Name: Gluten-Free No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Bars
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 cups organic quick oats; 3/4 cup pecans; 1/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored protein powder (see note for our favorite brand); 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon; 1 tsp. ground nutmeg; 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1/4 cup peanut butter; 2 Tbsp. maple syrup (more for those who want sweet bars); 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (see note for our favorite homemade recipe); Pinch of Himalayan pink salt; 4 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened; 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1/4 tsp. almond extract; 1 tsp. organic whole milk (or full-fat coconut milk); 1 tsp. honey

Jump to Recipe

Gluten-Free No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Bars could not be easier to make or tastier to devour. No refined sugar and no gluten mean that they are also so much healthier. And with a delicious cream cheese glaze on top, they win hearts and tummies.

no bake apple pie protein bars with cream cheese glaze and apple slices on a white background

Table of Contents

Easy No-Bake Homemade Protein Bars

The first time I made these delicious apple pie protein bars, my husband gobbled up one…and then another. Clearly, they were an instant hit.

Apple pie is a favorite around here (though I don’t make it often enough), and these no-bake protein bars capture the flavor of this dessert without any of the gluten or refined sugar.

No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Bars

To make apple pie, you usually need a great deal of butter and a good helping of flour. Raw flour isn’t exactly desirable in a no-bake recipe, however.

So how do we capture the taste of apple pie in a no-bake protein bar without using raw flour? And how do we make the entire recipe gluten-free?

There are several options we could use as flour substitutes. The three obvious ones are coconut flour, almond flour, and oat flour.

Gluten-Free Apple Pie Protein Bars with Oats

Because of its place as a common household ingredient, I decided to try quick oats in this recipe.

Making homemade oat flour in the food processor is super easy. It also adds a significant cost-savings to this recipe because other types of gluten-free flour can be quite a bit more expensive than simple quick oats are.

One key thing to remember about quick oats, though, is that they should be organic.

Like many other grains, oats are often sprayed with glyphosate before harvest, and that pesticide is retained in the grain itself (source).

Choosing organic quick oats means that we eliminate the presence of those harmful chemicals. And because these bars are no-bake, this seems especially important.

Sugar-Free Protein Bars Recipe

Another feature that our family loves about this recipe is that it is refined-sugar-free.

Two tablespoons of maple syrup are all that is needed to add a touch of natural sweetness to this recipe.

However, I realize that not everyone wants a low-sugar-tasting apple pie. My recommendation is that you start with the two tablespoons of maple syrup listed in the recipe and then taste-test to see if more sweetness is needed and adjust accordingly.

To add a little more dessert-like quality to these healthy homemade protein bars, we drizzle a cream cheese glaze on the top. This is the same cream cheese glaze used in our (equally delicious) Healthier Starbucks Lemon Bliss Bars. (By the way, if you’re looking for another gluten-free bar recipe, check out those bars next.)

Tools Needed for This No-Bake Homemade Protein Bars Recipe

This easy protein bar recipe uses just a few simple tools:

a food processor
a spatula
an airtight glass container
a stand mixer with a whisk attachment
a fork for drizzling the glaze on the protein bars

Protein Powder Recommendation

We say this in almost every protein recipe, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, using an unsweetened, unflavored protein powder is key to getting the same results as we got with this recipe.

We highly recommend our favorite brand: Mt. Capra Grass-Fed Whey Protein.

Ingredients for Gluten-Free No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Bars

2 cups organic quick oats
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored protein powder (this is our favorite brand)
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp. maple syrup (more for those who want sweet bars)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (this is our favorite homemade recipe)
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

Cream Cheese Glaze (optional)

4 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. organic whole milk (or full-fat coconut milk)
1 tsp. honey

How to Make Gluten-Free No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Bars

In a food processor, blitz the quick oats, pecans, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, pinch of salt, and protein powder until they form a fine flour. (It will not be as fine as all-purpose flour, but there should be no lumps. Make the flour as fine as possible.)
Add the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and applesauce. Blitz again until a wet dough forms. Scrape the sides and bottom of the food processor and mix well to make sure all ingredients are fully (and evenly) incorporated. Taste for sweetness and add more maple syrup, if desired. (Remember that there is an optional cream cheese glaze to add a bit of sweetness at the end.)
Scrape the protein bar dough into a glass (or ceramic) 7″x11″ baking dish. (8″x8″ also works.) Use a spatula to spread the dough evenly.
Put the protein bars in the refrigerator to set. (They will still be quite wet, similar to cookie dough.)
While the protein bars are setting in the fridge, put all the ingredients of the cream cheese glaze together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until the glaze is smooth, with no lumps.
Remove the protein bars from the baking dish. Drizzle (or spread) the cream cheese glaze on top of each bar.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Store Homemade Protein Bars

Because these homemade protein bars contain applesauce and a cream cheese glaze, they are a little more time-sensitive than they might otherwise be. Keep them in the refrigerator (not at room temperature) in an airtight glass container for best results. Stored in this way, they should last around 3 to 5 days.

More Homemade Protein Snacks

After you have whipped up a batch of these delicious no-bake protein bars, try one of these protein snack recipes for your next healthy homemade snack:

Gluten-Free Apple Pie Protein Bars Recipe Card