These Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bars are a healthy and delicious snack that taste just like your favourite fall Starbucks drink!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Pumpkin puree – mashed bananas can be used instead for a different flavour.
- Tahini – almond, sunflower or peanut butter would also work in place of tahini.
- Honey – agave or maple syrup are the best substitutes here.
- Vanilla – you can try using almond extract but it will have a slightly different flavour.
- Whey protein powder – stick to whey, rice or soy protein powder for this recipe so you don’t compromise the flavour.
- Oat flour – if you don’t have any oat flour, blend up 1 ½ cups of rolled oats.
- Instant coffee – feel free to leave this out if you don’t have any on hand.
- Pumpkin pie spice – use a store-bought version or make your own using 1 tbsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. nutmeg and 1 tsp. ginger.
- Chocolate chips – leave these off if you want to cut down on the calorie count.
How to make protein bars
- Microwave the wet ingredients.
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Squish into a dish then freeze.
- Cut into pieces.
- Drizzle the chocolate over top, serve and enjoy!
Why the high calorie count?
At 277 calories per bar, I know that it seems like a lot of calories for a snack. However, when you look at other store-bought protein bars, you're looking at about the same calorie count but with all these added ingredients. My bars also contain 20g of protein, which is quite high.
I recommend enjoying one of these bars for breakfast along with a piece of fruit. This will bring the calorie count to about 350 calories, which is right in line with what you should be eating for a meal. The amount of protein and added fibre from the fruit will keep you feeling full for a long time!
Frequently Asked Questions
Protein bars can be good for you as long as you pay attention to the ingredients. These pumpkin spice protein bars are super healthy because they’re made with whole ingredients – in comparison, some of the protein bars you buy at the store might have hidden ingredients.
Losing weight depends on a number of factors including your exercise routine and your diet plan. While these protein bars are a healthy snack that will leave you feeling full for longer, they are high in calories. There’s no one magic recipe for weight loss – it relies on a bunch of different things!
The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is one of the most popular fall drinks made with pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger or cloves), steamed milk and espresso. For this recipe, I took all the flavours of a pumpkin spice latte and put them in a healthy protein bar! The pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice bring that classic autumn flavour while the instant coffee adds a bit of caffeine to the mix.
Storing protein bars
You can store these protein bars in the fridge or on the counter in a plastic container up to 7 days, so you have some wiggle room in terms of when you have to eat them! To keep the bars from melting or going soft, I recommend storing them in the fridge for the best results. This is especially important if you have drizzled the chocolate over top!
Freezing this recipe
You can also freeze these pumpkin protein bars in a glass container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. They’ll defrost in just 15-20 minutes on the counter, so they’re a great option to just grab from the freezer on your way out the door.
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More high-protein snack recipes
- Nut-Free Funfetti Protein Cookies
- Tahini Coconut Energy Protein Bites
- 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to store these protein bars in the fridge.
- They can also be stored in Ziploc bags up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Here is the protein powder I use if you're looking for a clean one.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup tahini or you can use almond, sunflower or peanut butter instead
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2 cups whey protein powder
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour or 1.5 cups rolled oats blended in a blender/food processor
- 1 tbsp instant coffee
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice can blend 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp ginger together to make pumpkin spice
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
- Mix wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, tahini, honey, water and vanilla) together in a large bowl, then microwave for 1 minute, stirring well. Mix remaining dry ingredients (protein powder, oat flour, instant coffee, pumpkin spice) together in another large bowl.
- Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring well to combine and using your hands near the end to completely mix everything together.
- Squish all ingredients down into a greased 8×8 dish, pressing down firmly and smoothing the top as much as possible. Freeze for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix chocolate chips with water and heat for 1 minute in the microwave.
- Remove protein bars from the freezer and cut using a sharp knife, dividing into 10 pieces. Drizzle chocolate overtop, then serve and enjoy! I like to keep extras in the freezer – they'll keep up to 3 months in there!
Comments & Reviews
Reba says
Mine turned out really good, but have the consistency or like a no bake cookie. Is that right? I thought they were to like, solidify . What can I do to fix it, if it’s wrong?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Reba – yes, they are supposed to be similar to a no bake cookie. Hope you enjoy them!
Megan says
Hi I made these and I really like the taste! Consistency was off though, if I freeze them they become solid enough and after 1 min I can eat them without a mess. However I’m wondering where the serving and calorie info came from? If each small square is really 300 calories I’m not sure if it will help me reach my goals. Thanks for the info! Looking forward to a response!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Megan – since these protein bars are so filling I normally eat one for breakfast with a piece of fruit so it ends up being about 350 calories, which is right in line with what you should be consuming for a meal. There is a nutrition calculator I use to provide good estimates of nutritional info – if you would like to confirm exact calories you can use a tracker like My Fitness Pal to double check.
Katie says
What kind of protein powder did you use? Whey? They all act differently when being mixed with liquids.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Katie! Yes I used whey protein powder!
Katie says
Flavored or unflavored?
Taylor Stinson says
You can do unflavoured or vanilla 🙂
Priscilla says
What flavor of protein powder did you use? Vanilla? I’m super excited to try these! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Priscilla! Yes, I used vanilla 🙂 I think chocolate could work well though if that’s all you have on hand. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Kirsti says
Wow! What an awesome idea – just what I need to step into a healthier version of my PSL cravings. Can’t wait to try these!
Taylor Stinson says
Yay!!! Thank you so much Kirsti! I can’t believe a PSL is 380 calories alone. Definitely a treat every once in a while but I don’t know if I can do that regularly haha