These are insanely delicious! If you’re a fan of pumpkin pie (like me 😀 ) you’ll totally love these! What you might also love about these bars is that they are a “no-bake” recipe and come together in about 15 minutes. They’re also gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan (if you use a plant-based protein powder).
Whether you make these for yourself or your family, they are a wonderful breakfast on-the-go option or the perfect afternoon power snack.
The base of these bars is coconut flour which is incredibly nutritious. Coconut flour is high in protein, fiber, and contains medium chain triglycerides which help support healthy metabolism and balanced blood sugar levels. I used a collagen protein powder — to reap additional health and beauty benefits (check out my No-Bake Collagen Bites for more) — but you can totally use a plant-based protein powder, if you prefer.
While this recipe does include nut ingredients (almond butter), you can make it completely nut-free by using sunflower seed butter instead. Win-win for everyone!
No-Bake Pumpkin Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder I used Bulletproof Vanilla Collagen protein
- 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice OR 1/3 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp each ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
- 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut (or almond) milk
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds (or shredded unsweetened coconut) to spinkle on top (optional)
- 1 tbsp coconut butter (melted) Optional: drizzle over top
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add coconut flour, protein powder, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to combine.
- Using a small pot over low heat, add almond butter and maple syrup and whisk until combined and stick. Add the vanilla extract. Remove from heat.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the pureed pumpkin and coconut milk. Stir to combine; dough will be very sticky.
- Transfer the dough into your pan and flatten with your fingers (you might need to oil your fingers a bit with some coconut oil to prevent dough from sticking) OR use a piece of plastic film wrap and flatten the dough this way. Once dough is packed into the pan you can just peel off the plastic wrap and discard.
- Sprinkle the bars with either hemp seeds or shredded unsweetened coconut. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to eat, slice the bars into eight servings and enjoy!!
