These birthday cake protein bars are made with almond butter, pea protein and lightly sweetened with honey. They taste similar to cake batter, but are no-bake, paleo friendly and low carb.
I don't know why, but I've been in the mood for birthday cake flavored treats lately. From energy bites, to cookies and cupcakes (recipes in the works), I've been testing out all the birthday cake flavored goods.
These healthy, birthday cake protein bars are made with almond butter and pea protein and lightly sweetened with honey. They are filled with dye-free sprinkles, as any birthday cake flavored treat should be!
Why You'll Love these Birthday Cake Protein Bars
- low carb and paleo - made with healthy, minimally processed ingredients.
- no questionable ingredients - many store bought protein bars contain a long list of ingredients, many of which are highly processed and gut-irritating. But these protein bars are made with just 7 ingredients.
- gluten free and grain free - they don't contain any oats or flour
- easy to make - just combine ingredients, press into a loaf pan and place in the fridge to set.
Ingredients
You can find the full recipe for these birthday cake protein bars in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- blanched almond butter - I like using blanched almond butter because it gives these bars a lighter color, similar to that of a birthday cake batter. Almond butter also has a pretty neutral flavor, making these taste more like cake. That being said, any nut or seed butter will work.
- cacao butter - cacao butter is solid at room temperature, which helps these protein bars hold their shape. In addition, cacao butter is what gives these bars a smooth, silky texture that melts in your mouth. The best swap would be coconut butter. If you don't want to use either of those, the recipe will still work, but the bars will be soft at room temperature.
- honey - to sweeten the protein bars. Maple syrup or a sugar free liquid sweetener will work too, but I think honey has the best flavor for this recipe.
- vanilla extract - for flavor
- vanilla pea protein - I recommend using pea protein for this recipe. While any flavor will work, vanilla (or cake batter) will give you more of that birthday cake flavor.
- salt - enhances the flavors
- sprinkles - dye free sprinkles are a great option for that classic birthday cake look. However, you can leave out the sprinkles if you want.
How to Make Birthday Cake Protein Bars
These protein bars are made in one bowl and set in the fridge to firm. They literally take 10 minutes to make, you just have to wait a while for them to set. Here's what you need to do:
- First, melt the cacao butter. It can be melted on the stove top, over low heat, or in the microwave. Personally, I prefer melting it on the stove top.
- Then, grab a medium-sized mixing bowl and combine the melted cacao butter, almond butter, vanilla and honey. Mix well.
- Next, mix in the protein powder and salt until batter is smooth.
- Fold the sprinkles into the batter. Be sure to leave about ½ tablespoon of the sprinkles for the topping.
- Lastly, pour the batter into a lined 8" x 4" baking dish (I recommend using foil to line the dish). Top with the last bit of sprinkles and then place in the fridge to set. These bars should firm up in about half an hour and be ready to cut.
- These bars cut easily, but can crumble. If you want smooth edges, I suggest setting the protein bars out at room temperature for 20-ish minutes. This will slightly soften them.
Storage
These homemade birthday cake protein bars are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge, up to 1 month. However, they stay solid at room temperature so can be packed in lunches and eaten on the go.
For long term storage, place the protein bars in an airtight baggie and store in the freezer up to three months.
FAQ
The best swap is coconut butter. These are both solid at room temperature and will help your protein bars hold their shape. If you don't mind the protein bars being soft, then you can leave out the cacao butter or swap it for coconut oil.
No, I chose blanched almond butter to give these more of a traditional birthday cake look. However, any nut or seed butter will work. Just note, almond butter has a pretty neutral flavor compared to most other nut/seed butters, so swapping it for something else will take away from the birthday cake flavor.
More Protein Bar Recipes
For more healthy, gluten free and paleo protein bar recipes check these out:
Birthday Cake Protein Bars (Paleo, Low Carb, Dairy Free)
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 bars 1x
Description
This healthy protein bar recipe is low carb, Keto, Paleo and easily made Vegan. Perfect for a quick snack, pre or post workout fuel or eaten as a healthy dessert.
Ingredients
- ½ cup blanched almond butter*
- 3 Tbsp melted cacao butter (42g)**
- 1 tsp honey (or maple syrup)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup vanilla pea protein (55g)***
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp sprinkles
Instructions
- Melt cacao butter on stove top over low heat (or in the microwave). Once fully melted, combine with almond butter vanilla and honey in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Mix in protein powder and salt.
- Fold sprinkles into batter, leaving a few extra for the topping.
- Pour batter into a foil lined 8" x 4" baking pan.
- Top with remaining sprinkles.
- Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes (or until bars are firm).
- Remove from foil and cut into 8 rectangular pieces.
- Best stored in fridge.
Notes
*Any almond butter will work, but blanched almond butter makes these bars lighter in color (for a more realistic birthday cake look). Feel free to substitute with any creamy nut or seed butter (like cashew butter or sunflower seed butter).
**Cacao butter is what makes these bars harden at room temperature. You may substitute the 3 Tbsp cacao butter with 4 Tbsp coconut butter, but the texture will be slightly different.
***Use my affiliate discount code "bakeitpaleo" for 15% off any Nuzest purchase
Bonnie Wiley
I made with recipe with 2 slight variations. I put in 1/2 tsp more honey and left out the sprinkles (didn’t have any!). It was super easy and turned out wonderful! I cut mine into bite sized pieces. I found them very filling/satisfying.
I will make these again!
Z
I did these with some hemp protein instead of the pea protein, and they turned out great, they are absolutely delicious.
Katie
Oh good! I'm so happy the hemp protein worked. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂