These Quinoa Chia Seed Protein Bars make the perfect healthy breakfast or snack. They hold up well and are perfect to take when you are on the go!
Hi everyone! My name is Danielle Krueger, and I am the writer, photographer, recipe developer and taste tester over at The Lean Clean Eating Machine. I am so honored that Wendy contacted me to do a guest post for her!
When I checked out all of the fabulous recipes already featured, I just knew there was no way I could say no, but I’ll be honest, coming up with an original quinoa recipe to present you all with was no easy task.
I wanted to bring you something slightly out of the norm in terms of how quinoa is typically used, and after several experiments and many messes later, I feel pretty confident with what I was able to come up with!
These Quinoa Chia Seed Protein Bars are amazing.
As someone who is always on the lookout for convenient forms of plant-based protein, the one thing I have struggled to find time and time again was a good tasting, all-natural protein bar that didn’t contain all of the unnecessary sweeteners, gluten or dairy found in most store bought brands.
Often times, I find many of the protein bars on store shelves to be no more than glorified candy, but I knew there had to be a way to pack the same protein punch, without the preservatives, additives and other ingredients that make you say ‘huh?’
These Quinoa Chia Seed Protein Bars I created really came out a winner as far as meeting my perfect protein bar criteria!
Taste-wise, they are delicious, with a chewy granola-like texture and a hint of subtle sweetness. As far as cooking is concerned, this recipe is incredibly simple to throw together.
With 11 ingredients total (including spices), and a short 15-minute baking time, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t give this a try, unless, of course, you are allergic to nuts, in which case I would highly recommend you stay away (I promise to come up with something different for you)!
These protein bars contain only all-natural ingredients, and are also gluten free, dairy free and can be made vegan-friendly. Additionally, each bar comes in at 275 calories with 10 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber.
Really, what more could you want? Healthy, filling and ultra satisfying, these protein bars will keep your energy levels high, while keeping your health on track.
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Quinoa Chia Seed Protein Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry quinoa I used white, but you can use any variety
- ½ cup chia seeds I used black chia seeds, but any kind will work
- 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
- 1 cup rolled oats gluten free
- ¼ tsp. pink Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- ½ cup raw almonds; coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup brown rice syrup
- ½ cup almond butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine quinoa, chia seeds, flax seed, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, cardamom and chopped raw almonds. Stir to combine.
- In a small, microwave-safe dish, combine raw almond butter, organic brown rice syrup and honey. Stir to mix, then microwave for 1 minute to soften.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a plastic spatula to thoroughly mix. Wet ingredients may begin to firm up, in which case you will need to use clean hands to knead the mixture together.
- When finished, transfer your mixture to a parchment lined baking dish (I used an 8 x 8 glass Pyrex dish), and pat down mixture with a plastic spatula to make a single, even layer.
- Bake on middle rack of oven for 15 minutes.
- When finished, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- After ten minutes, remove bars from the pan by lifting up the sides of the parchment paper. Place bars on a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Cut finished bars with a sharp, non-serrated knife or pizza cutter.
- Wrap cooled bars in saran wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.
Nutrition
Bio:
Hi, I'm Danielle, and I am the author, photographer and recipe developer behind The Lean Clean Eating Machine. Here you will find my natural, whole food recipes that I have created for those who are looking to leave artificial foods behind, without sacrificing taste in the process.
Just Me
can they be put in the dehydrator instead of baking?
Wendy Polisi
I would assume so, but I don't have a dehydrator so I haven't tried it.
Olivia Allen
Is the quinoa cooked first in quinoa Chia seed protein bars?
Tina
No you don't need to cook the quinoa because you bake the bars in the oven.
Stephen
Why plastic wrap? Aren’t we polluting the world enough? Why not store in a reusable container?
Nathalie Khriss G. Estero
If I dont have the brown rice syrup, what I replace it with?
Wendy Polisi
I would use honey.
Jana Cole
I looked up substitues for brown rice sugar and one of them is mollases but do check the ratio...
I think that if substituting by honey you should use much less as honey is much sweeter.
Jana Cole
I am really unsure as to whether the quinoa should be cooked first as the recipe doesn't say.
Dhwani Rastogi Chaudhary
You can dry roast quinoa till it gives out a nutty aroma.
Wendy Polisi
Yes! Great tip.
JedInTx
Looks good! Suggestions for substitutions for rolled oats? 🙂
Wendy Polisi
Quinoa Flakes would work great!
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
JedInTx
Thank you! I actually haven't used quinoa flakes before. 😀 Substitute 1:1?
PascalEe Ngogo
I tried the recipe but I think I left it in the oven too long. Also when I cut the bars, they kind of crumbled. Any suggestions?
Susan Grizich
My mother has loose teeth and the chia seeds aggravate them. Would it be possible to use soaked chia seeds rather than dry so they are not so seedy?
Wendy Polisi
I haven't tried it but as long as they weren't too wet when you put them in that should work.
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Wendy Polisi
Susan Grizich
I'll try it and let you know how it goes. 1/2 cup chia would be 8 tbsp soaked in 2 & 1/3 cups of liquid. I'll use water and soak them over night and drain them before I put them in the mixture.
Ali Flisek
I want to try these. can I omit the honey and brown rice syrup or is that needed as a binder? Also do these need to be refrigerated? thanks for recipe!
César Quintero
Hi Wendy, good information. I have a question regarding the protein bars, According many sources I've always read that honey should not he heated or it will loose some nutrients, what do you think? Thanks.
Amanda
Do you have the nutritional information for these bars? Thanks!
Amanda
Sorry I just re-read it again! found it! 275 calories with 10 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber.
Amanda
Sugar content?
Kristen
I thought I followed the recipe exactly but mine turned into a crumble. It's a tasty crumble, but I'm not sure where I went wrong. Any ideas as to what would make them crumble?
Wendy Polisi
So sorry to hear that! This is a guest post, so it isn't my recipe and I've never made it. Just looking at it, I would guess that it may be the honey you used was different than what she used. They can vary widely in terms of "sticky factor" so it could be that you just needed more. For sure if you used maple syrup it isn't going to hold together as well.
Alex
Cutting a square four times horizontally and four times vertically results in 25 pieces, not 8................. smh
Good recipe though...
Courtney
Wow! Looks yummy and good amount of protein. Wish I could make these but I can't find flax, chia, or brown rice syrup for sale where I live 🙁 I think the seeds are banned from importation. If any suggestions for replacements would be great, but I will look elsewhere for other high protein bar recipes.
Tiffany
These looks delicious!
Wondering if the cinnamon and oats are needed and if not, can I simply omit these two items? -so many food intolerances to deal with (:
Renée
I tried these today with these alterations: I soaked the chia seeds in the liquid ingredients for about 30 minutes before mixing in everything else; I used 1cup cooked quinoa; I cut the butter in half and added 1/3 cup all natural applesauce; and I added 1/3 cut Gobi berries. These came out great. A little sweet, I will cut the honey and syrup next time. But they were chewy. Excellent treat.
Christine
I prefer basic granola homemade energy bars to any shop bought variety. I don't use much honey as I don't like it too sweet.
Suzanne
These look so good! I've never seen quinoa as a base in something sweet! There are so many fun spins you could put on this!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Wendy Polisi
They should keep for about a week.
Jennifer
The only honey I have is red chili honey. It gives a great pop to the flavor.
A down side to these is having to pick chia seed out of your teeth for the rest of the day.