These banana chocolate walnut RX bars are chewy, high protein, grain-free, nut-based and delicious! This is a must-try homemade protein bar, with 10 grams of protein.
I don't buy a lot of protein bars, but when I do I get RX bars because of the clean and simple ingredients list. My kids love these energy bars, however, they can be expensive so I created this recipe, after everyone loved my first flavor for chocolate sea salt RX bars, now we are making banana protein bars (no bake)!
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Why you will love this recipe
- The classic RX bars contain egg white powder, as this is hard to find in the grocery store, therefore I created this recipe without egg white powder instead they call for hemp hearts, making this a vegan protein bar.
- Only 8 whole food ingredients are needed to make this banana protein bar recipe!
- These no-bake energy bars are grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free (if you use enjoy life chocolate chips!)
- RX bars are a great source of fats, proteins, and natural sugars giving lasting energy!
RX bars are a common protein bar found in most grocery stores! They contain nuts (cashews, almonds, or peanuts), dates, and egg white powder (dried egg whites blended into a powder), with additional whole food ingredients depending on the flavor. They taste really good and always contain 12 grams of protein, however, they cost around $3 each!!
Ingredients & nutrition
Within my blog posts, I share simple insights from my schooling in Nutrition. Below I have listed the ingredients needed to make RX bars at home and shared nutritional info too.
- Cashews + almonds: Use nuts that haven't been roasted, oiled, or salted for the best taste and results. Nuts contribute to good quality protein.
- Walnuts: Walnuts help create the banana bread-like flavor of these protein bars. Using walnut chunks or halves is fine as they will be blended. Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E.
- Dried banana chips: Hard and crispy dried bananas are essential to get the right texture for these banana energy bars, I don't recommend using homemade banana chips. Bananas are high in potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C.
- Cinnamon: A must-have for creating the right flavor, and exceptional in supporting blood sugar balancing.
- Sea salt: Adding sea salt pops the flavor and minerals if good quality sea salt is used.
- Hemp hearts: Using hemp hearts replaces the egg white powder in the store-bought version of RX bars. These little green and white seeds have 10 grams of protein for every 3 tablespoons.
- Dates: I like to use the Medjool dates found in the produce section of grocery stores. The dates need to be soft. If you use the Costco Deglet dates or pitted dates from the baking aisle it's essential to soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Dates are a great source of B vitamins, copper, and iron.
- Chocolate chips: Adding chocolate gives that extra yum factor, mini chocolate chips or chunks can be used.
Scroll to the bottom for the recipe card with exact ingredient quantities.
How to make banana energy bars without oats
It would be super fun if we were together making these but the next best is step-by-step photos from my kitchen!
Remove the pits and stems from dates if needed. Place the dates in a glass measuring cup and pour boiling water over them for 5-10 minutes until they are soft. Then drain the water and set aside.
Place the cashews and/or almonds, into the food processor and pulse 20-40 seconds until they are uniformly ground into a coarse sand-like texture.
Add the hemp hearts, cinnamon, sea salt, walnuts, and banana chips to pulse for another 10-20 seconds until everything is small pieces.
Add the soaked dates until dough starts to form about 15 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and pulse just to combine about 5 seconds.
Press dough into a 9x13 rectangular pan. Let bars firm in the fridge for 20 minutes and then cut into bars - 4x4 for 16 rectangular bars. Wrap the bars individually in parchment paper or plastic wrap and store in the freezer up to three months. Or in the fridge for three weeks.
Top tips for making copycat RX bars
- Make sure to use soft dates! I like to use Medjool dates because they are big and juicy. Soaking the dates is an important step in creating a dough texture.
- Don't over-blend the nuts and hemp hearts! If they are pulsed too long they can become greases as this releases their natural oils.
- If the dough is too thick and crumbly it may be from using hard dates, therefore:
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water.
- Process longer, sometimes blending more in the food processor is all that is needed.
- If the dough is too sticky:
- The dates may have been too wet after soaking them. Add more chopped nuts.
Substitution and variations
Here are a few ways you can change this no-bake banana energy bars recipe to suit your preferences and needs!!
- Make without dates: Use raisins or dried apricots instead of dates, be sure to soak them first!
- Add more protein: Add a scoop of plain or vanilla protein powder, add 3-4 more dates the bars stick together well.
- Make them into balls: Roll the dough into banana energy balls!
- Make them with egg white powder: I haven't tested this, however, if you want to make these with egg white powder, I would add 1 cup of this powder and skip the hemp hearts to make the classic RX bars!
How do you store homemade protein bars?
Fridge: Store the bars in a sealing container. These no bake bars can keep in the fridge for 3 weeks.
Freezer: I like to individually wrap these banana protein bars in plastic wrap or parchment paper before freezing. This way they can be taken out of the freezer one at a time, as needed. If you choose not to individually wrap them, be sure they are in a sealing container or wrapped well. Eat within 3 months.
Other no bake recipes to try
If you love these bars then try the chocolate sea salt rx bars, I can't decide which one I like better!! Or my other favorite no bake bars with oats (make in 10 minutes)!!
Did you make this banana RX bar recipe?! Please give this recipe a star rating and leave your comments below, I read every one, and it helps others find this recipe. 🙂
Banana Protein Bars (No Bake)
Equipment
- 1 rectangular pan (9x13)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Remove the pits and stems from dates if needed. Place the dates in a bowl and pour boiling water over them so they become soft. After for 5-10 minutes drain the dates and set them aside.
- Place the cashews (or almonds), into the food processor and pulse 20 seconds.
- Then add the hemp hearts, cinnamon, sea salt, walnuts, and banana chips to pulse for another 10 seconds until everything is a coarse sand like texture.
- Add the soaked dates until dough starts to form about 15 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and pulse just to combine about 5 seconds.
- Press dough into a 9x13 rectangular pan. Let bars firm in the fridge for 20 minutes and then cut into bars - 4x4 for 16 rectangular bars. Wrap the bars individually in parchment paper or plastic wrap and store in the freezer up to three months. Or in the fridge for three weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. Let's make snacktime nutrient-dense, and well, easy.
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