Homemade Perfect Bar Recipe | Lemons + Zest | No Bake Protein Bars (2024)

Last Updated February 16, 2021. Published March 29, 2020 By Lorie 78 Comments

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Save some cash and make your favorite peanut butter chocolate chip protein bar at home. This Copycat Perfect Bar Recipe is dairy and egg free but still fill of flavor and protein. You will end up liking the homemade version better than store bought!

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Homemade Perfect Bars versus Store Bought

There is nothing better than being able to make your favorite store bought or restaurant item at home. For one, it's much more cost effective and you can have it whenever you like.

So you can imagine I was quite happy when I ventured out to make the ever popular Perfect Bar recipe at home and I liked them even better than the store bought!

Ok, so they aren't exactly Perfect Bars--Perfect Bars contain egg, egg powder that is. Funny I don't happen to just have egg powder hanging around in the kitchen, ha! Plus, I thought that it would be better for my vegan friends because they could enjoy a Perfect Bar-like treat as well!

Sometimes you gotta eat, and you gotta make it easy as possible. The Perfect Bar is perfect for that!

What are Perfect Bars?

This recipe is certainly not an exact replica of an actual Perfect Bar, but it is so similar and has plenty of protein and goodness, I find it to be a great homemade alternative.

Perfect Bars are protein bars you can find in the refrigerated section of many groceries and they include a combinations of nut butters, egg powder, milk powder, and other ingredients like seeds, nuts and more.

They also boast a long list of "whole food powders" which tend to come from fruits and veggies. They typically cost about $2-$3 per bar which can be pricey but they deliver a delicious bar to fuel you up so when in a pinch, I do enjoy them.

Are they vegan?

Not all of them are. They have a couple versions that are vegan, but the peanut butter dark chocolate chip is not. Why aren't they vegan? A lot of them include egg powder and milk powder.

This recipe can easily be made vegan--you just have to add a plant based protein powder and keep the milk dairy free. You should be all set then!

What you will need to make this recipe:

• Peanut Butter: For best results, I use natural creamy peanut butter, the kind you have to stir. It is nice and drippy and has plenty of moisture.
• I absolutely LOVE almond flour. It is so amazing and sometimes I make these bars with just almond flour. However, almond flour is pricey. To make this Perfect Bar recipe more cost effective, I opted to use a combination of oat flour and almond flour. Oat flour is super inexpensive and can easily be made by processing oats into a fine powder.
• If you select a vanilla protein powder that is foul and you have to hold your nose to drink a shake with it, then it will certainly not be delicious in this recipe. Make sure you enjoy the protein powder!
• Whatever milk you prefer will work--almond milk, whole milk, etc.

How to make this recipe:

I have made these two ways and there is really no wrong way. One way is to toss everything in the bowl and just dive in. This option is great, but by the end of it, I usually think, maybe it is better to take this step by step, ok?

Choose your own adventure, friends!

• Combine the flours and sea salt in a medium bowl and stir well. (steps 1 and 2)
• Add in peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Stir to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Pro-Tip: using clean hands during this part to sort of knead the ingredients together works quite well. Don't knock it until you try it! (steps 3 and 4)
• If the mixture seems a bit dry or crumbly at this time, that is ok. That is where the milk comes in during the next step! (step 4)

• Add in the milk, slowly and stir or knead to incorporate into the mixture. I start by adding half of the milk at first. You do not want the mixture to be too wet, it should still hold up well and feel almost cookie dough like. If it still seems dry, add the rest of the milk and stir. (step 5)
• Toss in the chocolate chips and fold to mix in. (steps 6 and 7)
• Place the Perfect Bar mixture into a parchment lined 6x8in or 8x8 in pan. When it comes to the size of the pan, I prefer my 6x8in rectangular pyrex dishes. This allows the bars to be about the same thickness as a real Perfect Bar. When I use and 8x8in pan, I just don't press them all the way to one end to keep them about the same thickness. (step 8)

• Press, and I mean PRESS the mixture into the pan. Use all your strength! If you want a thick, dense bar, you just have to work for it! Pop them in the freezer and chill for about 30 minutes (or more, that's fine too) and then remove from the freezer, cut and enjoy! (steps 9 and 10)

Notes:

• When I say press, I mean PRESS these babies into the pan. If you want a really sturdy, dense bar, then you gotta put all your weight into it, sit on it, whatever you have to do, bring the power. The bars will be too flimsy if you don't so when you think you have pressed hard enough, keep going.
• Several readers who have made this Perfect Bar recipe, have said they prefer mini chocolate chips instead of full size, just as they use in real Perfect Bars.
• If you like the sweetness of Perfect Bars, add a bit more maple.
• Make sure the protein powder you use is one you would be okay drinking as a shake without holding your nose. Just sayin--consider yourself warned.

Possible Substitutions for this recipe:

• I used vanilla protein powder in these. I love the way the vanilla combines with the peanut butter and almond flour especially. Feeling kind of funky? Switch up the protein powder. You could substitute a chocolate protein powder (obviously this will alter the color of the bars.), I have seen Birthday cake flavors of protein powder--try something fun to change these up a bit.
• Not feeling peanut butter? Have a peanut allergy? Try cashew or almond butter. Both will sub for peanut butter well. I prefer the drippy kind that you have to stir. They work best in recipes like this.
• My FAVORITE substitution is to change up the chocolate chips in this copycat perfect bar recipe. I have made these with white chocolate chips--amaaaaazing. You could also opt for dark chocolate. What about peanut butter chips--too much? I even omit the chips altogether sometimes.

If you love energy bars and bites, then I have got soooo many goodies for you. This Perfect Bar recipe is just the beginning my friends!

Some of my other favorite no bake recipes:

• No Bake Mango Coconut Cashew Bars
• Blueberry Muffin Protein Bars (Very similar to a Perfect Bar as well!)
• Blueberry Lemon Energy Bites
• Pecan Pie Energy Bites
• No Bake Mocha Brownies
• Birthday Cake Perfect Bars

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This recipe was originally published in January 2018. Post was updated in March 2020 to include process photos and updated copy.

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Oat Flour

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Almond Flour

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Vanilla Protein Powder

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Pyrex 6x8 Inch Pan

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