PROTEIN BARS!? Always hit or miss, usually packed with way too many ingredients, and they can definitely put a dent in your wallet! These baked cheap protein bars without powder we’re making today are packed with great macros, you can make them a million different ways, they only really take a couple minutes to prep, and the recipe where I live costs less than $2.00!

We’re gonna start these cheap protein bars without powder off by making a crust. It’s easy, don’t worry!

Add into a bowl 1 1/4 cups of rolled oats, 2 teaspoons of a lower calorie brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 ounce of a milk substitute, and 2 tablespoons of either melted butter or coconut oil.

Mix those together until all of your oats are nicely coated.

The size or shape pan you use here will depend on what kind of bars you want to make. I like using either a bread pan or 9’’ square pan.

Add some parchment paper into that pan and pour your mix in. Do your best to evenly distribute it across the bottom while pressing it in.

Put that crust for your cheap protein bars without powder into the oven on 350F/176C for around 12 minutes.

Protein Bars without Powder Filling

While your cheap protein bars without powder crust is in the oven, take out another bowl. Add into that bowl 2 cups of fat free cottage cheese, 2 ounces of Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, a couple tablespoons of some sweetener, and 2 large whole eggs.

You don’t have to but for even more protein you could add in 1-2 scoops of some optional protein powder.

At this stage you could mix in things like nuts, fruit, or some chocolate chips (my preference).

You can also top your cheap protein bars without powder with whatever you want!

What do I top mine with? It depends on what I’m craving so I don’t have a favorite. However, baking M&Ms and a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips were my choice today!

Think outside the box here and have some fun with whatever you choose.

Mix everything together for a couple minutes.

Once your crust is done, go ahead and pour this mix in.

Bake your soon to be cheap protein bars without powder on 325F/162C for 50 minutes to an hour. You’ll know they’re done once the edges start to brown.

Let them cool for a bit, wrap them up, and throw them in the fridge for a couple hours before cutting your cheap protein bars without powder!

So there they are and yes, these protein bars without powder are delicious. Keep them in the fridge and they should last an easy 5-7 days if you don’t eat them before then (they last 3 days max in my house).

You also don’t have to make this recipe exactly like I made it, use whatever ingredients fit your macros or lifestyle.

Don’t like sweetener? Use some regular sugar or don’t use any at all.

Hate milk substitute? Use whole milk.

Don’t like fat free cottage cheese? Use full fat!

Want chocolate bars? Add in some cocoa powder and a scoop of chocolate protein powder.

Want something fruity? Use strawberry Greek yogurt and add in some banana slices!

See where I’m going with this?

Let us know what you try below so we have even more options down the line.

Want another Protein Bar recipe? Check these Fudge Brownie Protein Bars out!