I went to the store on a mission to find options. Pink options. Natural pink options.
Pure pomegranate juice costs more than my apartment. Beets stain my hands. And who honestly wants to wait an hour to roast one? Now raspberries....
LETTUCE ALL BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF. They may have weird fuzzy tendrils and a bamboozling silent "p," but man oh man do they taste dreamypants in any way, shape or form. I nearly fell over when I saw that they were on sale.
It's almost that one holiday that everyone hates or loves, and these are the most perfect of all ways to tell that special someone you adore them. I love dark chocolate like a sister so regardless of my relationship status, I don't mind V-Day. You better believe there's a strong handful of chocolate chippers in these bars!!
I wanted to experiment with an option that had a) a boatload of my beloved Vega Protein + Greens protein powder and b) less added sugar. Vega is sweetened with stevia, so in my humble opinion, these delightful little guys have just the right amount of sweetness with half the added sugar. Ding dong win wong.
I wanted these to be BRIGHT pink. With my refusal to use beets or red #5, I was left with pinkish beauties studded with the juicy red razzes. After mixing in a full half cup of raspberries to the batter, realizing they were too wet, and then adding more oat flour, I proceeded to gracefully smush bits and pieces of raspberries into the top of the bars.
I'm not saying they'd win a beauty contest, but they have the taste and texture of an angel. AND...and...they only require one bowl and get this---no food processor!! Flawless. No flaws.
Let's talk ingredients for a sec! I used Bob's Red Mil, but feel free to grind old-fashioned oats in the food processor or blender if you don't have oat flour on hand. And now for the fun part!
Print
No-Bake Raspberry Protein Bars
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Snack
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These easy, one-bowl, gluten-free raspberry protein bars with oat flour and almond butter taste like dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups oat flour (or old-fashioned oats ground into flour)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- ½ cup vanilla plant-based protein powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup creamy almond butter (the drippy kind)
- ¼ cup milk of choice (I used pomegranate juice for more of a pink color, either works!)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup fresh raspberries (plus more for topping)
- 3 tbsp mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Line an 8x8inch square baking dish with parchment paper or plastic wrap.
- Place oat flour, flax, protein powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add almond butter, almond milk, and pure maple syrup. Using your hands, stir mixture until fully combined. Stir in chocolate chips. It will seem dry!
- Add fresh raspberries and use your hands again to break down raspberries into batter until fully combined (the "dough" should start to turn light pink).
- Press mixture evenly into pan until smooth. Press additional raspberries into dough if desired. Freeze bars for at least an hour before slicing into 12 bars. Store in the refrigerator for optimal texture.
Notes
Inspired by Oh She Glow's Quick N' Easy No-Bake Protein Bars








Margo says
Hi Alexis, do you think Almond flour would work instead of oat? Thank you!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
No since it isn’t absorbent! If you try maybe double the amount? I don’t think you’ll achieve the same texture.
Lori says
These look wonderful! Do you think I could substitute coconut flour the oatmeal to keep it grain free?