Chocolate Cashew Protein Bars
on Feb 21, 2025, Updated Apr 01, 2025
These no bake dark Chocolate Cashew Protein Bars recipe are so easy to make for a snack. An easy protein bar recipe that is made with wholesome ingredients!
These protein bars are so delicious!
These chocolate cashew protein bars are an easy no bake snack that I find myself making on repeat because they are just so good I crave them!
One thing about me is that I will always prefer a homemade protein bar or protein ball over a packaged one.
They taste so much better, are made with a short list of easy to recognize ingredients, and most importantly they taste better!
I even wrote my first cookbook all about easy no bake protein treats you can make at home. Be sure to grab yours here before they sell out!
After I made my homemade no bake protein bars, I couldn’t wait to try out more flavors! It’s really so easy to make your own protein bars at home.
Ingredients Needed
All you need are a few staples and you can make your own protein bars at home easily. I like to keep most of these ingredients on hand in my pantry for quick snack making!
- Natural creamy peanut butter: the only ingredients should be peanuts and salt.
- Rolled oats: also known as old fashioned oats.
- Roasted salted cashews: these add a delicious texture to these bars!
- Cocoa powder: or raw cacao powder.
- Honey: the sticky sweetener that holds it all together.
- Chocolate protein powder: to really amp up that chocolate flavor!
- Salt: make sure to check the recipe notes for how much salt to add based on whether or not your peanut butter contains added salt.
- Dark chocolate chips: the rich flavor of bold dark chocolate gives these bars so much flavor!
How to make chocolate cashew protein bars
Step one: Add the dark chocolate chips and cashews to a food process. Pulse them into small pieces. This step is a must because it evenly distributes the salty rich chocolate flavor into the bars, as well as adds a nice texture!
Step two: Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix it all together until a thick batter forms.
Joy’s Tip
I have found that the best tool for mixing protein bar batter is a rubber spatula. Nothing sticks to it! Try this for making your protein bars and protein balls at home.
Step three: Line an 8 X 8 pan with wax paper. Make sure to leave enough overhang on the edges of the pan to make it easy to lift the bars out once they are done chilling. Press the batter down into the pan and smooth it out on top.
Step four: Place the protein bars in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until they have firmed up.
Step five: Pull the wax paper on the edges to remove the bars from the pan. Place them on a cutting board and cut the block into 12 protein bars.
If you want kid sized bars, you could then cut each bar in half and you would have 24 mini protein bars!
These bars last maybe 2-3 days max in our house. Everyone loves them!
My favorite part about these bars is the rich deep flavor that you get from the double chocolate flavor combined with the dark chocolate chips and the saltiness from the cashews.
They are so rich and satisfying! I stay full for hours after eating one. These protein bars are so tasty that I will eat them for dessert!
If you have never tried making your own protein snack at home, it’s really so easy and only takes a few minutes to prep.
Storing
Store leftover protein bars in an airtight storage container between pieces of wax paper so that they do not stick together.
These bars will keep 5-7 days in the refrigerator or around 2 months in the freezer.
More Protein Powder Recipes
- Chocolate Protein Bars
- Chocolate Protein Mug Cake
- Protein Overnight Oats
- Oatmeal Cookie Energy Balls
- Strawberries & Cream Energy Bites
- Cinnamon Roll Protein Balls
- Chocolate Protein Balls
- M&M Cashew Crunch Energy Bites
- Banana Bread Energy Bites
- Almond Butter Protein Balls
- Birthday Cake Protein Balls
- Pecan Pie Energy Bites
- Mint Chocolate Energy Bites
p.s. If you love this recipe be sure to check it out in bites sized form: these Chocolate Cashew Energy Bites are so yummy too!
Chocolate Cashew Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups natural creamy peanut butter, see notes
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup roasted salted cashews
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup chocolate protein powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, see notes
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pulse the cashews and chocolate chips into small pieces using a food processor.
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix it them together using a rubber spatula until a thick batter forms.
- Line an 8 by 8 dish with wax paper. Leave enough overhang on the sides to be able to pull it out.
- Press the batter down into the pan and smooth it out.
- Chill the bars for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Pull the wax paper out to remove the batter from the pan. Slice the batter into 12 bars.
- Store leftover bars in the refrigerator or freezer.
I do not remember the amount of water . It depends on your peanut butter. Just mix everything as written except add the extra scoop of protein powder. I would just add a tsp of water at a time. They just need to be able to stick together. I recently made them with the single scoop and no water was needed. I freeze the balls on a cookie sheet and then put them in a freezer bag. It is quicker using the tbsp instead of weighing each ball. I live in Eastern Ontario and we love our maple syrup so I prefer it over honey.This has to be one of the best recipes
Great idea Bonny!
These are absolutely delicious. I make them into balls instead using a level measuring tablespoon for each ball. It makes about 40 balls so you can have a treat that is smaller but just as tasty.
I also used Chipits 50% cocoa chocolate chips so the cocoa and the 50% chocolate chips balanced out the honey or maple syrup. I also used Quaker Quick Oats that have smaller flakes than the old fashioned. I have made them twice now with two different types of natural peanut butter and the dough was not dry or crumbly. I use kitchen scales for dry ingredients to have consistent results so I used 120 grams of the uncooked quick oatmeal as 40 grams is supposed to equal to 1/2 cup. The second time, I added a bit of water only because I had doubled the protein content. As the balls are 30 grams, the calorie, fat, sugar and protein levels are reasonable for a quick protein snack.
@Bonny, hi bonny, how much water should i add if i am doubling the protein content?
I made these bars into thirty 30 gram balls instead. I left out the salt and used unsalted cashews. The second time, I doubled my Biox Natural Whey unflavoured protein powder and added just a bit of water. I have a Vita Mix blender that mixed the cashews and chocolate chips well. That added more protein and less sodium. My teenaged grandson loved them.
These were very tasty, but I found them extremely crumbly, to the point where there were no “bars,” just crumble!!! I pressed them into the pan with wax paper and put them in the fridge (maybe I should have done the freezer right off?). They looked great, but as soon as I went to cut them into bars, the whole thing just crumbled together. I think next time I will add a few dates to help them stick together better!
Nice but WAY too sweet. Will cut down on chocolate chips, honey and peanut butter next time I make this.
THANK YOU! . I need to try this .And I believe I have all of the ingredients on hand!