Vegan Protein Oat Bars

In case you missed my announcement, I am currently pregnant and I am expecting a baby boy this summer! And while I haven’t had too many cravings, one thing I have been making on repeat are these Vegan Protein Oat Bars! They are made with simple ingredients, have 10 grams of protein per bar and are so easy. I’m no expert baker, so you can trust me when I say you can’t mess these up!

Here’s what you need

Ingredients

• ripe bananas
• coconut oil
• brown sugar
• maple syrup – or sub agave
• vanilla extract
• peanut butter
• vanilla protein powder – I used Ritual
• old fashioned oats – or sub quick cook oats
• semi-sweet chocolate chips

Equipment

• mixing bowl
• 8×8 baking dish

Steps

Step 1: Mix it Up

The steps for this recipe are super simple. You literally need a mixing bowl, some measuring cups and a fork to prep the batter.

Add the bananas to a mixing bowl and mash with a fork. Add the oil, sugar, maple syrup & vanilla and whisk until mostly smooth. Pour in the peanut butter and whisk again. Pour in the protein powder and oats and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold in.

Step 2: Bake & Chill

Line the baking dish with parchment paper – I find this is the best way to easily remove the bars after they are done baking.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer – top with a few more chocolate chips if you want.

Place in the oven, on the center rack, for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Grab the edges of the parchment paper and lift up the whole thing to transfer it to the counter to cool for another 30 minutes.

Step 3: Serve

After they have cooled down enough you can slice them into 9 bars and enjoy. I like to make a batch of these for the week and then snack on them.

I keep mine in the fridge, and I actually enjoy them most when they are completely cooled.

But, if you like them warm, you can always reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. A scoop of ice cream wouldn’t be terrible on these too!

Tips & Tricks

If your coconut oil is hard, just put it in a microwave safe container and microwave for 30 seconds to soften.

Old fashioned or quick oats work, but I would avoid steel cut.

The chocolate chip measurement is just a suggestion – I prefer to measure with my heart.

If you aren’t going to use protein powder, add another 1/2 cup of oats instead.

I have made these with and without coconut oil. It definitely still works without the oil, but it just adds a nice creaminess to the bars.

I used the “pregnancy” vegan protein powder from Ritual. They also make a regular vegan protein powder that is good!