These peanut butter protein balls are the perfect mid afternoon pick up snack. No baking is required and only 6 ingredients needed to make these sweet and healthy treats!
Peanut Butter Protein Bars
This is by far the easiest recipe on my blog.
No cooking, chopping or baking required and the protein balls are ready to eat as soon as the recipe is done. It doesn’t get any better than that! They are sweet but not overly sweet – enough to curb a sugar craving minus the processed ingredients. Ben and I are in love with these peanut butter protein balls! We keep a Tupperware full of them in the fridge at all times and have 2-3 a day.
One protein ball contains about 85 calories (I say “about” because I’m not a professional dietician and use an online calorie counter) and less than 1 gram of saturated fat. The use of deglet noor dates (the regular dates you find at supermarkets) makes them fairly low in fat and calories which is always a wonderful thing – because it means we get to eat more without feeling guilty 🙂
I’ve become more involved in making my own snacks after giving up dairy. My go-to snacks used to be yogurt, cheese, milk chocolate and cookies. I tried swapping almond yogurt for traditional yogurt and though I quite enjoy the taste, it doesn’t feel as satisfying. It’s the same thing for cheese. Obviously I’m still new at this dairy-free, 95% plant based diet I am following but I’m confident I will find good substitutes down the road. I just need more time to taste and explore this new way of eating.
I still eat chocolate but instead of grabbing a Kit Kat, I reach for the very dark bars that are flavored with mint, nuts or fruits. As for cookies, I’ve learned to bake delicious ones at home that are much healthier and tastier than the store bought options!
One thing I really enjoy about these peanut butter protein balls is how indulgent they taste. I’m just like everyone else in that I really love junk food. I could probably eat it every day if the consequences weren’t so dire. Instead, I make a conscious effort to keep junk food out of sight and as far away from my kitchen as possible. By having naughty tasting snacks such as these protein balls, I’m tricking my mind into thinking I’m eating something really bad, when in fact I’m injecting it with nutrients. That’s one time my mind doesn’t mind lying to my body!
This recipe makes about 12-14 protein balls. They will keep in the fridge for up to a week. You can add chocolate chips or dried cranberries if you prefer your snacks on the sweeter side. You can also substitute maple syrup (make sure you use 100% pure maple syrup) for honey.
Other healthy, mind tricking delicious snacks:
- Vegan chocolate chip cookies
- Strawberry and rhubarb crisp
- Sweet potato and black sesame pound cake
- Sweet potato croquettes
- Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
Did you like this Peanut Butter Protein Balls Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share?
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Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 balls 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: No bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
A super healthy snack that loaded with protein and sweetness!
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
- 100 grams pitted deglet noor dates
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup (or 2 tablespoons raw organic honey)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt (optional)
Instructions
- Puts oats in a food processor and pulse until the oats are pulverized into a small grains.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture is sticky, grainy, and a rich brown color.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Repeat this step until all the mixture has been used.
- You can eat the protein balls right away or refrigerate them for about 25 minutes to firm them up.
Notes
These peanut butter protein balls will last about a week, stored in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 protein balls
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 28.7 g
- Sodium: 54 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 41.8 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Love this recipe! It’s a good cure if you want something sweet. I did use real maple syrup. I also replaced the peanut butter with almond butter. I loved this recipe