• Quick Oats – Quick oats are always my go-to type of oatmeal to use in these vegan protein bars…or any kind of no-bake energy bite recipe. Because they’ve been broken down into smaller pieces than rolled oats, they stick together better, making for a more compact, portable granola bar.
• Crispy Rice Cereal – I usually just grab Rice Krispies Cereal, but I know there are other brands of puffed rice that could also work. I basically just like the crunchy texture a little cereal provides.
• Vegan Protein Powder – I usually use a vanilla protein powder in this recipe as it’s more neutral in flavor, but you can use whatever protein powder you have on hand that you think would pair well with peanut butter. Some of my favorite brands of vegan protein powder are Orgain, Women’s Best and California Gold Nutrition. If you use an unsweetened and unflavored protein powder, then these protein bars won’t be as sweet.
• Ground Flaxseed – Ground flaxseed helps to bind these granola bars together. Plus, flaxseeds are packed with nutrition!
• Peanut Butter – I usually use my homemade peanut butter because it’s inexpensive and high in protein. You want to use natural, unsweetened, runny peanut butter. Don’t use peanut butter with hydrogenated vegetable oils.
• Liquid Sweetener – The type of liquid sweetener you use can vary. I personally like to use a thicker sweetener such as brown rice syrup or honey. You can also use maple syrup, agave, etc.

See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions

🔀 Puffed Rice Cereal – Traditional Rice Krispies Cereal contains malt which means they aren’t gluten-free. So if you would like to make these protein bars gluten-free, swap out the Rice Krispies for a certified gluten-free puffed rice cereal or some other kind of mix-in.

🔀 Peanut Butter – If you have an allergy to peanuts or can’t pack peanut products in your or your kid’s lunches, use a different kind of nut or seed butter!

🔀 Vegan Protein Powder – You can use whatever protein powder you like or have on hand!

Variations

Cookie Dough Protein Bars – To make a cookie dough flavored protein bar, use cashew butter instead of peanut butter and add in some dairy-free chocolate chips. Yum!

Snickerdoodle Protein Bars – Use cashew butter or almond butter instead of peanut butter and use a cinnamon flavored protein powder. Or just add cinnamon into the dry ingredients. You can even press some cinnamon and sugar into the top of the bars for that classic snickerdoodle taste.

Chocolate Protein Bars – Use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla. Add in some chocolate chips to make the bars double chocolate.

Once you cut the dough into bars, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively, you can flash freeze them on a baking sheet on some parchment paper and then transfer them to a freezer safe container. They should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

My Top Tips

1. If the dough seems to dry, you can always add a little bit more nut butter or sweetener to the dough until it holds together when pressed between your fingers. Just remember that if you use a sweetened protein powder, you probably won’t want to add too much more liquid sweetener.
2. Use damp hands when you’re pressing the dough into a rectangle.
3. Peanut butter adds the most protein to these vegan protein bars and is the most inexpensive, but if you have an allergy to peanuts, you can always use another kind of nut or seed butter.

Recipe FAQs