Copycat perfect bar recipe! Need I say more?! Since you guys are OBSESSED with our pumpkin perfect bars and birthday cake protein bars, we are sharing the classic chocolate peanut butter combo.
Have you guys had Perfect Bars before? I was introduced to them a long time ago and they are pretty great! They are refrigerated protein bars made of real food ingredients like nut butter, honey, protein, and superfoods. They make a lot of different flavors, but the dark chocolate chip peanut butter is probably my favorite!
As much as I enjoy them, I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to make them at home. Plus, the main reason is to save some money! Buying store-bought protein bars can quickly add up, especially high-quality ones. Making homemade protein bars is so much cheaper. I shared a price comparison below if you are interested!
While I’m not huge on eating protein bars all the time, I love to have some on hand when I’m in an emergency and need food fast. Michael eats them a handful of times a week as they make a great way to add some easy, healthy calories to his diet.
Why you’ll love this perfect bar recipe
- classic chocolate peanut butter combo!
- made with just 4 simple ingredients – you probably already have most of the ingredients at home.
- so much cheaper than store-bought!
- high protein with 15 grams of protein per bar
Are perfect bars healthy?
Perfect bars can be a healthy addition to your diet, especially for an active lifestyle. They good combination of protein, carbs, and fat and make an easy and delicious macro-balanced snack. The protein and fat make them satiating, carbs give you energy, and protein is beneficial for building muscle.
That being said, they are calorie-dense for such a small snack, so if monitoring your calorie intake, be mindful of how many and how often you consume them.
Perfect bar recipe ingredients
- natural peanut butter – make sure it is runny and drippy!
- egg white protein powder
- maple syrup
- mini chocolate chips – I used dairy-free, but any kind will work.
- flaky sea salt – for topping
How to make perfect bars
- Line an 8×8 pan or bread pan with parchment paper and set aside. An 8×8 will give you 8 thinner bars and a bread pan will give you 6 thicker bars.
- Make your protein bars. Add your peanut butter, maple syrup, protein powder, and a pinch of salt to a medium bowl. Mix until a dough forms. It will get crumbly at first but will come together and have a consistency like cookie dough (see notes if not). Use your hands if needed. If needed, add a little more liquid. Add about a scant 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips and carefully mix to combine. Be careful not to overmix as the dough will become crumbly.
- Form into bars. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips, pressing them into the dough, and sprinkle with optional sea salt if desired. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up some (I like doing this).
- Enjoy! Cut into 8 equal-sized bars and enjoy!
Do perfect bars have to be refrigerated?
While perfect bars do not need to be refrigerated, they should be stored in the fridge to help maintain their freshness and desired texture. Once warm, they can become soft. If desired or needed, they can left at room temperature for a few days.
Can I use another protein powder in this perfect bar recipe?
I have tested this recipe with egg white protein. You can try a different protein powder, but you will need to adjust the recipe. Protein powders vary by consistency and how dense they are, so I would add a little less than the recipe calls for and add as you need for the best consistency. You can always add, but you can never take away!
- egg white – follow the directions as written. I used this protein.
- plant-based protein – plant-based protein powder is much thicker and more absorbent than others. If using, you will probably not need as much.
- whey protein – since whey protein powder has similar absorbency to egg white, I think it would work well. Add a little less than the recipe calls for and adjust as needed. You could also add some flour if it is too sticky. I like this whey protein.
- collagen – I have not tried this recipe with collagen and I’m not sure it will work since collagen dissolves so easily. The protein powder helps the bars come together.
Changing the protein powder will change the nutritional breakdown and macros of the recipe.
Homemade perfect bar vs store-bought
Let’s break down the difference between these homemade perfect bars and store-bought ones. I love the store-bought ones, but I figured this would be fun!
- ingredients – homemade for the win! While I love the addition of fruits and veggies in Perfect Bars, the bars have around 27 ingredients. This includes dairy (nonfat dry milk) and grains (rice protein powder). Homemade bars have just 4 ingredients and are dairy and grain-free! I am not including the individual ingredients for the chocolate chips in both bars.
- price – homemade for the win again! Breaking down the ingredients, homemade bars come out to .77 cents per bar! Prices vary at the store, but in most places, they retail for $2.99. Sometimes you’ll be lucky to see them on sale for $2 (I think that is the price at Trader Joe’s), but they are more expensive at other stores.
- nutrition – calorie and macro breakdown, the bars are pretty similar. Homemade comes in at 293 calories with 16 grams of protein, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of fat, and 12 grams of sugar. Store-bought has 330 calories with 15 grams of protein, 24 grams of carbs, 20 grams of fat, and 18 grams of sugar. Homemade has a little fewer calories and carbs, a little more protein, and less sugar.
- convenience – I don’t there is really anything easier than picking these up at the store (although you do have to get to the store), but in terms of making them at home, these are not hard to make. They only take about 10 minutes plus some time to sit in the fridge if you want them chilled/firmer.
Due to ingredients, price, and nutrition, homemade wins!
Storage
- fridge – store an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week. If exposed to the air for too long, they will dry out some.
- freezer – freeze for up to 6 months. I suggest freezing individually and then defrosting the night before you want to eat. Make sure to wrap them up well as the longer they are in the freezer, the dryer they will become.
Substitutions and additions
This no-bake protein bar recipe is so simple and pretty forgiving – you can change it up to fit your needs. Here are some suggestions:
- peanut butter – any kind of nut butter or seed butter will work, it will just change the flavor some. Try almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini. Make sure you are using an all-natural drippy/runny substitute.
- maple syrup – honey or agave will work instead. You do want to use a liquid sweetener as a dry one will make the texture too dry/crumbly and it won’t come together.
- protein powder – I like egg white protein powder in this perfect bar recipe because it’s bland and doesn’t add any additional flavor. If you don’t have egg white protein, you can substitute your favorite protein (collagen, whey, plant-based), but just be careful of the ratios. See the section above ‘can I use another protein powder’ for suggestions and check out the comments for substitutions others have done!
- chocolate chips – milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate chips will work. Use dairy-free if needed.
Here are some additions you can add:
- dried fruit – dried cranberries or blueberries would work well
- chopped nuts – for a little crunch
- shredded coconut
- vanilla extract
More healthy protein snacks
- protein baked oatmeal
- sweet potato blueberry protein muffins
- no bake chocolate protein balls
- banana protein muffins
- oatmeal raisin protein bars
- no bake protein cookies (vegan)
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Perfect Bar Recipe
equipment
- 8×8 pan
ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter (256 grams – you can use smooth or chunky)
- 1 cup egg white protein powder (80 grams) – see notes for substitutions
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (see notes)
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (60 grams)
- flaked sea salt, for topping
instructions
- Line an 8×8 pan or bread pan with parchment paper and set aside. An 8×8 will give you 8 thinner bars and a bread pan will give you 6 thicker bars.
- Make your protein bars. Add your peanut butter, maple syrup, protein powder, and a pinch of salt to a medium bowl. Mix until a dough forms. It will get crumbly at first but will come together and have a consistency like cookie dough (see notes if not). Use your hands if needed. If needed, add a little more liquid. Add about a scant 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips and carefully mix to combine. Be careful not to overmix as the dough will become crumbly.
- Form into bars. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips, pressing them into the dough, and sprinkle with optional sea salt if desired. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up some (I like doing this).
- Enjoy! Cut into 8 equal-sized bars and enjoy! Store in the fridge for up to a week.
notes
- I suggest using a food scale and weighing your peanut butter and protein powder to help ensure the right texture of the bars.
- Using an 8×8 baking dish will give you 8 1/2-inch thick bars. You can use any kind of baking dish since this is a no-bake recipe, but the thickness will change some. A bread loaf pan also works well and will give you thicker bars.
- Make sure your peanut butter is all-natural and is very runny/drippy. You can use smooth or crunchy. If your peanut butter isn’t runny, the mixture will be crumby. You can add more maple syrup to accommodate.
- I like egg white protein powder in this perfect bar recipe because it’s bland and doesn’t add any additional flavor. If you don’t have egg white protein, you can substitute your favorite protein (collagen, whey, plant-based), but I would be careful of the ratios. Protein powders vary by consistency and density, so I would add a little less than the recipe calls for and add as you need for the best consistency. You can always add, but you can never take away! Check out the comments for substitutions others have done.
- I tested this recipe a few times and found that 1/4 cup maple syrup works the best. You can adjust the amount depending on how sweet you like them or how moist you like them. You might also have to adjust the amount depending on how oily your peanut butter is.
Vivian says
Question: I can’t have maple syrup, it’s too sweet and I’ll go to sleep in 20 minutes or less. If I substitute coconut sugar, I suppose I’d have to make it into a syrup to mimic the maple syrup as a liquid ingredient so the bars would come out correctly. Do you think that idea would work?
Kelly says
Hey Vivian! You can use coconut sugar but as you said will need a liquid. I am not familiar with how to make coconut sugar into a syrup, but you could use a little milk or water to help them come together as the liquid. I should start with a little and then add from there until you get the desired consistency. Hope that helps!
Karen says
Excellent!!!! Easy and better than perfect bars!!
Kelly says
So happy to hear it Karen! Thanks for trying them!
Josie says
Hi Kelly,
Can I substitute Maple syrup for stevia if so how much ?
Thank you
Kelly says
Hey Josie! Unfortunately, stevia won’t work as it needs to be a liquid sweetener to help the protein powder and nut butter come together. That being said, you could use stevia but use almond milk (or another kind of liquid you like) to help bring it together. I’m not if the amount would be the same though and you would have to play around with it some (for both the stevia and liquid). I suggest mixing together the PB, protein, some stevia, and adding a little almond milk. Then keep adding until the right consistency forms. Hope that helps!
Allison says
Thank you so much for this, Kelly. I love perfect bars but I can’t have them any more due to the dairy, so I’m thrilled to have this option!
Kelly says
Glad you enjoy them Allison and thanks for trying them!
Katie says
Finally decided to test these out with PB2 powder for a lower calorie bar! It worked, tasted delicious but it came out so sticky for some reason? Probably because of the lack of fat content, but I basically had to dissolve the remnants off of my bowl with warm water lol. I will probably try a 50/50 blend of real PB and PB powder next time, but the recipe is still amazing for 4 ingredients!
Kelly says
Hey Katie! I would think that is probably why, but not sure. You may need more protein powder to help them come together more. Let me know if the 50/50 blend works next time! Glad you still enjoyed them!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Kelly says
They should keep for a week in the fridge. You can also freeze them for 3 months as well!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great way to enjoy a treat while sticking to the good stuff!
Kelly says
Yes! They are the perfect balanced snack while it feels like you are eating all peanut butter and chocolate!
Laura says
So easy to make and DELICIOUS!!! I used natural creamy PB and then 50 grams of PEScience cake pop protein powder! They turned out amazing and they are even better out of the freezer! No more wasting my hard earned money if store bought perfect bars!
Kelly says
OMG, that protein sounds so good! Thank you for sharing what worked and for trying them Laura!