Pumpkin spice and everything nice – it’s fall, y’all! Enjoy a seasonal spin on snack time by making these six-ingredient pumpkin protein bars. Each bar packs in 17 grams of protein and tastes great.
Ingredients
You only need six simple ingredients to make this recipe!
- Peanut butter – You’ll want natural peanut butter for this recipe, as it has a drippier texture that works perfectly. Look for peanut butters that are just peanuts and salt (like Teddie’s). If you buy conventional peanut butter, the mixture will likely be too dry.
- Honey – Any variety of honey will work here – your standard storebought supermarket bear is just fine, or you can go with a local beekeeper’s brand!
- Chocolate chips – I don’t know about you, but I’m always a fan of adding chocolate to anything. I used regular chocolate chips in this recipe, but you could also go with a no-added-sugar chocolate chip brand, or you could leave these out completely if you prefer.
- Protein powder – Vanilla protein powder works well in this recipe – either a whey protein or a plant-based protein is fine. If you prefer, you can use unflavored protein powder instead. If so, I suggest tasting the mixture and possibly adding a little extra sweetener if needed.
Instructions
Ready to make it? Luckily, this recipe is super simple – you’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s a helpful overview with photos.
Start by adding all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stirring until well combined.
I recommend starting with most of the protein powder when you do this – about 1 ¼ cups – mixing it, and then seeing if you need to add the remaining ¼ cup depending on the texture. The texture should be thick and firm, but still moist – like below. You don’t want it to be sticky and you don’t want it to be dry.
Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment or wax paper, then pour the mixture into the pan. Use either the back of a spoon or your hands to flatten the mixture down into a large square, filling the pan.
Pop those in the fridge overnight (or at least a few hours), and then cup ‘em into bars. Super simple, right?
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may arise as you prepare this recipe:
Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This can happen if the protein powder is packed down into the cup. If that occurs, simply add a little more of your wet ingredients to the recipe (in this case, peanut butter, pumpkin, and honey).
Simply add another few tablespoons of protein powder, then mix again. Repeat as needed until the mixture is firm and still moist, but not sticky.
Yes. However, almond butter tends to be slightly less drippy than natural peanut butter. As such, you may need to reduce the amount of protein powder that you use.
Nutrition Benefits
These bars are great for active women to keep on hand! You can eat them when you’re stuck in traffic and need a bigger snack to tide you over to dinner, or when you want to tame that training hunger that comes along with an intense exercise routine. They have both fat and protein to keep you full and satisfied.
These bars also pack in some micronutrients, like magnesium and Vitamin E.
Magnesium is involved in so many processes in the body, from energy production to bone health to exercise recovery, making it a key mineral for athletes. Each bar packs in 11% of your daily needs.
And Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in the body, protecting cells from damage. Each bar provides 17% of your daily needs.
More Snacks with Protein
If you’re on the hunt for more protein-rich snacks, be sure to look at some of these recipes:
- Peanut butter protein bars
- Chocolate coffee protein balls
- Pumpkin protein muffins
- Banana protein muffins
- Peanut butter protein fudge
- Protein coffee
I hope you enjoy these pumpkin protein bars. If you get a chance to make ‘em, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Pumpkin Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- ⅔ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup honey (*see notes)
- 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin spice
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (optional)
- 1 ½ cups vanilla protein powder divided (see instructions)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the peanut butter, pumpkin puree, honey, pumpkin spice, chocolate chips, and 1 ¼ cups of the protein powder. Stir until well combined. If the mixture is still sticky, stir in the remaining ¼ cup of protein powder, until a firm mixture forms that is moist but not sticky and not dry.
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment or wax paper. Pour the protein mixture into the pan. Press down with your hands or the back of a spoon to flatten into a relatively even square.
- Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 3 hours (the mixture will firm up a bit as it chills). Cut into ten bars. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, and enjoy as you please!
Notes
- *I prefer adding a little extra sweetener with honey, which I find creates good flavor with the standard brand of protein powder that I use. However, if your protein powder is very sweet already, you may be able to reduce or omit the honey. Since the honey is a liquid ingredient, if omitted, you may need to reduce the total amount of protein powder as well (to avoid making the recipe too dry).
- This recipe can sometimes look too dry or too wet, depending on the type of protein powder you’re using and how packed down into the cup it is. If your mixture is too dry, add more canned pumpkin and peanut butter. If your mixture is too wet, add a little more protein powder.
- These bars will be softer than a store-bought protein bar – this is normal. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat to keep them firmer.
- If you prefer, you can roll the mixture to create protein balls instead.
Specific nutrition facts may vary based on the type of protein powder used. Nutrition facts are an estimate only.
Nutrition
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