No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars with Toasted Oats & Dark Chocolate

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Chewy, genuinely peanut-forward protein bars you press into a pan and chill — no baking, no dates blitzed into paste, no chalky aftertaste. Toasting the oats first is the whole trick: it gives the bars a nutty, granola-bar snap of flavour that raw oats can't touch. A thin dark chocolate shell sets firm in the fridge so they travel in a bag or gym pocket without smearing, and each bar lands around 11–13g of protein depending on your powder.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 1/4 cups natural creamy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
• 1/2 cup honey or brown rice syrup
• 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla protein powder (about 4 scoops / 120g)
• 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1–3 tbsp whole milk or unsweetened almond milk, as needed

• 5 oz dark chocolate (60–70%), chopped
• 2 tsp virgin coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the rolled oats on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 8–10 minutes, stirring once at the halfway mark, until they smell like fresh granola and the edges are lightly golden. Slide them onto a plate to cool for 5 minutes — hot oats will seize the protein powder.
2. Line an 8x8-inch pan with two crossed strips of parchment, letting them overhang so you can lift the slab out later. Lightly grease the exposed corners.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the peanut butter, honey, and 2 tablespoons coconut oil for 2–3 minutes, stirring, just until loose and pourable (about 110°F — warm, never simmering). Off the heat, stir in the vanilla.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the protein powder, ground flaxseed, and fine sea salt to break up any lumps. Add the cooled toasted oats and chopped peanuts and toss to combine.
5. Pour the warm peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a sturdy spatula, then switch to your hands once it cools enough to handle. Keep working it for a full minute — it should look like thick, uniform cookie dough that holds together when squeezed. If it's crumbly and won't clump (common with plant-based or casein powders), add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 3, until it does.
6. Scrape the mixture into the lined pan. Lay a sheet of parchment on top and press hard with the flat bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass, working from the centre outward and into the corners. Real pressure here is what keeps the bars from crumbling — the slab should be dense, level, and about 1 inch thick. Chill 30 minutes.
7. Melt the chocolate with the 2 teaspoons coconut oil in a heatproof bowl set over an inch of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, then remove from the heat (or microwave at 50% power in 20-second bursts). Let it cool 3–4 minutes so it isn't hot enough to soften the slab.
8. Pour the chocolate over the chilled slab and spread it into a thin, even layer with an offset spatula. Scatter the flaky salt over the top while it's still wet. Chill 20–25 minutes, until the chocolate is set but not rock hard.
9. Lift the slab out by the parchment onto a cutting board. Run a large knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut in one firm downward press (don't saw) into 12 bars — 3 cuts one way, 2 the other. Re-heat and wipe the blade between cuts for clean chocolate edges.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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