These are crunchy chocolate peanut butter protein bites - a rich, chocolatey snack that tastes like dessert!
Ya'll know I love a snickerdoodle crunch protein ball but I've made these no bake chocolate peanut butter balls at my family's request for ages. These are one of their favorite high protein snacks for a good reason!
I tend to use a similar base recipe for most of my energy bites and this one is pretty similar. Most are protein balls with oats as a base. These are AWESOME because they're a grab and go snack, no refrigeration needed. They're super easy to meal prep and we like to make a bunch and freeze them for later!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Peanut butter is probably the strongest but the chocolate (and even the honey!) is there too.
- Ease: Beginner! No bake, no cooking, no special equipment required.
- Time: 10 minutes start to finish.
📝 Ingredient Notes
- Oats - gluten-free if needed, make sure they're regular old fashioned oats/rolled oats. Quick oats soak up too much moisture and make them a little crumbly
- Honey or agave nectar - the sweetener and liquid binder for the bites. I wouldn't use maple syrup, it can overpower the almond taste.
- Peanut Butter- I prefer to use regular peanut butter, you can use natural but you may need to add almond flour or oat flour to make up for the extra oil.
- Protein Powder - your favorite chocolate protein powder is fine for these!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Honey can be switched to agave nectar, another natural sweetener with enough liquid to keep the bites moist without crumbling.
- You can use protein crunchies in place of the rice crispies for these.
- Easy to make gluten free and dairy free with oats and vegan protein powder and agave nectar.
- For a more dessert style, you can dip in chocolate or add mini chocolate chips to the mixture.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients - oats, rice crispies, cocoa powder, protein powder, and salt and mix.
- Step 2. Add in the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract and stir until everything is combined.
Tip
Warming up the almond butter in the microwave for 30 seconds or so makes mixing much easier!
- Step 3. Use a spoon or a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop (so much easier) to portion the protein balls onto a baking sheet or cutting board. You can also scoop them straight into a reusable container. No need to refrigerate!
📌 Top Tips
- Weigh out the ingredients with a kitchen scale for accuracy so they don't turn out dry and crumbly.
- If you're wondering why your protein balls won't stick together, see the Frequently Asked Questions section below for more options to make your mixture more wet and easier to work with.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
You can store protein balls in an airtight container:
• Room temperature 3-5 days
• Refrigerator up to 2 weeks
• Freezer up to 3 months
A nut butter like almond or peanut butter. Cashew butter works as well. Sweetener is the next best thing, like honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup.
Peanut butter or sweetener making it sticky, add a Tablespoon or two of oat flour or almond flour.
💪🏻 More Protein Ball Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 1½ cups regular oats
- 1 cup rice crispy cereal
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 servings chocolate protein powder (about ⅓ cup)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients - oats, rice crispies, cocoa powder, protein powder, and salt and mix.1½ cups regular oats, 1 cup rice crispy cereal, 2 servings chocolate protein powder, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Add in the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract and stir until everything is combined.1 cup peanut butter, ½ cup honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Use a spoon or a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop (so much easier) to portion the protein balls onto a baking sheet or cutting board. You can also scoop them straight into a reusable container. No need to refrigerate!Optional: top with a chocolate chip or peanut.
Notes
- Room temperature 3-5 days
- Refrigerator up to 2 weeks
- Freezer up to 3 months
- Add water ½ teaspoon at a time until mixture reaches desired consistency
- Add more nut/seed butter
- Add more liquid sweetener such as honey, or agave nectar.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
The kids love the crunch and I love the protein. Win win!