These peanut butter protein balls have been a staple at my house with 5 small kids for the last 10 years. They are also our favorite snack to take to new moms or to neighbors. I love this recipe, because it whips up within 10 minutes in one bowl with no baking. So simple!
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Why You’ll Love this Recipe
You will love this recipe, because it is a simple way to have a treat with solid protein. It hits that salty sweet chocolate craving too, without a huge sugar spike. These are especially yummy right out of the freezer!
Ingredients
- Oats-rolled oats are best for this. Steel cut oats will not work for this!
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes-try to get the coconut that is shredded the most or you could shred it more in a food processor.
- Ground Flax Seed-make sure to store this in the fridge when you are done using. The oils in the flax go bad quickly outside the fridge. If the flax oil has gone bad the protein balls will not taste great!
- Vanilla Protein Powder-I can’t say enough about the quality and taste of this protein powder! Use GIRLTEACHME10 at checkout for 10% off your order.
- Sea Salt-Salt to taste! And a fun salt to do these protein balls with is Malden Salt.
- Vanilla Extract
- Chocolate Chips-you could also use Cacao Chips or Nibs
- Peanut Butter-I like using organic peanut butter with the oil. The others have really toxic seed oils in them and are best to be avoided.
- Honey-raw or local offer the best benefits
Tools you may need:
- I love this adjustable measuring cup! It helps you measure honey and peanut butter perfectly without leaving anything in the cup, because you push out the liquid. It is sooo handy!
How to Make Peanut Butter Protein Balls:
Step 1: Combine all the dry ingredients
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients and stir together until well combined
Step 3: Make sure to get to the bottom of the bowl and combine all wet with dry ingredients. If it is very dry still add a little more honey or peanut butter to help it combine. Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and put in fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Roll out protein balls into 1 inch balls and lay on a cookie sheet. Store in fridge or freezer in airtight container.
Tips
- Consider putting oats and coconut flakes into food processor and pulsing a couple of times to shred them a bit further. This makes for a soft protein ball. Kids seem to appreciate this texture better!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
- Consider getting an adjustable measuring cup if you think you will be making a lot of these protein balls. It will help you save a lot of honey and peanut butter!
- Freeze the protein bites on a cookie sheet for 1 hour before bagging them all up to keep them from sticking together.
- You can substitute cacao nibs or chips to make slightly more healthy and a little less sweet.
- Add Malden salt flakes for extra saltiness.
Recipe FAQ’s
Just roll them around in your hands and form a 1 inch ball.
My personal favorite is Just Ingredients Vanilla for this recipe. Just Ingredients Protein Powder is seriously unmatched in quality and taste. There is nothing fake at all in JI protein powder and the whey is casein free and top quality from New Zealand Grass-Fed Cows.
No not at all, it just helps the texture a bit.
Sure, I think almond butter would be such a great swap.
Yes they do need to be refrigerated, but my favorite is storing them in the freezer for a quick snack anytime.
More Sourdough Recipes from Girl, Teach Me
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @girlteachme
Chocolate Chip Protein Bites
Equipment
- optional Adjustable Measuring Cup helps measure honey and peanut butter with less mess
- Just Ingredients Vanilla Protein Powder its just the best quality and taste I have found. GIRLTEACHME10 gets you 10% off
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic rolled oats **blend in food processor so softer bite
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (trimmed) **blend in food processor so softer bite
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed **make sure to store in fridge when done
- 1 scoop Just Ingredients Vanilla Protein Powder **chocolate or chocolate peanut butter protein powder is good too!
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
- 1/3 cup wild or raw honey
- 1-2 tsp sea salt *to taste
- 1/2 cup cacao chips or nibs **chocolate chips work fine too, just makes it sweeter
Instructions
- Mix all DRY ingredients together first
- ***if you want soft protein bites consider using food processor to blend the oats and coconut flakes down a bit. But you can also not worry with this step and they will still taste great!
- Add vanilla extract and stir
- Add honey and peanut butter and then stir really good to work through dry ingredients are the bottom. Make have to use hands to really dry ingredients through to the peanut butter and honey.
- cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and place in the fridge (you can skip this if you are in a rush, just helps the protein bites roll out easier
- Take out of the fridge and roll out into 1 inch balls.
- Store in closed container in fridge for a week or in the freezer for six months.
- If you are freezing them, freeze on a cookie sheet for one hour and then add to a bag so they don't stick together.
- No need to thaw, they taste wonderful straight out of the freezer!