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I tried three healthy protein bar recipes from Instagram—I’ll be making this one on repeat
I’ve been searching for the perfect protein bar recipe for ages and, just like buses, three come along at once! I will sometimes buy on-the-go protein snacks, but if I have time, I prefer to make my own so I know exactly what is going in them.
So when I found these three healthy protein bar recipes on Instagram I was keen to give them a try. They all had minimal ingredients and didn’t take long to make. And there was one that I’ll definitely be making again.
Healthy “churros” protein bars
Serves: 6 Protein: 10.6g per bar
Created by a student nutritionist who runs the Nutrition By Kayla account, these tasty churros-flavored protein bars were probably the easiest and quickest to make. It took me less than five minutes!
We didn’t have any Muscle Nation cinnamon churros protein powder (it’s an Australian brand) so instead used Myprotein chocolate protein powder and a heaped tablespoon of cinnamon to try and recreate the flavor, which worked pretty well!
The mix didn’t make as much as I thought it would, so instead of spreading it out super thin in my too-big casserole dish, I decided to make them into seven little energy balls instead, and to make them a bit more indulgent I drizzled some melted 80%-dark chocolate over the top.
(Image credit: Maddy Biddulph / Future)
Verdict: This recipe was by far the best and the favorite of the whole family. I think my daughters were eating two at a time, so they didn’t last long!
Greek yoghurt brownie bars
Serves: 6 Protein: 9.3g per bar
This high-protein brownie bar recipe from Mattfitchef gets most of its protein from the Greek yogurt, which gives these bars a nice moistness and spongy texture.
The recipe is quick to make—five minutes of prep time and 20 minutes in the oven—but I found it didn’t make much batter, so I had to transfer from a larger dish to a bread tin or it would have been too thinly spread. I decided not to add any sweetener because the cocoa powder I used was sweetened, plus the Myprotein chocolate powder I added has a sweet flavor.
(Image credit: Maddy Biddulph / Future)
Verdict: My eldest daughter said it tasted too bitter because of the Greek yoghurt, but for someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, I found them quite pleasant.
It didn’t have the traditional brownie texture I’d hoped for, but it was tasty and easy to make, so I’ll make it again—especially because I won’t have to share.
Almond and sesame breakfast bars
Serves: 10 Protein: 8.3g per bar
This recipe by recipe developer Helen Ridgeway comes in second because while it’s really tasty, it’s the most fiddly of the three to make.
Despite only needing to throw the ingredients into a blender, I found my mix wouldn’t stay together and I had to add some water and then melted coconut oil to get it sticky enough to put in the cupcake moulds.
We had some leftover melted dark chocolate so we added a little drizzle over the top, too.
(Image credit: Maddy Biddulph / Future)
Verdict: Once baked, while delicious, the bars were very crumbly and fell apart on the first bite. Gluten and refined-sugar free, this recipe is lower in protein than the other two but it doesn’t use protein powder so it’s more natural.
