Unbelievably easy homemade protein bars with only four ingredients! Chewy and loaded with almond butter and honey flavors – gluten free and dairy free. Add them to your stock of snacks, like my strawberry cashew energy bites, almond butter pretzel bites, apple pie energy bites, coconut lemon poppy seed energy bites, and chocolate pecan pie energy bites.
So, we’re fully moved in to the new house and surrounded by boxes (but we’re reducing those a little day by day). And as I write this, I’m smack in the middle of an awful cold.
A few days ago I woke up with a sore throat, and thought it was just from the fact that the air was dry and that I’d slept for all of, oh, I don’t know… three hours over the last few days.
The cats have been having a rough time with the move, and apparently the way they deal with it is by crawling all over us when we’re trying to sleep, clawing their new rug, and trying to climb the walls. Literally.
We decided to try locking them out of the bedroom at night (which they’ve never had done in their approximately 11 years of life), and let me tell you.. that went SO well.
One of the cats just slept on a perch downstairs, upside down, snoring. The other dealt with it by screaming at the top of his lungs for five straight hours.
So… no sleep for Leslie. And that is why I assumed I had a sore throat. I was very wrong, because over the next 24 hours it got so bad I couldn’t swallow without tears welling up in my eyes. And with the next 24 hours, a cough, itchy eyes, and constant sneezing.
Now I’m so congested I’ve become a total mouth-breathing barbarian. I can’t taste anything, I can’t smell anything, and hearing things is 50/50 because the congestion has moved to my ears.
Lucky for you, you’re probably not sick (at least I hope not – if you are, feel free to come over and be gross with me while I watch Supernatural reruns turned up to 11) and you can taste these wonderful copycat Rise almond honey protein bars (affiliate link).
These homemade protein bars are so easy to whip up and keep in the fridge, you’re going to have a hard time not making them in gigantic batches. The recipe below makes 8 bars, so if you want to make more, just double up!
You can wrap them individually in parchment paper and plastic wrap and stack them in a container in the fridge so that you can grab and go during the week.
I decided to make a copycat recipe for these after I’d tried them at Bill’s aunt and uncle’s house when we evacuated in March during the storms. They were kind enough to let us stay with them and made us delicious meals every night.
In between, I was so stressed about the condition of the house that I didn’t have much of an appetite, so in between meals I snacked on the Rise bars they had in the pantry. I was hooked. But to save money (because, you know, mortgage), I wanted to know I could make them myself.
Annnnnd… success! Homemade protein bars don’t have to be intimidating, sometimes it just takes a little trial and error to find the right combination of ingredients where it’s tasty, and not reminiscent of eating chalk.
Making almond honey protein bars
Here’s what I use for these homemade protein bars (affiliate links):
- Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour: It’s all I use!
- Vega Vanilla Protein Powder: I always use Vega Protein & Greens because it’s gluten free and soy free.
- Barney Butter Smooth Almond Butter: I’m still trying to find my favorite brand, but I’ve had success with Barney Butter and MaraNatha.
- Raw honey: As always, I used Boston Honey Company honey, but if you don’t have access to that you can use any raw honey you want.
- And to mix it all together, I use my trusty KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Mixer
And that’s it!
After you’ve made this recipe, please leave a comment below with a rating – and if you came from Pinterest, add a photo to the Pin of what you make to the pin to share your experience!
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Almond Honey Protein Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 bars 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
An unbelievably easy homemade protein bar with only four ingredients! Chewy and loaded with almond butter and honey flavors.
Ingredients
- 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder – about 1/2 cup, or 60g
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup almond butter (aff link), stirred well
- ½ cup organic honey (can substitute real maple syrup if strictly vegan)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer (aff link), combine all ingredients until well combined and smooth.
- Roll out dough onto a piece of parchment paper into a square or rectangle about 1/2″ thick.
- Slice into 8 equally sized bars (or 12, if you’d like them to be smaller).
- Wrap each bar in plastic wrap for an easy grab-and-go snack, or stack between layers of parchment paper. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes
- If left at room temperature, they become a bit oily and melty, so make sure you keep them in the fridge until ready to consume.
- Keep in mind that different kinds of protein powder have different flavors and sweetness profiles, so I can only speak to the results using the Vega Vanilla Protein Powder (aff link) I have linked in this post.
- Category: Snack
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: protein bars, almond honey protein balls, almond protein bars
Kaitlin says
It’s really great! Though as noted above, when they get warm they get melty. Any tips for keeping them more solid?
★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
So glad you think so – thanks for leaving a comment and rating! Just keep them stored in the fridge as instructed to keep them in the best shape.
Michelle says
I hated to rate this recipe so low, because I feel it is a good base, but it was WAY too sweet. Not at all like the Rise bars that I love. I used a plain whey protein, I did not want my bar to have a vanilla taste. I even added about an 1/8 tsp salt, but it was still overpowering. I know I don’t like a lot of sugar, so I had my son taste it. He could not eat it. So I added more of everything but the honey, doubled up on all of it. It is really good now, but crumbly. I have to be careful when I eat it, but I love it. I am thinking of adding 3/4 cups of the almond butter, almond flour and protein powder, maybe a 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 cup of honey next time. I am not giving up, and I love what I ended up with. I think a few more tweaks and it will be perfect for me. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!
★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
Sorry that you felt they were too sweet, as that certainly hasn’t been my experience! I will say that it could be because of the type of protein powder and/or type of honey used, as some are certainly more sweet than others. Clover honey tends to have a pretty mild sweet flavor, whereas others are more robust and heavier on the sweetness scale. I also don’t use unflavored whey protein powder and only use Vega Clean Protein Powder, so I can’t speak to how that affected the flavor as the vanilla flavor is intended to complement the honey flavor.
Glad you were able to make it work for your personal preference, but sorry you didn’t enjoy it as written.
Linda D Wright says
Thanks! I forged ahead and used a little over 1/2 cup. They are really sweet….but I’m not someone who uses “protein powder” of any kind. I threw in some salted sunflower seeds as well. Looking forward to having one-a-day as my lunch replacement and see how I feel. 71 and pudgy here and trying to do a better job of eating healthy. Thanks for your help.