Store-bought vegan protein bars too expensive?
Or maybe they have too much sugar for you.
The good news is that protein bars are fairly easy to make, and you can often make them much cheaper and better tasting than the ones in stores.
I’ll share my top 10 recipes for vegan protein bars, along with macros and main ingredients.
Here’s a comparison table of them if you only really care about macros:
| Site | # of bars | Calories | Protein (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fivesec Health | 10 | 180 | 10 | 7 |
| Abbey's Kitchen | 8 | 344 | 18 | 13 |
| Full of Plants | 6 | 227 | 11.5 | 12 |
| Minimalist Baker | 9 | 215 | 10.7 | 4.2 |
| The Big Man's World | 10 | 73 | 3 | 2 |
| Power Hungry | 16 | 229 | 9.4 | 6.1 |
| Oh She Glows | 12 | 200 | 8 | 10 |
| Sweet Simple Vegan | 12 | 244 | 8 | 11.6 |
| Hummusapien | 9 | 269 | 8 | 10 |
| Cotter Crunch | 10 | 269 | 8 | 10 |
If you’d like to see the pictures and main ingredients, scroll through the slightly expanded listings below.
**Some of the recipes require vegan protein powder as an ingredient. If you need help picking one that will taste good, refer to my page on the best tasting vegan protein powders.
Fivesec Health Chickpea Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 180, Protein – 10g, Sugar – 7g
In terms of protein to overall calories, these are the best bars here.
They are mostly made from:
- Chickpeas
- Rolled oats
- Hemp seeds
- Vegan protein powder
It’s not too complicated to make them, and they’re about as healthy as you can get for a bar that still tastes good.
Abbey’s Kitchen No Bake Gluten-Free Vegan Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 344, Protein – 18g, Sugar – 13g
If you’re not worried about calories, these are a decent option. Lots of protein, but also lots of calories.
The main ingredients in these bars are:
- Nut butter (hence the high calories)
- Maple syrup
- Vegan protein powder
- Oat flour
I typically reduce the maple syrup I add to improve macros further.
Full of Plants Chocolate Almond Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 227, Protein – 12g, Sugar – 12g
When I made this, my bars didn’t come out quite so pretty, but still tasted good.
For these, you’ll need:
- Plant-based protein powder
- Date syrup (can substitute with maple syrup)
- Almond butter
- Chocolate chips
There’s quite a bit of sugar, but you can reduce it depending on the amount of syrup you use and the chocolate chips you use (both amount and darkness).
Minimalist Baker 4 Ingredient No Bake Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 215, Protein – 11g, Sugar – 4g
Minimalist Baker is probably my favorite vegan recipe site, and these bars are quite good, with a good ratio of protein to sugar.
They are easy to make, but you may not have all the ingredients on hand:
- Amaranth
- Vegan protein powder
- Maple syrup
- Nut butter
The Big Man’s World 4 Ingredient No Bake Bars
Per serving: Calories – 73, Protein – 3g, Sugar – 2g
These bars are also quite easy to make, and look similar to some of the recipes above.
You’ll need:
- Rolled oats
- Vegan protein powder
- Nut butter
- Brown rice syrup
Power Hungry Cheap and Easy Vegan Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 229, Protein – 9g, Sugar – 6g
This is another chickpea-based bar recipe, which I’m a huge fan of. They taste a lot better than you would think from just thinking of chickpeas.
There’s a decent number of ingredients, focusing on:
- Chickpeas
- Almond milk
- Banana
- Nut butter
- Maple syrup
- Rolled oats
Oh She Glows No Bake Vegan Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 200, Protein – 8g, Sugar – 10g
I’ve enjoyed just about every Oh She Glows recipe that I’ve tried, including these bars.
These don’t have the greatest macros, but do taste really good. You’ll need:
- Rolled oats
- Vegan protein powder
- Rice crisps
- Nut butter
Sweet Simple’s Vegan Chocolate Chip Vegan Protein Bar
Per serving: Calories – 244, Protein – 8g, Sugar – 12g
These are probably the “hardest” bars to make on this page, since they have the most ingredients.
However, if you’re worried about taste more than macros, they’re worth the effort.
Among other ingredients, you’ll need:
- Nut butter
- Maple syrup
- Oat flour
- Rolled oats
- Coconut flakes
Hummusapien’s Cookie Dough Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 269, Protein – 8g, Sugar – 10g
These also have quite a few ingredients and prioritize taste over protein content.
Here are the main ingredients:
- Oat flour
- Vegan protein powder
- Maple syrup
- Nut butter
Cotter Crunch’s Homemade Vegan Protein Bars
Per serving: Calories – 269, Protein – 8g, Sugar – 10g
Finally, we finish with another chickpea-based recipe. Add some protein powder to it if you want to improve the macros.
Otherwise, you’ll need:
- Chickpeas
- Oats
- Apricots
- Cherries
- Maple syrup