These easy homemade protein bars are made in your slow cooker, packed with superfoods, and are gluten-free and vegan-friendly! Perfect for busy mornings or a healthy snack.
I love a good snack. The healthy kind, that is. While I won’t say no to a bowl of chips or a candy bar from time to time, between meals my preference usually goes to things like fruit, a handful of nuts, or a satisfying protein bar. This is one of my go-to recipes in the summer when it’s too hot to turn on the oven. They’re the ultimate treat to achieve your morning-person healthy breakfast goals or your afternoon-person healthy snack goals.
These dense-yet-chewy, crunchy-yet-soft protein bars are made in the trusty slow cooker! These little delights are texture bombs with the most perfect combination of sweet blueberries, salty cashew butter, and crunchy cocoa nibs, and they get a boost from protein powder, too. They’re so filling that you can eat them for breakfast and won’t feel your tummy rumbling two hours before lunch. Plus, they’re gluten-free and vegan.
The tastiest tweaks
While I love these bars as is, the recipe can also be tweaked according to your taste or whatever you have on hand. For example, I sometimes like to use dried cranberries instead of blueberries and swap the cashews for bright green pistachios. Cocoa nibs are healthy, but if I’m in the mood to indulge, I might add dark chocolate chips or even vegan white chocolate chips instead. Not fond of cashews? Feel free to use almond butter and almonds. And though we’ve used banana in this recipe, you can easily substitute it for applesauce or even pumpkin purée. Feel free to give the recipe your own interpretation!
How do I store leftovers?
Leftover bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also wrap them in plastic and store them in the freezer (either in a Ziploc bag or freezer-safe container) for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions
These homemade protein bars are a mishmash of four different recipes that basically broke the internet because you guys decided that you enjoyed them a lot: Energy Quinoa Breakfast Bars In The Slow Cooker, Crock-Pot Paleo Cookies With Chocolate Chips, Healthy Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Breakfast Bars, and Quinoa Salad With Blueberries And Cacao Nibs. If you loved this recipe, make these next!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 5 tablespoons warm water
- Coconut oil or cooking spray for greasing
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 2/3 cup very ripe banana 1 very large banana or 167 grams, mashed
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal gluten-free, if needed
- 2/3 cup oat flour 73 grams, gluten-free, if needed
- 1/3 cup plant-based protein powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup dried blueberries
- 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs
- 1/4 cup toasted cashews 40 grams, finely chopped
Instructions
- Mix the flax meal and warm water in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Grease a 7-quart slow cooker with coconut oil or cooking spray. Line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides for easy removal. For a precise fit, trace the slow cooker's base on parchment paper, and cut it a few inches larger to leave enough overhang.
- In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine the cashew butter and agave. Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until softened. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- To the bowl, add the mashed banana, coconut sugar, almond milk, vanilla extract, and chilled flax mixture. Beat until the mixture is smooth and runny.
- Add the oatmeal, oat flour, protein powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Gently fold in the dried blueberries, cacao nibs, and chopped cashews until evenly distributed. Note: The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the thick batter into the prepared slow cooker and spread it evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. The bars are done when the sides are browned, the top is set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars out of the slow cooker and transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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