Energy Bar Recipe For Runners

These yummy snack bars are loaded with good-for-you seeds, rolled oats and dried fruit. They’re great for a light breakfast (pair with a glass of skim milk) or a post-workout snack, because they contain complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber. They’re also perfect for runners and cyclists who are looking for a snack on the go, or a recovery snack after exercising.

Try substituting different items if these ingredients don’t suit you. Almonds are great in the place of the peanuts, as shown here. Dried cranberries can easily do the job of the dried blueberries. Carob chips can take the place of the mini chocolate chips. Experiment, keep a few of these tightly wrapped and on hand for your workout bag or in your desk — and enjoy wholesome nutrition without having to decipher a bewildering ingredients list on the label of a store-bought energy bar.

Coat another piece of foil with cooking spray and place on the bar mixture, sprayed side down. Place another pan on top and press firmly to compress the mixture. (Pressing before baking helps the bars hold together after baking.) Remove top pan and foil.

Reviewing Runner's World Homemade Energy Bars For Runners

Bake until just beginning to turn golden at the edges, 20 to 24 minutes (if you’re using a metal pan) or 30 to 35 minutes (for a glass pan).

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the baked square out of the pan by holding the edges of the foil. Place on a cutting board, leaving the foil underneath. Cut in half, then cut each half crosswise into 6 bars. Let cool completely before lifting the bars off the foil.

These can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper, for up to seven days. Or, wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap and freeze.

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People with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should use oats that are labeled “gluten-free, ” as oats are often cross-contaminated with wheat and barley.Most runners love protein bars. They’re an easy way to refuel after a workout and make for a convenient snack between meals when you’re on the go. But what about homemade protein bars?

A couple of decades ago when protein bars hit the sports nutrition market, they were dry, chalky, and borderline inedible. However, now, protein bars for runners are not only pleasant from a textural standpoint, but also come in irresistible—and convincingly realistic—flavors like chocolate fudge brownie, cinnamon bun, oatmeal cookie, and peanut butter.

However, store-bought protein bars aren’t always particularly nutritious. They are often high in sugar or contain artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, which can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea, and frankly aren’t something we really should be feeding our bodies.

Energy Bars (vegan + Gf)

After all, artificial sweeteners are, by definition, artificial, rather than real food, so the body is not designed to readily digest them.

Homemade protein bars are free from preservatives, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavors, and you can fully customize the recipe so that you’re putting just the best runner-friendly ingredients into your body.

Finally, homemade protein bars can be a more affordable long-term solution to your post-run fueling strategy. Ready to try your hand making your own protein bars?

Homemade Energy Bars (perfect For Runners & Cyclists)

Whey, collagen, and egg white protein powder are some of the best protein powders for runners because the protein in them is more bioavailable.

Vegan runners often use rice, pea, hemp, or soy protein powder. Rice protein powder works best for these homemade protein bars for vegan runners because it has a more mild inherent flavor.

It’s hard to argue against the classic chocolate peanut butter cup flavor. These simple peanut butter protein bars require no baking and require just five basic ingredients.

Great Energy Bar

These homemade gluten-free protein bars have all the familiar flavors of classic gingerbread cookies with a nutritious, chewy bite. They can be made vegan if you use vegan protein powder.

These homemade protein bars are reminiscent of RX Bars. They are best with egg white protein powder (berry flavored, if possible), but other forms of protein powder will work as well.

These easy no-bake pumpkin pie protein bars are not only gluten-free but free from dates, which are high in sugar. These flavorful homemade protein bars for runners do contain a little maple syrup, but it’s a minimal amount of sugar overall.

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We created this homemade protein bar recipe for runners who want an easy and healthier way to enjoy the flavors of banana bread after a long run in the morning or on your drive into work following a strength training workout.

These homemade protein bars have chewy cranberries, nutty coconut, and a bit of orange zest for a tart and sweet flavor that’s perfect for recovering after morning workouts.

Now that you know how to make protein bars on your own with our seven yummy recipes, you’ll never need to buy store-bought ones again!

Healthy Flax Seed And Peanut Butter Energy Bars • The Healthy Toast

If you would like to check out some recipes for homemade juices, take a look at The 9 Best Juicing Recipes For Runners!

Amber Sayer is a Fitness, Nutrition, and Wellness Writer and Editor, as well as a UESCA-certified running, endurance nutrition, and triathlon coach. She holds two Masters Degrees—one in Exercise Science and one in Prosthetics and Orthotics. As a Certified Personal Trainer and running coach for 12 years, Amber enjoys staying active and helping others do so as well. In her free time, she likes running, cycling, cooking, and tackling any type of puzzle.

We're passionate about helping others achieve their health and fitness goals - whether running a marathon, eating better, or getting fit in the gym.

No Bake Vegan Chocolate Chia Energy Bars

Links About Marathon Handbook The Monday Morning Mailer Sponsorship and Advertising Affiliate Disclaimer Privacy Policy + Terms of Use Statement of Independence Sitemap Contact UsRecipes allow even brand new cooks to produce something that’s really good, or at least something that doesn’t entirely suck. You can take a recipe that an expert chef created and reproduce in your home exactly the same dish, without the years of training. Score.

The problem with recipes, though, is that it’s easy to rely on them too much, especially if you’re like me and you’re scared to mess with them. Eventually, you find yourself stuck in a box, where you eat the same thing over and over and never venture beyond the safe comfort of your trusty recipes.

This was my problem with smoothies for a long time: I’d find a recipe for one I liked, make it every day for a month, and then get so sick of it that one day I’d simply revolt.

Yummy Energy Bar Recipe For Runners

Eventually, I stepped back from the “month of smoothies, month of Starbucks” routine. I figured out what the smoothies I liked all had in common, and came up with thePerfect Smoothie Formula. This way I could switch in different ingredients and never run out of smoothie ideas or get sick of the same one over and over.

My wife and I had the same problem with my sister Christine’s homemade energy bar recipe, part of the Sweet Tooth Friday series she used to write for No Meat Athlete before

Law school intervened. We used to make these energy bars all the time (and in bulk for bringing on road trips), and they’ve earned themselves more than a few fans among NMA readers too.

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And if you remember Christine’s Sweet Tooth Friday posts, you know that she’s got a talent for sneaking beans and other seemingly-gross stuff into bars and desserts to make them really healthy and still taste good (remember black bean brownies?). Her energy bars are no different — delicious and wholesome, and even packing a decent amount of protein.

So it’s a great recipe. But unfortunately, you can only eat the same energy bar so many times before it makes you want to ralph.

And so I asked Christine to take a break from law school to help me out. (I was thinking a whole semester, but she knocked it out in a day.)

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This energy bar formula is what she created, and it’s fantastic. In the basic recipe below, Christine lists the amounts of each type of ingredient. Then underneath that, she suggests several ingredients of each type, which you can mix and match to come up with your own energy bars (and feel free to try others). Finally, she gives a few examples of bars she’s made, to give you a few ideas.

The Ultimate Energy Bar Formula 1-pound can of beans, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked beans) ½ cup binder ¼ cup sweetener ¼ cup soft sweet fruit 1 teaspoon of extract (optional) 1 teaspoon of dry spice (optional) ¼ teaspoon sea salt 1.5 cups of oats (you can toast them if you want but I can’t tell the difference) 1 cup dry base ingredient 1 cup stir-ins In a food processor, combine beans, binder, sweetener, soft fruit, extract, spice, and salt until smooth. Add the oats and dry base ingredients and pulse just to combine. Add stir-ins and pulse again just to combine. If the consistency seems spreadable, you’re good. If it’s too dry, add 1/4 cup of water; if it’s too runny, add an additional 1/4 cup of the dry base ingredient. Grease 13×9 pan with