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These protein balls pack 6 grams of protein into every satisfying bite, without protein powder of any kind. They cost about 20¢ each to make, so you can keep a whole batch ready for hungry kids, busy mornings, or the afternoon slump!
“Absolutely amazing! I made these as a pre-track snack without the chocolate chips since I’m dairy free and they were great. I definitely would recommend it to anyone!!”
Why this recipe works
Peanut butter, oats, seeds, and oat flour provide plenty of protein and fiber without relying on protein powder. Honey holds everything together and adds just enough sweetness.
Rolled oats give the protein balls a hearty chew, while oat flour helps the mixture hold its shape. Coconut, vanilla, and miniature chocolate chips make them taste like a treat rather than a nutritional compromise.
You can simply mix, portion, and roll them for an easy no-bake snack. Toasting the oats, seeds, and coconut first is optional, but it deepens their flavor and brings out their aroma.
Recipe ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make protein balls, plus a few words about the role of each ingredient. For full ingredient amounts, scroll down to the full recipe card.
- Old fashioned rolled oats: Provide much of the structure of the protein balls, and add a lot of chew. If you can't have oats, try picking a substitute for oats like flattened rice or flattened buckwheat.
- Coconut flakes: a delicious, nutritious binder full of healthy fats
- Hemp seeds: Add additional protein, a nutty flavor, and crunchy texture. You can also try chia, hulled sunflower, pumpkin, or flax seeds
- Oat flour: Helps hold the bites together better than just regular oats since it fills in the gaps when it absorbs moisture from the peanut butter and honey.
- Salt: a must for balancing all the different flavors
- Peanut butter: Adds flavor, lots of protein, and helps bind the balls together. Smooth, no-mix peanut butter works best; natural peanut butter is usually too runny
- Honey: helps to bind the recipe ingredients together with its stickiness and moisture, while adding a touch of sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Adds depth of flavor.
- Mini chocolate chips: Add more sweetness, rich chocolate flavor, and some texture. We use mini chips since just a little goes a long way.
How to make protein balls without protein powder
This is a no-bake recipe, but if I often toast the oats, coconut, and seeds in a 300°F oven for about 15 minutes at the start. It really helps to intensify and deepen the flavors. You could also try toasting them on the stovetop in a cast-iron skillet just until they smell fragrant.
Place the oats, coconut flakes and seeds plus salt and oat flour in a large bowl and mix to well so that every bite has some of each ingredient. Add the peanut butter and honey and mix. If you haven't toasted the dry ingredients, try warming the honey and/or peanut butter first in the microwave so make it easier to combine.
Press down the mixture with the back of a spoon to moisten the bulky ingredients. The raw batter should be thick enough to hold its shape when pressed together, but not so stiff that it falls apart soon after.
If you warmed any of the ingredients first, let the mixture cool to room temperature, and then add the few miniature chocolate chips. Otherwise, the chips will melt completely, making the balls slightly brown in color and otherwise not adding any texture or much flavor.
Use an ice cream scoop or your fingers to create heaping tablespoon size portions. Roll each tightly into a ball between your palms so they hold together well. Place them in the refrigerator to chill, which solidifies their shape. Store them in a sealed glass container with a lid so they hold their shape and don't absorb any moisture, which a plastic container would permit.
Expert tips
Use an ice cream scoop
Eyeing up the protein bites dough and pinching off pieces is a perfectly legitimate way to divvy up the batter. But if you want more consistent sizing across your energy balls, use an ice cream or cookie scoop.
Wait before adding chocolate chips
Be sure that the mixture is completely cool before adding mini chocolate chips or they will melt immediately after you add them.
Refrigerate before rolling
I find that it's much easier to roll an energy ball when the dough is cold. If you find that your mix is too soft to handle, just stick the mixing bowl or portioned batter into the fridge for about 30 minutes. When it comes out, it will be firm enough for easy handling.
Ingredient substitutions
Peanut butter-free
If you can't have peanut butter, almost any other nut butter will do. Almond butter is the perfect substitute, and cashew butter will make a more neutral-flavored energy bite. Just make sure it's the no-stir kind, where the oil doesn't separate.
Nut free
Try replacing the peanut butter with “Wow Butter,” which is made from toasted soy, or “Sunbutter”, which is made from sunflower seeds. You may need to add some more oat flour if the mixture seems a bit too soft.
Vegan
If you want to make these vegan or just don't like honey, you can use a combination of half maple syrup, half unsulphured molasses (like Grandma's brand). Maple syrup alone is too thin and not sticky enough to replace honey.
Protein powder
If you'd prefer something with protein powder, try my recipe for homemade protein bars. There are lots of different flavor variations, and have the texture of a brownie.
Or try adding more protein to these biters with your favorite vanilla protein powder. Add 1 scoop (about 30 grams) vanilla protein powder to the mixture and reduce the oat flour by the same amount. If the mixture seems too sticky, add a bit more oat flour until the consistency seems right.
Seeds
I buy shelled hemp seeds at my local Trader Joe's market. You can also use chia seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds (chopped first).
Grain free
In place of oats and oat flour, use twice as many coconut flakes, and a combination of assorted raw nuts. I recommend using at least 1/2 cup cashews in that mix, since they're a soft, mild nut that helps bind together the other ingredients in a similar way to how the oat flour does in the oat-containing recipe below.
- 2 cups (240 g) assorted raw nuts (I recommend 1 cup (120 g) raw cashews + 1/2 cup (60 g) raw pecans + 1/2 cup (60 g) raw almonds; use at least 1/2 cup cashews)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups (160 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 1/2 cups (384 g) smooth, no-stir peanut butter (can substitute almond butter another favorite no-stir nut butter)
- 1/2 cup (168 g) honey (Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a good substitute)
- 1 cup (160 g) hulled raw seeds (I recommend a combination of hemp, chia, and/or flax seeds)
- 4 ounces miniature chocolate chips
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the raw nuts, salt, and about 2 cups (half) of the coconut flakes. Pulse the mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (3 or 4 times).
Microwave the peanut butter and honey mixture in a large microwave-safe bowl on 60% power for 30 seconds to loosen the mixture. Add the nut and coconut mixture, the seeds and the remaining coconut, and mix until well-combined. Allow the mixture to cool fully, and then mix in the miniature chocolate chips.
Scoop the mixture by the heaping tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet (a #50 ice cream scoop works perfectly). You should have about 40 portions. Roll each portion tightly into a ball between your palms.
Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill until firm. Serve chilled. They will hold their shape at room temperature, but I prefer them chilled.
Storage instructions
Store prepared protein balls in an airtight container and they'll last about a week at room temperature. Refrigerate for another week after that, or for 2 week total.
For longer storage, you can freeze them for about three months. Let defrost in the refrigerator or on the counter until soft enough to bite.
Protein Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) old fashioned rolled oats, (gluten free if necessary)
- 1 cup (80 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup (160 g) hulled raw hemp seeds, (can substitute chia seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, flax seeds or pumpkin seeds)
- ½ cup (60 g) oat flour, (gluten free if necessary)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups (384 g) smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup (168 g) honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or your favorite flavoring, we really like McCormick brand butter flavoring
- 4 ounces miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
- Optional: To intensify the flavor of the whole oats, coconut, and seeds, place them all together on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in a 300°F oven (or toaster oven, in batches) for about 15 minutes, stirring once.
- Line a large, clean rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. In a large bowl, place the oats, coconut flakes, hemp seeds, oat flour, add the salt, and mix to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract or other flavoring, and mix until well-combined. Allow the mixture to cool for at least 10 minute.
- Once the mixture has cooled enough that it won't melt chocolate, add the miniature chocolate chips. Mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout. If you add the chips when the mixture is hot, the chips will all melt.
- Scoop the mixture by the heaping tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet (a #50 ice cream scoop works perfectly). You should have about 36 portions.
- Roll each portion tightly into a ball between your palms. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill until firm. Serve chilled.
- They will hold their shape at room temperature, but I prefer them chilled. Transfer the bites to a large container with a lid, and store in the refrigerator for anytime snacking.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe variations
- cocoa powder – sprinkle in some cocoa powder to make chocolate peanut butter balls
- cranberries – chop up dried cranberries for a tangy twist; dried cherries will also add a nice tartness
- dates – chopped dates are a good option if you want a richer taste, but feel free to also experiment with other dried fruit
- protein powder – these are protein balls without protein powder when made as written, but you can add about 1/2 scoop of your favorite protein powder for an added boost
- raisins – add chopped raisins to your mix for an oatmeal raisin flavor
FAQs
There's nothing unsafe about eating raw oats, but if you prefer the taste of them toasted, follow the instructions in the recipe for lightly toasting them in the oven.
No, they won't hold together properly as bars, so I'd recommend using our recipe for homemade protein bars instead!
If your unformed batter is dry and crumbly, add more wet ingredients like peanut butter or honey to help with binding. Be sure to taste the batter as you go and add wet ingredients slowly. If you need more sweetness, add more honey, but add moisture sparingly or your bites will end up too soft to hold their shape.
My family and I thought these were delicious. We inhaled them.
We tolerated them very well but I wonder is it better if we would soak the Chia seeds for 20 minutes then add them in?
I replaced the hemp seeds for the Chia seeds.
Thank you very much
Daminica
Hi, Daminica, so glad you loved the protein balls. If you soak chia seeds first, they’ll get kind of slimy, which is not what a texture you want here, and the protein balls won’t hold together properly.
Absolutely delicious. I used buckwheat flour instead of the oat flour as Ijust happened to have some which needed to be used up.
I would be helpful to have step 2 before step 1, seeing as I’ve already added the salt and flour, as directed to at step 1.
That does make sense, Guy. I’ve switched things up a bit. Thanks for the suggestion.
Can I use something other than coconut flakes? Not a fan
Hi, Aileen, sure, you can use an equal amount of added oats, by weight.