During my second quarter of college, I had such a low priority for picking classes that I ended up with a three-hour block of lectures starting at 7:30 am two days each week. Even worse, my chemistry lab ended at 10 pm the night before, so I barely had time to bike home, finish the post-lab questions, and fall asleep before my alarm rang.
That was the winter quarter too, where the sun rose just as class started. Pretty rough!
Since I knew I’d collapse on my bed as soon as I arrived back at my room, I started to pack my running shoes in my bag and stopped by the gym for a workout after class ended. The building was fairly empty at that time of day, so I could always snag my favorite equipment and machines.
Because I had poured myself a small bowl of cereal for breakfast nearly four hours earlier, my stomach usually began rumbling a little bit before I walked through the doors of the gym. My stomach would cramp if I ate too much before a workout, so I tucked a granola bar into my backpack to nibble on during the last few minutes of class to get me through my run.
I usually turned to those 100-calorie ones with either lots of chocolate (I am a chocoholic, after all!) or a fruit and yogurt blend. The grocery store near my apartment often placed those varieties on sale, making it easy to stock up on snacks. Back then, I was mainly looking for a quick energy boost that tasted good too!
But now, I prefer my snack bars to pack in more protein to keep my stomach feeling full and my muscles happy as well. When I realized this past spring just how easy it was to make my own, I started brainstorming different flavors to try… And these Fudgy Brownie Batter Protein Bars were at the top of the list!
Yes, healthy protein bars that taste like dessert… They’re a dream come true!
This super easy recipe starts with three main dry ingredients: coconut flour, cocoa powder, and protein powder. Coconut flour behaves very differently than normal flours because it’s three times as absorbent, so it’s extremely important to measure the coconut flour correctly. Any extra will dry out the protein bars and make them crumbly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure! This is the inexpensive one that I own, and I use it for every recipe that I make for this blog.
Note: The spoon-and-level method will work too, but a kitchen scale is much more accurate!
For the protein powder, I turned to one of my all-time favorites: Bob’s Red Mill soy protein powder. Unlike many other protein powders, this one contains only one ingredient… Soy protein! No crazy ingredients, sweeteners, or preservatives. This soy protein powder is also essentially flavorless, making it a great backdrop for recipes. And it’s relatively inexpensive too! I buy mine in bulk from Amazon because I go through it so quickly.
You’re more than welcome to try substituting other protein powders, but this recipe was specifically designed for plant-based protein powder. Whey-based protein powders will NOT work! They’ll turn the mixture into a sticky mess than never sets, so save those whey-based protein powders for these muffins or cookies instead!
These bars are sweetened with two stevia-based sweeteners: Truvia and SweetLeaf powder. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener, but since it often has a strange aftertaste, I prefer to use a blend of different brands to reduce any funky flavors. Certain brands are more expensive than others, so combining a few different types also helps reduce the cost!
After you’ve mixed together the dough, simply press it into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan. Use a spatula to do this! The dough will stick to your hands… But I won’t judge if you lick your fingers. To ensure the parchment paper stays in place, I use binder or bag clips. (You can see them in the photo above!)
Then pop the pan in the refrigerator to chill and set. It’s pure torture to wait, especially for chocoholics like me who always seem to have a huge out-of-control craving, but…
When it means your healthy snack secretly tastes like brownies, I promise it’s worth the wait!
| Fudgy Brownie Batter Protein Bars | | Print |
- ¼ cup (28g) coconut flour (measured correctly)
- 6 tbsp (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured correctly)
- 6 tbsp (30g) soy protein powder (such as Bob’s Red Mill)
- 3 tbsp (37g) Truvia
- 1 ½ tsp SweetLeaf powdered stevia
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) unsweetened cashew milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (14g) miniature chocolate chips
- Line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper. (See photo in blog post above.)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, Truvia, stevia, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, cashew milk, and vanilla. Add in the coconut flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in half of the chocolate chips.
- Press the mixture into the prepared pan using a spatula, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the top. Chill for at least 3 hours before slicing into bars.
Any sweetener may be substituted in place of the Truvia and SweetLeaf. You may need to adjust the amounts to taste. If using a highly different amount, you may need to adjust the amount of coconut flour or protein powder if the dough is too wet OR more milk if the dough is too dry.
Any milk may be substituted for the cashew milk.
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, high protein, sugar-free}
Amy, these sound wonderful. For those who don’t have coconut flour, will these bars still work with GP or WW flour in place of the coconut flour? I would imagine that it might require a different amount of flour.
Thanks Sarah! I haven’t tried other flours, but they should work. Generally, coconut flour is 3 times as absorbent as other flours, which means you would probably need 2-3 times as much of any other flour. I’d suggest starting with double the amount of coconut flour in the recipe, and add more flour 2 teaspoons at a time if the mixture seems too wet. I hope you enjoy the protein bars!
I love recipes that feel indulge but aren’t! Plus I love high-protein snack ideas. I’ve never used soy protein but now I want to!
I highly recommend soy protein powder Melissa! I hope you enjoy it if you try it! 🙂
Anyway I can replace soy protein powder with something else? Like more coconut flour? Not that I don’t want to use it, but its quiet difficult to get here in India.
This recipe was specifically designed for soy protein powder, so I can’t guarantee that any other substitutions will work. If you can find plant-based protein powders, those would be my first choice for substituting. You could try using coconut flour instead, but I don’t know how much you’d need. I’d recommend starting with 1 additional tablespoon and adding 1 teaspoon at a time more until the mixture comes together. I hope you enjoy the bars Deepika!
Could you use almond milk instead of cashew? thanks!
Definitely! I already answered that in the Notes section beneath the Instructions. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the protein bars Ali!
I’ve tried this recipe twice and it’s GREAT! They’re really chocolate-y. I ate the first batch in 3 days! I liked these ones even better than the chocolate chip cookie dough version. (Still waiting to get some peanut flour to try the peanut butter version.) There’s a slightly strange aftertaste, but you don’t notice it once you get used to these sweeteners – these protein bars were my first experience with them. Also, I did use almond milk since that’s what I had and it worked just fine (for those other readers wondering).
Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these protein bars too Mindy! I appreciate you sharing that almond milk works — I always love to hear what substitutions work. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the peanut butter protein bars!
Hi Amy, these look delicious and I can’t wait to try out the recipe. I was wondering if you could replace the soy protein powder with something like whey? Thanks.
I already go over that in the Notes section beneath the Instructions! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the protein bars if you try them Jake!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe Amy! I absolutely cannot wait to try it! And the cookie dough bars too!! Just found your blog and I’m loving all of it 🙂 Hope you have a great day!
You’re so sweet Melanie — thank you! I really appreciate it, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of both protein bar recipes! 🙂
Hi Amy! These are so delcious – made them yesterday! My only dilemma is they’re still pretty soft after chilling overnight. A pinch too gooey to cut neatly. Any suggestions on how to firm them up? Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed their flavor Shelli! If you used a different protein powder, that’s probably why (especially if it was whey-based). You can try popping them in the freezer to compensate for their gooey-ness.
What can I use in place of Stevia ? Do you think honey would work and would it be the same amount ?
I actually went over this in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 🙂 You may substitute ¼ cup of honey, and you’ll need to reduce the milk by about the same amount. I’m excited to hear what you think of the protein bars!
These were so awesome! I ate one in a meeting today and people were very jealous. 🙂 This recipe is going on the “Make Again” list!
Yay!! I’m really glad you loved them! That means SO much to me that they’d go on your “Make Again” list, Vanessa — I’m truly honored!! 🙂