Funky and healthy Rocky Road Protein Bars with popcorn and pecans. No bake rocky road bars use protein powder and cocoa powder, and have no melted chocolate or peanut butter!
Jump to Recipe
These bars really took me by surprise – and a good surprise.
I put off making rocky road bars for a while because they seemed unhealthy with all the chocolate and marshmallow and peanut butter, but this version is definitely healthy!
No bowl of melted chocolate or peanut butter needed!
Ingredients for Rocky Road Protein Bars Recipe:
These rocky road protein bars are made with simple healthy ingredients, have no melted chocolate or peanut butter, for a great low calorie homemade protein bar!
- Chocolate Protein Powder for high protein bar recipe, and also replace the sweetener.
I recommend the ProteinWorld Slender Blend or Whey Protein Powder for this recipe to keep it sugar free; Use the code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount.
Another option would be Quest (you’d need more milk here). - Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Cacao Powder
- Oat Flour You can make your own with rolled oats in a blender
- Coconut Flour
- Almond Milk
- Sugar Free Maple Syrup
I use the sugar free monk fruit maple syrup from Lakanto (code HAYLSKITCHEN gets you a discount)
The mix-ins for Healthy Rocky Road Bars
- Mini Marshmallows
- Chopped Pecans
- Popcorn for the volume with the crunch but less carbs
And for the chocolate drizzle:
- Sugar free Chocolate Bar or Chocolate Chips: I use the chips from Lakanto here (HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount here too). Another option is Lily’s Bar or Chocolate Chips.
- Coconut Oil so the chocolate is easier to melt and more smooth when you drizzle.
Tips for No Bake Protein Powder Rocky Road Bars
These protein powder rocky road bars with all the crunch are really easy to make, but here’s some tips to get it right.
- Use a whey protein powder for the base; If you use whey-caesin, you might want to adjust the amount of milk to make it more.
- Mix the dough well to form a smooth mixture, but don’t over-mix since the protein powder might make the texture tough.
- Let the healthy rocky road bars cool before slicing, or they will be too soft.
To store Homemade Rocky Road Bars
High protein no bake rocky road bars use milk in the base and can only be kept a few hours on the countertop.
Store homemade rocky road bars in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer so they stay fresh and last longer. Healthy rocky road bars keep in the fridge for up to a 1 week.
To freeze, place no bake rocky road energy bars in airtight sealed container, or individually wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in zipper bag; They should keep for 2 or 3 months. Be sure to let them thaw on the counter before eating!
Alternatives for Healthy Rocky Road Bars Recipe!
I made this healthy and gluten free and low calorie rocky road recipe with this particular ingredient list, but here’s some options to choose from.
- Oat Flour: Almond flour
- Coconut flour: Try using about 3 Tbsp of Almond Flour
- Sugar Free Maple Syrup: Regular maple syrup or Honey
Options for the Mix-ins:
- Pecans: Almonds, Peanuts, Hazelnuts
- Popcorn: (large) Cereal like Chex, chopped Graham Crackers
Vegan Rocky Road Bars recipe:
These rocky road bars recipe, they can easily be made Vegan with the right ingredients.
Use a plant based protein powder to get a Vegan homemade rocky road bar; ProteinWorld has a Vegan protein blend that would work well here (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount).
Also use dairy free chocolate for the topping and vegan marshmallows; There’s some brands that sell these on Amazon.
More Homemade Layered Protein Bars to try!
- Sugar Cookie Protein Bars
- Red Velvet Protein Bars
- Protein Millionaire Shortbread
- Protein Nanaimo Bars
- Birthday Cake Protein Bars
- Peanut Butter Cup Protein Bars
- 7 Layer Protein Magic Bars
- Chickpea Cookie Dough Protein Bars
More Healthy Marhmallow Desserts:
- Fluffernutter Protein Cookie for One
- Hot Chocolate Protein Balls
- Single S’mores Protein Cookie
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Cookie
- S’mroes Protein Bars
- S’mores Protein Blondies
Rocky Road Protein Bars
Ingredients
Base:
- ½ cup Chocolate Protein Powder, Whey, 45g
- 6 Tbsp Oat Flour, 33g
- 6 Tbsp Coconut Flour, 39g
- 6 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 30g
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, Sugar-free recommended, 15ml
- 6 Tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk, 90ml
Mix-Ins:
- 3 Tbsp Chopped Pecans, 21g
- 1 cup Cooked Popcorn, from about ½ Tbsp/7g kernels
- ¼ cup Mini Marshmallows, 11g
Chocolate Drizzle:
- 2 tsp Chocolate Chips, Sugar-free recommended, 10g
- ⅛ tsp Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Line a 8″ x 4″ loaf pan with parchment paper; Leave an overhang to lift out later.
Base
- In a bowl combine protein powder, oat flour, coconut flour and cocoa powder.
- Add in maple syrup and milk (a little at a time) and mix. Mixture will be like a dough.Add more milk if too dry, coconut flour if too wet.
- Add in chopped pecans and mix.
- Transfer half mixture to pan, and press down.Spread popcorn on top.
- Mix remaining half mixture and marshmallow.Spread on top of popcorn and use back of spoon/spatula or fingers to smoothen.
- Place in freezer 10-15 minutes to harden.
Chocolate Drizzle:
- Lift layers out of pan, place on cutting board and slice into 8 bars.
- Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave about 30 seconds, stirring halfway, until completely melted.
- Drizzle on bars.
Notes
- Nutrition value is calculated using products recommended below.
- See post for alternate ingredients, tips and storage options.
- ProteinWorld Whey Protein Powder
- Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for 30% off your order
- ProteinWorld Slender Blend
- Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for 30% off your order
- Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup
- Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for 15% off your order
- Lakanto Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for 15% off your order
- Servings: 8 bars | Serving size: 1
- Calories: 114kcal
- Fat: 4.7g | Saturated fat: 2.1g
- Carbohydrates: 13.1g | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 2.4g
- Protein: 6.7g
Hey! I'm Haylee
Google Software Engineer
I use my passion for baking (and eating) to create healthy, high-protein, good-for-you and diet-friendly desserts and sweet treats that are actually delicious.
Come join me in Hayl's Kitchen and let's eat high protein, sweet and guilt free!