This past Friday, my alarm sounded a little earlier than normal. After groggily pacing through my morning workout routine, showering, and checking blog work off of my to do list, I loaded my weekend bag and little pup into my car to drive to my parents’ house.
Despite a few slow cars in the far left freeway lane, I still pulled into the driveway by mid-afternoon. My dog and I raced through the front door while shouting (and barking) a quick hello to my dad before I quickly changed into a thick sweater, tucking a fleece blanket under one arm and a puffy winter coat under the other.
Then Dad and I hopped into his car to drive to the baseball game!
We walked through the stadium gates shortly after they opened, making a beeline for our seats behind the home team’s dugout. While most of our family and friends prefer to arrive just before the first pitch, Dad and I love getting to the ballpark as early as possible to watch batting practice.
Yes, I know most people find baseball games boring, let alone sitting in an empty stadium for an extra 2 hours with almost no action to watch whatsoever, but those moments have always been my favorite quality father-daughter times. We alternate between talking about the game, our work, and life in general, and I always end up thinking just how lucky I am to have my dad and share that special bond with him.
The only downside to arriving at the stadium early is that my stomach starts rumbling partway through the game! With limited food options, and because I rarely find the atomic hot sausages appealing that my dad usually buys, I often tuck homemade snacks into my purse. These Mocha Brownie Protein Bars were what got me through Friday’s game!
These bars are incredibly easy to make, and they were actually inspired by my friend Jessica’s cookbook, DIY Protein Bars. The cookbook is full of healthy recipes, all made gluten-free with no refined sugar, with fun flavors like s’mores, caramel macchiato, and chubby hubby. I’m dying to try all of them!
This recipe of mine required just 4 ingredients—how simple is that?? The bars start with vanilla protein powder, and I used PlantFusion to keep them gluten-free, vegan, and clean-eating friendly. Even for chocolate recipes, I still prefer vanilla protein powder because it usually has a nicer flavor compared to chocolate powders.
For the mocha flavor, we’ll add cocoa powder and coffee. The stronger the coffee, the more prominent its taste. I originally made these protein bars with regular strength coffee, and I could barely detect it through the chocolate. (Not a bad thing for a chocoholic like me!) If you prefer more of a coffee flavor, use double strength instead.
After mixing together the ingredients, plus a little Truvia for sweetness, press the mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. (Easier clean up!) Chill until firm—or if you forget like me, until you remember that you have a chocolaty snack in the fridge!—before slicing into bars.
Nothing beats a fudgy brownie-like snack!
| Mocha Brownie Protein Bars | | Print |
- 3 scoops (90g) plant-based vanilla protein powder (I used PlantFusion)
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured correctly)
- ½ cup (50g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 2 tbsp (28g) Truvia (or other sweetener, to taste)
- 1 cup (240mL) cold coffee
- Line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the protein powder, cocoa powder, oats, and Truvia. Mix in the cold coffee until fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan, and evenly press it down with a spatula. Chill for at least 2 hours, or until firm, before slicing into bars.
The bars can be somewhat fragile and flimsy, even if eaten directly from the refrigerator. For firmer bars, freeze for 10-20 minutes before eating.
For a more prominent coffee flavor, use double-strength coffee instead.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ page.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb, high protein}
More protein bar recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Protein Bars by Desserts With Benefits
♥ Chewy Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Granola Bars by Ambitious Kitchen
♥ Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip Protein Bars by iFOODreal
♥ Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bars on Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Hi! I’m planning on making these and my younger brother is eating them as well. I was wondering if I could use almond milk to substitute the caffeine? Also, could I use chocolate protein powder? Thanks.
I’m honored that you want to try making this recipe Tania! Yes, you can substitute almond milk in place of the coffee. The chocolate version of the protein powder that I used should also work. (If you’re using another brand of protein powder, I highly recommend reading over my Protein Powder FAQ Page before you start! There’s a link to it at the bottom of the Notes section of this recipe.) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your brother think of these protein bars!
Hii there!
Is there a substitute for the Oats?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these protein bars, Tarryn! Is there something specific that you had in mind? I know certain ingredients are hard to find in grocery stores right now, so I wanted to check to see what you had available to you before making suggestions of ingredients you weren’t able to find! 🙂
I can’t have oats😟 I’m not allowed any type of grains. Thank you so much for getting back to me
It’s my pleasure, Tarryn! What ingredients do you have available to you that you’re able to eat and would like to try substituting? 🙂
Could I use coconut?
I’m not quite sure what you mean, Tarryn! What exact coconut product did you have in mind — shredded coconut, flaked coconut, coconut flour, something else?
Sorry! Yes! Shredded coconut. Or coconut flour
Thanks for clarifying Tarryn! I think coconut flour would work better than shredded coconut since it’s really absorbent, and that’s the role the oats play in these protein bars. Since coconut flour is more absorbent than oats, I’d recommend starting with just 3-4 tablespoons to replace the oats. When you originally stir the mixture together, but before transferring it to the pan, let the mixture sit on the counter for 10 minutes to let the coconut flour work its absorbent magic. 😉 If the mixture seems too wet, stir in a bit more coconut flour! If it’s too dry, then add a bit more coffee. Does that make sense? 🙂 I’m really excited to hear how your protein bars turn out!
Hi,
When I made mine, it never solidified in the fridge, it just stayed as an something in-between a liquid and a solid. Could you let me know what I need to do to make them solid.
I’m honored that you tried making these protein bars, Zo! To make them more solid, you can either pop them in the freezer (to help this current batch firm up more!) or add more oats and/or protein powder next time. I really hope you at least enjoyed their flavor!
Thank you for your quick response. For the next batch I will try to increase the amount of Protein Powder. I was also wondering why you suggest not using Whey Protein Powder, is it due to a constancy issues, or more a flavour profile?
It’s my pleasure! I’ve actually covered why whey protein powder won’t work in place of plant-based protein powders on my Protein Powder FAQ Page, and there’s a link to that FAQ Page in the Notes section of the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss — but I promise that FAQ Page answers your question! 😉
Hi Amy,
The bars look fantastic and I’m really excited to try a bar without nut butter, I was wondering if you have a similar recipe for Whey protein, of if there is anyway I can tweak this one since I don’t have plant-based protein? Like maybe add less liquid?
Thank you!
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these protein bars, Shima! I haven’t found a way to make these as no-baked bars with whey protein; the mixture is much too sticky. However, I think other readers have had success baking the mixture when they substituted whey protein. (I can’t personally vouch for that though!) So if you’d like to try that, I’d recommend just ¼ cup of coffee to start and then baking the mixture in the loaf pan at 300°F until it seems firm. Otherwise, you can find my recipes that call for whey protein here!
I’d love to hear how that goes if you decide to try it — or what you think if you decide to try any of my recipes that call for whey protein instead! 🙂
Hi Amy!
Thank you so much for the quick reply! I tried them with whey protein and just a little coffee like you suggested, I refrigerated them overnight and in the morning, they’d turned almost into chocolate bars. I quite liked them and I’ll definitely make them again. (My protein powder is really sweet so any time I’d tried mixing them with mashed bananad or applesauce the reuslt turned too sweet for me, but with coffee they were perfect! Thank you for the great idea.) I might try baking them some time too, but they turned out pretty good even without that. 🙂
It’s my pleasure, Shima! And thank YOU for taking the time to share your experience!! I’m absolutely thrilled that the small amount of coffee and refrigerating them overnight worked. Now I’m incredibly tempted to try doing that, just to see what their taste and texture is like too! 😉 I truly appreciate you letting me know how they turned out — it really means a lot! 🙂
Hi Amy, every time I try to use larger amounts of cocoa it turns out way too bitter, could you share what cocoa powder you use?
This is the cocoa powder that I use, Marsha! 🙂
Hi there! If I’m using chocolate pea protein powder, do I still need the cocoa powder? Thanks in advance!
Yes, I still recommend using the cocoa powder! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these protein bars if you make them, Zo!