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These no bake protein brownies are delicious and gooey with a little bit of sea salt on top. You’ll love these for an easy no bake snack that has 11 grams of protein per bar.
Nut free, gluten free, and low sugar, these can even be made without chocolate. These protein packed snacks can actually be made into carob brownies! If you’re sensitive to caffeine or theobromine, it can work as a great substitute with a similar gooey chocolate flavor.
Prep these to have on hand in the freezer any time you need a healthy snack or try a twist on these with my peppermint brownie balls.
Table of Contents
The Best Brownie Protein Bars
In a brainstorm of what people missed the most when trying a migraine diet, all I could think of was gooey chocolate brownies. But even if chocolate is more of a craving than a trigger food, we still have to be be mindful of blood sugar fluctuations.
These have been tested multiple times and are truly the best. You’ll love them because they’re:
- High protein – With 11 grams of protein per bar.
- Fudgey – These have a more gooey, fudge-like texture.
- Versatile– These can fit a gluten free diet, dairy free diet, low sodium, and migraine friendly diet.
- No bake – These protein brownies don’t require an oven!
- Chocolate-free – This recipe was tested using carob powder and bars for a chocolate-free alternative, as well as with cacao powder. Both were great.
I tested this recipe several times while wearing my continuous glucose monitor and had zero spikes as a mid-day snack. It’s the perfect balance of sweetness, healthy fat, and protein.
Ingredients
- Protein powder – I used Sprouted Living Pumpkin Seed Protein for this recipe testing and it turned out really well. Get 20% off with code THEDIZZYCOOK20. Be aware different types of protein powder may affect the taste and consistency of the recipe.
- Cocoa powder/carob powder – Dutch processed cocoa powder works well with this and I also tested with carob powder for a chocolate-free version. I recommend Missy J’s from Whole Foods or Anthony’s from Amazon.
- Chocolate chips/carob chips – Any semi-sweet chocolate chips will work for this recipe or use carob chips. Missy J’s is recommended (Whole Foods) or Landau’s on Amazon.
- Sunbutter – I used unsweetened Sunbutter for this recipe, but you could use pumpkin seed butter or almond butter, if desired.
- Maple syrup – Added for sweetness!
- Coconut oil – This mixes with the chocolate or carob chips to create a drizzle on top of the brownies.
How to Make Protein Brownies
Step 1: Blend the ingredients. Add the protein powder, carob powder or cocoa powder, salt, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and water to a food processor. Process on high until fully combined. I find it’s best to do this as a “pulse”.
Step 2: Press the mixture into the pan. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Dump the brownie mixture into the pan and firmly press it into an even layer. If the brownies are oily on top, you can use a paper towel to blot the oil. I found the mixture to be more oily if I blended too long.
Step 3: Melt chocolate/carob chips. Add the chips and coconut oil to a small bowl and microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring until the chips are fully melted.
Step 4: Drizzle the melted chocolate/carob over the bars. Then place the pan into the freezer for 15 minutes to harden the topping and firm up the brownies so that they’re easier to cut, or into the fridge for up to 1 hour.
Step 5: Cut the brownies. Remove the pan from the freezer and hold the edges of the parchment paper to remove the brownies from the pan. Place the parchment-lined brownies on a cutting board and use a knife to cut the brownies into 9 squares. Enjoy!
Recipe Tip
For these protein brownies, I find if the mixture gets over-blended it may be oily. Pulsing it all together seemed to work well and gave me less of an issue, plus had a better texture. But if it does get oily, no worries! You can just blot the top of the brownies with a paper towel.
Storage Information
These brownie protein bars freeze amazing. I put them between sheets of parchment paper and freeze up to 3 months.
You can also store them in the fridge for up to a week. I don’t recommend leaving these at room temperature or they will be very soft.
Carob Brownies vs. Chocolate Brownies
I tested this protein brownie recipe with cocoa powder and carob powder to see if it would work for those with a chocolate sensitivity and both turned out great. Carob has a more toasted flavor to it, whereas cocoa is a little more bitter. Both performed the same in the recipe – the texture was still gooey and the flavors were consistent.
Carob is a helpful alternative for people who are sensitive to caffeine or theobromine. If you’re doing HYH, use the carob option with sunbutter and seed protein.
If you’re not sensitive to nuts or chocolate, feel free to substitute your favorite nut butter (I recommend almond butter) or another type of protein powder.
Protein Recipes
Beef
Beef Protein Bowl
Smoothies
Berry Protein Smoothie
Snacks
Cottage Cheese Protein Popsicles
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
No Bake Protein Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 cup 8 scoops/120 grams protein powder (I used Sprout Living pumpkin seed protein powder)
- ¼ cup roasted carob powder or cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sunflower seed butter
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup water
- sea salt (optional)
Chocolate topping
- ⅓ cup carob chips or chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Add the protein powder, carob powder, salt, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and water to a food processor. Process by pulsing, scraping down the sides as needed, until fully combined.
- Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Dump the brownie mixture out of the food processor into the pan and firmly press it into an even layer. If the brownies are oily on top, you can use a paper towel to blot the oil.
- Add carob chips and coconut oil to a small bowl and microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring in between each time, until the chips are fully melted.
- Drizzle the melted carob over the bars, then place the pan into the freezer for 15 minutes to harden the topping and firm up the brownies so that they’re easier to cut.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and hold the edges of the parchment paper to remove the brownies from the pan. Place the parchment-lined brownies on a cutting board and use a knife to cut the brownies into 9 squares. Sprinkle sea salt on top, if using. Enjoy!
Notes
- I noticed that if I over-processed the brownie mix it would get more oily. Pulsing seemed to work best. If it does get oily, you can just blot off the top.
- The chocolate/carob chips can be drizzled on top.
- I used Sprout Living Pumpkin Seed protein powder, Anthony’s or Missy J’s for carob powder and carob chips, and Sunbutter no added sugar for recipe testing. These are all HYH compliant.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these No Bake Protein Brownies yesterday. They are amazing! I wrapped them in tiny squares in Saran Wrap and then put them in a Lock N Lock container and froze them. I just tried them frozen and I like them even better than yesterday freshly made. I didn’t have any carob chips so I didn’t put the chocolate topping on. I will definitely be making these again and will have to make these for my teenage grandkids as they like the DizzyCook recipes I make when I am at their house; I actually get requests for certain recipes :). It is nice to have brownies again!