Chocolate Almond Protein Bars

These are a quick, high-protein vegan snack that’s great for kid’s lunches, picnics, and on-the-go sustenance. We try to keep them on hand, but they go so quickly!

Use this as a base recipe for a variety of vegan bliss ball versions. It's an easy recipe to alter and add superfoods like chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds (increase the nut butters and brown rice syrup if you do so they will stick together!). You can also add spices, different nuts, or make nut-free with sunflower butter and seeds. We never make two batches the same :-).

Prep

Ready in: 20 Minutes
18 servings
Tools needed: bowl, small saucepan, spatula. Muffin tins and cupcake paper liners or an 8"x8" pan are optional.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 3⁄4 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/ 1⁄3 cups chopped raw almonds
2⁄3 cup vegan chocolate chips
2⁄3 cup dried unsweetened cranberries, chopped

Wet mixture

1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 cup creamy peanut butter

3⁄4 cup almond butter
1⁄2 cup brown rice syrup
1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup coconut for rolling the balls in.

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Place the wet ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are “melted” and smooth. This takes just a few minutes.
3. Mix all ingredients together in the bowl with a spatula or your hands (my favorite).
4. Roll 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a ball. Roll in the dried coconut. Repeat until all the mixture is used.
5. Refrigerate or freeze.

Chef's Tips:

Add extra peanut butter to get a more creamy vegan bliss ball.

Exchange the chopped almonds for pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts.

You can also press the mixture into an 8x8 pan, or paper-lined muffin tins. Refrigerate them and then cut the pan mixture to your preferred serving size. They store best in the refrigerator or freezer.

Superfood Option: Substitute up to 1/2 cup of the almonds for pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, or chia seeds.

Written by Your Vegan Family

Stacy and Markus live an adventurous vegan lifestyle and write articles about their experiences cooking global vegan cuisine, creating businesses, raising vegan kids, and traveling through more than 65 countries. They earned degrees in molecular biology and acupuncture, consulted over decades for healthcare companies and individuals, created businesses in Asian medicine and cultural immersion, and taught yoga in myriad venues.

We’ve learned a lot from eating a plant-based diet for 25 years and are eager to share more with you. Learn more on our About Us page.

Nutritional Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Note that with the recipe variations we suggest, the nutritional data will change.