Happy Monday, I hope your weekend was fabulous, healthy, happy and sunny.
Today we’re doing a throwback recipe from 2017. These peanut butter protein bars were so delicious that I had to redo the photos and hit publish on the blog again.
I’ll occasionally do this with older recipes because 1) I don’t want you to forget about them and 2) anything with peanut butter is always acceptable, right?!
Peanut butter + chocolate = match made in heaven
Raise your hand if a Reese’s peanut butter cup is your favorite candy; it’s been mine since I was a little girl. I remember finding my Dad’s stash of peanut butter cups in the fridge or freezer and begged him to have one after dinner. It’s funny, I even remember eating the edges of the peanut butter cup then savoring the peanut butter middle for last.
These days, I make my own homemade healthy peanut butter cups, and still am obsessed with just about anything with a peanut butter and chocolate combo. That’s exactly where these chocolate peanut butter protein bars come in. They provide a healthy dose of protein, yet they taste like dessert. WIN WIN WIN.
How to make peanut butter protein bars
These chocolate peanut butter protein bars are easy to make because there’s no baking required. All you need is an a pot or two, an 8×4 inch loaf pan, parchment paper and 7 simple ingredients:
peanut butter: you can use whatever kind of nut butter you’d like, just make sure it’s all natural (with no additives — just nuts + salt). I like Smucker’s, Santa Cruz, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods natural creamy peanut butter.
honey: this unrefined sweetener is perfect for holding together + sweetening the bars. If you are vegan, I suggest using coconut palm syrup or date syrup.
coconut oil: you’ll only need a tablespoon of coconut oil!
vanilla extract: I’m such a vanilla lover, but if you find yourself out of vanilla, feel free to skip it!
flaxseed meal: flaxseed meal is just ground flaxseeds! I absolutely LOVE how it adds fiber + protein to these bars. It does give the bar a nice toasty flavor too.
protein powder: you can use plant based or a whey protein. My personal favorite is Vital Proteins collagen peptides (which is dairy free) but I also love aloha vanilla plant based protein powder for this recipe. Those are the two I highly recommend for flavor and consistency in this recipe.
dark chocolate: you can use your favorite brand of dark chocolate. I recommend theo, divine or alter eco brands. Alter eco has a lot of great dairy free/vegan options!
Optional: a little fancy sea salt for sprinkling on top.
These bars are seriously one of my favorite healthier treats to make because they’re so freaking easy and do NOT require any baking. They also make an excellent post workout snack or late afternoon pick me up as they happen to pack 9g protein.
Personally I love keeping them in the fridge when I want a healthier dessert that’s similar to my favorite candy in the world.
More peanut butter + chocolate treats to try:
Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Freezer Fudge
Healthy Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
See how to make chocolate peanut butter protein bars:
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate them! And don’t forget to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so we can see your creations!
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup natural creamy peanut butter (just peanuts + salt)
- ¼ cup honey (or coconut palm syrup, if vegan)
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup ground flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup of your favorite vanilla or plain protein powder*
- 2.5 ounces your favorite 85% dark chocolate bar
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
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In a medium bowl mix together peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla together until smooth. Add in ground flaxseed meal and protein powder of choice. Use a spoon to mix together until you can’t anymore, then use clean hands to help work together. The batter should be similar to cookie dough.
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Press into an 8x4 inch pan lined with parchment paper.
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Make the chocolate layer by adding 2.5 ounces of dark chocolate to a small saucepan and melting until completely smooth. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and tilt the pan so that the chocolate covers the peanut butter layer entirely.
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Place in the fridge for 30 minutes-1 hour before slicing into 10 bars or squares (either works but I love squares the most). Store covered in the fridge until ready to eat. Bars will keep for up to two weeks.
Recipe Notes
*Note: if the batter feels too dry, add ½ - 1 tablespoon of melted virgin coconut oil
For the protein powder: you can use plant based or a whey protein. My personal favorite is Vital Proteins collagen peptides (which is dairy free) but I also love aloha vanilla plant based protein powder for this recipe. Those are the two I highly recommend for flavor and consistency in this recipe.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
147 comments
Yes. Yum. Making. NOW!
YES enjoy!
Oh, these look WONDERFUL! And what a better Christmas present to give to your friends?! I love that these are easily veganizable. Peanut butter cup anything is a winner in my book!
Yes! So good 🙂 Enjoy!
Question – What happened to the “print button” for your recipes? love to print and add to my cookbook! please help! thanks!
Hi Jackie! We’re currently working on a fix for the print button. Right now, though, click in the white space right under the the “prep time, cooke time, etc.” and the print preview will show up!
I wonder if you could substitute the peanut butter for PB2. Hmmm
I wouldn’t recommend it! The consistency will not hold up in this recipe.
I used the PB2 and did not get the right consistency, and they remained gooey. I peeled off the choc layer ( easy to do) scraped off the goo from the parchment paper and rolled into 1” balls and dipped into the re melted choc… SUCCESS. What I thought was s a disaster turned out to be a delish treat that I will make over and over!!!
BUT, can’t wait to try it with the correct PB!!!
I’m glad that rolling the dough helped! PB2 is a much different consistency than regular peanut butter, which is why your bars were still gooey. Hope you get a chance to try them with regular peanut butter!
I’m allergic to protein powder–anything I can use in its place…ground oats?
Hi! I’ve only tried making this recipe with protein powder, so I’m not sure what type of flour will yield the same consistency.
Can you use anything else instead of protein powder? or just omit? I don’t have one that tastes good when I add it into my baked goods.
Hi Janelle! I linked a couple of great ones in the post to try 🙂
This is a great recipe! In place of protein powder, I used powdered peanut butter and it worked like a charm. This is a keeper – likely will be a staple in my house. Thanks, Monique!
Glad that swap worked for you! Enjoy 🙂
Thanks for sharing this tip!
Yum these look delicious! Also, that’s funny there’s a nut butter called Santa Cruz – that’s where I live… I’m suprised I’d never heard of it!
They’re insanely good! And yes – small world 🙂 It’s one of my favorites!
YUM! Do you think the Vital Protein Collagen could be used in place of the protein powder? I am low on PP but have the collagen in my pantry!
I think that would work well!
I’m loooooving cookie week and these look AMAZING! Who wouldn’t want that perfect pb and chocolate combo?!
Best combo EVER!
Is there a sub I can use instead of flax seed meal? Looks delish and want to try it out ASAP!
Hi Jess! You could try a tablespoon or two of coconut flour!
Just had one at my desk at work. I used a mixed nut butter and they were soooo delicious!
Gabriella
pastelsandpastries.com
Amazing! Best snack ever 🙂
You’ve done it again, AK, another amazing one! Everyone in my house adores these protein bars!
So happy to hear that! Perfect bars for stocking up the fridge 🙂
These are SO delicious and easy!! Mine don’t look as pretty as yours, but yum!!
Do you think these could be freezer friendly? I don’t think I could eat ten that quickly and my husband probably won’t eat them and my kids are still under two. So it’s gonna be me eating them all!
Yes, definitely! These are delicious straight from the freezer, too 🙂
these are great! How would you adjust the recipe for a 13×9 pan?
thanks!
You could try doubling this recipe for a bigger pan!
I did half almond butter and half peanut butter, but otherwise kept everything else the same! I put them in the fridge for an hour and the bottom still wasn’t hard enough to cut so I put them in freezer… still not hard enough! Any suggestions for next time? They are still delicious but I have to eat them in random chunks now and the bottom is very soft.
Very strange! Any type of nut butter should firm up in the fridge. I would check and make sure you’re using natural almond butter / peanut butter!
I only use almond butter in mine every time. Love, love, love them. What I do is line the container with kitchen paper. Then I split the chocolate in two and cover the bottom of the container with a layer of chocolate. Cool in the refrigerator and follow the rest of the recipe as directed. Concerning both layers of chocolate, I check them to see if they are firm instead of hard. Cutting is easier. You get a soft almond butter center held together by layers of yummy goodness! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Delicious! Glad that works out well!
I doubled and used an 8×8 pan and they are way too thick. I’d use a bigger pan. Def not healthy!
A bigger pan should work! With the all-natural ingredients (plus protein) I do consider these a healthy treat/snack.
These are soooo delicious! I have been making them once a week since I found the recipe. I use plain plant-based protein powder. They come out perfectly every single time. THANK YOU Very much for this perfect recipe.
Amazing!! So glad you love these 🙂 They’re my fav snack to keep on-hand!
Absolutely delicious! I also made the chocolate cashew butter bars as well! I’m stocking up my fridge with your tasty recipes! Thanks so much for sharing!
Love those!! So glad you liked these ones too 🙂 Perfect for stocking the fridge!
These were amazing! I can see these bars becoming an addiction!
Hi! I wonder if you can use egg white powder to substitute for the protein powder? I don’t like the sweeteners used in my veg-based protein powder. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! Yes that should work 🙂
I doubled these in an 8×8 pan and cut them into 36 squares. So delicious! I only had regular pb, so they’re a bit soft, but that’s ok! I flipped them over to cut because the chocolate was shattering and that fixed the issue. 🙂
That’s a great tip!!
Hi Monique! I just made your pb Rice Krispie treats and bought the collagen peptides specifically for it. Would I able to use that instead of the protein powder here? I have two protein powders and they are very strong in flavor and I don’t want them to take over!
Hi! Yes I think that should work. You might just need to add a bit more coconut oil. Let me know how you like them!
These are so easy and sooo good! I’m already looking forward to eating another one for breakfast tomorrow. I used Pure Protein Vanilla Cream whey and the flavor is perfect.
Perfect breakfast or snack! Happy you loved them 🙂
I love when you do throwback recipes! Many of my favorite AK recipes are from years ago. It’s great to see them featured again for new readers and a good reminder for me.
So happy to hear that! I love bringing back some old AK recipes and re-vamping them a bit for you guys 🙂 Enjoy!
I love that I’m not the only one who ate the outside of the peanut butter cup before the middle when I was a kid 😂
The best part!!
Yum!! Peanut butter + chocolate dessert/snacks are my absolute favorite!
Mine too! SO good.
Love this recipe! Such a go too when I want to have a no bake treat that also has protein!
Absolutely! So happy you love it 🙂
This peanut butter and chocolate combo is simply divine, this is just what you need after a good workout!
Absolutely! Perfect post-workout treat 🙂
Am keen to make these.
Am in South Africa so hoping to find protein powder that yields a similar flavor 🙂
Also wondering at what age protein powder is suitable for kids? Mine are 3 and 5…
Protein powder is a great way to get kids more protein in their diet; you might want to try collagen peptides because of it’s neutral flavor 🙂
How much can I cut the honey without affecting the consistency? I like things less sweet in general. I’ll be using unsweetened egg white protein powder.
Probably by a tablespoon or two. The honey also helps them hold together!
These are awesome! I like to use chunky peanut butter to complement the texture of the flax and don’t skip the salt on top…Yum!!
Love it! Great idea 🙂
The recipes look so good, especially for protein bars. I have not tried any yet but will be doing so very soon.
Enjoy! 🙂
Stumbled on this recipe and your site as I was looking for new recipes to use my That Protein Nutty Nutty Peanut Butter Protein. (It’s a vegan protein brand based out of Ireland that I love) So happy I stumbled on your recipes – made these peanut buttter protein bars today and the prep was so easy and the finished product tasted absolutely divine!
Perfect! I’m so glad you found Ambitious Kitchen and these amazing bars 🙂 one of my all-time favs!
Just tried this recipe for the first time. The bars are so easy to make, and SO good!
Amazing! Glad you loved them!
I made these bars in order to have a healthier treat for when I crave something sweet. These are easy to make and soooo amazing!!! They honestly taste like a peanut butter cup. Thank you for the recipe!
The perfect healthy treat! I’m glad you found these 🙂
These bars were absolutely delicious!! We snack on these even on cheat days!
We used our rocky road protein powder giving it even more of a chocolate taste. I WILL be making these again.
Delicious! Great idea.
These are so good! I’ve made them with whatever I have in my pantry – even subbing chocolate protein powder, crunchy peanut butter and wheat germ for the ground flaxseed 😀 they always turn out amazing!
Love that! These are great for customizing for the perfect snack 🙂
I’m not a fan of peanut butter and chocolate but have made these twice now for people who are.. They are in love with them and said they are better than Reese’s!! I make as per the recipe but make them as 12 “cups” by pushing the peanut butter mixture into the bottom of silicone muffin trays and top with the choc mixture. I freeze them for 30 minutes and run a knife around and they come out easily and look nice with the two layers. Thanks for another great recipe.
Love that! Such a great treat 🙂
There is no way this is a “protein bar”
There are almost 9g of protein per bar, which is why I consider it a protein bar 🙂
Creamy, Sweet but not too sweet, filling. These are fabulous. Highly recommended!! And Easy to make – I burned my chocolate the first time so I had to redo it, other than that takes only a few minutes really. Thank you!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Such a great, easy treat! Glad you enjoyed (and were able to make some more chocolate!)
Followed to a T and came out great. So easy!
Love it!!
Love this recipe! It’s become a staple in our household since my 2 fussy kids and husband (who doesn’t care that much for sweets) love it too 🙂
Amazing! I’m so glad 🙂
Made these for church, everybody wanted the recipe.
Needless to say they didn’t last long.
Seriously delicious.
So happy to hear that!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE. THESE ARE MY NEW, HEALTHY REESESS PEANUT BUTTER CUPS.
Amazing! Glad you love them!
Super delicious recipe. I dont have just flaxseed as I buy a huge container of flaxseed mixed with hemp and chia seeds. It still works perfectly though. Have them every morning with my wife before we hit the gym.
Perfect! Great pre-gym snack!
AMAZING!!! Almost too delicious. The flax is an interesting addition. Love these bars.
Best snack! Glad you loved them!
Amazing recipe! I got my whole family hooked on these and they eat them instead of buying store bought protein bars!
Perfect! Love that 🙂
These are the most delicious bars I have ever made! I truly have tried several, and in fact these beat them all! And very easy to make! I highly recommend them
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Sam 🙂
Made these and was wonderfully surprised. The texture is awesome, and I love how satisfying they are. They taste like an actual sweet treat but the bonus is the protein and fiber!
Such a great treat and snack! Glad you loved them!
I’ve made this 3 times now and the first time was the only time that I had a dough like consistency. After that, the dough has been really soft. The second time I made them, I used almond butter and I thought the was why they were a little different. Now I’m making them and the dough is really mushy. Any suggestions?
It’s likely the brand of pb you are using and how liquid-y it is. Feel free to add more flax if needed, but they should be like a very wet cookie dough.
I had my reservations coming into this recipe. It looked great – but will it actually taste good. Having made them today – I’m blown away. They taste AMAZING. They are not only great for a good protein cake but also itch that dessert scratch. Thank you so much for this!
Such a great snack or dessert! Glad you loved them 🙂
Wondering if you know of a sub for coconut oil – I am allergic to coconut 🙁
Butter should work okay!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. It’s so good that I ended up making two batches.
My adult daughter raved about and said it taste like Reeses Bar.
Amazing! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂
One of the best protein bars that I have made. So good and I made my own peanut butter!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Make these often – so yummy!
So glad you love them!
Can you use almond butter instead of peanut butter? For this recipe as well as the Twix recipe? Thanks!
Yes that works just fine!
Soooo good and so easy. Used hemp seed protein powder because that’s what I had on hand. Made a double batch. Couldn’t stop ‘taste testing’ the batter. I’ll look forward to my bar goodness each day.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
These are really great, not too sweet and super filling. I’m new to using protein powders and it felt luxurious and decadent to make such tasty bars. I used pea protein powder and I feel like the taste of that isn’t a disadvantage, but rather adds to the already earthy peanut flavour! Thank you so much, I love this site <3
Such a great treat! I hope you keep finding recipes here that you love 🙂
Can I substitute almond flour for the flaxseed meal??
I think that should work, let me know how it goes!
I found the mix too wet, and when I tried to cut the bars, they fell apart. Any suggestions?
That’s so strange that it would go from wet to crumbly! Did you by chance keep them in the freezer too long?
So delicious!! I only had 1/2 cup of peanut butter so I adjusted all the other ingredients accordingly, and they turned out great. I put them in a muffin tin with parchment squares so they were the shape of reese’s, which was a little more work but still SO easy. You can’t even taste the coconut or the protein powder (my fiance hates coconut so I have to be sneaky with it). Will definitely be making these again… thanks for another amazing recipe!
Perfect! I’m glad they turned out well!
Fantastic!
Glad you enjoyed!
I may have already commented/reviewed these before (I can’t remember) but I’ve made these a few times now and they are SO good. They are so easy and taste like reeses but better and much healthier. I use parchment paper and a muffin tin to make them into cups so they are a quick grab and go…. my fiancé keeps asking me to make them!!
Amazing! Thanks so much for your note 🙂 One of my fav treats, too!
Turned out great!
Only differences I used were PB protein (Syntha 6 Edge) and 100% baking cocoa. I was scared to use a completely unsweetened chocolate, but it still tasted so yummy. I cut into 1” squares. They’re actually really filling, perfect to quench that sweet tooth. Thanks for the recipe!!
I’m glad that worked out well! 🙂
Delicious! My only suggestions for those who don’t know is to double boil the chocolate. That means you put a pot of water 1/4 full on the stove and begin to heat it. Place a slightly smaller pot inside it with the chocolate. That way the chocolate is away from the direct heating element and won’t dry up and go into crumbly bits, instead of gooey and melty like we want. I also used double the amount of chocolate. Shhh… don’t tell!!
Great tip! And I’m all about extra chocolate 😉
Omg if I make these I will overdose😂. They sell them at my natural health food store and I buy them almost everyday. But I still try this recipe because I want to save money.
These were easy to make. My husband ate half of them in 2 days. His word was “killer.” Questions: 1) The whey protein powder taste is rather strong. How do you make it less overpowering? 2) Can you just place whole chocolate squares (e.g., Ghiradelli) on top of the peanut butter mixture instead of melting it and pouring it on top?
I think it depends on what kind of protein powder you use. We love Vital Proteins because it’s so mild. Perhaps try an unflavored protein powder next time! And sure, if you want a large chocolate chunk, you could put them on top, but the chocolate is nice because it also helps to hold the bars together a bit when cut.
I love this recipe! I have made it quite a few times now. I double it and freeze it in small portions for grabbing on the go. Love the texture. I have used chocolate protein powder in them as well and that was also delicious. Make this recipe!
Perfect! Such a great snack or treat 🙂
Just discovered this recipe a couple of months ago! I now make a double batch weekly to keep in the fridge. They are DELICIOUS! I’ve subbed the flaxseed meal with both Almond meal and coconut flour and they are both winners!
Thank you all the way from New Zealand xx
Amazing! So happy you loved them!
Yummy I just made them as Christmas treats. But it gets soft and chocolate layer becomes melty when I take them out of the fridge. Is that normal?
Because they’re a no-bake treat they will soften at room temp. I’d recommend keeping them in the fridge!