Almond Butter Chia Bars (No Protein Powder)

Most homemade protein bars are just oats and nut butter, which puts them at 5g and calls it a day. These use nonfat dry milk powder to push past that, plus hemp hearts and chia doing real work. The result is a dense, chewy bar at 8g of protein with nothing artificial. Press the slab harder than feels reasonable or the bars will crumble in your bag.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup hemp hearts (about 75g)
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/3 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder (about 30g)
• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey or brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Spread the oats on a sheet pan and toast at 325F for 10 minutes, then cool. This keeps the finished bars from tasting raw and doughy.
2. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides so you can lift the slab out later.
3. Stir the toasted oats, hemp hearts, chia seeds, chopped almonds, dry milk powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
4. Warm the almond butter and honey in a small saucepan over low heat for 2 minutes until pourable, stir in the vanilla, then pour over the dry mixture and mix until every oat is coated.
5. Press the mixture into the pan as hard as you can with the bottom of a measuring cup, leaning your weight into it. Loose packing is the main reason no-bake bars fall apart.
6. Refrigerate 2 hours, lift out by the parchment, and cut into 12 bars. Store wrapped individually in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tips

• The dry milk powder does double duty. It adds about 11g of protein to the batch and soaks up moisture so the bars set firm instead of greasy.
• Cut them cold straight out of the fridge with a long chef's knife pressed straight down. Sawing tears the slab apart along the seed lines.
• Brown rice syrup makes a chewier bar than honey. It is stickier and less sweet, and it holds the slab together better at room temperature.

FAQ

Do these fall apart in a bag?

Only if they were pressed too loosely or cut warm. Chill the full 2 hours, press hard, and wrap each bar so they are not rubbing against each other.

Can I leave out the dry milk powder?

Replace it with 1/4 cup oat flour. You drop to about 7g of protein per bar instead of 8g and the bars stay slightly softer.

What can I use instead of chia seeds?

Ground flaxseed works the same way, absorbing moisture as the bars chill. Whole flax passes straight through without binding anything.

Are these okay in a lunch bag all day?

Yes. They soften but hold their shape, and nothing in them is perishable, including the dry milk powder, which is shelf stable.

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