These vegan pistachio protein bars are easy to make and only call for 6 ingredients. They’re cheaper and better for you than shop bought bars and you can easily adjust them to likes/preferences. They also taste absolutely amazing!
If you’re a fitness enthusiast, a busy professional, or someone striving to snack healthier, protein bars might already be a staple in your diet. But have you ever considered making them at home?
Store-bought bars can be pricey, overly processed, and full of hidden sugars or artificial ingredients. Homemade protein bars, on the other hand, are customisable, cost-effective, and surprisingly simple to make.
I’ve really struggled during my pregnancy to eat well and make sure I meet my macro and micro nutrient needs. Getting enough protein has been especially challenging, so making tasty homemade snacks like these vegan pistachio protein bars has been a life saver. Not only are they easy to put together, but they also taste like a dessert, so they’re easy for me to enjoy despite my nausea.
As well as being high in protein, they’re also packed with healthy fats from the pistachio butter, another thing I’ve struggled to consume enough of.
Why I love making these vegan pistachio protein bars:
I like knowing exactly what goes into my snacks. Don’t get me wrong, I am partial to shop bought snacks when I’m busy and don’t have time to throw homemade snacks together, but I also prefer making my own whenever I can.
The easier the recipe is the better, especially when it comes to making snacks. I already spend enough time in the kitchen making main meals and cleaning up after myself. The last thing I need is to go through that all over again to prepare snacks.
That’s why I love making snacks like these vegan pistachio protein bars where all I need to do is throw the ingredients into a bowl, mix, slice and store. This way I only need to spend 30 minutes on a weekend prepping for a whole weeks’ worth of snacks.
I also love adding protein powder to my snacks where I can to make sure they’re balanced, satisfying and help me reach my daily protein intake requirements.
Why you need to try these vegan pistachio protein bars:
Complete Control Over Ingredients – You get to choose high-quality, wholesome ingredients tailored to your taste and dietary needs. Whether you’re avoiding allergens, cutting sugar, or looking for plant-based options, the control is in your hands.
Better for you – Homemade is always going to be better for you, especially when using good quality wholesome ingredients. To make these vegan pistachio protein bars, I’m using raw pistachio butter, organic protein powder, cocoa powder and good quality dark chocolate. No hidden additives, thickeners or emulsifiers needed.
Cost-Effective – Good quality protein bars are costly, especially if you’re buying them on a regular basis. By making your own bars at home, you can drastically reduce the cost per serving.
Customisable for Your Goals – Need an extra boost of protein? Add more powder. Want more energy? Toss in some nuts or oats. Need the recipe to be nut-free? Use tahini or a seed butter. There are so many ways you can adjust the recipe to your needs.
What you need to make these vegan pistachio protein bars:
Protein powder – From my experience vegan protein powders work a lot better in protein bar recipes, so that’s what I use. Whey protein creates a gloopy mixture that’s hard to mix and ends up being chewy when you bite into them. I’m using Garden of Life vanilla protein powder. It’s raw, organic an
Pistachio butter – I like to use this brand, it has the smoothest and creamiest texture. You can of course use any nut butter you like – almond, peanut, cashew, hazelnut, etc. would all work well and create tasty flavour alternatives. You can even use tahini or sunflower seed butter instead if you need a nut-free version.
Cocoa powder – to add a rich chocolate taste and pack in the antioxidants!
Maple syrup – I’m only using 3 tbsp in the whole recipe to cut through the bitterness of the cocoa powder. You can use other liquid sweeteners like honey, rice syrup or agave.
Milk – Again any milk will work. You can use a dairy milk to bump up the protein content or a dairy-free milk if you want to keep the recipe vegan.
Dark chocolate – I like using dark chocolate bars that have 70% cocoa solids or above as they’re packed with antioxidants. You can use a milk chocolate if you prefer.
How to make your vegan pistachio protein bars:
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Mix the pistachio butter, milk and maple syrup in a large bowl, then fold in the protein powder and cocoa to form a dough.
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Press into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper. I used a 22×12 cm loaf tin.
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Mix the pistachio butter and maple syrup in a separate bowl, then spread over the top. Freeze for 30 minutes, then slice into bars.
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Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, then either drizzle the chocolate on top of each bar, or dunk the bars into the chocolate to coat.
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Arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
How to store your vegan pistachio protein bars:
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
These vegan pistachio protein bars are:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- High protein (15g per bar)
- A source of fibre (5g per bar)
- A source of healthy fats
- Packed with antioxidants
- No-bake
- Easy to make
- Made with only 6 ingredients!
- So tasty!
Vegan Pistachio Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 80g vegan vanilla protein powder I use Garden of Life
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 85g pistachio butter I use this brand
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 120ml milk of choice
For the pistachio layer
- 85g pistachio butter I use this brand
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
For the chocolate coating
- 120g dark chocolate melted
Instructions
- Mix the pistachio butter, milk and maple syrup in a large bowl, then fold in the protein powder and cocoa to form a dough.
- Press into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper. I used a 22×12 cm loaf tin.
- Mix the pistachio butter and maple syrup in a separate bowl, then spread over the top. Freeze for 30 minutes, then slice into bars.
- Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, then either drizzle the chocolate on top of each bar, or dunk the bars into the chocolate to coat.
- Arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
Notes
Nutrition
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