I love making homemade protein bars and balls as a quick post-workout snack, like my Cookie Dough Protein Bars, Vegan Protein Balls, or Cookie Dough Protein Bars. They taste 100 times better than store-bought ones and they are also less expensive. Also, most store-bought vegan protein bars lack crunchiness. These quinoa puffed protein bars are my go-to crunchy homemade protein bar option!
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make these Protein Cereal Bars are:
Protein Powder – we used vegan vanilla protein powder for a mild taste. You can use any protein powder you like. High-Protein Puffed Cereals – I chose puffed quinoa, but it also works perfectly with puffed rice and even puffed amaranth. Peanut Butter – or almond butter or sun butter for a nut-free option. Maple Syrup – or brown rice syrup for a low-GI option, my favorite for protein bars. Vanilla Extract – optional if your protein powder already has a strong vanilla flavor. Dark Chocolate – I like high-cocoa non-dairy dark chocolate. Coconut Oil – This is essential to keep the bars together when they cool down. The only possible alternative is cocoa butter. Pinch of Sea Salt – To enhance the taste of the chocolate.
Choosing High-Protein Cereals
There are plenty of options when it comes to puffed cereals. I don’t recommend puffed white rice that is poor in protein. On the other hand, you can try:
Puffed Quinoa – quinoa is a complete vegan protein, which means it also contains all the essential amino acids that you need to be in good health. Brown Rice Cereals – I also tested this option and it comes out delicious. Puffed Buckwheat – as puffed quinoa, buckwheat is a gluten-free vegan cereal that is high in plant-based proteins. Puffed Spelt – This might be tricky to find but it tastes great! Cheerios – this option adds a lot of sugar to the bar. Puffed Amaranth – it’s a very healthy option, but it’s very light so make sure there’s no wind!
How To Make Protein Cereal Bars
It’s very easy to make crunchy cereal bars with protein powder.
Pro Tips for Great Bars
Sometimes, the batter of your protein bars can be dry and this can be because of the protein powder you used or the creaminess of your nut butter. In fact, some protein powders are more liquid absorbent than others, and also an old jar of nut butter is dryer. For best results, use:
Plant-based protein powder made from pea, soy, peanuts, or almonds. Fresh jar of nut butter.
If the bars are too dry or the mixture doesn’t come together, add 1-2 teaspoons of melted coconut oil to adjust the texture and make it easy to work with.
Cereal Size
Keep in mind that this recipe works better with small size puffed cereals. Large puffed cereals are much more difficult to press in and pack into bars.
Storage Instructions
Slice the bar into 8 small protein bars. Each bar can be stored well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. These bars hold their shape perfectly at room temperature too and you can bring them in your sports bag, wrapped in a piece of parchment paper. Find the answers to the most common questions on these no-bake protein cereal bars.
More Vegan Protein Recipes
Below I listed some more high-protein vegan recipes for you to try.
