Vegan Gluten Free Protein Bars With Dark Chocolate

These Vegan Gluten Free Protein Bars With Dark Chocolate are the most delicious snack bars for a busy day. Made with clean ingredients, healthy fats and very little grams of sugar, they are allergen friendly to please all diet needs.

Cookie dough protein bars have got to be one of the best things on earth. You get so much protein in each bar, yet these are still made with such natural ingredients.

Say goodbye to rise bars, and hello to these dairy-free protein bars. These are not a meal replacement, but are a great nutritious snack or a delicious chocolate sea salt after dinner treat to curb your sweet tooth.

If you like high protein sweet snacks you should also try my Gluten Free Vegan Energy Protein Bars that contain oats or my Superfood Protein Breakfast Cookies (Gluten Free & Dairy Free).

Let’s be honest here, we all know the best part about making cookies is eating the cookie dough. Which is how I channeled this high-protein snack bar.

Rather than actually making cookies with 0 g protein, 0 g fiber, and 35 g sugar, I made a healthier version of cookie dough. The good news is we skipped ahead and went straight to making raw cookie dough bars that don’t require baking and will not give you a stomach ache.

We took all your favorite parts of traditional cookie dough and made a combination that seriously tastes like cookie dough. To take them one step further we even added a layer of dark chocolate to the top because there is no such thing as too much chocolate.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED FOR THE HOMEMADE PROTEIN BARS

You will need the following ingredients listed below to make these no bake protein bars (the exact measurements and full recipe are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post):

• Natural peanut butter – you can substitute for another type of butter such as almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower butter.
• Coconut oil
• Pure maple syrup – other liquid artificial sweeteners will work here if you are trying to keep sugar and calories low.
• Vanilla extract – adds to the real cookie flavor. You could also try a bit of almond extract if you have on hand as well.
• Sea salt – just like with a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe, a pinch of salt brings out the flavors and balances the sweetness in these delicious bars.
• Coconut flour – you cannot substitute this flour for almond flour, oat flour, rice flour, or any other type of flour. Although they are also gluten-free ingredients, coconut flour is a very hard flour to substitute for as it is a lot more absorbant than others.
• Plant-based protein powder – vanilla protein powder is what was used in these bars, however you can try other flavors for different variations. Alternatively if you don’t want vegan bars you can opt for whey protein powder.
• Unsweetened chocolate – real dark chocolate is my favorite for these energy bars.

HOW TO MAKE THE DELICIOUS VEGAN PROTEIN BARS

Grease a bread loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, add the peanut butter and coconut oil and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract.

Proceed by adding the salt, coconut flour and vegan protein powder. Mix and let sit for 5-10 minutes while the coconut flour absorbs all the liquid.

The dough should be soft but not crumbly. Different protein powders will absorb less or more liquid so you may have to make small adjustments.

If the dough is too dry and crumbly you can add a little bit more maple syrup or a splash of almond milk. If the dough is too wet add a bit more coconut flour or protein powder (not much though).

Press the dough into the prepared pan evenly, then put in freezer while you make the chocolate topping.

In a small microwave-safe bowl melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in 30 second increments until silky smooth. Then pour overtop of the dough.

Freeze for 15 minutes or until the chocolate has set. Cut into 8 bars and enjoy!

WHY THESE ARE THE BEST VEGAN PROTEIN BARS

• They are seriously the best gluten-free protein bars and are perfect for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
• They’re also perfect for a plant-based diet as they’re so easily adaptable and don’t contain any animal products.
• You can add chocolate chips to make them similar to chocolate chip cookie dough bars.
• There is about 10 grams of protein per bar.
• They are a great option to grab and go for busy week days or as an after dinner treat.
• They are made up of such simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
• There is no baking required. They are ready in about 15 minutes from start to finish.
• They are freeze friendly. They taste delicious straight out of the freezer, however you can also thaw them out in the refrigerator the night before you’re ready to eat them.

HOW TO STORE THE HOMEMADE VEGAN PROTEIN BARS

To Store. You can store these no-bake vegan protein bars at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also store them in the fridge, but I find they taste best at room temperature.

To Freeze. Place the bars in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let these sweet treats thaw and and enjoy!

CAN I TURN THESE INTO ENERGY BITES?

The mixture could shaped into balls instead of bars. However, you may need to play around with the peanut butter and protein powder ratios a bit to get the right consistency for rolling.

You could then add a chocolate coating to make these more of a candy bar in balls form. By adding more chocolate chips they could also become similar to cookie dough protein balls.

CAN I TRY RECIPE VARIATIONS FOR DIFFERENT FLAVORS?

Yes absolutely, you can try a few different flavors or variations.

Lower-calorie protein bars can be made by omitting the chocolate topping. This is a good option if you’re watching your calorie intake.

Chocolate brownie protein bars can be made by using chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla. I would also recommend adding in some cocoa powder to give it a real chocolate taste.

Dark chocolate almond bars by adding almond pieces to the top of the chocolate layer.

Chocolate peanut butter bars by keeping the peanut butter in and adding chocolate protein and cocoa powder.

You can use different ingredients like cashew butter in place of some of the coconut oil or sprinkle some extra coconut sugar in there if desired. Switching it up can be an easy and delicious way to ensure you’re getting your protein content in without getting bored of the same old flavors.

Other High Protein Recipes You May Like To Try

• 15 Easy High Protein Overnight Oats Recipes
• 11 Easy High Protein Baked Oats Recipes
• Pumpkin Pie Protein Cheesecake
• Healthy High Protein Cheesecake
• 3 Ingredient Gluten Free Bagel Bites
• Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough

IF YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE PLEASE LEAVE IT A COMMENT AND STAR RATING. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN PIN THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING @basicswithbails and #basicswithbails