A little while ago, I came up with a protein bar recipe that met all of my requirements – it was vegan, keto friendly, and gluten free. While I still love making my low carb vegan chocolate protein bars, sometimes I get bored and adding mint extract to those bad boys just isn’t enough of a change for me (highly recommend, btw). So, this week, I got to thinking about how much I love apple, and apple pie and all things that vaguely remind me of apple pie (like these fat bombs), and thought that a low carb vegan apple cinnamon protein bar would be amazing.

So, here we are. The protein in these doesn’t come from a powder, but rather from the nuts and seeds used. Mainly, the hemp seeds. There are also some omega-3 fatty acids from the hemp seeds and the flax to give this an overall favorable omega 3:6 ratio. The cinnamon is not only great for flavor, but has actually demonstrated in studies to help lower blood sugar levels, which is great for us ketoers! The apples don’t contribute an overwhelming amount here in terms of nutrition, but they are great for flavor!

Notes on Making Low Carb Vegan Apple Cinnamon Protein Bars

• I used freeze dried apples here. They’re my go-to for fruit while baking because a little bit goes a long way, and you can keep them for quite a while.
• If you want to make these nut free, just substitute sunflower seeds for the pecans!
• If you don’t want to use psyllium husks, I’d recommend using 2 tbsp of additional ground flax seeds instead, and then reducing the water. Start with a 1/2 cup, and add in a little more if necessary.
• To increase the protein in these, just replace the pecans with 1/2 of additional hemp seeds!
• I like to buy my nuts and seeds whole, and then grind them as needed. This helps to prevent rancidity and keeps them fresher longer!
• These can be stored at room temp for up to 3 days, and should be kept in the fridge after that! Mine usually don’t last the full 3 days without being eaten…

Low Carb Vegan Apple Cinnamon Protein Bars

Print Recipe

These low carb vegan apple cinnamon breakfast bars contain a hefty serving of protein, omega-3s and fiber, while tasting delicous.

Course Breakfast, protein bar

Cuisine Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb, soy free, Vegan

Servings 8 bars

Calories 166

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 15 g dehydrated apples about 1/2 ounce, or rounded 1/2 cup loosely packed - it's not as much as it sounds!
• 2 tbsp psyllium husk
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• sweetener to taste I used about 3 tbsp of granulated, sugar-free sweetener, but 1/4 tsp of liquid stevia should do the trick as well!
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F, and prep a pan either with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
• Grind up all nuts and seeds to a course-sand consistency. I kept a few pecans out and just chopped them to add some texture.
• Crush up the dehydrated apples. This doesn't have to be a fine powder, and can just be little bits.
• Mix together all the dry ingredients, until thoroughly combined.
• Stir in the water, and let the mixture sit until a pretty thick dough forms.
• Spread on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat, and flatten into a rectangular shape that is about 1/4" thick all the way across.
• Bake for 45 minutes, removing the tray around 30 minutes, and using a knife to score the bars into 8 equal pieces before returning for another 15 minutes.

Notes

If you want to make these nut free, you can easily sub in sunflower seeds for the pecans. To bring the protein in these up, simply replace the pecans with 1/2 cup of additional hemp seeds! These can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, but should be refrigerated after that.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.2g | Protein: 6.3g | Fat: 13.1g | Fiber: 4.7g