No Bake Protein Balls
on Mar 19, 2023, Updated Apr 25, 2024
The ultimate easy no bake energy balls. Made with just 6 ingredients and make the perfect healthy breakfast or snack! You can’t go wrong with this simple favorite recipe.
You’ll love these energy balls!
The ultimate protein balls recipe made with just 6 easy ingredients. Made and loved by thousands of readers. These easy energy bites taste like cookie dough, have 6g of protein each, and are so simple to make!
I have made these countless times over the past few months and as soon as my freezer stash disappears I have to make more. I make these and my homemade protein bars on repeat.
These delicious little bites are perfect as a healthy snack, breakfast, or even dessert to knock out that night time sweet tooth. Great for having on hand when you need something fast! These became such a hit that I was inspired to make these almond butter energy balls too.
Basic Energy Ball ingredients
- Protein Powder – for the basic energy ball recipe, I use vanilla protein powder. But any flavor will work.
- Honey – the sticky sweetener needed to help it all stick together. You can substitute maple syrup to make these vegan
- Peanut Butter – I use creamy no stir peanut butter which has just a tiny bit of added sugar in it.
- Salt – just enough to make the salty sweet flavors pop!
- Rolled Oats – Rolled oats are inexpensive and delicious and help these energy balls taste like cookie dough!
- Chocolate Chips – I prefer to use mini chocolate chips so that there is chocolate and crunch in every bite!
How to make Energy Balls
It is so easy to make this recipe. All you need is a rubber spatula and a mixing bowl! These protein balls are made without a food processor.
Step 1: add the peanut butter, rolled oats, honey, salt, chocolate chips and protein powder to a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. I do not recommend using a spoon because the batter is very thick and sticky. It will take a few minutes to mix it all together.
Step 3: Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
Step 4: Use a mini cookie scoop to drop balls of energy bite batter onto the paper. If you do not have a mini cookie scoop, just use spoons. You want balls around 1 inch in size. Roll the energy balls with your hands to form the shape.
Step 5: Once you have put all of the batter on the baking sheet, place it in the fridge for one hour, or until the energy balls are firm to the touch.
Once set, serve immediately, or store for later! From here you can now remove them from the wax paper and place into a ziploc bag in the freezer. I always have a bag of these on hand for easy snacking.
I love these energy balls because they are easy to make and made with pantry ingredients that I almost always have on hand. No need to run to the store! Most importantly, they are irresistibly delicious! Honestly, it feels like I’m eating a treat.
Ways to customize these protein balls
These are easy to make your own! Here are some add on ideas:
- chia seeds
- ground flax seed
- chopped nuts
- chopped dried fruit
- shredded coconut
- different kind of chocolate chips
- use almond butter or sun butter instead of peanut butter
- substitute chocolate protein powder
Do I have to use protein powder?
No, you do not, but you will need to replace it with something else so that the batter is not too sticky. I suggest using either more rolled oats or oat flour. You can even make your own oat flour! Just grind up rolled oats in a blender until they turn to flour.
How long can you keep energy balls?
When stored in the freezer, these will be good up to 3 months, but I doubt they will last that long in your house! We usually go through a batch every week or two.
No Bake Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups no stir creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 â…“ cups old fashioned oats, rolled oats
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- â…› teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the no stir creamy peanut butter, honey, rolled oats, vanilla protein powder, salt, and mini dark chocolate chips to a mixing bowl and use a rubber spatula to mix until the batter is combined
- Use a mini cookie scoop or a spoon to drop energy balls with a spoon onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. They should be around 1 inch in size.
- Roll the energy balls with your hands to form the shape
- Place the cookie sheet with the energy bites on it in the fridge for 1 hour, or until the balls are hardened
- Transfer energy balls to a ziploc bag and store in the freezer
Video
Notes
What kind of protein powder should I use?
Just use your favorite protein powder! I used vanilla protein powder in this recipe, but I love chocolate in it too. My personal favorite way to mix things up is to use half vanilla and half chocolate protein powder.How many energy balls does this make?
This makes 22 – 24 good sized energy bites. Each one has 6g of protein!Are rolled oats the same thing as old fashioned oats?
Yes they are! This is the kind of oats that you want for this recipe.Nutrition
Looking for more protein ball recipes? Be sure to check out these chocolate energy balls!
or these monster cookie protein balls!
for fall you’ve got to try my pumpkin energy balls
I made a variation of these because I wasn’t sure about my protein powder. I made about a 1/3 of the recipe and use Nutrisystem chocolate fudge protein powder. I didn’t use salt or chocolate chips. I did heat the peanut butter and honey to make it blend well. It was a bit dry so I added a little more honey and they taste great! Can’t wait to make them again. Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! Came together in less than 5 minutes and truly hit the spot!
Could you use plain whey protein powder?
You can use any kind of protein powder that you want 🙂
These are super! Easy! Will definitely try some of the other suggestions just to mix it up.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!