Sometimes you just have one of those days where you’re soo busy running around that you grab a protein bar or two (or three?) and call it lunch. Sorry to break it to ya girl, but that’s not lunch, and you’re not fooling anyone (least of all your body). There are definitely some great options for clean energy bars out there, but the clean ones can get super expensive. And it’s actually really easy to make a clean protein bar at home to have on hand when you need a snack or to grab and go!
I’ve been playing around with maca and found an awesome recipe for Coconut Cream Maca Energy Bars, right on the back of my TJ bag! And you might be wondering, wtf is maca? Is it matcha, but with a typo??
Maca and matcha are two totally different things—although they’re both considered superfoods. Maca is a light brown powder that is made from a dried Peruvian root. It has a yummy nutty and chocolatey taste. And matcha you’re probably more familiar with—it’s the green powder made from ground green tea leaves. So while maca and matcha are totally different, they are both full of nutrients.
If you’re looking for a clean, vegan protein bars recipe that also happens to be gluten free, these coconut cream maca energy bars are super quick and easy to make, and you can keep them in your freezer.
Vegan Protein Bars Recipe: Coconut Cream Maca Energy Bars
YIELDS: 12 BARS
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon organic maca powder
1 cup cashews
½ cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
12 small pitted dates (about ½ cup)
1.5 tablespoon melted coconut oil
Water
STEPS:
Put all ingredients except water in a food process and blend. Blend until ingredients are mixed well and sticky.
Test this “dough” by rolling some into a small ball. If the ingredients do not stick together in your ball, add some water 1 teaspoon at a time, and blend again in food processor. Go slowly with adding water here—a little bit goes a long way!
Line a pan with parchment paper and press your dough into the pan. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. Then cut the bars and keep in your freezer until you’re ready to et!
Super easy, right?? Should I do more vegan recipes? If you’re looking to add more protein to this recipe you can definitely tweak the original recipe by adding a protein powder into the mix. I love JJ Virgin Protein Powder in both their chocolate and vanilla protein powder If you’re not a fan of cashews, you could do different nuts or even nut butters like almond butter or peanut butter. This would be great for a pre or post workout snack!
Looking for other vegan recipes? Check out these vegan taquitos or this roasted cauliflower salad.
Recipe by guest contributor Lindsay Kinder, of Food La La. Photography by Erica Garlieb.
Looking for more vegan recipe ideas? You’ll love this tabouli recipe!
Looking for more yummy recipes? Check out all my food posts here.
FAQs
Aloha
Evo
Perfect bar
Many protein bars do have gluten in them. Be sure to check the ingredients list. Or, you can easily make your own gluten free protein bars with this recipe.
Rx bars
KIND
Oatmega
Maca is a superfood that is known for increasing energy and endurance.
Maca has a nutty and chocolatey taste.
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
