Homemade oatmeal raisin protein bars are an easy, healthy snack recipe. Packed with nut butter, whey protein, oats, and raisins, they’re high in protein, complex carbs, healthy fat, and a source of fibre. Making a batch takes less time than going to the store, so skip the packaged protein bars and make these instead.
Having healthy, homemade snacks on hand can be a game changer. I always make sure to whip up a batch of protein bars at the beginning of the week and I love to come up with new flavours to keep things fun and interesting!
So far, I’ve shared Brownie Protein Bars and Carrot Cake Protein Bars. These oatmeal raisin almond butter ones are a no-bake, high-protein spin on a classic oatmeal raisin cookie. Be sure to enjoy one with a glass of milk for the perfect nostalgic snack!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with whole-food ingredients: These homemade protein bars are made with whole food ingredients such as almond butter, oats, raisins, and oat flour. They are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and grass-fed whey protein powder provides extra protein for a whole food protein bar alternative to those store-bought ones which can have lots of additives and questionable ingredients.
- High in Protein: Each bar comes in at 11 grams of protein. Add a glass of milk for a snack with almost 20 grams of protein. This would be the perfect bedtime snack for a breastfeeding mom or an athlete, and one that I enjoy often.
- Easy and No Baking Required: Do you have ten minutes? Then you can easily whip up these bars. They do need to chill in the freezer for 30 minutes, but that is the only slightly time consuming step.
- Environmentally Friendly: It’s easy to forget how unsustainable packaged, store-bought snacks can be. Making homemade protein snacks is one way to reduce your plastic footprint.
Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make these bars. Here is a list, but scroll to the recipe card for exact quantities.
- Almond Butter: Forms the base of these protein bars. You can swap the almond butter for cashew butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option. I wouldn’t use peanut butter unless you love the combination of it with oatmeal and raisins.
- Whey Protein Powder: For best results, use unsweetened and unflavoured whey protein powder. Plant-based protein powder will work, but it can be gritty, so make sure to use one you’ve already tried and enjoy.
- Oat Flour: For that classic cookie flavour. It also provides extra volume and helps bind the mixture.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is the best sweetener for these bars. You can use honey but keep in mind that it has a slightly more pronounced flavour and it is actually sweeter by volume than maple syrup (1 tablespoon of maple syrup has 12 grams of sugar, while one tablespoon of honey has 16 grams of sugar). If using honey, you might want to use ¼ cup and add more to taste.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract helps enhance all of the other flavours.
- Cinnamon: For that classic oatmeal raisin cookie flavour.
- Sea Salt: Salt balances flavours and brings out sweetness in these bars.
- Rolled Oats
- Raisins
Instructions
These no-bake protein bars come together in a few easy steps:
- Step 1: Combine all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Stir to combine, then use your hands to mix into a dough. The dough should not be crumbly. If it is, add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it holds together.
- Step 3: Press the dough into an even layer in a parchment paper-lined loaf pan.
- Step 4: Freeze for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and cut into 8-12 bars.
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Substitutions and Variations
- Nut Butter: Instead of almond butter, use cashew butter. I wouldn’t use peanut butter because the flavour doesn’t work all that well with oatmeal, raisins, and cinnamon.
- Nut-Free: Use sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of cashew butter.
- Vegan: Use plant-based protein powder.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup works best in these bars, but feel free to try using honey instead. You can start with ¼ cup of honey since it is a bit sweeter than maple syrup.
- Raisins: If you don’t love raisins, use dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries.
- Chocolate Lovers: If you prefer a chocolate oatmeal cookie protein bar, use chocolate chips in place of the raisins!
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Parchment paper
- Loaf pan
Storage
Because these homemade protein bars are not baked and contain no stabilizers, they’ll need to be refrigerated or frozen to maintain their shape. I prefer to store them in the freezer since I enjoy a more firm protein bar. Simply remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for five minutes before enjoying. You can also store them in the fridge, however. And you can pack one in your lunch bag as long as you have an ice pack to keep it cool.
They’ll keep in the freezer for one month or in the fridge for one week.
Top Tip
If the dough seems crumbly, add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until it comes together. If your dough is crumbly, it could be due to using nut butter that is too dry. For best results, use a drippy almond butter.
More Healthy Snack Recipes
Looking for more healthy homemade snack recipes? Try these next:
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Print
Oatmeal Raisin Protein Bars (No-Bake)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8–12 bars 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ¾ cup smooth almond butter
- ½ cup unsweetened, unflavoured whey protein powder
- ⅓ cup oat flour
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup raisins
- 1–3 tablespoons milk (if needed)
Instructions
- Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Ensure that there is enough to allow for you to easily lift the bar out of the pan after.
- Combine all ingredients (except milk) in a mixing bowl.
- Stir to combine, then use your hands to form a dough. It should come together easily, but if it is crumbly, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it comes together.
- Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and press down firmly into an even layer.
- Freeze for 30 minutes, then lift out the bar and cut into 8-12 individual bars.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for one week or in the freezer for one month.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Chilling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Snack
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 287
- Sugar: 15.3 g
- Sodium: 115.1 mg
- Fat: 13.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.4 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 12.4 g
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