Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bars
These Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bars are a delicious, healthy snack that's perfect for fall and a skinny, filling version of your favourite Starbucks drink!
HELLO FALL!
Well, really it's only mid-September, and technically still summer. But today we're going to pretend that it's fall. We've had a couple chilly days so far in Toronto – the sun is starting to set way too early for my liking, and the only way I'm going to deal with this is with some tasty fall food.
Yes, I am definitely one of those people who LOVES pumpkin spice lattes. I've even got a pumpkin spice frappuccino recipe on the blog. Umm, you're right, basic bish over here and I'm proud of it! I swear there's nothing better than a cool fall day, chunky sweaters, crisp colourful leaves and a hot drink in hand.
Couple problems though.
Number one, I don't have $5 or more (I think it's more than $5 now at Starbucks for a PSL, correct? Insanity!) to drop on ONE coffee. Number two, those things are hella high in calories for just a drink. I've found myself really committed to health and fitness lately. I'm at the gym at least five days a week, I'm eating to complement all the exercise I'm doing and on top of feeling more energized and mentally healthy, I feel like I've finally achieved the body I've always wanted.
Sure, you find more motivation the longer you're on that health and fitness kick, but I know that a huge part of my success has been because of my love of food and my commitment to eating well on a regular basis. Of course we all have treats here and there and that's just as healthy as sticking to a relatively clean diet (whatever clean is even supposed to mean these days, it's a hot topic lately haha!) At the end of the day, I'm really making sure that whatever I put into my body is going to nourish and satisfy me for the long haul, and of course it's all gotta be delicious to boot.
These days, a super sweet pumpkin flavoured coffee just ain't gonna cut it.
But Pumpkin Spice Latte PROTEIN Bars? Yeah, they'll do!
Honestly, it's SO easy to make homemade protein bars and energy bites at home. Like, I don't know why I don't do it more often because 15 minutes is all you really need and then you've got a week's worth (or more if you double the recipe) of healthy, on-the-go snacks.
Don't be tempted to grab the packaged snack bars and energy bites that you see at the store, no matter how tempting they are because you can really cut the costs of your meal prep by making protein bars at home. You can also ensure they're gluten free or low-sugar, low-carb, etc to fit your diet and fitness goals.
I've used oat flour here because it's got extra protein and is a more healthier, wholesome choice than regular white flour. Not to mention the fact that you can't exactly eat regular flour while it's still raw so that would also really change the integrity of this recipe considering that these are no-bake protein bars. Some other swap-ins for oat flour that I haven't yet tested but will think about could be almond flour, chickpea or coconut flour to give you a little bit of inspiration if you're looking to customize these bars.
And if you're interested, these protein bars are actually super low in sugar! I've only used 2 tbsp of honey in the whole recipe, relying on the pumpkin puree and protein powder to sweeten things up a bit. I actually love pumpkin, but did you know that most canned versions are squash? Turns out there's a pumpkin shortage – the short season each year probably doesn't help either!
There's your fun fact of the day 😉
Will you be making these Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bars?
I can't even deal with how much I love these things! I think I'm going to change it up to make a new version of these every holiday season. Christmas is next! Except that's a holiday I don't even wanna think about right now…
If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or in the comments – I’d love to see what you come up with!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- 2 cups protein powder
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp instant coffee
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tsp milk, water or cream (optional)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, using your hands near the end to completely blend everything together.
- Squish all ingredients down into a greased 9x5in (1.5 qt) baking dish, or 8x8 dish for thinner protein bars, pressing down firmly and smoothing the top as much as possible. Freeze for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips for 2 minutes in the microwave (I'll use a bit of milk, water or cream sometimes to make them melt smoother but that's totally optional).
- Remove protein bars from the freezer and cut using a sharp knife, dividing into 8-10 pieces. Drizzle chocolate overtop, then serve and enjoy! I like to keep extras in the freezer for meal prep purposes - they'll keep up to 3 months in there!
Nutrition
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!
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
What flavor of protein powder did you use? Vanilla? I’m super excited to try these! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
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 🙂
What kind of protein powder did you use? Whey? They all act differently when being mixed with liquids.
Hey Katie! Yes I used whey protein powder!
Love all the ingredients as I had them On hand. However I make my own oat flour in a high power blender and used non whey protein powder and needed to use a whole tin of pumpkin to make any Thing stick together. I also tried to make little energy bites with a tablespoon scoop.
This was a miss for me.
I mixed wet and dry ingredients separately, before combining in a large bowl. It was so chalky and difficult to mix that I took another commenter’s advice and added the remaining pumpkin from the can. It turned rock hard, and I had to continue adding water to get a workable consistency.
I froze the goop in an 8×8 pan for 25 minutes. When they came out, the additional pumpkin totally threw me off. It just tasted like baby food.
I’m not a baker, so I’m not sure what I would substitute moving forward to transform these bars into something more palatable. Will be on the hunt for a different recipe.
I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you had with this Wren 🙁 I am thinking I will have to retest with some different protein powders and look at the ratios of dry to wet ingredients a bit better. I’m not a baker either and that’s why I’ve stopped posting as many sweet recipes. Hopefully I’ll be able to take a deeper dive and see where the inconsistencies lie here.