These no-bake homemade energy bars are a delicious and easy snack to have on hand. This recipe was created in partnership with Clayton Young (Olympic Marathoner), Ashley Young (wife to Clayton), and Jackie Hendrickson (registered dietitian who works primarily with runners). These energy bars were a staple in Clayton's build to his first Olympic Marathon debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and continue to fuel him in his training today. A special thanks to Tawny Bybee who shared this recipe with Ashley originally.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe uses wholesome and nutrient-dense pantry staples to create a bar that will satisfy and fuel your body.
- These bars are customizable and you can easily swap or add ingredients based on what you have on hand.
- These bars have a balance of carbs, protein, and fat making them a versatile snack or addition to a quick breakfast.
- Homemade bars are a cheaper option to store-bought bars. Try our homemade perfect bars for another great homemade option!
Ingredient Notes
- Natural Peanut butter - we prefer to use natural peanut butter with only 2 ingredients—salt and peanuts. If you use sweetened peanut butter, note that the bars will be sweeter. You can also swap the peanut butter with almond butter or cashew butter.
- Protein powder - we typically use vanilla protein powder, but chocolate protein powder will also work great. We love Just Ingredients French Vanilla Protein Powder for this recipe. Whey or plant-based protein will work. We love using this protein powder in our double chocolate zucchini muffins, high protein overnight oats, and 5-Ingredient Easy Mango Protein Smoothie.
- Chocolate chips - milk, semi, or dark chocolate chips will all work great. You can use chips, mini chips, or chunks as well.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
For Runners
These bars could be part of a pre and/or post workout snack. Clayton typically uses these as his go-to pre-run fuel and will have it in addition to a few more carb-rich options such as a banana and Nature Valley almond butter bar to support his needs. For most runners, homemade bars tend to sit well in the gut during a workout.
If aiming to use these as a pre-workout snack, you could experiment with adding dried fruit and eliminating the protein powder to emphasize the carbohydrate content of the bar.
If aiming to use these as a part of your post-workout meal, adding additional protein via hemp hearts, chia seeds, or some chopped nuts would help an athlete better meet their protein needs following a hard effort.
- Fueling tips for runners provided by Jackie Henderson, RD
Recipe Variations
- There are so many different ingredients you can experiment with. Cacao nibs, cocoa powder, unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut, hemp hearts, chia seeds, chopped dried fruit or freeze dried fruit (such as strawberries or raspberries), flax seeds, chopped medjool dates, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
- If you want to add additional protein to these bars, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of hemp hearts.
- You can also cut these bars into smaller rectangles, squares, or scoop them into balls depending on your preferences. If you're looking for other energy bite recipes, try our favorite monster cookie protein bites.
How to Make No-Bake Energy Bars
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Add the oats, crispy rice cereal, protein powder, and chocolate chips into a large bowl. Mix until evenly incorporated.
Step 2: In a separate microwave safe bowl, add the honey, peanut butter, and coconut oil. Warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and then mix until well combined.
Step 3: Add the vanilla extract and salt, mix until combined.
Step 4: Combine the wet and the dry ingredients.
Step 5: Mix well, but don’t crush the crispy rice cereal!
Step 6: Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper. Place the mixture into an 8x8 square pan and gently spread out and press it down until it is in an even layer across the pan.
Step 7: Cut lines into the bars before freezing, depending on the size of bars you want. Freeze until firm.
Step 8: After freezing, you can continue to store in the pan or remove the bars and place them into a ziploc bag or airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
No-Bake Homemade Peanut Butter Energy Bars FAQs
Store these bars in an air-tight container or ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free chocolate chips and a plant-based protein powder. For a gluten-free version, use certified gluten-free oats.
Other Homemade Energy Bites
If you make these homemade granola bars, please let us know how they turn out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
No-Bake Homemade Peanut Butter Energy Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- ½ cup chocolate or vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the oats, crispy rice cereal, protein powder, and chocolate chips into a large bowl. Mix until evenly incorporated.
- In a separate microwave safe bowl, add the honey, peanut butter, and coconut oil. Warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and then mix until well combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt, mix until combined.
- Combine the wet and the dry ingredients. Mix well, but don’t crush the crispy rice cereal!
- Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper. Place the mixture into an 8x8 square pan and gently spread out and press it down until it is in an even layer across the pan. Cut lines into the bars before freezing, depending on the size of bars you want. Freeze until firm.
- After freezing, you can continue to store in the pan or remove the bars and place them into a ziploc bag or airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Store these bars in an air-tight container or ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free chocolate chips and a plant-based protein powder. For a gluten-free version, use certified gluten-free oats.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Homemade Energy Bars." TThe nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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