fbpx

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

In partnership with NOW Foods. These Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars are a great healthy snack to fuel you! These vegan protein bars are made with simple, tasty ingredients.

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Anyone else feeling particularly snack-y these days? Maybe it’s because most of the time I’m sitting at home… just wandering around… to the kitchen. Then I grab something random to snack on, and it just doesn’t seem to hit the spot.

But when I take the time to actually make solid snacks like vegan protein bars, sourdough crackers, or epic snack plates… that’s when I’m actually satisfied.

So here’s to taking a few minutes to prepare some satisfying snacks rather than grabbing whatever you can find in the pantry. These Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars are a great place to start!

Ingredients in Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

These peanut butter protein bars are a spin on these pumpkin protein bars. I figured there is no better combo than banana, peanut butter, and chocolate!

The ingredients in these tasty homemade protein bars are super simple – you probably have most of them right now:

  • Oats
  • Protein Powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Banana
  • Peanut Butter
  • Non-dairy milk
  • Vanilla
  • Dairy-free chocolate chips

For the protein powder, I’m using my favorite NOW Sports Plant Protein Complex in Creamy Vanilla. This vegan protein powder is made with a blend of pea, hemp, and quinoa to give a balanced amino acid profile. Plus, there are 22g of plant protein per serving!

Let me just say that I am truly not a fan of pure pea protein – there is a weird aftertaste to me. But with the NOW Sports Plant Protein Complex, I truly do not get any aftertaste, which is why I’m a big fan of the blended elements.

How to Make Homemade Protein Bars

The best thing about these homemade protein bars is that there is NO baking or cooking required. This girl is not turning on the oven when it’s 90ºF outside! The only cooking you have to do for this recipe is microwave the chocolate chips – easy peasy.

To make these peanut butter protein bars, you’ll just mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, then stir until a firm dough forms.

Flatten the dough in an 8×8 pan (or a loaf pan for thicker bars). Drizzle on melted chocolate. Stick ’em in the freezer. Cut. EAT.

Tips for Making this Peanut Butter Protein Bar Recipe

There are a few changes you can make to this recipe – it’s very forgiving!

  • Use certified gluten-free oats if you have celiac or need to eat gluten-free.
  • For all my die-hard chocolate lovers: Use the NOW Sports Plant Protein Complex in Chocolate Mocha in these peanut butter protein bars!
  • Nut-free? Use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter!
  • If you’re not big on chocolate *raises hand*, nix the chocolate topping and just drizzle on some peanut butter.

Print
How to make:

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

These Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars are a great healthy snack to fuel you! These vegan protein bars are made with simple, tasty ingredients.

Prep Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
40 minutes
Author:
Emilie
Yield:
12 1x

Ingredients

  • 2 cups oat flour* (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1/2 cup NOW Sports Plant Protein Complex in Creamy Vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup banana, mashed
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon peanut butter, divided**
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Line an 8×8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, add oat flour, protein powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine. Add banana, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until a firm dough forms, kneading with your hands if necessary.
  3. Add dough to the lined baked pan and press down to form into an even layer.
  4. In a small bowl, add chocolate chips. Microwave in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted, stirring in between. Add 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 1 tablespoon almond milk; stir until smooth.
  5. Pour chocolate over the dough in the pan and spread into an even layer.
  6. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, then cut into 12 bars. Store in refrigerator.

Notes

*To make oat flour: Place rolled oats in a food processor or blender. Process until a fine flour forms.

**You can use sunflower seed butter to make these nut-free.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 173.0
  • Sugar: 6.5
  • Sodium: 100.2
  • Fat: 8.9
  • Saturated Fat: 3.2
  • Unsaturated Fat: 3.2
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 22.2
  • Fiber: 4.3
  • Protein: 6.4
  • Cholesterol: 0

Thanks to NOW Foods for sponsoring this post! I love working with brands whose products I really love and would honestly recommend. Thank you for your support!