As you may have noticed, I’m a huge fan of protein bars. I eat them daily as I just love them so much. I have many recipes that I love, and I’m happy to add a new type of bar to my recipe arsenal. Homemade Quest Protein Bars.
If you haven’t tried a Quest bar before, you’re missing out. So what’s all the fuss about Quest bars? Well they’re low carb, gluten-free, sugar-free (some contain natural non-calorie sweeteners like stevia, while others use sucralose), and high protein (20 g + per bar). Each bar is around 200 calories, so it makes a great snack. They come in a huge variety of flavors, and trust me, everyone has their die hard favorites. I’ve tried many of the flavors, and my favorites have been the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and the White Chocolate Raspberry.
I’ve heard some people say they aren’t a fan of the texture. They are a little stiff, and a touch gritty. But the bars change a lot when you heat them. You can bake them at 350 degrees F for a few minutes, or microwave them for about 20 seconds. It turns them into a soft and melty bar…delicious!
I was inspired to make my own Quest-style bars as I came across this great ingredient that gives them a similar texture. I love that these bars are ridiculously easy to make. I’m talking 5 minutes…no joke. You just need the key ingredient.
Now, what is the key ingredient? Keep reading…
My bar is on the left, real Quest bar on the right. Mine not as pretty, but tastes delicious!
The key ingredient is something called IMO. IMO (aka. isomalto-oligosaccharide) is a high quality, high-purity isomalto-oligosaccharide, made from enzymatic conversion of starch. It functions as a dietary fiber, prebiotic and low-calorie sweetener. This ingredient is now appearing in MANY types of bars now. Bioneutra makes VitaFiber, which is the brand name. I’ve been looking for a IMO product for years, as I knew if I had it, I could make something similar to a Quest-style bar. So I was thrilled when I came across a post from the lovely Anna over at Protein Pow. She came across the company Bioneutra, and they make IMO! FYI, Anna’s got a great recipe on her site too, along with a handy Q&A about IMO.
Where To Get VitaFiber:
(June 2019) Availability has changed on where to buy it.
Here are the links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K8YDDQQ/ref=dp_prsubs_1
Or, another option is to order VitaFiber direct from their website: https://shop.vitafiberimo.com/
IMO syrup is clear and has the same consistency as honey.
These bars are low carb because the fiber content is so high. That’s because IMO is almost all prebiotic fiber. If you take the total carbohydrates minus the fiber, there you have your final carb count.
This time, the real Quest bar is on the left, mine on the right. The IMO helps to give it a similar texture.
More info on VitaFiber (from their website):
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VitaFiber™ is a sweet natural fiber providing low calorie and soluble prebiotic fiber for human digestive health. VitaFiber™ is non-GMO, sugar-free and gluten-free.
VitaFiber™ is available as a syrup or powder. On a dry basis, VitaFiber™ is greater than 90% soluble fiber. Based on published studies, the caloric value of VitaFiber™ is 1.5 kcal/g. All VitaFiber™ products are Kosher and Halal.
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You will need the VitaFiber to make these bars, so use the links I provided above to purchase it. For these bars, I recommend you get the syrup vs. the powder.
It takes 35 grams of the syrup to make 1 bar (2 Tbsp), so the 1kg (35 oz) of syrup you buy (for $14.00) would make approx. 28 bars! Huge cost savings.
First, we have a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough version…below that you’ll see a White Chocolate Raspberry version. I made those, just because they’re my favorites. Below that, you’ll see some other suggested flavor combinations.
A few notes:
– Almond meal is simply whole almonds ground up. You can buy or make yourself…super easy.
– If you want your bar to be shelf-stable, and not need refrigeration, don’t use anything that would go bad (ie. fresh fruit). For fruit add in’s, I recommend dried fruit or freeze dried fruit. You can even use whey protein that already has freeze dried fruit in it (this was the case in the Whey Gourmet Raspberry protein I used below, hence the pink.)
Quest White Chocolate Raspberry on left, my version on the right. Mine is pink, as that was the color of the raspberry whey I used.
– You can use the VitaFiber powder if you prefer, you’ll just need a syrup of some sort to bind it all together (eg. sugar free maple syrup or sugar free honey). Probably around 2 Tbsp of your sugar free syrup, perhaps a touch more. You’d have to play around with it. If I do some more tests with the powder, I’ll add in some notes to this post.
– Can you use protein other than whey? Yes! If you have a vegan or non-dairy protein that you use, I think it would work. You just have to like the flavor of the protein that you’re putting in.
– Is this bar ok for kids to eat? I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t be, if you’re using all-natural ingredients. IMO is essentially a fiber. I just wouldn’t give a child under 10 yrs an entire bar, as it might be a bit too much fiber and protein for their digestive systems to handle. I’d give my 5 year old half a bar, and I’ll hold off giving to my 1 year old till she’s older.
– As you’ll see in the recipe, if you want a firm bar (a touch more similar to the Quest ones), you’ll need to heat the IMO first. This will produce a harder bar because when the IMO syrup is heated, it will react with the protein powder and have it cook slightly. If you like softer bars, don’t heat the IMO syrup. The bar will be a little softer and a bit sticky to the touch. Either way, you can still bake them or heat them and get a great result. The softer bar is just easier to eat and you don’t have to heat it if you don’t want to. It will also just melt a little faster if you do heat it, so you only need to microwave like 10 seconds instead of 20. Below I did them both at 20 seconds (mine is the pink, Quest is the other). Still delicious though!
* Edited to Add:
Below this recipe, I’ve also added the recipe for a batch of 12 bars as some have requested that. The calculation, is the recipe below x 12, but to make it easy, I’ve done all the calculating for you.
Version #1 – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 2 Tbsp VitaFiber Syrup
- 1 scoop (30 grams or ¼ cup) whey protein, vanilla (I used Whey Gourmet Naturelle Vanilla)
- 2 tsp almond meal (just ground up almonds)
- 15 g (2 squares) no-sugar chocolate, chopped (I used Simply Lite No Sugar Added Milk Chocolate)
- Heat the 2 Tbsp of VitaFiber Syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. When its just starts to bubble, remove from heat and immediately add protein powder, almond meal.
- Place mixture in a plastic bag and knead until it starts to cool down. It will form into a bar.
- Add in the chopped chocolate once its cooled a bit. Still might melt a little.
- In a small bowl, combine the VitaFiber syrup, whey protein, almond meal and chopped chocolate. Mixture will be slightly sticky to the touch.
- From here, it can be stored in a plastic bag, or you could also bake it in a 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes, or microwave for 15-20 seconds, as you would to a regular Quest bar.
Version #2 – White Chocolate Raspberry
- 2 Tbsp VitaFiber Syrup
- 1 scoop (30 grams or ¼ cup) whey protein, raspberry (I used Whey Gourmet Raspberry. Could also use vanilla, and add 2 tsp freeze dried raspberries)
- 2 tsp almond meal (just ground up almonds)
- ½ oz (1 oz square cut in half) white chocolate, chopped (I used Baker's White Chocolate)
- Heat the 2 Tbsp of VitaFiber Syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. When it just starts to bubble, remove from heat and immediately add protein powder, almond meal. Stir it around until it comes together
- Place mixture in a plastic bag and knead until it starts to cool down. It will form into a bar.
- Add in the chopped white chocolate once its cooled a bit. Still might melt a little.
- In a small bowl, combine the VitaFiber syrup, whey protein, almond meal and chopped white chocolate. Mixture will be slightly sticky to the touch.
- From here, it can be stored in a plastic bag, or you could also bake it in a 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes, or microwave for 15-20 seconds, as you would to a regular Quest bar.
To Make a Batch of 12 Bars
Cookie Dough Flavor – 12 bars
1 1/2 cups VitaFiber Syrup
3 cups whey protein powder, vanilla
8 Tbsp almond flour
24 squares no-sugar added chocolate (2 x 35 oz or 85 g bars), chopped
Follow the same directions as above. Put mixture into an 9×9 pan. Cut into 12 bars.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Flavor – 12 bars
I came up with another flavor combination. I posted about it on Instagram, but wanted to have a place for it on the site too.
1 1/2 cups VitaFiber Syrup
2 1/4 cups whey protein powder, chocolate (I used Lean Body For Her whey concentrate)
1 1/4 cup peanut protein (I used Lean Body For Her Peanut Protein)
1/4 cup almond flour
For these bars, I melted the vitafiber syrup in the microwave for 55 seconds. Then, in a seperate bowl, mix together all the other ingredients. Add the warm syrup and mix until combined with a wooden spoon. It will be sticky. Put the mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Press into the pan with a sheet of plastic wrap over top so it doesn’t stick to your hands. Place in the fridge until firm (about 1 hour). Cut into 12 bars. From here I wrap them individually for grab-n-go and keep them in the fridge.
Other Flavor Recipe Ideas:
{Base recipe as above: 2 Tbsp VitaFiber syrup, 2 tsp almond meal, 1 scoop (30 grams or 1/4 cup) whey protein}
Strawberry Cheesecake – use vanilla whey protein, and add 2 tsp freeze dried strawberry pieces
Chocolate Peanut Butter – use chocolate peanut butter flavored whey protein, or chocolate whey. Add 2 tsp chopped peanuts
Peanut Butter & Jelly – use vanilla whey protein or berry flavored protein, add 2 tsp chopped peanuts
Double Chocolate Chunk – use chocolate whey protein, add 2 tsp chopped sugar free chocolate
Banana Nut Muffin – use vanilla whey protein, add 2 tsp freeze dried banana and 2 tsp chopped walnuts
Cinnamon Roll – use vanilla whey protein, add 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Coconut Cashew – use vanilla whey protein, add in 2 tsp unsweetened coconut and 2 tsp chopped cashews
Lemon Cream Pie – use vanilla whey protein, add in 1 tsp lemon extract and 1/2 tsp lemon zest
Apple Pie – use vanilla whey protein, add in 2 tsp freeze dried apple and 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Would also love if you shared your flavor combo’s in the comments.
Happy bar making!