This super clean Keto Collagen Protein Bar recipe is a homemade copycat recipe of the popular commercial collagen bars. With only a fraction of the carbs and sugars, these keto collagen bars use only simple, clean, keto ingredients, come together quickly, and will save you a ton of money! Only 88 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein per bar!
Healthy Keto Snack
Protein bars are seen as a quick and easy way to satisfy a craving, but store-bought collagen protein bars typically have lots of artificial sweeteners and processed ingredients, so it is certainly better for you to make your own protein bars at home!
Copycat homemade protein bars are super easy - they seriously come together in minutes, and you can make a pan of them that you can slice up and enjoy for days on end.
Plus, since this keto collagen bar recipe is stored in the fridge (softer bar) or freezer (firmer bar), these bars will pretty much stay good and fresh for at least a couple of months (they never last that long in our freezer!)
Just like my Copycat Keto Dark Chocolate Nuggets Recipe, Keto Peanut Butter Bars – Copycat Perfect Keto Recipe as well as my Keto Crackers – Nut-Free and Dairy-Free Copycat Innofoods Keto Crackers, this keto protein bar recipe was inspired by the refrigerated popular store-bought protein bar, Perfect Bar.
Wanting to create a keto version (the Perfect Bar has over 19 grams of sugar!), I used dairy-free ingredients such as collagen and pea protein powder to create a clean keto collagen protein bar that will rival any commercial keto collagen bar on the market!
My Favourite Collagen Brand
I was recently introduced to Naked Collagen and was skeptical to try it as I have not really liked any of the popular brands of collagen on the market today. Every collagen I have tried (until Naked) had this weird, what I would refer to as a "farm" taste. Not exactly my favourite flavour, needless to say!
However, I was AMAZED when I tried Naked Collagen Peptide protein powder. It has absolutely ZERO flavour or smell.
Naked Collagen has only one ingredient (collagen peptides) and is sourced from pasture-raised cows in Europe. It is odorless, tasteless, and easy to mix in with your favorite drinks. Each serving includes 9 grams of protein and only 35 calories.
If you have given up on collagen powders (like I had!), I urge to try the Naked Nutrition Collagen and I am 99% sure, you will not be disappointed!
With that being said, do NOT try this recipe with a collagen powder you do not like as you will absolutely NOT like this recipe!
Benefits of Adding Collagen to your Keto Diet
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins found in the human body. It is responsible for providing strength, structure, and elasticity to the skin, bones, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue
Here are some benefits I found on the Naked Nutrition website:
- Support Radiant Skin - Collagen is vital for skin hydration and elasticity. Loss of collagen often contributes to dry and wrinkled skin as we age. Supplementing collagen peptides can help your skin stay smooth, hydrated, and firm.
- Promote Strong Hair and Nails - Collagen contains amino acids that promote the production of keratin, a protein that plays a vital role in healthy hair and nails. Taking collagen can promote strong nails and healthy, moisturized hair.
- Boost Joint Health - One of collagen’s functions is to help maintain your cartilage and protect the joints. Decreased collagen production can increase the risk of joint health conditions. Optimal collagen levels can promote strong and healthy joints.
Ingredients
Healthier, cleaner, and much cheaper, this keto protein bar recipe only requires a handful of ingredients.
Nut Butter - I have made these bars using peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini. The brand of tahini I use (it is called Baron's and I buy it on amazon) has zero net carbs and is nut-free. However, it is not as sweet as peanut butter so you will need to add some extra sweetener to suit your taste. My favourite way to make these clean keto collagen protein bars is with peanut butter.
Almond milk - Unsweetened almond milk or any other type of milk can be used.
Sweetener - You will need both a liquid sweetener as well as a regular sweetener. I like to use sugar-free maple syrup but you could use liquid allulose or tapioca fiber syrup instead. You could also try using sugar-free caramel syrup, or even sugar-free honey.
Coconut Oil - Coconut oil helps to add an extra dose of fats to this healthy keto snack recipe.
Protein Powder - I used plain collagen by Naked along with either a vanilla plant-based protein powder or a combination protein powder. I have yet to try the vanilla plant-based pea protein by Naked Nutrition but will be placing an order soon. Until then, I used my go-to Orgain Vanilla Pea Protein which you can buy at Costco, Sam's, Walmart, and even Amazon.
*See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Once you try making this clean keto collagen perfect bar recipe and realize just how easy it is, you will always have a healthy keto snack ready at all times!
In a small saucepan, combine the nut or seed butter, liquid sweetener, almond milk and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar sweetener. Bring the ingredients to a simmer and remove them from the heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the collagen and vanilla pea protein powder. Add the mixture from the saucepan to the bowl and beat the ingredients together on high until all ingredients have been incorporated.
Taste the mixture and add in the additional 2 tablespoons of sweetener, if desire. Spread the mixture into 1-2 silicon loaf pan and press in the sugar-free chocolate chips to the top of the bars.
Place the bars in the freezer to cool and harden, overnight, before slicing into 8 -16 equal size bars.
Hint: Different types of collagen will absorb varying amounts of liquid therefore you may need to add more pea protein powder or add almond or coconut flour. You want to make sure that you have added enough collagen that the bars have the texture of thick caramel. Also, collagen can get "clumpy" so I suggest mixing the pea protein with the collagen to make it easier to whisk the two into the wet ingredients.
Substitutions
I have not tried all the substitutions below but believe that they should all work for creating these copycat homemade protein bars.
- Nut-Free - instead of peanut butter or any nut butter, use sunflower seed butter or use all tahini. You may need to add some sweetener (such as Lakanto or Swerve) to suit your taste.
- Vegan - instead of bovine collagen, you can use pea protein powder or any other of your favourite vegan protein powders.
- Sweetener - I love the combination of sugar-free maple syrup and peanut butter but you can use any type of liquid sweetener. If you do not have any liquid sweetener, simply add more almond milk as well as about ¼ cup of powdered sugar substitute.
These clean keto perfect bars are naturally gluten-free and sugar-free as well as dairy-free so there is no need to adjust the ingredients if you are following any of those specific diets.
Variations
Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, or their cultural cuisine, is a great way to increase the chances they make the recipe
- Double Chocolate- replace ¼ cup of the collagen with ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and add an additional 2 tablespoons of sugar-free maple syrup.
- Peanut butter - use only peanut butter instead of tahini and add about ¼ cup of peanut butter powder
- Almond Joy - add some toasted coconut, crushed toasted almonds and almond extract
Looking for a healthy and delicious cookie recipe instead? Check out this Keto Crispy Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies which are a Sugar-Free Tate’s Copycat Recipe
Equipment
I like to use silicon loaf pans for this recipe as it makes removing these keto collagen bars really easy! If you only have one silicon loaf pan, you can make a thicker bar instead of thinner bars.
If you only have a regular loaf pan, make sure to line the loaf pan with a parchment overhang in order to remove the bars.
Storage
These bars need to be stored in the freezer as they will soften a little too much if stored in the fridge.
You can actually eat these directly from the freezer without any problem. However, you can also leave these copycat homemade perfect bars at room temperature to soften.
Top tip
PLEASE try this recipe as stated before trying any modifications. I have made these bars a DOZEN times with the exact ingredients and they have always turned out perfectly. You can buy all the ingredients, like the Naked Collagen and the Orgain Vanilla Pea protein powder, on amazon or other online retailers.
PrintClean Keto Perfect Bar - Copycat Recipe
This super clean Keto Collagen Protein Bar recipe is a homemade copycat recipe of the popular commercial collagen bars. With only a fraction of the carbs and sugars, these keto collagen bars use only simple, clean, keto ingredients, come together quickly, and will save you a ton of money! Only 88 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein!
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
- ¼ cup peanut or almond butter
- ¼ cup almond milk, unsweetened
- ¼ cup sugar-free maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup brown sugar substitute (divided)
- 100 g (or 1 cup) collagen powder
- 60 g (or ½ cup) vanilla pea protein powder
- Optional - Splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt
- ¼ cup sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat until melted the peanut butter, almond milk, sugar-free maple syrup, coconut oil and 2 tablespoon of the brown sugar subsitute.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the collagen powder and vanilla pea protein powder.
- Pour the wet peanut butter mixture into the dry collagen protein mixture. Beat on high until fully combined. Add the vanilla and remaining 2 tablespoon of brown sugar subsitute and stir until combined. Taste the mixture and add any additional salt or sweetener to suit your taste.
- If making 16 bars, divide the mixture evenly between 2 silicon loaf pans, spread and sprinkle with chocolate chips. If making 8 bars, simply use 1 loaf pan for thicker bars.
- Place the bars in the freezer until firm. Slice into 8-16 protein bars.
- Bars can be stored in the fridge (these will be a much softer bar) or eaten directly from the freezer (this will be a firmer bar).
Notes
- If you do not have a silicon loaf pan, line a loaf pan with parchment paper to make the removal of the bars much easier
- You can always use an 8 x 8 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper instead of 2 loaf pans.
- These bars are chewy in texture which means that they are a mildly difficult to spread out - To spread the bars, simply moisten your fingers and press while stretching the dough.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 88
- Sugar: 0.2
- Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 1.7
- Fiber: 0.5
- Protein: 8
Are protein bars keto?
That depends on the type of bar. This collagen protein bar recipe is keto, dairy-free, sugar-free and low carb.
What type of protein powder do you use?
I used vanilla pea protein powder for these bars. However, I believe you could use Casein or egg white as well.
Why did my collagen clump together
Collagen becomes "glue-like" when it is first mixed to hot substance so you need to be aggressive when mixing. To preven the collagen from clumping, whisk it into the pea protein powder to disperse the powder.
What if my protein bars end up too thick?
IF your protein bars end up too thick, simply add a little extra sugar-free maple syrup or almond milk. Only add one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
What if my protein bars end up too soft?
These bars should end up like a thick caramel when it comes to texture. If they are too soft, simply add additional pea protein powder until they thicken.
How can I make these protein bars stable at room temperature?
These protein bars should be stored in the freezer but if you want to make them stable at room temperature, reverse the amount of collagen to pea protein powder, meaning, use 100-120 grams of pea protein powder to 50-60 grams of collagen protein.
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