Are you ready for some seriously fabulous pecan low carb protein bars? These bars are whipped up in the food processor and are the perfect thing to have for breakfast, as a snack or even dessert. They are gluten free, dairy free, low carb, paleo and can be made vegan!
This delicious recipe was sponsored by the awesome folks over at American Pecan Council.
Now, I know I usually am creating fabulous cashew based recipes, but we need to give pecans a proper moment to really shine right now. Let me tell you why.
- They are so dang nutritious: Pecans are among the highest in “good” monounsaturated fats, and provide plant protein, fiber, flavonoids and essential minerals, including copper, manganese and zinc.
- Their versatility is impressive: Pecans are an easy snack right out of the bag or mixed with dried fruit for a fast trail mix. They can be tossed onto our breakfast or in our salads. I love using pecans as a base for raw cheesecake crusts, too!
- They are super local: Of all the major tree nuts eaten in the U.S., pecans are the only ones indigenous to America. Once grown wild and enjoyed by Native Americans, pecans are now harvested in over a dozen Southern states.
- Filling dietary fiber: Compared to other tree nuts, pecans are among the lowest in carbs (4 grams) and highest in dietary fiber (3 grams) per serving.
- Pecans contain a valuable package of protein, “good” fats and fiber, which can help you stay fuller longer.
How to make pecan low carb protein bars
Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine all of the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a food processor until chopped up and mixed thoroughly. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, add coconut oil, nut butter and maple syrup. Heat on low and stir until the nut butter melts and the mixture looks pourable but still thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Transfer the dry mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the wet mixture and mix well until everything has been coated evenly.
Transfer the mixture into the pan. Press down with the bottom of a glass cup or jar to pack it into the bottom of the pan to create an even base.
Place in the refrigerator to set overnight. Cut into 8 bars with a sharp knife and enjoy. These will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
How much protein is in these pecan bars?
Each bar is going to have a whopping 24 grams of protein and 31 grams of good fats. Wow, how amazing is that?
If you are going to use sugar free chocolate chips like I did, each bar will only have 19 grams of sugar. That is far less than your average protein bar you come across at the store.
Another really amazing thing about these bars is how well they keep in the refrigerator. You could even throw some in the freezer if you know you won't get to them quickly enough.
Feel free to add these to your breakfast, take them on-the-go and eat them as a snack or even try them for dessert. Low carb protein bars are so delicious and filling.
More low carb recipes like this:
Paleo and Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Paleo and Keto Chocolate Pudding
Keto Strawberry Muffins with Coconut Butter Glaze
Gluten Free and Keto Carrot Cupcakes
What's really wonderful about making your own protein bars is that you can divvy up the portion sizes any way you'd like.
If these are for young kids, I'd recommend cutting these into even smaller portions than the 8 I've mentioned. I would imagine that 16 portions would be perfect for them.
The texture of these remind me of a Chewy granola bar but the taste is about 500x more delicious. You can also be confident that there is no funny business added.
If you're not trying to stay low carb, you can go ahead and use regular dark chocolate chips in this recipe instead of sugar free ones.
I'd recommend these sugar free chocolate chips and these dark chocolate chips if you're on the hunt.
What kind of substitutions can I make in low carb protein bars?
With these bars, you can get somewhat creative with your add-ins. However, here is what I recommend:
You are welcome to use a different dried fruit instead or raisins. I just loving using raisins because they are available year round and are so easy to find without any added sugar.
Feel free to use any nut butter you'd like. Just make sure that it is nice and creamy in texture.
I wouldn't recommend using a flavored or sweetened protein powder as that will negatively alter the taste of the protein bars.
However, if you are looking for an alternative option, I love these homemade low carb protein bars. They are made with nut butter, monk fruit, coconut flour and chocolate chips!
I hope you get to making these fabulous pecan low carb protein bars soon. You are going to just love having them on hand, especially if you're in a hurry and need a quick pick me up.
I would imagine these being perfect all year round and something really nice you could give to your kids for a protein-filled snack.
The next time they ask you to buy them granola bars, I hope you can make these instead.
I know they will like them a lot better, and you will too which is a big bonus! 😉
This post was sponsored by the awesome folks at American Pecan Council. Thank you for allowing me to continue creating such incredible content by supporting relationships with incredible brands and companies that The Movement Menu enjoys working with! Opinions will always remain 100% my own!
Pecan Low Carb Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans halved
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened protein powder
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 8-10 Medjool dates see notes
- 1/3 cup keto chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup creamy cashew butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a food processor until chopped up and mixed thoroughly. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add coconut oil, nut butter and maple syrup. Heat on low and stir until the nut butter melts and the mixture looks pourable but still thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer the dry mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the wet mixture and mix well until everything has been coated evenly.
- Transfer the mixture into the pan. Press down with the bottom of a glass cup or jar to pack it into the bottom of the pan to create an even base. You can top off the bars with some extra chocolate chips, pecans or unsweetened coconut flakes if you'd like!
- Place in the refrigerator to set overnight. Cut into 8 bars with a sharp knife and enjoy. These will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Monica – recipe developer, matcha addict and lover of all things chocolate, kombucha and any & all puns. I am also the blogger, real food lover, & bonafide hustler behind the blog ‘The Movement Menu.’ I’m so excited to welcome you to my happy space, where my appreciation of creative recipes and healthy & mindful eats come together to inspire you to live a healthy, balanced life.
It’s wrong to call it a low carb protein bar when there is three times as much carbs as protein!!!
Seriously, just take “low carb” out of the title. It is disingenuous to call these low carb. Raisins, medjool dates, and maple syrup? Not low carb. MyFitnessPal says it will be 26g of carbs per bar, 16 of which is sugar. How about calling it a grain free or paleo energy bar instead?
The Recipe says to cut into 8 bars but it also says it makes 12 servings.
Depends on what you want. The nutrition information is for 12 servings!
Hi what would replace instead raisins? Do you need them?
You do not!
There is no way these bars are low carb. The dates and raisins bump the carbs far above low carb levels.
Oh dear - 100% Agree… 34g of net sugar & 23g of sugar? You can label these as paleo but certainly not low carb…. Sounds yummy if I was still on a paleo diet, but way too high of carbs/sugar for a diabetic that is charged with eating low-carb. You may want to update that in the title..
34g of net carbs, I meant to type… not low
The dates don’t knock the carbs out of the “low” range?
Hmm, they shouldn't. Each bar has about one date (6 grams of carbs!)
Hi
Am I missing something? 41 grams carbs , per serving??
Hi there. Thanks for asking... I've been having issues with my nutrition information and am working on getting it fixed. Can you plug in the ingredients to My Fitness Pal instead? It is not 41 grams of carbs per serving. It should be 19 grams of carbs per bar for 12 bars.