These monk fruit protein bars are an easy and delicious low-carb breakfast, snack, or treat. Give them a try if you’re looking for low-carb recipes, like this peanut butter chocolate monk fruit fudge, which is another one of my favorites.
Ingredients and Substitutions
These protein bars are sweetened with pure liquid monk fruit sweetener. It’s made from monk fruit, a fruit native to China, and gets its sweetness from antioxidants called mogrosides. It’s popular among people following a keto or low-carb diet.
Monk fruit is much sweeter than regular sugar, which is why only a small amount is needed in recipes. It’s often available at health food stores, or it’s easy to find online.
Creamy peanut butter adds richness and acts as a binder to hold these bars together. You can substitute any other type of nut butter or seed butter. Just make sure it’s a creamy variety with no added sugar.
You can use any type of unsweetened protein powder you like in these bars. I went with a plant-based variety.
Cocoa powder gives these bars their delicious chocolate flavor. You can omit it if necessary, in which case I recommend reducing the water by 2 tablespoons.
How to Make Monk Fruit Protein Bars
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the boiling water, cocoa powder, pure liquid monk fruit sweetener, vanilla extract, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Add the creamy peanut butter, then mix well.
Add the unsweetened protein powder, then when the mixture is cool enough to handle, use your hands to combine the ingredients until a thick dough is formed (I recommend wearing kitchen gloves to make this easy). If the dough is too crumbly, add 1/4 cup of cold water, plus additional water if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist enough to hold its shape. Some types of protein powder are more absorbent than others, which affects how much water is needed.
Divide the dough evenly into 10 portions, then use your hands to shape into bars and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 12 minutes, then let cool completely before removing from the pan and serving. Optional step: drizzle melted low-carb or keto-friendly dark chocolate (or this homemade monk fruit chocolate) on top of the cooled bars, then place them in the fridge for 45 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened before serving.
Monk Fruit Protein Bars Recipe (Low Carb)
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pure liquid monk fruit sweetener (or to taste, see notes below)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 cup unsweetened protein powder (spooned into the measuring cup then leveled—not scooped)
- Optional topping: melted low-carb or keto-friendly dark chocolate to drizzle on top of the bars (not included in nutrition estimates)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add 1 cup boiling water, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons pure liquid monk fruit sweetener, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well until the cocoa powder is dissolved.
- Add 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter, then mix well.
- Add 1 cup unsweetened protein powder, then when the mixture is cool enough to handle, use your hands to combine the ingredients until a thick dough is formed (I recommend wearing kitchen gloves to make this easy). If the dough is too crumbly, add 1/4 cup of cold water, plus additional water if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist enough to hold its shape. Some types of protein powder are more absorbent than others, which affects how much water is needed.
- Divide the dough evenly into 10 portions, then use your hands to shape into bars and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- Let cool completely before removing from the pan and serving.
- Optional step: drizzle melted low-carb or keto-friendly dark chocolate on top of the cooled bars, then place them in the fridge for 45 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened before serving.
Notes
- Since sweetness level can vary between brands (I used Sweet Monk brand), I recommend tasting the batter before adding the protein powder (since it’s easier to mix at that point) and increase to taste if needed. Aim for slightly sweeter than you like, because the sweetness will get toned down slightly once the protein powder is added. If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, start with 1 teaspoon and increase as needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition Estimates
Another Monk Fruit Recipe to Try
This sweet and tart monk fruit lemonade is a delicious and refreshing keto-friendly drink.
