No Bake Protein Balls
on Mar 19, 2023, Updated May 17, 2024
This is the ultimate easy No Bake Energy Balls recipe. Made with just 6 ingredients, these make a great healthy breakfast or snack!
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 years 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.
Be sure to read the comments below from other readers!
Ways to customize these protein balls
- 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.
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.
More Protein Recipes
No Bake Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups no stir creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 ⅓ cups old fashioned oats, rolled oats
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini 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 fridge for around a week, or the freezer for 2-3 months
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.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
These are super calorie dense so great to take along on a long hike, bike ride or kayak trip. I certainly wouldn’t recommend “snacking” on these if you are a sedentary person. A good alternative to say a candy bar because of the nutrition. But if you are struggling with weight, this is not a good option.
My daughter made these and they were very good. My question is: I live alone. Since these are “energy” balls, would it be bad health wise to eat more than one a day? I can easily eat two or three in one sitting.
Thank you.
I typically have two in one sitting, but it would depend on the individual person.
First time i’ve made any protein balls and these are excellent!
I will definitely make these again but i’ll use less Honey. Still excellent!
Thank you ☺️
Are these stored at room temp or the fridge?
They can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer
What brand vanilla protein powder is your favorite? I used to make these all the time but the powder I used has been discontinued and I’ve tried a couple different ones and don’t care for the taste/consistency.
I personally don’t like the flavor of whey protein, so I use garden of life protein. It’s definitely one of those things you have to find a protein that you like the taste!
@Jenn, I used slimfast meal replacement which is high in protein.
Do you think gringing the oats into a powder would workfor this recipe? I’d like to find a good smooth recipe, unless you already have one!?
I make these all of the time and they come out just perfect and sooooo delicious! Thank you for the best recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe!!! I have used it time and time again over the years and get requests from my children’s friends to make them. I primarily use chocolate protein powder for a more chocolate taste but that is the only different.
Thanks again!!
I am so happy you’ve enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for commenting 🙂
@Teri, do you follow the recipe to a T? As far as the honey? I have some chocolate protein powder I was thinking of using too, but saw the honey made it too sweet for some .
These are so good! Do you know the Macros?
It’s located at the bottom of the recipe card, but keep in mind that your type of protein powder used can affect it.
These are delicious! I doubled the recipe. For protein powder, I used 1/2 a cup of PB Fit peanut butter protein powder, and 1/2 a cup of Orgain organic chocolate fudge protein powder. SO GOOD! made it my own by adding chopped dates, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds. I also sprinkled some salt on top of the balls. I would also recommend heating up the peanut butter with some chocolate chips for 30seconds. Makes it so easy to mix.