A copycat recipe to make your own homemade chocolate sea salt RX bars (without egg white powder). These are high in protein from the almonds and hemp hearts (instead of egg white protein powder like in the original bars).
My husband, best friend, and more all said these taste even better than the store-bought RX bars! I've been creating no-bake snacks for more than 10 years; this is one of my most popular recipes. Next, try these homemade banana RX bars too!
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What are RX bars?
These are a high-protein bar that is quite popular to buy right now because of the simple and clean ingredients - even my kids can pronounce all the words on the label! The bar's base is egg white powder, dates, almonds, and cashews - plus 1 or 2 additional ingredients for the flavor of the bar (like cocoa powder and sea salt).
These bars are expensive to buy (like other power bars or granola bars) at $3.50 each, but making an RX bar recipe is much more affordable!
RX bars are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. I have made this recipe specifically vegan because there is no egg white powder (using hemp hearts instead as these little green seeds are very protein-dense).
Danika's nutrition insight
Chocolate sea salt RX bars are something I take on hikes or any high-energy sport like running, climbing, biking, canoeing, and backpacking; as a nutritionist, here's why:
These bars are a good balance of healthy fats (from the nuts and hemp hearts), carbohydrates (from the dates), and protein (egg whites in the original bar, but nuts and hemp hearts in this recipe).
The fat and protein will stop you from having a blood sugar crash, which often creates that tired and moody feeling. Instead, the protein and fiber in these bars give my body a lasting stream of consistent energy.
RX bars are sweetened with dates. Dates contain fiber which supports your blood sugar levels and digestion. Dates are also high in antioxidants.
Other great high protein, low carbohydrate recipes you can pack along are pumpkin seed granola bars or raspberry protein balls.
7 ingredients for homemade RX bars
- Dates: This small brown fruit is the sweetener in these protein bars but they also hold the bars together, I like to use medjool dates. Tip: It's important to soak them beforehand so the bars stick together well and to prolong the life of the blade in the blender or food processor.
- Hemp hearts: Instead of the traditional recipe with egg white powder which is hard to find, this recipe uses hemp hearts - which can be found in the healthy aisle of the grocery store. Hemp hearts are high in protein: in 3 tablespoons there are 9.5 grams of protein!
- Cocoa powder: To make these bars chocolatey!
- Almonds and Cashews: Using nuts increases the protein in these RX bars.
- Chocolate chips: Any chocolate chips work, but I like to use mini chocolate chips to distribute the chocolate pieces better throughout the bar.
- Sea salt: Like the original bar there is sea salt on top. Use Maldon sea salt if you can as it's chunky - to copy the store-bought protein bar.
How to make RX bars with photos
No baking is needed for RX bars! Follow these photos from my kitchen to see how to make your own homemade chocolate sea salt RX bars.
- Start by soaking the dates in hot water for at least 10 minutes.
- Blend the hemp hearts in a blender or food processor until it's a coarse powder-like texture. Add the almonds and cashews and pulse again until it's like coarse sand.
3. Add the cocoa powder and the dates to the nut and hemp mixture. Pulse for 10-40 seconds until the dough becomes thick and the dates are mixed in.
*If the machine is struggling, stop and dump everything into a bowl.
After about 40 seconds I switch to mixing the dough in a bowl. Now add the chocolate chips and knead them in with my hands until everything is well combined.
4. Use a measuring cup to press the bars into the pan; this stops the bars from becoming crumbly. Press bars into a 9x11 pan, or to make the bars thicker, use a smaller pan. Sprinkle the dough with sea salt. Cut bars 4x4 for 16 bars and let them become more firm in the fridge.
5. Store the cut bars in an airtight bag, and keep them in the freezer to stay fresh longer. I like to individually wrap them in silicone bags to grab a protein bar for on-the-go.
Flavor variations for homemade RX bars
I'm a big fan of creating your favorite flavor as well as not running to the grocery store when you don't have something. Here are ideas to change this recipe as desired:
- Other nuts: Instead try out different nuts like walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, or pistachios!
- Dried fruit: Instead of chocolate chips use pieces of dried fruit like raisins, chopped apricots, or chopped figs.
- Coconut chocolate: Replace ½ cup of almonds with ½ cup of shredded coconut to make these bars coconut chocolate flavor!
- Thicker bars: To make these bars extra thick press them into a 9x9 pan and get 8 rectangular bars or 9 square ones.
- Banana walnut RX bar: Try this recipe with banana chips and walnuts!
Top tip
The chocolate sea salt RX bar you buy at the store has some chunky almond pieces in it. To have almond chunks in your bars, add half the almonds (¾ cup) in step two with the cashews, and add the other half (¾ cup) with the cocoa powder so you get some large chunks of almonds!
Watch me make these chocolate sea salt protein bars:
You may also like
Another reader favorite is this almond butter protein bar! And here are other ideas for high protein snacks (without dairy specifically).
Homemade RX Bars without Egg White Powder
Equipment
- high powered blender (or food processor)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dates
- 1 cup hemp hearts
- 1 ¼ cups almonds (I used unroasted, unsalted)
- ¾ cup cashews (I used unroasted, unsalted)
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (I like to use mini ones!)
- chunky sea salt for top
Instructions
- Loosely fill a glass measuring cup with 1 ½ cups pitted dates. Cover in hot water and let soak for 10 minutes. Then drain the water, press down to remove any excess water.
- In the blender or food processor, pulse the hemp hearts to a coarse powder. Then add the cashews and almonds and blend until they are like a coarse sand. Add the cocoa powder and pulse a few times.
- Add the drained soft dates to the blender or food processor. Blend for 10-20 seconds until the machine is struggling because it’s so thick. Stop the machine, put the mixture into a bowl, add the chocolate chips and continue combining with your hands.
- Once everything is mixed in well put the dough into a rectangular 9x13 pan, and press it in with the back of a measuring scoop. Sprinkle on chunky sea salt, then cut into 16 rectangular pieces (4x4 cuts). Place the pan in the fridge or freezer to become more firm - at least 20 minutes. Store the bars in an air-tight container or bag in the fridge for up to three weeks or freezer for three months.
Notes
- To make thicker bars, make them in a smaller pan, like a square 9x9 pan and get 8 rectangular bars or 9 square ones.
- The texture of these RX bars is softer than the ones you can buy.
- I like to individually wrap each bar to grab on the go! Small silicone bags work well for this!
- To make your own homemade RX bars you will need either a high-power blender (I used my Vitamix), or a food processor. A regular blender will not be strong enough to blend the nuts and grind the hemp hearts.
- For step-by-step photos, more notes about the ingredients, and nutritional insight scroll up to the blog post.
- Next try my banana walnut RX bar recipe.
Nutrition
Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. I'm certified in Holistic Nutrition and I care about giving my kids real food. Let me share my nutrient-dense easy snacks with you.
Kallie says
Wow, these turned out more than delicious than I was expecting! New fave snack 🙂
Danika Vanderpyl says
Thanks for sharing Kallie! A huge win for our family snacks too!
Karla says
Can I sub ground flax for some of the hemp hearts?
Danika Vanderpyl says
Hello Karla! I recommend waiting until you get hemp hearts for this recipe or you can use almond flour. Flax seeds have quite a different flavor and not as much protein as hemp hearts or almond flour.
Ira Kroll says
My wife really likes the Rx bars that we buy online. I wanted to try to make them, but most of the recipes call for powdered egg whites. I tried this one, and my wife really likes them too.
I didn't have almonds, but used ground filberts and walnuts.
Danika Vanderpyl says
Thanks for sharing this Ira! Glad you liked this recipe and glad to hear it worked well with hazelnuts and walnuts!
Caitlin says
I loved these. I made sure to soak the dates for an hour! I recommend non packed ones. It was hard to measure lol (that wasn't my smartest move 😅).
my ninja blender was struggling, I often had to declump corners or shake it. Just a forwarning to those with that blender... its longer than 10 minutes with one!
Thanks for the recipe!
Danika Vanderpyl says
Thanks for sharing Caitlin. Medjool dates if you can find them in the produce section are the nicest to work with because they are soft.
Autumn says
These taste so good, love this recipe so much! I struggled a bit to stop them from crumbling on me, but I think I'll try blending them a bit longer next time. I will definitely be making these again!
Danika Vanderpyl says
Hi Autumn, Glad you enjoy these. If you are finding them a bit crumbly, make sure to soak your dates, medjool dates will be more sticky and best to use. Heating up the dough for 10 seconds in the microwave will make it more sticky or adding a couple more dates if needed once you have blending it all for a while. Hope that helps.
Rachel B says
Great recipe, will definitely make again!
danikavanderpyl says
Glad you hear you liked these Rach!
Moriah says
We’ve been trying to up our protein intake and these are a super great one for that! Well done!
danikavanderpyl says
So glad you enjoyed these, they are a favorite in our house!
Kennedy says
These were soooo good. Honestly way better than the real thing. Brought some along for a day of skiing and were the perfect burst of energy.
danikavanderpyl says
So glad you enjoyed these RX bars! I totally agree they are better than the real thing, and glad you found they worked well to pack along.
Johanna says
This recipe is amazing, filled with protein and so easy to make!!
I have made them with both cocoa and carob powder, tastes great either way!
danikavanderpyl says
Thanks for sharing Johanna! So great to hear they work well with carob powder!!!
Amanda says
Loved these as well! Like others said they are truly better then the real ones!
Mariah says
These taste even better than RX Bars! They taste fresh and are so filling.
danikavanderpyl says
Thanks Mariah! So great to hear they are even better than the ones from the store!
Erik says
I can't wait to make these - they look so good!
Daniel says
These taste just like RX bars - maybe even better. I was blown away by how good they are!
I have now taken them on some all-day ridgewalks and they were perfect. Delicious and packable.
danikavanderpyl says
Love how high in protein these are. They are perfect when nursing baby, a one handed snack!