These strawberry protein bars are made with a few wholesome ingredients like oats, strawberry protein powder, and flax seeds. We make them every Sunday and enjoy them as a quick, healthy snack all week long.
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Why We Love These Protein Bars
They're perfect for busy schedules: We have busy Sundays, but I try to meal prep a few meals and snacks for the week during our toddler's nap. These strawberry protein bars are always on the list because they're super easy to grab throughout the week when I don't have time to prepare a proper snack or breakfast.
They're wholesome and not too sweet: These protein bars are loaded with ingredients that are actually good for you, and they're not filled with sugar. We sweeten them with a little bit of maple syrup and applesauce—that's it.
They're easy: Combine some ingredients in a bowl, pop the mixture into a baking dish, bake for less than half an hour, and hooray—you've made protein bars. They're so simple!
By the way, we adapted this recipe from another well-loved recipe of ours—these homemade nut free protein bars from The Lemon Bowl. Give them a try too!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Instant oats: You can substitute old fashioned oats if that's what you have on hand.
Strawberry protein powder: We use pea protein powder, but use whatever you generally prefer.
Whole flaxseeds or hemp seed hearts: We usually use hemp seed hearts in this recipe, but have also had luck with whole flaxseeds. You could also use a combination of the two! Do not substitute flax seed meal, as it has a different texture than the whole seeds.
All-purpose flour: You can also substitute whole wheat flour.
Freeze-dried strawberries: We buy freeze-dried strawberries at Trader Joe's, Target, or Sam's Club. Do not substitute fresh strawberries (they have too much moisture and don't provide the same level of flavor).
Apple sauce: Apple sauce provides some sweetness and moisture. If you already have it lying around, strawberry applesauce is a good addition (Do you have a toddler with pouches? They work perfectly in this!).
Maple syrup: We sweeten these protein bars with maple syrup. Honey is a good 1-1 substitute.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and amounts.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Create a parchment paper sling in an 11x7 inch baking dish (any medium-sized square or rectangular baking dish will work) to prevent sticking.
Step 2: Add oats, protein powder, hemp or flax seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, and dried strawberries to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Step 3: Add apple sauce, maple syrup, vanilla, and water to the mixing bowl and stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
Step 4: Place the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread around evenly.
Step 5: Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on the top. Let cool completely, then remove from the pan and slice into bars (we slice ours into 14 rectangular bars).
Frequently asked questions
We store our protein bars at room temperature in an air-tight container or ziplock baggie for up to one week.
Yes! You can substitute vanilla protein powder, but these bars won't have as strong of a strawberry flavor.
These bars aren't super sweet like a dessert—they're more like a healthy granola bar. They're soft and chewy and have a subtle strawberry flavor.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Protein Bars
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 bars 1x
Description
These strawberry protein bars are made with a few wholesome ingredients like oats, strawberry protein powder, and flax seeds. We make them every Sunday and enjoy them as a quick, healthy snack all week long.
Ingredients
2 cups instant oats
⅔ cup strawberry protein powder
¼ cup hemp seed hearts or whole flax seeds
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup freeze-dried strawberries, roughly crushed
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Create a parchment paper sling in an 11x7 inch baking dish (any medium-sized square or rectangular baking dish will work) to prevent sticking.
- Add oats, protein powder, hemp or flax seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, and dried strawberries to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add apple sauce, maple syrup, vanilla, and water to the mixing bowl and stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Place the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread around evenly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on the top. Let cool completely, then remove from the pan and slice into bars (we slice ours into 14 rectangular bars).
Notes
We use pea protein powder, but use whatever kind you usually prefer.
Nutritional information is only an estimate.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 protein bar
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 107.7 mg
- Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.3 g
- Protein: 6.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0.7 mg
Mike says
Really nice snack for during the day
Michael says
we make this almost every sunday and it's a great snack during the week!