How to Make Homemade DIY Meal Replacement Bars? 7 Recipes

Last Updated on October, 2024

If Snow-White had known how to make a meal replacement bars, she wouldn’t have choked on that poisonous apple. BUT you can have an easy, simple and safe meal by learning how to make meal replacement bars.

Making meal replacement bars is a piece of cake.

You can make a high-profile nutrition bar similar to a full meal with fewer ingredients in a fraction of the time. 

No more roughhousing your way into the stores to grab quantity-played-quality-benched protein bars.

You will get only the very best recipes for nutrition bars here.

The Seven Best Recipes That Will Key You in

Knocking up protein bars at home is always a safe option. 

Making meal replacement bars at home is as good as cooking a full dietary meal.

I will teach you the finest seven protein bars recipes only if you promise me that you’ll not set your kitchen on fire(just kidding).

These recipes are simple but delicious. Even the non-bakers among you will enjoy making them. 

Most of the recipes here are non-bake. (shh! Mums the word).

It’s time to get our teeth on the best recipes.

1. Healthy Granola Protein Bar

It is the BEST CHOICE for a low carb but high protein diet.

It has the same quality as a Sans meal bar you get in stores or on Amazon but is vegan and very cheap to make.

These wild-flavored bars can be substituted as an in-between meal. It will fuel you up till your next meal.

ALL YOU NEED IS:

• 2cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, or a mix.
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or pepitas or additional chopped nuts.
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup honey.
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter.
• Two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or dried fruit or nuts

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTION:

Mix your ingredients as guided down.

1. Toast the oats, nuts, and seeds. This adds a big flavor!
2. Stir the toasted oats and nuts into the peanut butter mixture.
3. Warm the peanut butter and honey together until smooth. Stir in the spices.
4. Press the mixture into a parchment-lined pan. Bake the healthy granola bars at 300 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool, slice, and ENJOY.

2. Gluten-Free Pumpkin Protein Bar

Get spookier this Halloween and trick your neighborhood with a healthy treat. 

It is loaded with a high number of nutrients.

The best keto bar(if you are looking for one) to gain muscle and it is the best after-workout meal for gym-goers.

JUST GRAB THE INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• One cup of canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
• ¼ unsweetened vanilla almond milk or other non-dairy milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp dairy-free chocolate chips.

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
2. Stir the dry ingredients including oats, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients including the maple syrup, pumpkin and almond milk.
4. Gently add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
5. Spread batter evenly into the prepared dish, sprinkle on a few dark chocolate chips and bake for about 20 minutes or until a tooth comes out clean. Let bars cool, cut into 16 bars and enjoy.
6. Store bars in the refrigerator for up to one week or freezer for up to three months.

3. No-Bake Mint Chocolate Bar

Remember the days you had to go without sweetening your cravings for chocolate? Our health freaked self always held us back.

But this is a two-a-piece recipe. So you can eat healthily and go all chocolatey!!! And the fresh mint folded in the mixture is effectively low in calories.

RUMMAGE YOUR PANTRY:

For The Crust:

• ⅔ Cup Roasted Cashews 
• ½ Cup Roughly chopped Medjool dates loosely packed [ 70g about five dates].
• 1 Tbsp Cocoa powder.
• 1 tsp Water 

For The Middle Layer:

• 2 Cups Roasted Cashews soaked in water overnight [250]
• 11/2 Cups Fresh mint roughly chopped and lightly packed [¾ oz]
• ½ Cup Unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
• ¼ Cup Honey. agave for the vegan version 
• ¼ tsp peppermint extract
• Pinch of salt 
• 2 Tbsp Good-quality dark chocolate minced

For Topping:

• 4 Oz Dark Chocolate 

MIMIC THE INSTRUCTION:

1. Place the cashews (for the crust) into a large food processor and pulse until broken down and crumble. Add in the dates and cocoa powder, and pulse until combined, and the mixture begins to form a crumbly dough.
2. Transfer the crumbly dough to a bowl and add in the warm. Use your hands to work the dough until it sticks together.
3. Press the crust firmly into the bottom of a parchment-lined pan. It would be best if you pressed it very thin, so use your muscle and work it there. Place into the freezer while you make the cream.
4. Drain the soaked cashews and place them with the mint, almond milk, honey, peppermint extract, and a pinch of salt into a large, high-powered blender.
5. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary.
6. Transfer the cream to a medium bowl and place it in the refrigerator until it cools for about 30 minutes. In that way, the chocolate doesn’t melt when you stir it in.
7. Once cooled, stir in the minced chocolate, pour the cream over the chilled crust, and spread out evenly. Place into the freezer to fully set for at least 6 hours overnight.
8. Once frozen, place the chocolate into a microwave-safe container and microwave on half power using 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals, until smooth and creamy. Pour the melted chocolate into a shallow, rimmed plate.
9. Remove the bars from the pan and slice them into squares. Quickly dunk the tops of each bar into the melted chocolate and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place into the freezer for a few minutes to set the chocolate.
10. DEVOUR!

4. No-Bake 3 Ingredients Oatmeal Bars

It is a gluten-free three ingredients protein bar.

Oatmeal tossed in with peanut butter and blended with maple syrup is the perfect kickstart to a healthy week. It keeps you filled until your next meal.

Simple to make but healthy to eat!!!.

ALL YOU NEED IS:

• 3 cups rolled oats(gluten-free)
• 1 cup peanut butter
• ½ cup maple syrup

TOSS THE INGREDIENTS AS DIRECTED:

1. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, melt the peanut butter with syrup until combined. Add the oats and mix well, until fully incorporated.
3. Transfer the mixture to the lined pan and press into it firmly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, to firm up, before slicing into bars.

5. Matcha Green Tea Fudge Protein Bar

It is an ideal meal replacement for weight management.

With its bright hue and exotic flavor, Matcha green tea stimulates your appetite and suppresses the sensory-specific satiety.

MAKE THE BEST MATCHA GREEN TEA FUDGE BAR WITH:

• 128g (½ cup) Roasted Almond Butter
• One cup + 2 tbsp Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.
• 1½ tsp Vanilla Crème-Flavored Stevia Extract
• ¾ tsp Almond Extract
• 168g (1¼ cups, lightly packed) Vanilla Brown Rice Protein Powder
• 80g (⅔ cup) Oat Flour
• 2 tbsp Matcha Powder
• ⅛ tsp Salt

INSTRUCTIONS TO BE FOLLOWED:

1. Line an 8×8″ brownie pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In an electric stand mixer bowl fitted with a beater attachment, add all of the ingredients. Mix on low speed until everything is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for one last mix. The mixture should be thick and fudgy, like cookie dough.
3. Scoop the mixture into the brownie pan and flatten it out. Tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. Lift the mixture out of the pan. Slice into 12 bars. Feel free to drizzle melted white, milk, or dark chocolate over the bars! Individually wrap the protein bars in plastic sandwich baggies. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or stash them in the freezer

6. Peanut Butter Protein Bar

Peanut butter is the widespread food on the breakfast table around the world. 

Peanut butter, rightly balanced with the other ingredients, suffices hunger and helps a great deal in digestion and excretion.

It is near perfection to a full meal.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:

• ¼ cup maple syrup
• One cup creamy peanut butter natural with oil – not regular peanut butter, or these will be crumbly
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 60 grams vanilla protein powder* *about ½ cup- see notes
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt for topping optional

FOLD THE INGREDIENTS AS GUIDED:

1. Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to a bowl of a stand mixer. Mix by hand or with a mixer until a dough forms. The texture will be like dense cookie dough.
2. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Press the mixture into an 8×4 pan lined with parchment paper.
4. Freeze for 1 hour so the bars can set.
5.  Cut into 8 even slices and serve. (Sprinkle with sea salt – optional)
6. Leftovers can be individually wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to a week or freezer for 3 months

7. No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Bar

An Apple in a bar keeps the junk far.

It is an amazing recipe for a paleo-friendly vegan, gluten-free low-carb diet.

If you fear too much protein will affect your guts, you can induce these good protein bars with apples into your diet.

THE INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:

• 1 cup coconut flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup protein powder of choice
• Two tablespoons of granulated sweetener of choice
• One tablespoon cinnamon
• One teaspoon of mixed spice
• One teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
• ½ cup keto maple syrup
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• One tablespoon of milk of choice

DIRECTIONS TO MIX THE INGREDIENTS:

1. Line a large baking dish with greased paper and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, protein powder, granulated sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mixed spice and mix well.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the nut butter and liquid sweetener and heat until melted. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix well. Add the unsweetened applesauce and mix until combined- The batter should be crumbly.
4. Using a spoon, add the milk of choice one spoonful at a time until a thick, firm batter is formed.
5. Transfer to a lined baking dish and press firmly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Related article: How Many Meal Replacement Bars Should You Eat in a Day?

Why Homemade Protein Bars are Better?

Making meal replacement bars has a range of benefits.

Most of the nutrition bars we get at stores or online are way too expensive, they rarely meet the requirements of a dietary meal (have you paid the piper?).

But homemade protein bars are very cheap to make and you don’t have to spend hours making them.

You are the BOSS of the ingredients that go into the bars and have the upper hand in determining the nutrition value.

And homemade protein bars are always fresh with no artificial preservatives.

Final Note

Hey! I hope these were the have-the-cake-and-eat-the-cake recipes you were looking for. They are very easy to make and you don’t need to be a cut-out for making them.

I vouch for you to try Matcha green tea fudge bar as it has a balanced amount of calories that your body needs.

Nevertheless, all the recipes here will satiate the health nut in you. Giving these recipes a try is worth a shot.

So fill your snack jars with freshly made protein bars and send one my way in the form of a comment. I am badly in need of some energy boost. 

And please feel free to share your baking episodes with us.

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.wellplated.com/healthy-granola-bars/
2. https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/pumpkin-protein-bars-vegan-gluten-free/
3. https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/mint-chocolate-cashew-cream-no-bake-bars/
4. https://thebigmansworld.com/three-ingredient-no-bake-oatmeal-bars/
5. https://dessertswithbenefits.com/healthy-matcha-green-tea-fudge-protein-bars/
6. https://thecleaneatingcouple.com/peanut-butter-protein-bars/
7. https://thebigmansworld.com/no-bake-apple-pie-protein-bars/

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