Note: Hi, friends! Just a a quick reminder – some of the links on this site are affiliate links, and so I may earn a little cash on qualifying orders. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and is a nice way to help support this site! I also want to point out that I don’t promote products I haven’t actually tried or products that I don’t trust. 🙂
I’ve been doing a lot of hiking lately, involving a lot of hills. It’s been really fun, and is definitely some good exercise, but building all that new muscle has really got me craving some extra protein. I’d typically just reach for a protein bar (Raw Rev Glo bars are so good!), but I’ve been trying to be a bit more budget friendly, so I thought I’d make some homemade vegan keto protein bars. Then, I realized I actually wanted dessert, too, and decided to make vegan keto brownies that could function as both a protein bar, and a delicious snack. Mission accomplished.
These protein bars are actually really simply to make, and are fudgey and dense, and delicious, like all good brownies. They’re also grain free, gluten free, sugar free , soy free… the list goes on.
Notes on Baking Vegan Keto Protein Brownies:
- I used Vega Sport chocolate protein powder for this, but any plant-based chocolate protein powder will work. You could try with whey or egg protein, but I’m honestly not sure how that would turn out!
- This recipe can easily be made nut free by using sunflower seed butter or tahini in place of the peanut butter.
- I like to bake these in a loaf pan, so that every piece is an edge piece, but you could easily use a square baking pan, or even a 9″ cake pan. Just be sure to take off about 5 minutes of cooking time for the brownie pan, and 5-10 minutes for the round (as the brownies will be much thinner in this pan than in the loaf pan).
- I use Swerve as a sweetener, because I like how the texture turns out (plus, there’s no GI discomfort!). You could also use stevia, or another non-caloric sweetener, but the texture may not bake up how you want!
- Be sure to let these cool before slicing into them, so that they set up! Otherwise, they will crumble.
Vegan Keto Protein Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 scoops ~90g Vega Sport chocolate protein powder
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup Swerve or other granulated sugar substitute
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease your pan (or just use a silicone one!).
- In a bowl, combine warm water, peanut butter and Swerve.
- In a separate bowl, sift together protein powder, cocoa, coconut flour and baking powder.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. A thick batter that has the texture of frosting will form.
- Scoop the batter into the pan, smooth the surface and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until a knife comes out pretty clean when inserted. Be sure to adjust the time for different pans, as mentioned in the notes above!
- Let cool, slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
I love yours recipes! I cannot wait to try this one:)
I am SOOO excited to have come across your pages!! Your recipes sound and look wonderful and I am eager to start experimenting. Thank You so much for posting all of your recipes and information. Vegan keno is a fairly narrow path and yet you have opened up so many possibilities with these lovely creations!! I will post my successes re your recipes. Thank you again 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words! I’m excited that these recipes are helpful! Please feel free to reach out with any questions 🙂
Hi,
Is there an alternative to the protein powder for this recipe? I don’t mind that much about being high protein so I would prefer not to use a protein powder at all. Do you think almond meal or a combination of almond meal/coconut four/flaxseed meal etc. would work somehow? My experience so far tells me that one of them might work.
Any advice/suggestion on that are welcome 🙂
Thanks.
Hi Leonardos! This is a great question – I think your hunch is right, and that either almond meal, or a combination of almond meal, coconut flour and flax would work. It might take some trial and error, though! I would say that you could sub in almond meal 1:1, but coconut flour should definitely be used sparingly. Flax seed can retain water and make things a little gooey (which could be nice, depending on how you like your brownies), and would definitely help to hold things together, but also should be used in moderation.
If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out. I’ll do the same! 🙂
Would this be okay with the vanilla powder? Should I add more cocoa?
Hi Ava! This would definitely work with the vanilla powder, thought it won’t be quite as chocolately. If you add in any cocoa powder, I’d add it in with equal parts fat so they don’t dry out!
So, if you add in around 2 tbs of cocoa powder, just add in an additional 2 tbsp of coconut oil or peanut butter. 🙂
i made these brownies exactly like the recipe except i had Vega protein and greens chocalot flavor protein. It was a bit grainy and very moist in the center. I ate it anyway. It really did taste like a protein shack than that chocolate brownie.
Hi Nanette! I actually also just tried this with the protein and greens and it’s super different. I’ll have to make a note in the recipe that it wasn’t a fluke thing. The sport is just so much smoother and chocolatey.
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you though! It’s always such a bummer.
Greetings from India Liz!
Oh wowww! A vegan Keto dessert!! I love you already!!
And such a simple recipe. I have the Vega sport protein on hand and can’t wait to try this recipe this week. (Need to order some erythritol pronto!)
Hi again Renuka! You are so kind! I love that protein 😀
I hope you enjoy the recipe! I also realize I am responding to your questions out of order – sorry!
P.s -how large is your loaf tin? Do these come out high and proper slices or a shallow & not so high?
Hi Renuka! The loaf tin I use is about 25x12x12.
The brownies end up being about 4-5 cm high. 🙂
Hi Liz,
I am NEVER making these again. These are soo good that I ate 1 full recipe in a day!! 🙁
Yummm. So happy to have found this.
Quick question – mine were slighty greenish looking inside. What could have caused this?
(P.s – happy new year!)
Haha, Ranuka, this has me laughing so hard! They’re so dangerous to have around!! 😉
The greenish tint is totally normal and it just depends on the brand and type of protein powder used. A lot of vegan proteins are actually green and this can become more prominent after baking. Kind of weird looking, though!
I used Vega’s Protein and Greens (because it’s what I had on hand) and they were super tasty. I think they would have been sweeter if I used the Sport as the recipe suggests, but they were definitely still a hit.
I’m so glad to hear this, Han! It’s good to know protein and greens works just as well for this. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I had the same problem as someone already mentioned, way too liquid in the middle. I love that it’s vegan and lowcarb but I it tastes horrible and unfortunately nothing like a brownie.
Hi Denise, I’m sorry you had this problem! All ovens heat differently unfortunately, which is why I always suggest testing for doneness by making sure a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle. If it’s too liquid, just put it in for longer, or adjust the temperature up on your oven. 🙂