the chocolate set at room temperature until it hardens.

How to Store

Store: Keep the bars in a covered dish or container for the first 3 days. After that, switch to an airtight container for another 3 days.

If you still have some, I would place them in the refrigerator for a few more days. Just make sure they don’t get soggy or dry out, move them around as needed.

Freeze: Pop them into a Ziploc bag or airtight container and stash them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter for a few hours before enjoying.

FAQs

More Healthy Bars to Try

• Protein frozen yogurt bars
• No bake peanut butter oatmeal bars
• Healthy banana oatmeal bars
• Pumpkin protein bars