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Is it a snack or is it a treat? It doesn’t matter with these low carb protein bars! My delicious keto protein bars recipe is both.
Not only is it incredibly healthy (wait until you see the ingredients it’s made of!), but it takes just 15 minutes of prep time to make to make these high protein low carb bars.
Store a stash of these keto friendly protein bars for post-workout bite or that 3pm snack session. If you were used to grab-and-go snacks pre-keto, you need these in your life. (Check out my other keto tips for beginners for more ways to make it easier to stick to this lifestyle.)
Are you wondering what the best keto protein bars taste like? They taste a lot like a Nutella-infused truffle or brownie. My husband thought they were brownie bars! So yummy.
How To Make Keto Protein Bars
I’m going to show you how to make the best keto protein bar recipe! They take just 15 minutes to make and are better than anything you’ll find in the store.
- Mix together the dough for keto approved bars. In a food processor, pulse blanched hazelnuts until they reach a fine meal-like consistency. Add in almond flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, Besti powdered sweetener, and sea salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
TIP: Blanched hazelnuts ensure a smooth texture in your bars. If yours have skins, roast them in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees until toasty, then rub between 2 sides of a kitchen towel to remove the skins before using in this protein bar recipe.
- Add wet ingredients. Add almond butter and melted cocoa butter to food processor and process continuously until a dough forms and starts to pull away from the center. When you are processing the bar dough, scrape down the sides frequently so that all of the ingredients are getting incorporated.
TIP: The dough should be firm and shiny, and feel firm to the touch.
- Form bars. Press the protein bar dough tightly into the lined pan.
TIP: Secure the edges of the parchment paper to the pan with clips. This helps the parchment paper from sliding around.
- Chill bars. Place the high protein low carb protein bars into the fridge until very firm.
- Cut and store bars. Lift the bars out of the pan and slice.
TIP: Don’t use a see-saw motion when cutting the bars, or they will crumble. Use a straight down or rocking motion instead.
Ingredients In Keto Friendly Protein Bars
This low carb protein bar recipe is packed with nutritious ingredients like:
- Hazelnuts – The base of these keto diet protein bars.
- Almond Flour – Adds vitamins, protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
- Cocoa Powder – The best low carb protein bars always contain chocolate, don’t you think?
- Collagen Protein Powder – Adds a protein boost without any gritty taste like some of the high protein low carb bars out there. It’s also great for drinks, like this keto berry protein smoothie.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – My sweetener of choice. No after-taste, no bitter flavor, and silky smooth.
- Sea Salt – Brings out the sweetness.
- Almond Butter – Adds plenty of nutrition, but also helps hold the bars together.
- Cocoa Butter – An important ingredient for holding the bars together and also keeping them firm.
- Sugar-free Chocolate Chips – Optional, but the drizzle is well worth it!
Are Protein Bars Allowed On A Keto Diet?
Many traditional protein bars have sugar added and are simply a candy bar with protein added, OR they taste like sawdust. There are some that are keto, but they are often expensive.
This is why I created my own chocolate keto protein bar recipe, so it can still taste like chocolate without the added sugar. This one is 100% keto approved, with just 2g net carbs in each bar.
Are Low Carb Protein Bars Healthy?
Keto friendly protein bars are not all created equal! I happen to think this is the best keto diet approved protein bar, because not only does it fit as a balanced snack, but it’s also made with real, wholesome ingredients. (See above for the list!)
And it doesn’t hurt that it tastes like Nutella, either. 😉
How To Store Keto Protein Bars
Store this keto friendly protein bars recipe in the fridge. They soften too much at room temperature.
If you want to take them on the go, here are some tips:
- Wrap the bars in parchment paper so that you can hold that while you eat them to avoid getting chocolate all over your hands.
- A small box for on-the-go storage is better than a bag, as they may get crushed easily.
- Another option to bring them on the go is to pack them with a small ice pack to keep them cool and firm.
Can You Freeze High Protein Low Carb Bars?
Yes, you can freeze these high protein low carb bars. Let them thaw slightly before eating, so that they aren’t too hard.
If your low carb low sugar protein bars end up too runny to stay together after chilling, you can freeze them as a backup plan. This shouldn’t happen, but can be a side effect of almond butter being too runny.
More Low Carb Protein Recipes
I’ve got plenty of recipes for protein bars for keto and low carb diets. Some of them are in slightly different form, but I doubt that will be a problem! 😉
- Low Carb Peanut Butter Protein Balls – Just 4 ingredients to make these perfectly snack-able protein balls.
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookies – Yes, cookies can be a healthy treat – and pack a protein boost! Treat or healthy snack? I say both!
- Keto Protein Cookie Dough Balls – Oh yes, the cookie dough obsession continues with these keto dough balls.
- Double Chocolate Protein Muffins – Double chocolate is always a good idea. I love having a stash of these in the freezer.
- Vanilla Protein Waffles – Start your day off with a boost of protein in these delicious waffles.
- Chocolate Protein Pancakes – Chocolate for breakfast? When it’s this nutritious, yes!
- Protein Donuts – You won’t even taste the protein powder in these. So sweet, cakey, and a little chewy!
Tools To Make The Best Keto Protein Bars
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Food Processor – You definitely need a food processor to make these keto friendly protein bars. This is the one I use and love.
- 8×8 Inch Pan – Glass is best for keto protein bars in case you miss any spots with the parchment, and it cleans up easily.
Keto Low Carb Protein Bars Recipe
Keto Low Carb Protein Bars Recipe
Smash your chocolate cravings with this low carb keto protein bars recipe in a dreamy chocolate hazelnut flavor! These high protein low carb bars have just 2g net carbs + 8g protein.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over at least 2 sides.
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Place 1 cup (120 g) hazelnuts into a food processor. Pulse until you get a fine meal-like consistency.
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Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, Besti, and sea salt. Pulse a few times, just until mixed. Scrape the sides of the food processor and pulse again.
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Add the almond butter and melted cocoa butter. Process continuously until a dough forms, pulls away from the center, feels firm to the touch, and leaves a fingerprint when pressed. It should be firm and shiny, not runny or crumbly. If it’s not uniform, you may need to manually stir and scrape the sides, then process more.
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Press the protein bar dough tightly and evenly into the lined pan. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup (30 g) hazelnuts and press into the top. If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate (optional).
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Place the pan in the fridge and chill for at least 1-2 hours, or until very firm. Run a knife along the edges of the pan if any part of the bars are touching the pan directly and not the parchment paper. Lift the bars out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper, slide onto a cutting board, and cut into 12 bars, using a large chef’s knife with a straight down motion or rocking motion (do not see-saw, or bars may crumble).
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Store bars in the fridge, between layers of parchment paper.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 bar, or 1/12 of the recipe
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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51 Comments
aidan
0Hi, I don’t have collagen powder but I have flavoured and unflavoured protein powder and only have almonds. Could you tell me if the nutrition information would be the same using these please.
Thank you
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Aidan, All protein powder has different nutritional information so I can’t say for sure how it would change the macros.
Margaret
0Hi, Maya! These look amazing! Does it matter whether we use regular (oil) roasted or dry-roasted blanched hazelnuts? Also, is the optional chocolate drizzle excluded from the nutrition data?
Thanks very much!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Margaret, Whichever hazelnuts you prefer will work well and the chocolate drizzle is included in the nutritional facts.
Michael Cor
0Love these! I’ve made them about 10 times I double up on the cocao butter, gives them a bit more of a firmer texture! I also save some of the hazelnuts and mix them in whole, adding some nice texture and crunch.
Sandra
0Have you made these with other nuts besides hazelnuts? I love all other nuts just not a fan of hazelnuts….
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sandra, You can make this recipe with almonds or pecans if you like. Enjoy!
David
0Made these yesterday…and they bombed. Can’t get used to the taste. Though I’ve liked pretty much everything I’ve made from your recipes, these are an exception.
Adriana
0Love this recipe! Soooo good. The first time I made it, I just mixed it in a bowl and had to add tons of almond butter to make it stick. Still delicious. Now I make it properly, in a food processor and it’s fantasic as written. Everyone wants me to make them some at work 🙂
sylvia
0HI. I have all the ingredients listed but hazelnus. Can I use other nuts other than the other 2 suggested in other comments? Where I am, it is difficult to find hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans. I have easy access to almonds, peanuts and pistacchios. What would be the best please?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sylvia, You can make this recipe with almonds or pecans if you can’t get hazelnuts. Enjoy!
Victoria Carroll
0Can substitute unflavored whey powder for us collagen. I don’t want to spend extra money for the collagen when I have plenty of whey power.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Victoria, The whey powder will give your bars a different texture, but the recipe will still work.
Scott Evans
0Hello There! Out of the initial $130.00 investment in ingredients, how many total bars can I expect to yield before all the ingredients are used up? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Scott, Each recipe makes 12 servings. Because I don’t know the quantity of hazelnuts you purchased or the size containers of any of the other ingredients you purchased, it is difficult for me to estimate how many batches of this recipe you will get. Based on a single bag of Wholesome Yum Almond Flour, you can make 4 batches per bag (48 bars). I hope this is helpful.
Scott Evans
0Great, thank you!
Miriam Schrock
0Have you ever made these or any other Low carb bars to be High in Fiber? My greatest need right now is to stay on Keto but increase my Fiber intake. Any suggestions?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Mariam, In general, you can add avocados, flax seeds, chia seeds, and almonds to your diet to increase fiber intake. For this recipe, you can hydrate 1-2 tbsps of chia seeds and then blend them into the recipe. It may add a slight texture to your bars, but it will give you some additional fiber.
Roberta
0You may also consider 1 tbs of pure acacia fiber (no flavor and if not clumpy doesn’t affect texture, many powdered protein supplements contain this ingredient and it just makes them creamier and acts like carrier instead of maltodextrin for instance) and if you tolerate it you could add also a bit of inulin adjusting sweetener to taste since it is already lightly sweet by nature itself. Hope it helps, even if I’m not sure this could work in this specific recipe but I can say that when I used this combo in my homemade bars it worked pretty well and anyway surely didn’t ruin a good recipe.
Merle Cuthbert
0Love the taste but the dough was too runny. What did I do wrong?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Merle, Did you let the bar base set in the fridge for a few hours? The bars should harden enough to slice and pick up. If it’s still too loose to pick up you may want to add more almond flour and cocoa butter to get the desired result.
Heather
0These look great! If I use erythritol as the sweetener instead, do you think I’ll need to change anything else? (I know erythritol can dry out dough sometimes.)
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Heather, There shouldn’t be any changes needed if you use erythritol instead of allulose. Be sure to use the powdered version.
Kayla Strandness
0Hi Maya, is there any way these can be made with more protein? Like more towards the 15-20g area? Would I just add more protein powder or is there another way to get more protein in there? TIA
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kayla, Protein powder or collagen is the easiest way to add more protein while maintaining the right texture. You may need to add a little more melted cocoa butter to maintain the right consistency.
Dee
0It was great but the view was not large enough to view printed ingredients… But with printed ingredients list viewing multiple times… could grasp… have yet to make…grocery shopping is only a bi-monthly happenstance with the current issues will let you know…
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Dee, You can find the full list of ingredients and amounts in the recipe card. If you cannot see the recipe card, you may need to turn off your browser’s ‘Reader Mode.’ I hope this helps you build your shopping list. Best wishes!
Jaime
0Hi! Can I used “Hazelnut Flour” in place of the blanched hazelnuts? Thank you!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jamie, I have not tested this recipe with hazelnut flour. Blanched hazelnuts ensure a smooth texture in your bars. If you do make the protein bars with hazelnut flour let me know how it turns out.
Myron
0I had to add to sticks of butter and went over board with almond butter just to get enough moisture to make dough. My recipe was awesome.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Myron, Did you use a food processor? The hazelnuts and almonds have enough fat in them to turn into nut butter on their own if processed enough, it should not have needed butter to form a dough. I am glad you were able to make this work for you, but I think you could have gotten there without the extra ingredients.
Liezel Boonzaier-Lacquaye
0Looks amazing. Please help, can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter? and what can I use instead of cocoa butter? Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Liezel, Yes you can use peanut butter in place of almond butter. Cocoa butter can be substituted with coconut oil, but your bars will need to be refrigerated then.
Ashtyn
0These sound so yum! I am a vegan, any suggestions on substitute I can use for collagen protein that won’t alter the nutritional value?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Ashtyn, I think you can sub any flavorless vegan protein powder into the recipe, as long as it dissolves well and doesn’t remain powdery.
Deanna
0I don’t have any protein powder, and I don’t do shopping online…any ideas?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Deanna, You can add an additional 1/4 cup of almond flour to replace the bulk from the protein powder. This will change the nutrition for the recipe, but it should still taste the same. Enjoy!
Noel
0I don’t have a food processor so I tried to to use a wisk and spatula to make these. Any tips on an alternative method? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Noel, A high powdered blender is probably the second best option. If you already have hazelnut butter then you can make them with a stand or hand mixer.
Danielle
0I can’t seem to find hazelnuts in the store and I don’t like doing shopping online. May I use a different nut? Obviously it would change taste and carb count. But I thought perhaps any nut could work here???
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Danielle, Yes, you can swap out a different nut. Although I have not tested this recipe with other types of nuts, I think it would be good with pecans or walnuts too!
Dottie
0Can these be made with walnuts?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Dottie, I think that should work fine.
jenna
0Love the hazelnuts in here! These are perfect for traveling. The added protein boost is great too
Amy Chung
0oh yum! When a snack is also a treat……it’s a no brainer in my cook! Great recipe. My daughter would love these in her school lunch box!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
0These protein bars look absolutely delicious! I love that they’re keto and low carb too!
Granee
0I don’t have the protein but I have collagen. Will plain collagen work??
Love your recipes.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Granee, I suggest using collagen peptides powder in this recipe.
Kelly Anthony
0What a great sweet treat bar that will save me some serious money. With this recipe, I can make my own and save some money.
Jessica Formicola
0These bars look so incredible! And I love that they have minimal ingredients. Can’t wait to try!
Heidy M
0These low carb keto protein bars were awesome and I wish I had made a double batch.