Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Packed with peanut butter, protein powder, chocolate chips, oats, and honey, these peanut butter protein balls are the easiest homemade snack you’ll ever make and delicious to boot!
These peanut butter protein balls are packed with all the good stuff. You’ve got peanut butter (of course), ground flaxseed meal, honey, chocolate chips (although you can omit them if you prefer), protein powder of your choice, and oats.
Now, when I say this is the easiest protein-packed snack you’ll ever make, I mean it. All you need to do is mix the ingredients together, roll them into balls and your protein balls are ready to eat. You don’t need a food processor (or dates) to make these peanut butter balls, just a wooden spoon and a tablespoon or cookie scoop to shape the balls.
They’re the perfect grab-and-go snack for busy weekdays and a great option for a pre or post-workout snack. Basically, grab a peanut butter ball whenever you need a boost of energy! These protein balls also keep for a long time in the fridge and freezer, so really, what’s not to love about this recipe?
If you’re interested in more no-bake peanut butter snacks, check out my chocolate peanut butter balls and my no-bake peanut butter bars.
Recipe Ingredients
- Smooth peanut butter
- Protein powder of your choice, I use vanilla
- Quick old-fashioned rolled oats (do not use instant oatmeal)
- Ground flaxseed meal
- Regular or mini chocolate chips (optional)
- Honey
- Water
Add peanut butter to a medium bowl.
Combine with protein powder, rolled or quick oats, flaxseed, honey, and chocolate chips.
Mix together. I use a wooden spoon and aim for the consistency of cookie dough.
Troubleshooting
If the mixture seems dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until it’s at the right consistency.
If it’s too wet or sticky, adding a tablespoon at a time of protein powder or oats will do the trick.
Roll into balls with a cookie scoop or a tablespoon.
You can make up to 14-16 peanut butter protein balls with this recipe.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
How good do they look? Enjoy!
Storage
- TO STORE: Refrigerate protein balls for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze protein balls for up to 3 months or longer (if they are airtight, you can freeze them practically indefinitely). Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- You can use any nut butter, such as almond butter or cashew butter, in this protein ball recipe, as long as it’s on the runny side (that means no , sorry). You could also use sunflower seed butter or tahini if you have a nut allergy.
- Instead of water, you could also add almond milk a teaspoon at a time to the cookie dough batter until it reaches the right consistency.
- Here are a couple of fun protein ball recipe variations:
- Add 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut instead of the chocolate chips.
- Substitute the chocolate chips for 2 tablespoons of raisins or .
- Enhance the chocolate flavor and use chocolate protein powder instead.
- Add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds when you combine the other ingredients.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and they’ll basically taste like Teddy Grahams!
- You could also add 1/2 teaspoon of to bring out the vanilla flavor in the .
- Make your energy balls into bars by pressing the dough into a loaf pan and refrigerating. In a couple of hours, you can cut them into bars.
- To make these protein balls gluten-free, all you need to do is ensure your oats are certified gluten-free, then you’re good to go!
Here are more peanut butter recipes I love:
Peanut Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Fudge Icing
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookie Bars
Yellow Cake with Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Icing
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Pie Made the Old-Fashioned Way
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup peanut butter smooth
- 1/3 cup protein powder your favorite, I use vanilla or chocolate whey or rice bran protein
- 1/2 cup rolled oats quick old-fashioned, do not use instant oatmeal
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal ground
- 3 tbsp chocolate chips regular or mini optional
- 2 tbsp honey
- water
Instructions
- Add peanut butter to a medium bowl. Combine with protein powder, rolled or quick oats, flaxseed, honey, and chocolate chips.3/4 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup protein powder, 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup flaxseed meal, 3 tbsp chocolate chips, 2 tbsp honey
- Mix together. I use a wooden spoon and aim for the consistency of cookie dough.
- If the mixture seems dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until it’s at the right consistency. If it's too wet or sticky, adding a tablespoon at a time of protein powder or oats will do the trick.water
- Roll into balls with a cookie scoop or a tablespoon. You can make up to 14-16 peanut butter protein balls with this recipe.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate protein balls for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze protein balls for up to 3 months or longer (if they are airtight, you can freeze them practically indefinitely). Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Nutrition
My daughters 85 year old father-in-law just came out of the hospital, recovering from Covid. He is diabetic and not wanting to eat since he still hasn’t recovered much of his taste. I am going to make these for him and hope he will eat them – they will give him protein that he needs with a low carb count – and give him a bite of those sweets that he craves. Thanks for this recipe at such a perfect time. God Bless
I hope he has a quick recovery. And I hope he loves them.
will have to make this for family – they will love it
I like the idea of making them into bars instead of the balls. Maybe we can “fool” the grandkids into thinking they’re candy bars. LOL!
I’m going to make this but instead of peanut butter, I am going to try pumpkin and see what it taste like. I also like some of the substitutions you have posted.
Healthy and delicious!!
My family members would love this thanks
I have all the ingredients in my pantry. Making snacks for the rest of the week.