Love Perfect Bars but hate the price? My homemade Perfect Bar recipe tastes JUST like the original but with only 6 healthy ingredients to fuel busy days.
As a dietitian, one of the questions I get asked the most is "what protein bars do you recommend?". To be honest, I've probably tried every protein bar on the market. Perfect Bars have always been a favourite, but they cost more than I'm willing to spend on an everyday snack.
Luckily, no bake protein bars like Perfect Bars are super easy to make at home. Make a batch at the start of the week and you'll have balanced snacks to fuel your busy days!
Why This Dietitian Loves This Recipe
Let's summarize why you NEED to make this homemade Perfect Bar recipe.
- Only 6 ingredients. We're keeping things simple with 6 pantry staples that you probably already have.
- On-the-go snack. I love throwing these into my bag when I have a busy afternoon of errands or appointments. They're also handy for a quick snack to bring after a workout class.
- Customizable. I've included instructions for how to adapt these homemade perfect bars for any dietary restriction. I know the original Perfect Bars have nuts, so this recipe is great for those with nut allergies too.
Ingredients
- Peanut butter
- Coconut oil
- Protein powder
- Honey
- Oat flour
Optional s'mores variation mix-ins:
- Chocolate chips
- Mini marshmallows
- Graham crackers
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, coconut oil and honey and mix well.
Add the oat flour, protein powder and salt. You may need to use hands to ensure all ingredients are mixed.
Finish by folding in your chocolate chips and any other mix-ins of choice.
Once combined, press the perfect bar mixture into an 8x4 inch rectangular loaf pan. Cut into 10 equal sized bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oat flour or almond flour. Make sure any mix-ins are also gluten-free.
To make vegan: Use a plant-based protein powder and swap the honey for maple syrup. Make sure any mix-ins are also vegan.
To make dairy-free: Use dairy-free chocolate chips and a dairy-free protein powder.
To make nut-free: Swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter. This will alter the taste slightly, but it will still be delicious!
Missing an ingredient? Try this:
- Coconut oil: Use an additional tablespoon of nut butter. This is a key ingredient in ensuring the dough is moist enough to bind, so ensure your nut butter is RUNNY. If it is not, mix in an additional 1 teaspoon of a neutral tasting oil or water.
- Peanut butter: Swap for sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or cashew butter.
- Honey: Swap for maple syrup or another liquid sweetener of choice.
- Oat flour: Equal parts almond flour works well to replace oat flour. You can also make your own oat flour by blitzing 1.5 cups whole oats into a fine powder.
- Protein powder: Replace with equal parts whole oats or oat flour.
Have fun playing with this Perfect Bar recipe by using different mix-ins! I included a s'mores variation that I love in the recipe card. Here are some other ideas:
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
- Any nuts and seeds
- Chopped dried dates
- Raisins
- Hemp hearts
- Crushed freeze dried strawberries
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- Loaf pan
Storage
These homemade Perfect Bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For easy freezer meal prep, wrap individual bars in parchment paper using an elastic band. In the morning, add one to your lunchbox straight from the freezer and you’ll be good to go!
Top Tip
Use your hand to mix the dough together! As the dough is fairly thick, using just a spoon or spatula will be quite difficult to properly mix everything until it is fully combined. So don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love Nuzest. It's my personal favourite when adding to no bake treats such as this perfect bar recipe. I love how it adds an amazing vanilla taste without a weird after taste- and bonus points because it's gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan!
Most grocery stores will have it either in the baking aisle near the flour or the health food section (where packaged seeds such as chia seeds or gluten free baking alternatives are found). You can also make your own by blending 1.5 cups of rolled oats.
Technically the base recipe is gluten-free IF your oat flour is certified gluten-free. Oats alone do not naturally contain gluten, however many oats and oat flours are cross-contaminated with gluten during processing. So if you are gluten-free PLEASE ensure your oats and oat flour are certified gluten-free!
No you do not, you can easily substitute the protein powder with additional oat flour or even whole oats. However without the protein powder, this will have less protein overall- you can also add hemp hearts to give it another little boost!
Yes you can however I also have some recipes for protein balls you can check out as well- birthday cake, snickers or oatmeal cookie flavored!
More Healthy Snack Recipes
Want more no bake recipes? Give these a try:
📖 Recipe
Homemade Perfect Bar Recipe (No Bake)
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 cup oat flour
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 handful chocolate chips or mix-ins of choice optional
For the S'MORES variation
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup mini marshmalllows
- ¼ cup crushed graham crackers
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, coconut oil and honey and mix well. Add the oat flour, protein powder and salt. You may need to use hands to ensure all ingredients are mixed. Finish by folding in your chocolate chips and any other mix-ins of choice.
- Once combined, press the perfect bar mixture into an 8x4 inch rectangular loaf pan.
- Cut into 10 equal sized bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
For the S'MORES variation
- Mix in the chocolate chips, graham crackers and marshmallows before pressing into the rectangular pan. If desired, add a few more toppings on top of the melted chocolate prior to freezing!
Gisele says
I make these all the time. Perfect gluten free option. I keep it simple with just chocolate chips added. I store in our freezer and we grab one or two pieces for our after lunch or dinner treat. I’ve also made these to bring to friends and printed the recipe for them to make their own after 😉. I love that it has some added protein.
Nina says
I made a little twist and baked them in muffin forms for 15 min and added some chocolate on top afterwards. They are delicious little cakes that are perfect for when my sweet cravings are coming on 🤤
BRANDY says
OMG these bars are good!!