Apple Pie Protein Bar Recipe

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Apple pie protein bars give you all the warm fall flavors and spices, in a tasty and healthy homemade protein bar! Filled with apple chunks, oat flour, protein powder, and a dash of maple syrup, these protein bars are super easy and extra delicious! Each bar gives you 8 grams of protein, making it a healthy bar using no refined sugar.

Apple pie protein bars

After a trip to pick way more apples than we could get through, I knew the perfect use for some of the hand-picked apples – my healthy apple pie protein bars!

The combo of apple sauce + apple chunks gives it a nice apple flavor while keeping it moist too.

These bars are easily kept gluten-free by using oat flour. You and make your own oat flour at home – watch how!

Favorite protein powder options

• beef protein powder
• plant based protein powder
• whey protein powder

Protein is important for muscle recovery, and a great way to with help with feeling fuller for longer. High protein bars can help you meet protein nutritional goals, and they are also a tasty treat!

What you’ll need for apple pie protein bars

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.

• oat flour (here’s how to easily make your own)
• natural or vanilla protein powder
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• clove
• ground ginger
• allspice
• baking powder
• sea salt
• unsweetened applesauce
• apple
• maple syrup
• egg
• vanilla extract

How to make them

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with oil spray.
2. In a large bowl mix together the oat flour, protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, allspice, baking powder, and sea salt.
3. In a smaller bowl mix together the apple sauce, apple, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the diced apples. Stir the wet into the dry until just mixed.
4. Pour into the baking dish, and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center. Allow to cool fully before cutting.

Watch me make apple pie bars

The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!

Watch the full video how-to here!

How to store homemade protein bars

After the bars are cooled to room temperature, cut them into 9 pieces. 

Wrap the bars in parchment paper, then place them in a sealed bag or airtight container. You can store them in the fridge for 5 days, or freeze them for up to 6 months!

If freezing the bars, simply place the number of bars that you’d like to defrost in the fridge or on the counter.

Now you’ve got yourself grab-and-go bars that are healthy, homemade, and without added preservatives in them!

Substitutions

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this protein bar recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Oat flour – Alternatives include quick oats or hemp hearts, giving you a chewy/crunchy texture.  For a low-carb flour option, replace the 1 cup oat flour with ¼-1/3 cup coconut flour.

Unsweetened applesauce – To make this a more hearty snack, you can replace the applesauce with peanut butter or almond butter.  This will give the bars a 

Apple – Use fresh real fruit here.  You can replace it with pears, berries, or mango.  For best results, use fresh and not frozen fruits.

Cinnamon – Try pre-made pumpkin spice or apple pie spice as an excellent substitute for ground cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and allspice!

More healthy snack recipes you’ll love!

• Chocolate protein muffins
• Banana protein muffins
• Chocolate covered strawberry protein balls
• Jelly bars with peanuts and oats
• Egg white protein bar recipe
• Apple crisp without oats

If you try this healthy protein bars recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a recipe rating and comment below!

Heather

Originally published in January 2012. Updated May 2023.