Chew Out Loud

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5-Ingredient Protein Bars (no-bake!)

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For deliciously nutritious energy on the run, grab a couple of your own homemade Protein Bars! These 5-ingredient protein bars couldn’t be easier. No baking needed, they keep well, and are deliciously satisfying!

no bake protein bars recipe

No-Bake Protein Bars Recipe

Has anyone experienced garage sale mania? (I promise this relates to protein bars.) 

Every year, we have a city-wide garage sale where every other house is hosting their own big sale. People save vacation time and take off work to hunt for bargains. Sale signs are everywhere, and roads are packed. 

After years living here and witnessing all the craze, I decided to finally host my own sale this year. It turned out to be a worthwhile endeavor, despite leaving me with zero time to cook or eat a hot meal. That’s where these No-Bake Protein Bars come in. 

Not only are these nutritious protein bars incredibly easy to make, they keep really well and are deliciously satisfying. Try this protein bar recipe for your pre/post workout fueling and on-the-go healthy snacking. Plus, they’re outstanding at taking the edge off hunger whether you’re garage sale-ing, working, commuting, or what not. 

peanut butter protein bars

Homemade Protein Bars – only 5 ingredients

I probably won’t host another garage sale for a long, long time. It turned out to be way more work than I planned. I stayed up way too late every night trying to organize and set up.  Hubby totally helped.  He deserves this cake or these brownies on splurge day. 

In the meantime, we’re loving the nutrient-dense yet simple ingredients that go into this tasty protein bars recipe. All you need are:

  • whole rolled oats
  • real peanut butter
  • whey protein powder
  • real honey
  • milk

The dark chocolate drizzle is optional (or not.)

If you’re planning to stash these bars in your gym bag, backpack, or lunch bag, you can use dark chocolate morels in the bars themselves rather than melt/drizzle over the top. They’ll stay a lot neater that way.

homemade protein bars

Homemade Protein Bars = Budget Friendly and healthier

These no-bake, 5-ingredient protein bars are JUST the thing for a nutritious energy boost.  I made a big batch, which came in SO handy for pick-me-up snacks.  They’re even great for breakfast. 

Making my own protein bars are much cheaper than the crazy price they go for at stores these days. Plus, they’re a million times healthier, because they have all natural ingredients – only 5 ingredients if you don’t include optional chocolate.

Not to mention these protein bars are rich, delicious, and completely satisfying.  They keep extremely well at a mild room temperature, stored airtight, for up to a week. 

Try these Maple Cinnamon Bake Oatmeal Bars, too:

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no bake protein bars

5-Ingredient Protein Bars (no-bake!)

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Chew Out Loud
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 5 min
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: snacks, breakfast
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These 5-ingredient Protein Bars are super easy, packed with good nutrition, and perfect for breakfast or snack on the run. Plus, they are a no-bake recipe! This one’s a keeper.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup milk (I use whole)
  • 1 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 2–3TB honey, plus more to taste
  • 1 1/4 cups vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder
  • 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
  • (Optional: Melted dark chocolate for drizzling)

Instructions

  1. In a medium heavy pot, combine milk, peanut butter, and desired amount of honey over low heat. Stir just until all ingredients are well combined and warmed through. Add protein powder and oats. Stir to combine well. (If mixture is too thick to stir, simply add a bit more milk.)
  2. Lightly grease an 8×8 pan. Press mixture evenly into pan, using enough pressure to compress mixture into desired bar thickness.
  3. Allow bars to cool completely.
  4. Cut into squares. If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate and let cool. Wrap in airtight container and store at moderate room temp for several days, or chilled in fridge for a week. 

Notes

Protein powder is to be measured according to standard cups, not the scoops that come inside the tub of protein powder. 

If you’re planning to pack these bars to go, you can opt to use about 1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels in the bar mixture itself, rather than drizzling on top.

Keywords: homemade protein bars

Here’s my favorite recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, which the family loves!

chewy chocolate chip granola bars

These Peanut Butter Cereal Bars are such a delight!  Crispy, perfect amount of sweetness, and packed with natural honey and peanut butter!

Peanut Butter 'n Honey Cereal Bars

This Yogurt Honey Dip is perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth quickly and nutritiously.  My friends love this one!

Greek Yogurt Spice Dip 4

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Beth Wilson says

    This sounds wonderful! And I really love the fact that it’s all natural. I have a few questions. May I use creamy peanut butter in lieu of the chunky? Also, did you use chocolate or vanilla, whey protein powder? I want to use what you used.

    I buy organic, to stay away from GMOs. I’m assuming the whey protein is NON-GMO. I’ve never bought that.

    Thank you so much, and I look forward to trying this. What a great feeling to know you made such a healthy snack and it’s NOT Frankenfood, like so many “healthy” or “all natural” snacks on the market today.

    Beth

    Reply

  4. Gargi says

    Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.I have one question, like when i made it it was where sticky so not able to eat properly all sticked around teeth. Kindly help me . Thanks in advance

    Reply

  5. Hannah says

    Do you know approximately how many grams of protein are in each bar? And how many bars does this recipe yield? Thanks!

    Reply

    • chewoutloud says

      Hannah, the grams of protein will vary, depending on the size of your bar and the brand of whey protein you used, too. Generally, there’s about 8 grams of protein per 2 TB of peanut butter. Most protein powders probably have at least 20 grams of protein per scoop, but again, there’s variation of ingredients in each brand. As for how many bars, that got me thinking to how big/small I cut mine. It can be 8 – 16 bars, depending on the size you cut them. I hope that helps? Thanks for stopping by, Hannah 🙂

      Reply

        • chewoutloud says

          Mike, I don’t see why not 🙂 I’d wrap them tightly and freeze them probably up to a few weeks at most. Let them come to room temp before enjoying. Way better than spending a ton on store bars; I can never get myself to justify the cost. Enjoy! 🙂

          Reply

  8. Laurie says

    Has anyone tried these with dairy free milk? I was wondering if almond milk could be subbed in. Thanks!

    Reply

  9. Ana Nabo says

    Hello.

    In regards to the Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, can we substitute the butter with anything else?

    Thank you 🙂

    Reply

  11. Joel says

    Can I substitute peanut butter for say almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc?

    Also will it be ok to use almond, hemp, or other type of milk?

    Reply

    • chewoutloud says

      Absolutely, Joel! I sometimes do that for friends who have peanut allergies…almond butter, sunbutter, even cashew butter…all good 🙂 And yes for other type of milk as well, though you might get a bit of texture differences with the milk sub. Enjoy and thanks so much for coming over today! 🙂

      Reply

  12. Terry says

    One of the questions leaves me more confused! I assumed from the recipe that it was 1 1/4 CUPS ~ as in a standard measuring cup. A reader asked if you meant the scoop that comes in the protein powder. Is it 1 1/4 scoops or cups???

    Reply

  13. Ari Hoffman says

    Hello! These look great, but I’m really curious on the nutrition values. I’m new to all this so I don’t know how to calculate it when it’s cooked, so do you have any idea to how cooking it effects the nutrition values or how I could calculate it?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  14. Hannah Murphy says

    Hi,I love the sound of this recipe. I’ve just recently tried to make my own protein bar with all organic ingredients (that’s my edge) but they seem to have gone terribly wrong :(I was wondering whether I’d be able to incorporate bananas into this particular recipe as my protein powder is Banana flavour. Could you suggest any changes id have to make or any advice really. Id appreciate it! 🙂

    Reply

    • chewoutloud says

      I think you’ll have great success with these bars, Hannah! 🙂 As for incorporating bananas, you can try banana chips or some version of dried bananas. I wouldn’t recommend fresh bananas, as the texture would change and the bars would have a much shorter shelf life. Have fun playing with the flavors!!

      Reply

    • chewoutloud says

      Chrissy, these are relatively dense and moist enough to take along with you – they shouldn’t be crumbly or dry out on the road. If you’re making a batch for a lot of people, you can cut them into smaller bite-size squares and they’ll go a long way. We really like them for tough workouts!

      Reply

  16. Tambi durai says

    hi

    wondering whether normal cooking butter can be used for making proteins bars if nut butters are not avilable

    thank you in advance

    Reply

  18. Kristine Nicole Alessandra says

    You had me at no bake. Since I promised myself to pick healthier food this year, I am going to make these protein bars to snack on instead of chips. Thanks for the recipe. I will make some this weekend.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  25. Susana says

    Thank you for this easy and healthy protein bar! I went grocery shopping today and forgot to buy protein bars; I made these instead. Glad I made these instead!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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