No-Bake Protein Oat Bars Recipe
Easy Protein No-Bake Oat Bars with Peanut Butter and Banana. A healthy treat you can mix in minutes and prep for the week.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 302kcal
Equipment
- Baking sheet or shallow pan (9×5-inch, 8×8-inch, or similar size)
Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup hemp hearts
- 4 medium bananas mashed
- ¾ cup smooth peanut butter or seed butter or tahini
- 2 scoops unsweetened protein powder or almond powder (optional)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Prepare tray: Line a small baking pan or sheet with parchment, or use individual silicone snack molds.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in the peanut or seed butter until smooth.
- Add the oats, hemp hearts, protein powder (if using), and cocoa powder (if using). Mix until a thick, uniform dough forms. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if using protein powder, only as needed, until it holds together. Taste and add maple or date syrup, one tablespoon at a time, as desired.
- Press the mixture firmly into your tray or silicone molds. For perfectly even bars, place a sheet of parchment on top and press down with another tray or the bottom of a measuring cup to flatten the surface. Remove the top parchment.
- Chill: Freeze for at least 3 hours (or refrigerate 3–4 hours) or until fully set.
- For refrigerated tray oat bars: Slice after the mixture has chilled. Cold bars cut much more cleanly and hold their shape.
Notes
Sweetness: I enjoy these oat bars as is, but if you'd like them sweeter, add maple or date syrup to the mix, about 2 tablespoons.
Tray size: These ingredient amounts are designed for about a 9x5-inch or similar-sized tray. If you reduce the recipe, use a smaller tray to keep the bars at a thickness that will hold well; if you scale up, switch to a larger tray so they set properly.
Nut-Free: Use tahini or seed butter and skip the protein powder, or opt for a nut-free brand.
Ingredients: I used a high-protein variety of rolled oats and a one-ingredient protein powder, linked here. Most rolled oats are pre-steamed and ready to eat. If using raw rolled oats, soak them in hot water to cover for 5 minutes, then drain well before using. Or toss them with a drizzle of lemon juice first.
Nutrition
Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 408mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 68IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 5mg
