These 6-ingredient peanut butter protein balls only take a few minutes to throw together and are full of healthful ingredients! Naturally gluten-free, whole grain, dairy-free and with a vegan option.
Just basic ingredients
There’s loads of good stuff in these protein balls. Tons of natural peanut butter plus a bit of raw honey (or brown rice syrup for a vegan option), oats and coconut.
And of course, some mini chocolate chips because… why not? ;) Feel free to omit them if you want to limit your sugar.
Make sure to use the kind of peanut butter that just contains peanuts and salt. If you use a brand that has added fat and sugar, these peanut butter balls likely won’t turn out well. You’d also be adding a ton of fat (and probably not the healthy kind) and sugar!
So easy that kids can make them alone
To make these peanut butter protein balls, all you do is dump the ingredients into a bowl and roll the mixture into balls. It’s not an especially sticky mixture so you’ll have to squeeze them together to get the balls to hold together.
I’ve made these peanut butter protein balls a number of times with the exact same ingredients (as in from the same package) and the very small amount of water I needed to add to hold the mixture together varied each time (hence the range in the measurement given).
also discovered that instead of using additional water to bring together the mixture, vanilla extract’s a tasty alternative!
Prefer something more cookie-like but don’t want to turn on the oven? Try these no-bake oatmeal cookies! They’re also 100% whole grain and naturally gluten-free + vegan. And seriously – they’re one of my favorite recipes.
Peanut butter sub?
Wondering how to make peanut butter? All you need is 1 ingredient and a food processor!
But if you can’t have or don’t have peanut butter or peanuts on hand, you can experiment with other nut butters. I’ve tried today’s recipe with sunflower seed butter and it worked great. But I’m not sure about other nut butters.
They’re not always 100% interchangeable so I can’t say for sure if other types would work in these protein bites. That’s why I called it an experiment. ;) But I’m quite sure they’d be fine wth other types.
I can tell you that almond butter works amazingly well in these bliss balls, as does sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option. They’re like a chocolate version of this recipe and truly so delicious.
For a grain-free chocolate version, try these chocolate peanut butter protein balls. If you use cashew butter, then you’ve got youself some paleo protein balls. :)
Vegan option
Honey is quite a bit stickier and thicker than maple syrup and that’s why I only have brown rice syrup listed as a honey sub for this recipe.
I tried these balls with maple syrup but they fell apart more easily. So that’s why I recommend brown rice syrup.
If you give these peanut butter protein balls a try, I’d love to hear what you think!
And here are some resources if you’re new to the vegan or gluten-free diet:
- Are Oats Gluten-free?
- Is Honey Gluten-free?
- Are Chocolate Chips Gluten-free?
- Are Chocolate Chips Vegan?
- Is Peanut Butter Gluten-free?
- Is Peanut Butter Vegan?
Peanut Butter Protein Balls (gluten-free, vegan, whole grain, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 24 1" balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup (256 grams) natural peanut butter or sunflower seed butter for nut-free (the kind with just peanuts / seeds and salt)
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey or 1/4 cup brown rice syrup for a vegan version
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (135 grams) rolled oats (use gluten-free oats, if needed)
- 1/2 cup (42 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup (57 grams) mini chocolate chips (use vegan chocolate chips, if needed)
- 2-4 teaspoons water or additional vanilla extract
Directions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter, brown rice syrup or honey and vanilla extract.
- Stir in the oats, coconut and salt until well combined and then add the chocolate chips. If the mixture doesn’t hold together well when pinched together, add the additional water or vanilla, a teaspoon at a time until the mixture holds together well when pinched.
- Form 1” balls by pressing about 1 tablespoon of the mixture together.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for 1 week.
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255 comments on “Peanut Butter Protein Balls (gluten-free, vegan options)” — Add one!
16 comments are awaiting moderation!
Any idea of calorie content on these?
Hi! I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
Pam did you ever find out the calorie content? I got a really hIgh number.
These peanut butter protein balls look absolutely fantastic. Beautiful photos, too. I look forward to trying this.
Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
I was wondering if you could substitute maple syrup for the honey. Any thoughts? I can’t wait to try these. What a perfect summertime snack!
That should work but my worry is that they might not be as sticky, and therefore more difficult to roll into balls. I would love to hear how they come out. :)
Do you cook the oats first?
Nope! Never cook oats first unless a recipe specifically says to. :)
What can you substitute for coconut? (lot of fat in coconut) Can handle the peanut butter and chocolate chips but would love a lighter fat sub for the coconut.
You could add more oats until the texture is how you’d like it. :)
So glad to hear there is a substitute for coconut. I have a tree nut allergy and was trying to think of something with a consistency similar to coconut that is still super tasty. Do you have any other suggestions than more oats? I might sprinkle some (well more than some for sure!) cinnamon into part of a batch. I love cinnamon!
T
Cinnamon sounds like a delicious addition! And no, I can’t really think of any other good shredded coconut subs. I just googled it and can’t find anything that would be a good sub in this recipe. Sorry about that! Happy holidays! :)
Would this recipe still work if the oatmeal was replaced with almond flour?
The two aren’t interchangeable but you could mix everything except for the chocolate chips together and then add almond flour until it comes together. I’d love to hear how it goes!
Has anyone froze these? How well do they freeze and what’s the best length of time? Thanks.
I’ve frozen them and it works well! What do you mean by best length of time? Like how long? I didn’t freeze them for super long but I’m guessing a few weeks would be fine.
Put them in the fridge till the next day! Delicious and addicting
Thanks for the tip! So happy you liked them. :)
These are delicious! I ate two and satisfied my sweet tooth. One probably would have done it, but I just couldn’t help myself. So easy!
Haha. Two is still very reasonable. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Just made these and they are delicious! And nutritional value wise, I’m sure they aren’t even that bad! Yum!
So happy you liked them! :)
Awesome recipe! I love it!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know. :)
These are delicious! Mine came out a little sticky, do you know how I could fix this? Best wishes xx
I’m happy you liked them. :) Did you make any subs or changes at all to the recipe? You could add more coconut to make them less sticky!
can you do almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Definitely. :)
Hi. Can you use maple syrup instead of honey??
Yup. :)
My nut butter has no salt. How much salt should I add for this recipe? Thank you.
I’d recommend adding it to taste. :) I always use salted so I unfortunately have no idea.
Can you add the nutritional information for these?
These are awesome!!! Thank you for this:) I’m happy 😊
I’m so happy you liked them! Thanks for your comment. :)
Would you mind telling me the nutrition facts for these? Maybe I missed it. Just macros away least
Check out the comment of mine (from March 27) below yours. :)
I can’t but you could use this recipe analyzer if you’d like for that info. :)
Two thumbs up! These are seriously delicious and addictive :) I absolutely love how quick and easy they are to make. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m happy you liked them. :) And sorry for just now seeing your comment! I have no idea how I missed it until now.
EXCELLENT recipe!! I like the amounts of ingredients in this one. I added Flaxseed and Hemp Protein powder (found at Walmart!) as well as it was wet enough to add more goodies😀. Will not notice any difference in taste thanks to amounts of vanilla extract and 🍯
Thanks so much! I’m happy to hear that you like them and that added flax and protein powder works out well. Thanks for the tip and your comment. :)
Hiya
Can u freeze these?
Hi! You can. :)
My family loved these! Sometimes we have to adjust a bit of the ingredient quantities to get them to the right consistency but that’s super easy and obvious. We’ve chopped up dried cherries (without added sugar) and added them the recipe. Yummy. We’ve used almond butter instead of peanut butter which is a fun twist too. Thanks for the recipe!
Oooh, I love dried cherries! Those and almond butter together sound really yummy. Thanks for the tip! I’m happy that you’ve been enjoying them. :)
Thank you for sharing this recipe. By chance do you know how many calories each protein ball has?
You’re welcome. :) I don’t but you could use this recipe analyzer if you’d like for that info!