These 5-ingredient no-bake, peanut butter protein bars cater to those that love a chewy texture with a bit of crunch, while serving up both sweet and savory flavors. Take an hour to make a batch of these bars, and you have a quick snack option to fuel you for the entire week.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. You can review my full disclosure policy here.
Can I share how happy I am to finally have this recipe in print. The ingredients for this recipe have been taking up space on my kitchen counter for weeks, staring back at me like, “when are you going to make me?” Yesterday, I finally got to it.
I’ve made these bars lots of times before, I’ve just never had the time to take their photo. A food blogger needs a lot more time than you might think for the food photo shoot.At last, a weekend with enough time to make these, clean up and get creative with my camera arrived. Krispy peanut butter protein bars are born.
If you read my book, Fueling Young Athletes, you’ll find quite a few baked on-the-go bar recipes in chapter 9. Since then, I’ve had many requested for no-bake bars. So, here you go.
How To Make Crispy, Peanut Butter Protein Bars
To make these bars, start by setting aside 1/4 cup of rice Krispy cereal and 1 Tbsp. peanut butter. These will be used as a topping once the bars are finished.
Combine the oats, rice Krispy cereal, agave syrup, peanut butter and protein powder together in a bowl. Stir them together until all of the ingredients are completely combined.
Move the mixture to a piece of Parchment Paper and wrap the paper around it until it is completely cover. Refrigerate that for ~1 hour.
Once chilled, spoon the mixture in an 8X8 baking dish. Use another piece of Parchment paper to spread mixture evenly in the dish, making sure to press firmly so that the ingredients stick together. Then, use a knife to cut into 8 even bars.
One by one, dip the top of each bar into the remaining rice Krispy’s.
Melt the peanut butter in the microwave, and then drizzle over the 8 bars.
Place them back in the baking dish, cover and place in the freezer for ~2 hours. I put them back in the same dish to minimize the dishes that I have to clean, but you can also use another dish.
Remove from freezer, then wrap individually with plastic wrap. Store them in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
These 5-ingredient bars cater to those that love a chewy texture with a bit of crunch. They also serve-up both sweet and savory flavors. Take an hour to make a batch of these bars, and you have a quick snack option to fuel you for the entire week.
Take one with you to work to fuel your 3 pm snack craving, or keep it in your car for when you’re stuck in traffic.
Crispy Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw oats
- 1 1/4 cup rice krispy cereal
- 1/2 cup agave sweetener
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- Set aside 1/4 cup of rice krispies and 1 Tbsp. peanut butter.Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well.Transfer mixture to Parchment Paper and wrap to completely cover mixture. Refrigerate for ~1 hourOnce chilled, transfer the mixture in an 8X8 baking dish.Use Parchment paper to spread mixture evenly in the dish. Make sure to press firmly so that the ingredients stick together. Use a knife to cut into 8 even bars.One by one, dip the top of each bar into the remaining rice krispies. Melt the peanut butter in the microwave, and then drizzle over the 8 bars. Place bars back in the baking dish, cover and place in the freezer for ~2 hours. Remove from freezer, then wrap individually with plastic wrap.Return to the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Notes
- Recipe makes: 8 bars
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Nutrition Facts (per bar): 240 calories, 9 g fat, 1.5 g sat. fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 31 carbohydrates, 2 fiber, 17 sugar, 110 mg sodium, 22 mg calcium, 2 mg iron, 71 mg potassium
- Meal Planning Servings: 2 CHO; 1.5 PRO; 2 FAT
Totally making these.
I’ve tried a lot of these recipes, and this was one of my favorites. What an easy way to create your own energy bar.