Homemade Protein Bars – Super Healthy Kids

Our homemade protein bars are made with rolled oats, peanut butter and a drizzle of chocolate. They’re easy to make and a delicious, healthy and filling snack that might become a family favorite!

Why You’ll Love Our Homemade Protein Bars

There are many decent protein bars on the market today. But they can be expensive, and I like having control over the ingredients I use to feed my family. Plus, it’s so easy to make your own protein bars! Not only that, we’ve tried MANY different protein bars over the years and these are undoubtedly our favorites. We always keep a portion in the fridge. They’re perfect for an after-school snack or on-the-go before a gym workout.

You only need a handful of ingredients to make these delicious little bars. The chocolate drizzle makes them a lot more appealing to my kids, but they’re delicious without them too. Customize them however you like! I used peanut butter for my bars, but you can use any nut butter you have around the house or whatever works for your family’s allergies.

Ingredients for homemade protein bars:

• Oats– We use normal oatmeal. Oats are filling, nutritious, and a great source of fiber.
• Vanilla Protein Powder– Protein powder is a great and easy way to add protein to homemade protein bars. We like this one.
• Crunchy rice cereal– adds great texture to the bars. Puffed rice is great too!
• peanut butter– Peanut butter is essential for tying these bars together. Any nut butter will work here!
• Treasure– this is our favorite sweetener for these bars. We haven’t tried any other, but I’m sure plain maple syrup would be a good substitute.
• vanilla extract– totally optional, but enhances the delicious vanilla flavor.
• coconut oil– Coconut oil adds great flavor and texture and helps hold the bars together.
• chocolate chips– we always use dark or semi-sweet chocolate.

How to make homemade protein bars

1. Place the oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Mix until it resembles a coarse flour.
2. Add to Place the oatmeal in a bowl along with the protein powder and crispy rice; stir to combine.
3. heat Combine peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture. stir.
5. Press Pour the batter firmly into a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Melt the chocolate; Drizzle over the bars.
7. Cool Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
8. Save on computer in the refrigerator.

I have two tips for this recipe… ONE: If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a little more of your nut butter. Each nut butter has a different moisture content, so you may need to add an extra tablespoon to keep the bars from falling apart. TWO: Firmly push the rods into the pan! That’s what keeps them together, so pack them up. You don’t have to be Iron Man, but make sure you don’t just pat it and move on. Let even the kids help!

Tips:

If the mixture seems a little dry, add a little more of your nut butter. Each nut butter has a different moisture content, so you may need to add an extra tablespoon to keep the bars from falling apart.

Press the sticks firmly into the pan! That’s what keeps them together, so pack them up. You don’t have to be Iron Man, but make sure you don’t just pat it and move on. Let even the kids help!

You can cut these into any shape you want. The loaf shape makes bars the perfect size for kids! But the little squares are perfect for the younger ones.

How to store homemade protein bars:

You’ll want to store these protein bars in an airtight container in the fridge so they stay fresh, keep their shape, and stay nice and chewy. They’ll stay fresh for about a month…if they last that long!

More healthy snack recipes for kids:

• 1 Cup Oats
• 1/3 Cup Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/2 Cup crispy rice muesli
• 3/4 Cup peanut butter
• 1/4 Cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 4 tablespoon chocolate chips melted

• Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. Put aside.

• Place oats in a high speed blender and blend until the oats have turned into flour.

• Place the oatmeal, protein powder, and crispy rice flakes in a large bowl.

• In a small saucepan, add peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil. Melt together over medium/low heat and stir until well combined, then add vanilla extract.

• Add peanut butter/honey to dry ingredients and stir. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and press firmly into the bottom until evenly distributed.

• Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. If the chocolate is too thick to drizzle, you can add 1 tsp melted coconut oil to thin it out. Drizzle it over your bars.

• Chill in the fridge for at least 25 minutes, then cut into bars or squares! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 18G | Protein: 7G | Fat: 12G | Saturated Fatty Acids: 4G | Polyunsaturated fat: 2G | Monounsaturated fatty acids: 4G | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2G | Sugar: 9G | Vitamin A: 78ie | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg