Birthday Cake Protein Balls
on Jan 31, 2025, Updated Mar 07, 2025
These Birthday Cake Protein Balls are made with cashew butter and rolled in sprinkles. An easy energy bite recipe that tastes like vanilla cake batter!

These Energy Balls Are So Delicious!
Craving dessert but still need to get your protein in? These cake batter protein balls are made with easy ingredients and rolled in sprinkles for an irresistible snack that tastes incredible!
This recipe is from my new cookbook and I am so excited to be sharing it today! Make sure to grab your copy here before they sell out.
My original energy balls are one of my top recipes for a reason: they are absolutely delicious. Once I mastered how to make protein balls taste like dessert, the possibilities were endless.
Since then I have made many variations of protein balls, and these sprinkle covered cake batter ones are my newest creation!
They are made with the classic protein ball ingredients: oats, protein powder, and nut butter, and rolled in sprinkles for a fun and colorful treat.
You can find the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of this post, but here are the ingredients that you will need to make these easy protein balls.
What you need to make it
- Cashew Butter: The only ingredients should be cashews, oil, and salt.
- Rolled Oats: Also known as old fashioned oats.
- Salt: Be sure to note whether your nut butter is salted, then read the notes for how much salt to add.
- Honey: the all natural sticky sweetener to hold the ingredients all together.
- Protein Powder: vanilla flavored protein powder.
- Sprinkles: we used dye free sprinkles.
- Vanilla extract: don’t skip this! This really makes the cake flavor stand out.
How to make Birthday Cake Protein Balls
Step 1: Add the cashew butter, vanilla protein powder, rolled oats, vanilla extract, honey, salt, and sprinkles to a mixing bowl.
Recipe Note
I used unsalted cashew butter for this recipe. If yours contains salt, omit the added salt in this recipe until after you mix it together. Then you can salt to taste, if needed.
Step 2: Use a rubber spatula to mix all of the ingredients together until it looks like cookie dough batter. There should be no streaks and the consistency will be slightly sticky.
Step 3: Use a cookie scoop to drop balls of batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. You should get around 20 protein balls.
Joy’s Tip
My favorite size mini cookie scoop for making protein balls is a 1.5 tablespoon. I find it to be just the right size and really makes the process go a lot smoother too!
Step 4: Roll each ball with your hands, then dip the top into a small bowl of sprinkles. Place the ball onto the baking sheet sprinkle side up, then repeat until you are finished.
How to store
In the refrigerator: Store leftover birthday cake energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
In the freezer: Store in an airtight bag or container for 2-3 months. The texture will be firmer when frozen, so make sure to allow the protein balls to thaw for several minutes for the best consistency before eating.
More Easy Protein Snacks
- Chocolate Protein Balls
- Cinnamon Roll Energy Bites
- Mint Chocolate Energy Bites
- Peanut Butter Energy Bites
- Oatmeal Cookie Energy Balls
- Chocolate Cashew Protein Bars
- Almond Butter Protein Balls
- Banana Bread Energy Bites
- Pecan Pie Energy Bites
- Gingerbread Energy Bites
- Strawberries & Cream Energy Bites
- Pumpkin Protein Balls
- Chocolate Protein Bars
Dye free sprinkles
I used dye free sprinkles for this recipe and my kiddos loved them. Try amazon, kroger, or walmart if you are looking to make these dye free!
Can I use a different flavor of protein powder?
You can, but I do not recommend it. Vanilla flavored protein powder will work best to achieve the cake flavor that we are going for!
Birthday Cake Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural creamy cashew butter, see notes
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons sprinkles, plus more for rolling
- ¾ teaspoon salt, see notes
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl, then use a rubber spatula to mix it together until a thick batter forms.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Use a mini cookie scoop to drop balls of batter onto the baking sheet.
- Roll each ball in your hands to smooth out the edges, then dip the top into a bowl of sprinkles and press down lightly.
- Place the energy bite back onto the baking sheet sprinkle side up. Repeat the process for the remaining energy bites.
- Refrigerate the energy bites until firm, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.