3-Ingredient Low Carb Vanilla Protein Bars

29 grams of protein per bar. 5 grams of carbs. Three ingredients and no oven.

Greek yogurt, my Vanilla DSP, and chocolate to coat. You mix, shape, freeze briefly, dip, and freeze again. Ten minutes of actual work and you have protein bars sitting in your fridge that cost a fraction of the ones in the shop and have a considerably shorter ingredient list.

Trust the Crumbly Stage

When you first combine the yogurt and the DSP, it is going to look wrong. Crumbly, dry, like it will never come together. Keep mixing.

It does come together. The DSP needs a moment to absorb the moisture from the yogurt, and once it does you get a proper dough you can shape with your hands. The instinct at that first stage is to add water or more yogurt, and that is the one thing that will ruin it. Give it another thirty seconds of mixing instead.

Why This Only Works With the Digestive Support Protein

This is the same principle behind a lot of my recipes and it is worth being clear about. Whey, collagen, beef, and bone broth proteins do not add volume and do not act as a flour replacement. Mix any of them with yogurt and you get a thin, loose paste that will not hold a shape.

My Digestive Support Protein is a European golden pea protein isolate, milled very finely, and it absorbs liquid into a dough instead of thinning out. That texture is the entire recipe. There is no way to substitute around it.

Two XL Bars or Four Squares

The recipe makes two extra large bars, which is what I usually do because I like a bar that actually fills you up. If you would rather have smaller portions, cut the square into four instead. Same recipe, half the size, roughly 15g of protein each.

Tips

• Use a thick Greek yogurt. A thinner or runnier yogurt means a looser dough that is harder to shape.

• Freeze before dipping. Cold, firm bars are much easier to coat and hold together far better under the melted chocolate.

• Work quickly with the chocolate. It starts to set on contact with the cold bars, which is what you want, but it also means you should have everything ready before you start dipping.

• Use a fork to dip. Lower each bar in, turn it, lift it out, and let the excess run off before setting it down.

• Keep them in the fridge. The coating stays firm and the texture is best cold.
  
  

Variations

• Cocoa DSP for a chocolate bar under the chocolate coating

• Strawberry DSP for something closer to a yogurt-coated berry bar

• A spoonful of sunflower seed butter worked into the dough for a richer, denser bar

• Flaky sea salt on the chocolate before it sets

• Skip the coating entirely if you want the simplest possible version
  
  

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They also freeze well for up to a month, which makes them worth batching. If frozen, give them a few minutes at room temperature before eating so the chocolate softens slightly.

Dietary Information

These bars are low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free. They contain dairy from the Greek yogurt, so they are not vegan or dairy-free as written. The Vanilla Digestive Support Protein is a European golden pea protein isolate with no gums, no natural flavors, no artificial sweeteners, and no fillers, and it is free from all nine major allergens.