Loaded Peanut Butter Protein Bars {THM-S, Sugar Free, Low Carb}
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Peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, coconut, and chocolate chips. What more would you want? Collagen? Yep! Protein powder? Yep? Coconut oil? Of course!
It's all included in these delicious little gems. I've been working on a few protein bar recipes because I like the option of a quick snack I can grab and eat without thinking.
My Coconut Cream Protein Fudge Bars have been very popular, and I hope to have a double chocolate version of those out soon.
But back to these little beauties. This is one of those throw and go recipes. You really can add or omit any of the add-ins to make it your own!
The peanut butter, protein powder and seeds provide protein, while the collagen gives a nutritional boost as well as adds additional protein. (Seriously, collagen is one of my favorite products!)
These literally take less than 10 minutes to throw together, then you just have to wait for them to harden (the hard part).
Did I mention that they are no bake? Yet another reason to make these little gems - you don't have to heat up your kitchen!
Loaded Peanut Butter Protein Bars {THM-S, Sugar Free, Low Carb}
- ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- ¼ cup Pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)
- 2 Tablespoons Gentle Sweet
- ¼ cup Collagen (you could use one of these Vanilla or Chocolate Flavored Collagens for an extra flavor boost!)
- ¼ cup Protein Powder (I used this brand because it was what I had, but I'm sure THM Pristine Whey would work here as well!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup Lily's Dark Chocolate Chips
That's all! How simple is that? If there are any of the add-ins that don't appeal to you, simply omit them. Conversely, if you think of a great addition (cocoa powder, anyone) add it in! You really can't go wrong!
I have this Silicone Rectangle Bar Pan, and I got exactly nine bars out of this recipe.
If you do not have a mold, you could pour it into a loaf pan or 8x8 baking dish and cut into bars when firm.
If you are looking for more ideas to use chia seeds, check out this informative article and recipe roundup!
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
- 1 cup Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
- 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
- ¼ Cup Pepitas (Roasted Pumpkin Seeds)
- 2 Tablespoons Gentle Sweet
- ¼ cup Collagen
- ¼ cup Protein Powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ cup Coconut oil, Melted
- ¼ cup Lily's Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Pour into mold and place in freezer to harden.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in either the fridge or freezer (I keep mine in the freezer).
Nutrition
These look great! Really creative idea. I've never tried cooking with collagen before, thinking about picking some up and experimenting if I can find it. Love the site!
I use collagen in lots of recipes! It truly is one of my favorite products ever! Thanks for stopping by!
Love your recipes! Do you think this would work well with cashew butter? Have you ever tried it?
I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I haven't tried it.
How long do these make it at room temperature? (If I want to send one as a snack?) 🙂
Because of the coconut oil, they soften quite a bit. If sending them as a snack, I would probably put them with an ice pack. Then I think they would be fine.
Does the Coconut flakes help absorb any liquid? I don't eat coconut (but I'm on with refined CO) and wanted to make sure it wouldn't change it a whole bunch to leave that out
I believe it would be fine to leave the coconut flakes out! You could always add extra chia or pumpkin seeds if you wanted, but I truly think they would be just fine without the coconut.
Hi. Do you have an estimate on the nutritional values? Especially the carbs? 🙂
Great recipe!
Thanks for stopping by, Alex! I don't usually count macros for my recipes, but if I were to give a rough estimate, I would say 5-6 net carbs per bar.
These look amazing and I'd love to make them...........but I don't have collagen. Is there a good substitute or could I just leave that out of the recipe. 🙂 Thank you!
You could probably use extra protein powder in place of the collagen.
Thanks for the tip. I did go ahead and purchase collagen and made these bars....AMAZING!! Thank you! Thank you! Looking forward to making more of your protein bars and bites. 🙂
Awesome! There are several more on my site - just use the search feature to find them! 🙂
I'm not a coconut fan or a pumpkin seed fan. What changes should I make to make the recipe still work? Thanks in advance!
I truly think you could just leave them out (you could always add extra chia seeds or chocolate chips).
Thank you for this recipe! Made them this morning and oh boy are they good!!! I used my silicone mini bar pan and it yielded 18 small bars. Two mini bars were the perfect mid morning snack! 🙂
Wonderful! Thanks for reporting back - I love to hear that readers enjoy my recipes!
I don't have
the protein powder will this work without it or do I need to wait til I have some
It will still work - you could either double the collagen, or just leave the protein powder out. If you leave it out, there obviously won't be as much protein, but it shouldn't affect the texture.
These look awesome! I think making my own protein bars is the way to go. I love the idea of being able to control exactly what is being put in my protein bars! Thanks for the post!
Don't have collagen. Will they work without it?
Yes, they should. You could also double the protein powder.
My husband and I both love this recipe! I put it into an 8X8 pan then cut them into small squares, making 36 "bites". Thanks for the recipe!
What is collagen?
Hi Judy! Collagen is a pure animal protein, in the form of a powder. You can read more about collagen and its benefits by checking out this article: http://www.trimhealthymama.com/vol-10-ezine-serenes-collagen-article/
Do you have anything similar for on the go that won't melt. Like for purse or backpack?
I do not, however, another reader said that they put some in baggies with reusable ice cubes and they stayed ok on the go!
I'm so thankful I found this recipe. Thank you for posting it. I didn't want to use too much of my collagen, because I'm almost out, so I used 2TBS and added in 4TBS of whole psyllium husk; for added fiber. I, also, omitted the chocolate chips and added 2TBS of cocoa powder. I doubled the batch and I put 2 1/2 TBS in each muffin hole and it made 21.
I think I'm going to try this subbing sliced almonds for the coconut flakes and sunflower seeds for the pumpkin seeds! Thanks for the idea! I need good, quick, make-ahead snack options 🙂
Unfortunately I have recently found out I am allergic to coconut. I have read the post about omitting the flaked coconut but what about the coconut oil? Butter?
That may work, but I can't guarantee it as I haven't tried it. 🙂
do you think you could use good grassfed butter in place of the coconut oil and they wouldn't harden as much? Im not looking to keep these "low" carb necessarily... just trying to find a good recipe for my hubs... he doesnt need to stay low carb but needs a good healthy bar to take to work with him.. without needing an ice pack.. Thanks!
I believe you could do that - please let me know how it turns out!
These sound so good, but how can one print off the recipe without having to waste a lot of paper on all of the comments?
I'm sorry, I haven't updated this post to a recipe card yet. You can copy and paste it into a word processing program and print it that way. 🙂
How can I print your recipes without having to waste paper on pages and pages of comments? Some of your recipes have a print feature and some do not. What am I missing here?
I'm sorry - my older recipes do not have a print feature. I would suggest copying the text and pasting it into a word processing document (Word?), then printing from there.
are the pumpkin seeds shelled or not? thanks!
Yes, they are out of the shell.
Wondering if you just have one for a snack do you put anything else with it?
I occasionally just have one for a snack. Especially if I'm in a hurry. You could always pair it with some collagen tea or coffee as well.
When you say half a cup of coconut oil melted, do you measure a half cup solid, then melt? Or do you melt some and measure out a half cup?
Either way would work fine. My coconut oil is always melted, so I measure it when it is already liquid.
How do I print your recipe s
Unfortunately, my older recipes do not have a print option. I would suggest you copy and paste the recipes into a Word Processing document.
Stumbled on these and can I just say...omg.. delicious....just had one for breakfast and love how easy they are to make
❤
Made these with lots of subs based on ingredients I had at home...still turned out great, thanks for the recipe!
Has anybody tried these with peanut powder instead of peanut butter? Itf so, how'd they turn out?
These are my absolute favorite bars!
I have mixed together and it seems quite "liquidy". I used Mct coconut oil. Could this be why-instead of melted coconut oil? Or will this still firm up?
No, MCT does not harden, so it will stay liquid. Perhaps you could use it as a sauce on low carb pancakes or ice cream?
Thanks for the great recipe- really love them, but don't think they need so much coconut oil, personally.
By the way, I entered the ingredients into myfitnesspal (without shredded coconut) and they come up at 5g protein, 5 g carbs, 14 g fat, 2 g sugar, 165 calories, 2 g sugar.
These are the best protein bars/ treats I’ve tried yet! I love them and probably am eating a few too many! I used the organic Costco peanut butter protein powder instead of the plain and didn’t need to add any other sweetener i used flax instead of chia and added some walnuts. This time i did the recipe x4 so i have them around for a snack Thank you
Thanks! And one question- How important is the collagen? What happens if you leave it out?
The collagen adds extra protein and healthy benefits. You can omit it, and the bars should still turn out fine!
Oh my word! I made these today and they are fabulous! My pan made 10. I ate 2!!! I couldn't stop!
I used raw pumpkin seeds inside of roasted but still so yummy! Next time I'm going to put sunflower seeds in them.
Ever the skeptic, but these were amazing! I subbed sunflower seeds and almonds for the pepitas and chocolate chips. Also doubled the collagen since i did not have protein powder. Reminded me of the center of a butterfinger candy bar! I wonder if you could use melted cocoa butter in lieu of the coconut oil to make them stable at room temp or atleast of mix of the two ingredients? What do you think? Thanks for a great recipe!
That is possible - I think it may change the flavor a bit, but worth a try! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
These are the.best.bars.ever! I have made the exact recipe multiple times. I double it and fill 2 silicone bar pans and keep some at home and some at work. Love, love them! Thanks for all the great recipes!
These are OUTSTANDING. What a creative way to get protein in on a harried S meal. I just made a double batch for meal prep and had to resist the urge to eat the whole pan. I don't have a mold, so I put the double batch in a 9x13 pan and then *eventually* cut them into 18 bars...I didn't think ahead and those buggers were frozen solid to my pan. Duh! So I let them thaw a bit and then cut then. I stored the recipe in Plan To Eat with a giant, "USE PARCHMENT PAPER NEXT TIME!!!!" reminder in my notes. Truly awesome recipe, thanks so much!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!