These keto protein bars take just 15 minutes to make and have 13g of protein per serving. They’re made with heart healthy macadamia nuts and sugar-free white chocolate for a delectable keto snack. Only 2g net carbs per bar!
Stop right there! Before you go wasting any more money on pre-packaged snacks, you have to give this recipe for keto protein bars a try. They are so delicious and easy to make. No oven required.
And they’re packed with healthy goodness too! Made with antioxidant-rich macadamia nuts, they have plenty of healthy fats and fiber and contain almost 14g of protein. If you’re a fan of my Keto White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, you will adore these bars.
Why make your own keto protein bars?
I find that as I get older, my protein needs have increased on keto. And research supports this idea as well, particularly in women. So I have a growing list of low carb high protein recipes, like my tasty Peanut Butter Protein Balls.
There are so many brands of keto protein bars on the market and I find the vast majority of them disappointing. They don’t taste great, have an odd texture, and many of them have questionable ingredients.
Making your own is so easy and you know exactly what goes into them. And you can adjust to your tastes, making them sweeter or less sweet and switching up the flavor profile as you like.
Even better, these homemade protein bars have only 2g net carbs. Compare that to the 4 to 5g in many pre-packaged bars. Have I sold you yet? Let’s get started!
Ingredients you need
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- Macadamia nuts: Use raw unsalted macadamias for these keto protein bars. You would also use blanched almonds, or a mix, if you want to save on the expense of macadamias.
- Protein powder: I recommend unflavored whey protein isolate for this recipe, as flavored varieties will overwhelm the macadamia flavor. Other kinds of protein work as well but collagen may not require as much added water. So add it just a tablespoon at a time.
- Sweetener: To avoid grittiness, you will want to use a powdered sweetener. See the Expert Tips section for more sweetener options.
- Almond flour: A little almond flour gives the protein bars more structure and volume. But you could also use coconut flour. I recommend using only about 3 tablespoons coconut flour.
- White chocolate: I used ChocZero white chocolate chips for this recipe. You could also use dark or milk chocolate.
- Coconut oil: A little coconut oil helps the white chocolate melt more smoothly without seizing. You can use other oils, but don’t use butter as it makes the white chocolate seize.
- Pantry staples: Vanilla, salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Use a food processor: Place the macadamia nuts in a food processor and grind until they start to release their oils and become a coarse nut butter. You will have to scrape down the blade and sides of the processor multiple times.
2. Add the protein powder: Add the protein powder, sweetener, almond flour, vanilla, and salt. Continue to process until well mixed, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Add water to bind it: At this point, the mixture will be quite dry. Add 1/4 cup of the water and continue to process until the mixture begins to clump together. Add more water as needed, a little at a time. Once you can squeeze the mixture together in the palm of your hand, it’s ready.
4. Form the bars: Transfer to a bowl and stir in half of the white chocolate chips and the chopped macadamia nuts. Press the mixture into the prepared pan firmly and evenly. Refrigerate about an hour to firm up. Lift out by the edges of the parchment and slice into 8 bars.
5. Make the drizzle: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining white chocolate chips and the coconut oil. Melt on high in short bursts, stirring frequently until smooth. Drizzle over the bars.
Expert Tips
Macadamia nuts are a great choice for keto diets as they are very low carb and full of healthy fats. But they are also quite expensive, so you can swap some of them out with blanched almonds if you prefer.
Use a very sharp knife to cut them, as the white chocolate chips and chopped macadamias make them tough to cut nicely. I even recommend heating up your knife a bit to help it slice through more easily.
I cut mine into long bars because I thought that made them more like conventional protein bars. But upon reflection, I actually think it would be easier to cut them into 8 squares, four down and two across. It’s up to you!
Sweetener Options: Because these bars aren’t baked, you want to choose a powdered sweetener, to avoid grittiness. But they should work with any powdered sweetener. You can also cut down on the erythritol by adding some stevia or monk fruit extract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many commercial protein bars are very high in carbs and sugars, and should be avoided on the keto diet. Even so-called keto bars may not be truly low carb so read the labels carefully. But making your own keto protein bars is an easy and delicious option.
These white chocolate macadamia keto protein bars have 6.5g of carbs and 4.5g of fiber. So they have only 2g net carbs per serving.
These bars don’t spoil easily and are firm enough to be left at room temperature for several hours. But I recommend keeping them in the fridge in a covered container most of the time. They will keep for several weeks.
More delicious recipes you will love
Keto Protein Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (134 g) raw macadamia nuts, divided
- 1 cup (108 g) unflavored whey protein isolate
- 1/2 cup (55 g) almond flour, or 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/3 cup (63.6 g) Swerve Confectioners, or other powdered sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 4 to 6 tbsp (4 tbsp) water
- 1 1/2 ounces (42.52 g) sugar-free white chocolate chips, divided
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment or waxed paper. Set aside about 10 of the macadamia nuts and use a sharp knife to chop them finely.
- Place the remaining macadamia nuts in a food processor and grind until they start to release their oils and become a nut butter. You will have to scrape down the blade and sides of the processor multiple times.
- Add the protein powder, almond flour, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Continue to process until well mixed, scraping down the sides as needed.
- At this point, the mixture will be quite dry. Add 1/4 cup of the water and continue to process until the mixture begins to clump together. Add more water as needed, a little at a time. Once you can squeeze the mixture together in the palm of your hand, it's ready.
- Transfer to a bowl and stir in half of the white chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Press the mixture into the prepared pan firmly and evenly. Refrigerate about an hour to firm up.
- Lift out by the edges of the parchment and slice into 8 bars.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining white chocolate chips and the coconut oil. Melt on high in short bursts, stirring frequently until smooth. Drizzle over the bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I was excited to make these. They tasted pretty good. I changed just 2 things. one, I roasted the nuts to knock out some of the raw taste for my husband. he has a problem with raw nuts and seeds. and I used ruby chocolate instead of white chocolate because I didnt have white on hand.
it came out a bit dry. Note for anyone roasting the nuts. it will affect the consistency because it affects the oil output. I’m assuming that’s why mine came out crumbly instead of chewy.
Other than that, it was delicious. I will probably try it again.
Hmmmm, you might be right about the roasting. What sweetener did you use? That might contribute as well.
These protein bars have become my husband and my go-to snack or meal replacement! We live in South Africa and do not get all the amazing ingredients you have available, but we have plenty of macadamias. I have successfully substituted 110g of macadamia nut flour with 100% Macadamia Nut Butter from a jar (Buttanut brand). The remaining 10 macadamias are sometimes roasted and salted – in which case I omit adding salt. We do not have sugar-free chocolate chips, but I cut up Canderell white chocolate into small bits. I also add two drops of orange flavouring to the mixture – it makes a lovely difference to the taste!
Thank you so much for all your inspiration! Please keep it coming.
Thanks so much!
I love these healthier protein bars, they are delicious! All of the decent tasting bars at the store have questionable ingredients. These are perfect! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes!
Thank you!
Because my personal belief is that if I’m eating something with lots of calories and fat, (although keto requires a lot of fat and fat doesn’t make you fat….) it NEEDS to be chocolate, I used sugar free dark chocolate chips!
Thank you for this great snack recipe!
Thank you so much for all you do to help me and others like me who are stuck with a sweet tooth. I’ve lost 40 pounds, and I’m still able to satisfy that bad tooth and enjoy eating without guilt. I have your cookbook.
Glad to hear it!
I so wanted to love these. The flavour is okay, but my end result was separated oil floating on the top. My 1 cup weight of whey protein isolate was 80g (Irish dairy grass fed), not 120. I wasn’t sure if I should go with the cup size or the weight, so i chose 80g cup size. I added 3 tbsp of water, too much? The more I pushed on the dough to flatten it in the dish, the more oil seeped out. What did I do wrong, not enough whey protein isolate? I used blue diamond almond flour and besti powdered sweetener.
Hard to say for sure but it does sound like too much liquid/oil and not quite enough dry ingredients.
The bars are extremely sticky and raw tasting. Not sure what I did wrong.
I’d need to know more… like what almond flour, sweetener, and protein powder you used.
I used Nature’s Promise almond flour, Swerve Confectioners and Biochem Whey Protein Isolate (unflavored)
I am going to guess it’s the whey protein that’s making it have an off flavor… I find some brands of protein isolate very bitter. I can’t say for sure why they seem so sticky but Nature’s Eats nut flours tend to not be as finely ground as some like Bob’s. That could be part of the issue.
Thank you. I will try again
You are a genius! Despite all my substitutions (thank you for offering them), these are amazing. On par with Aloha bars but keto. I used collagen protein, coconut flour (27 g) and Dr. Murray monk allulose blend. Also my macadamia nuts are from Costco, so roasted and salted. I used the same gram measurements of everything except coconut flour. 3 tablespoons of water, but that was a touch too much. I also used less salt since my nuts were salty.
I want to try a version starting with sunflower seeds as the budget lower oxalate alternative to macadamias. The possibilities seem endless. Thank you!!
I made these but they were like really raw cookie dough, what did I do wrong?
very sticky and gooey
Hi Carolyn! I actually already have macadamia nut butter. Can I use that instead of grinding nuts into butter or will it be too “ground”? Thanks!
You should be able to, but use a little less if it’s very runny. Add more as needed to get the right dough-like consistency.
This looks great, but can I use the allulose instead?
I plan to try these this week–I will use my Pampered Chef bar pan–I also use it for Carolyn’s granola bars–works great!!
Made these this morning and it looks good but think next time just eat a handful of nuts and chips. Just kidding. They were easy and can’t wait to try.
Well the good thing about this is the portion control. I might over-do it if I just did the chips and nuts!
I am dairy free would egg protein work?
Please read the blog post as I talk about protein options already! 🙂
Carolyn! Thank you so much for all your hard work. I have been looking for a substitute for Atkins bars. This is it! I will make my own!
I have made several of your desert recipes over the past few yoars, ALL were incredible!
These sound so easy and delicious but I don’t have a food processor. What can I use to achieve the same results?
You might be able to do it with a really good blender. Has to be a really good one, though.