If there’s one thing I learned about myself over the years, it’s that I absolutely must have snacks (like these peanut butter energy bites) available or I become an out-of-control raging hypoglycemia animal.
Think Tom Cruise mixed with a wolverine. Very scary stuff.
Ever since I’ve been little, my blood sugar has always been on a rigid 3-hour dive schedule. As in, I’m the type of person who has to have something to eat every few hours or I’ll crash. My mom says that when she brought me somewhere, she always had to make sure that she had food with her otherwise I’d ruin the day and throw a fit. Terrible, right?
Of course, when I’m working or hanging out with the kiddos at home it’s pretty easy to grab snacks, but I’ve (of course) been in situations where I was far from both home and food (especially when traveling). To avoid a meltdown into hunger oblivion, I started creating my own little energy bites and trail mixes for healthy snacking anywhere I went. Not only are they a lifesaver, but they’re SO delicious and more satisfying than any store-bought snacks I can find.
Ingredients in peanut butter energy bites
These wonderful no bake peanut butter energy balls are loaded with some of my favorite things. They take 5 minutes tops and you have yourself a nutritious, homemade snack with healthy fats, omega-3s, and over 5g protein per serving!
- Peanut butter: I recommend using an all natural drippy creamy peanut butter with only peanuts + salt as the ingredients. I’ve also made them with almond butter, and cashew butter works, too, but everyone knows peanut butter reigns king on Ambitious Kitchen.
- Oats: be sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats, and if you’re gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten free rolled oats.
- Sweetener: good news, you can use honey, coconut palm syrup or date syrup in these energy bites! If you want to make these vegan, use coconut palm syrup or date syrup. A little sweetener gives them that peanut butter cookie flavor.
- Flaxseed meal: this provides a boost of healthy fats, fiber, protein and vitamins. It’s also great for lactating mamas.
- Chia seeds: a boost of healthy fats and omegas to help keep you fuller, longer.
- Vanilla extract: the one and only. Feel free to skip if you don’t have it, or learn how to make your own here!
- Protein powder: I prefer to use unflavored collagen peptides or this vegan protein powder, but you can use whatever protein powder you prefer.
- Cinnamon: a dash of cinnamon helps these taste like Teddy Grahams, I swear.
- Mini chocolate chips: because who doesn’t love a little chocolate in their life? Feel free to use vegan/dairy free chocolate chips if you’d like.
- Optional: I personally love to add unsweetened shredded coconut because I’m a coconut addict, but it’s definitely not necessary.
Can I make them without protein powder?
Sure! These peanut butter protein balls should be just fine without protein powder. You may just need to add more oats if the mixture feels too wet.
Easily make them nut free
Feel free to swap the peanut butter and use sunflower seed butter instead! They’ll be great for lunch boxes for kiddos.
How to make no bake energy bites
- With a food processor: add in the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, protein powder, flaxseed meal, oats, cinnamon and chia seeds. Pulse together until well combined. Add in chocolate chips (and coconut if using) and pulse a few more times. Use a medium cookie scoop or your hands to grab dough and roll into 10 balls.
- Without a food processor: add wet ingredients to a medium bowl, mix to combine. Add in dry ingredients and mix together until combined. I usually have to use my hands to mix and work with the dough. At this point you should be able to form balls that stick together. You may need to add a bit more nut butter and/or sweetener to help them stick together.
Want to make bars instead?
Instead of rolling the mixture into balls, press the energy bite “dough” into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan before placing it in the refrigerator. Cut into bars and enjoy!
Watch me make the peanut butter energy bites
Storing tips
- To store: these peanut butter energy bites will last for 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge.
- To freeze: feel free to add them to a freezer-safe bag or container and store them for up to 1 month. I prefer these energy bites straight from the freezer, and I’d recommend letting them soften up for about 5-10 minutes in the fridge or at room temp before eating them.
Recommended tools
Get all of our kitchen essentials here!
More no bake snacks you’ll love
- Chia Banana Bread Energy Bites
- No Bake High Protein Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
- Monster Cookie Energy Bites
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
- No Bake Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Get all of my no bake snacks here!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. LUH you. xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
5-Minute Protein Peanut Butter Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup natural drippy peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
- 1/4 cup honey (or date syrup or coconut syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup protein powder of choice*
- 1/3 cup flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (gluten free, if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips (vegan, if desired)
- Optional
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, add in the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, protein powder, flaxseed meal, oats, cinnamon and chia seeds. Pulse together until well combined. Add in chocolate chips (and coconut if using) and pulse a few more times. Use a medium cookie scoop or your hands to grab dough and roll into 10 balls, place in an airtight container.
- To make without food processor: add wet ingredients to a medium bowl, mix to combine. Add in dry ingredients and mix together until combined. I usually have to use my hands to mix and work with the dough. At this point you should be able to form balls that stick together. Because all peanut butter/nut butter consistencies are different and depending on what protein powder you use, you may need to add in more nut butter or sweetener to help the balls stick together.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or the freezer for up to 2 months. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on February 17th, 2016, republished on December 30th, 2019, and republished on April 18th, 2023.
I am the EXACT same way! If I don’t eat every few hours I turn into a hangry creature that gets irritated, snippy, and can’t function. I’m not that much fun to be around when that happens, but you can bet I’ll be making these to tame that hangry beast in me! Thanks for sharing 🙂 By the way, you looked FABULOUS in the dress you wore to the concert! Hope you both had a blast! <3
these look dilish! I see no need for cooking, are the rolled oats the ones that I use for oatmeal? I don’t use the quick oats? just wondering b/c they don’t cook. I want to make these!
I just made your other protein balls last night! They are a favorite at my house. Can’t wait to try these.
Sometimes I’m the same way depending on if I have small meals throughout the day or large ones, I prefer small with snacks, I want to eatallday! These look great I’m pinning them!
I am totally the same way when it comes to needing snacks throughout the day!
Looks amazing
I feel you girl. When the hanger starts, everybody better look the f out. I’m a firm believer in always having balls on hand. 😉
I also read that keeping your blood sugar stable helps balance your hormones, making it easier to lose weight and function like a normal human being. So eating delicious bites like these is a win-win situation!. 🙂
You’re hilarious @makingthymeforhealth!!
Can’t wait to try these puppies out! I might have to freeze half the batch cause I have a tendency to just keep popping them in my mouth when they are so cute and bite size!
These are perfect! I need to whip up a big batch asap, I feel you on the constant snacking thing.
These look so good! Can flaxseed meal be made by just grinding whole flaxseeds in a food processor?
I don’t think that would work (at least it doesn’t in my food processor). However let me know if you try it! Mine just might be terrible 🙂
Ninja Bullet pulverizes them.
Hi! I use my coffee grinder to grind flaxseed. Just wipe it out before and afterwards so no cross contamination of coffee-flavored flaxseed meal lol! I also use my Vitamix to grind larger amounts. But my food processer won’t grind flaxseeds either.
I love that these are so easy to make and I have all the ingredients in my pantry! Plus you can NEVER go wrong with peanut butter anything 🙂
AGREE! 🙂
I LOVE peanut butter, chocolate and protein all in one bite! These would be so addictive that I wouldn’t even stop at 5 bites!
Made these yesterday and oh my!!!! Hands down the best thing I’ve made in ages. I love coconut and decided to do taste test. Rolled a couple up, then rolled some in coconut. Yep, decided to roll every one in coconut. Yummo! My vegan son LOVED them too! 🙂
Made these yesterday and OH MY!!! When rolling these up I decided to do a “tase test” to see if I liked them better “plain” or rolled in coconut. Hands down rolling them in coconut won! These are the best ever. Even my vegan son loved them…asked for another batch asap! 🙂
I blitz mine in a coffee bean grinder – perfect. It’s best to do flaxseed meel fresh as it can go rancid quickly.
These were sooooo good. Right in the middle of making them, my best friend stopped by to say hello and now he’s hooked too. Everytime he comes over, he’s checking my freezer to see if I have any left. 🙂
I substituted a few things just to adjust to what I already had in my cupboards (almond meal instead of protein powder and a tablespoon of coconut oil instead of coconut flakes), but these are still amazing. Perfect mini-snack. Thanks for posting!
Any suggestions for someone who is not in to coconut?
I didn’t have any coconut so I just left it out. So good without it.
What if you wanted to lower the amount of sugars? Could you eliminate the honey all together?
These look amazing. Thanks!
The honey helps them to stick together. I think you could reduce to 2 tablespoons though. You could also leave out the coconut!
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Can you leave out the protein powder?
If you don’t have any protein powder, these balls should be just fine without it too, although you may need to add more oats.
With high alert nut allergies for kids at school…. which nut butter substitute would you suggest?
OMG these were awesome!!!! I had to use some substitutions for lack of supplies but they were a 10
I used Nutella in place of peanut butter, chocolate peanut powder for my protein powder and skipped the chips. They were 105 cals each (12 balls per recipe).
I really want to try this out! I need to make a few substitutions and I need some help. I can’t use peanuts or flaxseed. I have Sunbutter in my pantry and I am planning on using it instead of the peanut butter. What should I use instead of flaxseed?
great recipe! here is a good vegan protein balls recipe. Very easy to make: http://skinnygirlsguide.com/raw-chocolate-brownie-protein-balls-recipe/
I love keeping energy bites in the fridge / freezer because I snack often (I’d rather it be healthy snacking vs mindless chip eating). Decided to try these out over the weekend and they turned out so good!! Used mocha protein powder and a small cookie scoop to form 24 little bites.. and proceeded to snack on half of them right away 🙂 Thanks for the awesome recipe!
They were great. I used vanilla Shakeology in mine. I am a Beachbody coach and I thought it would work well.
Awesome!
How many calories is each ball approximately?
I’m so excited to try these and to have found your website! When you freeze them, do you eat them right out of the freezer or do they need to thaw first? THANKS!
Hi Monique! I just made these protein balls now! Wow they are Yummy! love them! thanks for recipe! I only ended up with 11 balls, but then..I did eat some of the mixture hehe! Thanks so much!
Monique, this recipe is just great! The taste and also the consistency of these Energy Bites are over the top. A MUST when looking for naturally sweetened treats. Love it!
Just made these and wow!! They are so yummy!! I’m not normally a flaxseed chia seed kinda girl but I was pleasantly surprised!!😁
So happy you loved them! They are a staple.
Made these yummy bites with a combination of peanut butter and cinnamon flavored almond butter. What a hit. Definite repeat in our home
These are fantastic. I had to make a couple of modifications because I only had Kraft PB on hand (*gasp*). So I thought I’d share what I did for anyone else who is in the same unfortunate situation.
I used the same amount of PB, reduced the honey by 2 TBSP (otherwise it would be too sweet!) and then added 2 TBSP of coconut oil to help them bind. Everything was the same. They are so delicious. I will definitely make them with a natural nut butter when I have some on hand.
Wonderful!
This recipe is just great! The taste and also the consistency of these Energy Bites are over the top. A MUST when looking for naturally sweetened treats. Love it!
Can I use coconut oil in place of the coconut palm syrup?
is the nutrition information per all 12 balls or for 1 ball
For 1!
YUM! Have made these several times in the last week now – so good. Was looking for a no-bake energy ball recipe with protein powder. I used 1 scoop of Force Factor WHEY30 Chocolate flavored protein powder – so so so good. I used a little less honey and added a tiny bit of unsweetened vanilla almond milk to help moisten the mixture. You can also stick them in the refrigerator or freeze for a bit to help them stick together. Thanks for the recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed! And yes – I love keeping these in the fridge or freezer (and actually prefer them chilled when I eat them!)
Omg, I am in love with these energy bites! Love love love the addition of chia seeds! I used sunflower butter and honey, although I might reduce the honey a tad bit next time around… This is such a guilt free and healthy snack, definitely going to make these often!
So glad you loved these! They’re perfect for customizing, too.
My new favorite healthy snack especially after a workout. I use less honey and no coconut. Thank you for all the healthy, gluten free and high protein recipes on your site. I love them!
Perfect post-workout snack. Glad you’re loving them all!
Saw these in your Insta stories the other day and gave them a go. They’re great! My little thinks they’re cookie dough bites and asked for a second one before the first was even finished. We did the nut-free version with Sunbutter and Enjoy Life Chocolate chips. I used Arbonne’s vegan vanilla protein powder. Love it when allergy-friendly substitutions work beautifully in a recipe. This is officially our go-to recipe now for protein/energy bites. Thank you for sharing this on Insta! 🙂
Perfect allergy-friendly swaps! So glad the kiddos loved them 🙂
Another great, easy recipe. These are a must-have for that afternoon craving. Or when i want something sweet and don’t want to go overboard. They’re just rich enough. I followed the recipe exactly except I used chunky natural peanut butter (just peanuts) because I love chunks. I made mine into about 15 small balls and kept in the freezer.
Such a great afternoon snack! Love the idea of chunky PB in these, too 🙂
These protein peanut butter bites turned out perfect. Great to keep in freezer for when sugar cravings hit. Next time I’ll add the coconut flakes.
Absolutely. So happy you liked them!
OMG this looks so yummy and healthy. I’m totally making this
Hope you love them!
Drooling over these right now! I am one of those people who seriously has to eat every 2 hours. My family thinks I’m crazy, and maybe I am, but nobody wants to deal with me on an empty stomach! Can’t wait to try these little bites of deliciousness!
I’ve tried at least several recipes for protein energy bites and never been thrilled with them. Yours however, are perfectly yummy! It’s a “keeper recipe.” I’m so glad I’ve discovered Ambitious Kitchen and can’t wait to try more healthier recipes that actually taste good!
Amazing! I’m so happy to hear that. Always delicious first, healthy second 🙂
Made these yesterday and they are absolutely delicious!. I’m looking to make healthy nourishing balls of goodness to pop into my kids lunch boxes and these are just perfect. I rolled them into lots of little balls and they’ve been asking for them non stop. Looking forward to making more of your recipes. Thank you!.
Soooooo good! Thanks to my scattered, pregnant brain, I accidentally left out the oats (oooops) and they worked perfectly anyway. Can’t wait to try them with oats 🙂
Whoops! Glad you loved these regardless 🙂 they’re even more delicious with the oats – enjoy!
These bites are not only simple to make in my food processor, but have incredible flavor!! Thank you Monique for another fabulous recipe!! 🙂
Absolutely! So glad you loved these, Caroline!
As a teacher I am always looking for sweet, healthy, and filling these tick all the boxes! SO good.
These are perfect for busy school days! So glad you enjoyed.
LOVE THESE! Quick, filling, and soooo tasty. I love a recipe that uses ingredients that are already in the house…great without the protein powder too!
Absolutely! Such a great snack 🙂
I don’t have flaxseed. Should I add more oats?
They should be okay as it, or you can add a few tablespoons oat flour or almond flour!
These are delicious and so easy. I had some pumpkin seeds and tossed those in as well. I only had regular dark chocolate chips so I only added a few but they still turned out amazing! Can’t wait to make more.
Perfect! Such a great snack!
These are so good! I make them every couple months to leave in the freezer. I usually make a double batch, freeze on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a bag. Food processor is a game changer! I think with the food processor I’m able to use slightly less honey and a cookie scoop and they still stick together really well! Highly recommend!
Perfect! Great idea to freeze a bunch 🙂
I made these using almond butter and subbed maple syrup for the honey – delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Perfect! Such a great snack 🙂
These are so good and so easy to make! I subbed PB2 for protein powder for an extra kick, and made them with honey. Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! Perfect snack 🙂
These are great! I didn’t have unflavored protein powder so I slightly increased oats and flaxseed meal. I popped some in the freezer to save for later weeks!
Perfect! Such a great snack 🙂
These are sensational! I’ve been wanting to incorporate collagen into my diet, but I’m not really into smoothies, so was excited to try this recipe, and they are addictive! My husband loves them too. I did some slight tweaks, I doubled the cinnamon, didn’t use the chocolate chips, and did add the coconut flakes. I will be making these weekly!
So glad you found this one! It’s great for customizing, too 🙂
As a teacher I am always looking for filling snacks that also curb my sweet tooth 🙂 I take one to school each day! Easiest meal prep, I haven’t added protein powder to them but add extra flax.
The perfect snacks for that sweet tooth! Glad you found these!
These are soo delicious!! And so easy. Just a tip if using a NutriBullet (I was too lazy to get out my large food processor) I would suggest pulsing the oats and chia seeds separately and then stirring everything together in a bowl (I used Trader Joe’s natural peanut butter which isn’t super drippy toward the bottom after being stirred, which made it a little harder to blend in my nutribullet because it really doesn’t like thick things). And I wanted the chocolate chips pulsed per the recipe so I would do that separately next time too. I didn’t have unsweetened coconut so I just did a couple punches of sweetened to get a little of the coconut flavor without overdoing it on sugar. Wowza I wanted to eat the whole bowl of dough right then and there!! Even my husband (who largely objects to anything healthy for the sake of being healthy) thought these tasted like cookie dough. These are going to feel like a dessert treat when I need a little energy boost because they are so good. I can’t believe how healthy they are. Can’t wait to try the other energy bite editions Monique has on the site! I think the brownie ones are calling my name next…
Great tip with the NutriBullet! I’m glad those little swaps worked out well 🙂 such a great snack!
Delicious, and super quick and easy! I freeze some so I have a protein snack on hand – just defrost in the microwave for 20-30 secs and they’re perfect.
Love it! Such a great snack.
These have become a staple at my house. Perfect before my husband’s bike rides. And for myself now working from home with two kids, they are a quick snack in between meetings. Love these!
Such a great snack! Glad everyone loves them 🙂
Doubled the chocolate chips and added some course ground sea salt…yum!
Yum! Love it!!
Hi, i’m definitely going to try these but just to let you know in the preface to this recipe you mention they have 5g protein per serving but in the nutrition box it says they have 7.5g of protein? Which is correct?
Hi! Thank you for the catch 🙂 it’s just over 5g of protein at 6.6g. Enjoy!
I loved these! subbed almond butter, hemp seeds, and added part of a banana because I didn’t have all the ingredients, but still turned out great!!
I’m glad that worked out well!
A very useful and love your (a bit too fast) videos I play them over and over again.. Keep it up please..
I’m glad they’re helpful!
These are delicious! Thank you!
Absolutely! Glad you like them 🙂
Hey!
I can’t have chocolate but do you think I can change it for banana? Sounds really nice!
Thanks 🙂
Hi! Feel free to just leave the chocolate chips out.
Thank you for this recipe, these were delicious! I didn’t have any chocolate chips so I made them without. I’m sure they would be even better with the chocolate. 😁
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
These are so good! With the fall season now I’m wondering how I can make these pumpkin. Can I sub some of the peanut butter for pumpkin?
My favorite protein ball recipe ever! I make them every week and they fill me up so well
So happy to hear that!
This was delicious. I used chocolate protein powder and almond butter because that’s what I had on hand, left out the cinnamon and coconut because I hate them, and had no vanilla. Still excellent. I tried to make it with no honey as I didn’t want them very sweet, but as the recipes says, the mixture was a bit too dry to hold together. Added only a tablespoon in the end, and an extra two tablespoons of almond butter and pressed into bars rather than balls. Some of the bars held well and some crumbled into two parts, but not a problem. I’m happy for a drier bar with no sweetener. Will be making again and again, happy to have found an actually easy protein bar recipe that also tastes good, and with excellent ingredients, no fillers and no fluff. Thank you.
Have just made protien balls but never had any chocolate chips so made a chocolate coating with cacao powder vanilla essence and soya milk. Delicious. Perfect snack for my plan. Thank you xx
So easy and taste great! I already had every ingredient except the flax meal, so I subbed some granola with flax and they still turned out delicious.
I’m glad that worked out well! Perfect snack.
These are AMAZING! I used some chocolate superfood plant based protein powder and skipped the chocolate chips so the whole thing was added-sugar free. Delicious!!!
Perfect! So glad you loved them!
I made this recipe to serve as a healthy dessert alternative to cake. There are a lot of peanut butter fans in my family so they really loved these so we couldn’t eat just one! I used the 365 brand of organic peanut butter (no sugar added), Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, Bob’s Redmill Organic Flaxseed Meal, left out the chocolate chips and used the suggested coconut. I could see myself eating 2 as my first meal of the day but they have more sugar than I’d like to start my day with so next time I plan to try cutting the honey in half to 2 tablespoons. Hopefully, they will hold together. Otherwise, these really do make a fantastic sweet treat with nutritious ingredients!
Perfect! Glad you liked them!
This was a really easy and delicious recipe. I used hemp seeds instead of flax and Arbonne’s vegan protein they came out great.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Made these today for nat’l pb day, plus because I’m a peanutbutteraholic! They are so delicious and simple to make. I love the chewy texture from the oats and coconut. The chia seeds also add a slight crunch. I used pb fit for my protein powder to really bump up the Pb flavor. I also added 1/8t of kosher salt to balance the sweetness. Love this recipe and will definitely be making again and again.
Love it! So glad you enjoyed!
I found this recipe when it was linked from the “best lactation cookies“ recipe when someone asked for a lactation energy bite. I can’t for the life of me find the recommended amount of Brewers yeast to add to these. Can you help a mama to be out?
Delicious!
glad you liked them!
I’ve made these a lot. Store them in the fridge great on the way out the door before and after a workout!
Absolutely! Perfect post-workout snack.
I love this recipe and make it all the time. It’s easy to substitute nut butters. And I often add coconut and/or hemp hearts instead of protein powder and it works great.
SO EASY! MY KIDS LOVE THESE AS A QUICK SNACK IN BETWEEN CLASSES SINCE THEY ARE HOME FOR ONLINE SCHOOL. WE HAVE MADE THEM WITH BOTH PEANUT BUTTER AND ALMOND BUTTER. BOTH DELICIOUS.
A weekly staple! Instead of protein powder I just add about 1/4 cup more oats and they’re perfect. Favored by kids and adults alike!
Love these!! My husband and I them as a nutrient dense dessert to have after dinner or as a snack. I usually follow the recipe as is but if I have misc pantry items like white choc chips, coconut, dried cranberries, etc i just throw them right in the mix.
I’ve tried a lot of different protein bite recipes and the proprtions are never quite right (too dry, too wet). This recipe is perfect. I used raisins instead of chocolate chips. My husband loves these – perfect snack to keep hunger at bay.
So good, easy to make, and filling!
The perfect snack!
These are so easy, and so delicious! I am always looking for a quick snack with simple ingredients that is filling and tasty – these are a must try!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I absolutely love these! Just made them a few hours ago and big into one after an evening stroll and oh my! I think I’ll definitely be making these often to bring to the office.☺️
So happy to hear that! Perfect snack 🙂
The easiest, yummiest and most satisfying energy bites I’ve made! I didn’t have any protein powder so was prepared to add more oats as Monique mentions you might need too but the mixture was still perfect with the standard amount of oats. Super easy & staple pantry ingredients make these even better.
Perfect! Such a great snack 🙂
These are incredibly dry.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy these! I haven’t had that issue at all. What kinds of peanut butter + protein powder did you use?
I LOVE these protein balls and so does my trainer! I make them without coconut and cinnamon and they are my go to after a workout or as an afternoon snack.
Nice! Yes they’re the best post-workout snack 🙂 Glad you guys both enjoy them!
DELICIOUS! First time making these and they are SO GOOD! So easy to make as well – definitely making again!!
This recipe has become my standard, but wanted to share 2 tweaks. I use Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter (that’s not drippy) and I use only half the honey. As a result, the dough is a bit dry, so I add unsweetened vanilla almond milk until it comes together. Plenty sweet and so delicious! I use Quest vanilla milkshake protein powder. Thanks for this super easy recipe!
So glad you love it! And yeah using a PB with palm oil in it like Justin’s will require more moisture — good call on the almond milk 🙂
Make these weekly. We add collagen powder instead of protein powder. Love them!!
Great addition–happy you love these, Ali!
So delicious! I love them and they make a perfect snack for my toddler too!
I’m so happy you both love them! Thank you!
I just finished making these and they are delicious! I chose to mix my “dough” by hand as I like more texture. I added the optional unsweetened chocolate chips as well. This got me about 12-13 protein balls. Next time I make this recipe I will cut the honey in half as I don’t like things to be too sweet. They aren’t overly sweet, but for my liking I’d like them a little less sweet next time. Thanks for the recipe!
balls do not stick together with regular peanut butter -waste of goods for me. Need better liquid ingredients
Sorry these didn’t work out for you. Did you use a natural/drippy peanut butter like the recipe states? I wouldn’t recommend using a thicker peanut butter because it won’t mix in well.
I’ve tried many recipes and this one is the best.. Other recipes have turned out either too dry or too wet for forming the balls & some taste too dry. These have the perfect consistency and are delicious. I had to make a few changes due to lack of items: I don’t like honey so used maple syrup, I didn’t have flaxseed meal so used equal amount flax seed, since I was using vanilla protein powder, I omitted the vanilla extract. I ended up with 12 balls (well, 11 plus a hefty dose of “tasting” 🤗)
So happy to hear they came out perfect, Elizabeth — thank you! Those are great substitutions 🙂
Its a nice recipe I will give it a trial.
Make these on the regular! Such a delicious and healthy snack!
I’m so glad you’re a fan!!
So easy to make! Make a great snack or quick dessert!
So happy you love them, Bonnie — thank you!
I love the recipe congratulations.
i love this amazing recipes.
Oh my goodness I praise and thank God you created this recipe for us all. I have a neurological disorder I can’t eat truly I cannot but this offers me a small portion (use 1/2 tsp for portion)to get healthy organic full of nutrition and micro nutrients
You have saved me many many days of pain wins but o can eat a few peanut balls we call them. My grand daughters help me roll the pills then freeze them
I pray our Lord blesses you the way you have blessed me
Thank you again
Been using this recipe only this one almost a decade (not good with time but definitely close to that🙏🥰🤗👍🏻💪💓
I’m so happy this recipe works well for you and that you love it!! So nice of you to leave a review 🥰
If you want to make portioning easier, press the whole thing out flat, about an inch thick on a piece of parchment paper, and cut it into blocks. I do a double batch, freeze it, then break it up into a gallon ziploc.
Yes, so easy!
These were off the chart with flavor! 😉
You will want to make these time and time again. I had just made homemade peanut butter today and I had all the rest of the ingredients on hand in my pantry 👍
I like these a lot. I feel like when I’m hungry and need something quick, instead of heading for sugar, I grab one of these. I feel like they are healthier. I made them in the food processor using almond butter instead of peanut butter and unsweetened dark chocolate chips. I tasted the chocolate chips on their own and thought, yuck they are so strong (missed the sugar taste I was used to.). But once I mixed the chips into the balls, they were delicious! One thing I really like about this recipe is that it’s NOT too sweet. I also added some Lairds functional mushrooms and chia seeds. Thanks for a great healthy recipe that’s also delicious and satisfying.
Did anyone else double the recipe and find these to be dry and difficult to mix/chop up? I made them in my cuisinart food processor, used very creamy natural peanut butter from Whole Foods, doubled everything, and it just had a real hard time mixing. I got frustrated by the end. Just wondering if anyone else had the same experience when trying to double? Maybe they’d mix better if not trying to double and not be as dry?
This recipe is pretty decadent to others you might find. The coconut and cinnamon are just wonderful enhancements! A+++
These are really good; delicious in fact! I used maple syrup and ground the oatmeal a tad to make the flakes smaller. I omitted the choc chips to reduce the sugar and they are sooo good!
These are so good. I make them for hiking snacks and they travel well in my pack.
i can try this recipe
i can try this recipe my friend also like this recipe
Healthy cooking recipe best advice.
Thank you very much for this information given by you.
Wow very nice recipe
The Caprese salad recipe you shared is really amazing. Meticulous formula and easy to understand. Very tasty and nutritious food.
Very nice
I need the sodium level looking for low cal low high protein sodium recipes
Hi! So sorry, we don’t calculate the sodium content for our recipes because it can vary so much depending on the brand of products you use. Feel free to use unsalted peanut butter in here!
I used chocolate Orgain protein powder, and didn’t have enough honey so I put about half the amount of honey it calls for. I just added some almond milk to help the dough stick together. These are fantastic! My new go-to snack before the gym or when I need something a little sweet. Seriously I love this recipe and it’s packed with good things! 🙂
sounds amazing, glad you are loving these snacks 🙂
I didn’t have chocolate chips but these are great without (tho next time I’ll add ’em!). Super yummy & just what I needed for nutrition density.
Recent i am using this recipe and this is fantastic, thanks for providing this recipe.
Best Protein Bites I’ve made!
Yay, so glad to hear!
I loved these! I was worried that the protein would give a chalky consistency, but these were amazing! Not too sticky or thick. I microwaved the nut butter for 40 seconds and the mixed everything together with a spatula.
Amazing! So glad you gave this recipe a try and are loving them, Brittney!
These protein peanut butter energy bites are a game-changer! They’re a delicious and nutritious snack that keeps me energized throughout the day. Your recipe is simple to follow, and the bites are a hit with my family. Thanks for sharing this healthy treat.
This makes me so happy to hear. Glad everyone is loving this recipe and it turned out great for you 🙂
The ingredient combination here is delicious. However. Let me caution you—if you, like me, don’t have a food processor and instead think “oh, I’ll use my blender” — let me STRONGLY encourage you to instead just mix the ingredients by hand. I used my deep blender and I can’t begin to explain how difficult it was to get the mixture out. My fingers must have touched every inch of the sticky glop I tried to get out. I lost at least a serving of the recipe to the sides of the blender despite my best efforts. Seriously, just mix it in a bowl. It’s so sticky and thick when you take it out of the blender that I decided against making balls because it stuck to my fingers relentlessly. I then tried to spread it into a bar in a pan and it was so sticky that even that was incredibly difficult. Really, it’s delicious, but mixing it by hand is the far superior method here.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Delaney. So sorry that happened to you! Glad you did enjoy these though!
Delicious cake but quick to make
Oh how I wish I had discovered this recipe a long time ago! These bites are our family’s go to snack when they are so hungry they can’t think. I have made the recipe multiple times as is, but then I found NuttZo butter which has a combination of nuts, flax seed, chis seed, and pumpkin seed already combined. I use it and add a chocolate peanut butter protein powder for part of the dry ingredients so it’s not too runny. I mix everything in my Kitchen-Aid mixer as I don’t have a large food processor. Because these are such a hit with my family and friends I usually triple or quadruple the recipe and put them all in the freezer pulling out 6-8 to restock the supply in the fridge.
I can’t say thank you enough for this recipe!
Aww this makes me so happy. Glad you loved this one and it turned out great for you 🙂
Very good. I made them for my son and I had to try one myself. We both love them! Perfect for fridge snacks! thank you.
One of our favs to keep in the fridge, too! Glad you both love them!
Does the nutrition content include the optional coconut?
Hi! It does not.
I hate to be rude, but these are not good at all. First of all, the mixture was super dry and tasted like absolutely nothing but dust. Pretty disappointed I wasted a bunch of expensive ingredients making them
So sorry that these didn’t turn out! Did you follow the recipe exactly? They’re very simple and all of the ingredients should mix together well to be flavorful.
I love these! All the great ingredients and easy to make!
My daughter and I absolutely love these! They taste like cookie dough! I did have to back off on the honey a little bit because it was a tad too sweet for our taste, and we skip the protein powder. I’m curious – could you omit the chocolate chips and maybe just add a bit of cocoa powder to make it completely free of refined sugars? (We only use peanut butter that doesn’t have sugar – just peanuts and oil).
I’m glad they still turned out delicious! Feel free to omit the chocolate chips, but adding cocoa powder might make these a bit dry.
These energy bites are delicious. I didn’t think I would like the cinnamon but the small hint of it is amazing!!
These are deliscious! I enjoy them right out of the freezer…not even dethawed.
I printed out the recipe to add gram measurements. it’s easier to weight everything in the food processor
with out having to measure separately. as others did mine have coconut flakes and my preference is no chocolate
chips. thanks.
Love it — great idea!
I make this on a regular basis and always throw one in my lunch for a snack. I don’t use the protein powder so I add more oats to the mix. They are great!
Love that! Perfect snack or treat during the week.
These are so good! I make them weekly. I don’t use protein powder so I increase the oats to a full cup, but everything else is the same.
Perfect! Glad you love them!
These are great but I used zero honey and they were still sweet (I used vanilla protein powder). If you use a flavored protein, no need for sweetener. I added a bit of salt, subbed chocolate chips for cocoa nibs and chopped some dried cranberry to add a tangy counter balance. If it’s not wet enough, use a sprinkle of milk (oat, whole, whatever). I like to eat mine out of the freezer 🙂
Perfect! Yes, vanilla protein powder should add plenty of sweetness. Those mix-ins sound delicious!
We love these protein balls. I found this recipe after trying several other recipes that were way too dry and crumbly. These are moist and we love the flavor! I don’t have flax meal so I replaced with oatmeal and it worked just fine. My search for a good recipe has stopped and these are now a permanent treat in our frig’!
Amazing! So glad you found these ones!
These are so delicious! My kids even love them which is such a win. We will definitely be making these weekly,
So happy to hear that!
Love these so much. Make them 1-2x/week with vanilla protein powder. Don’t skip the vanilla extract, it makes them perfect!
Such a great snack!!
Hi, is there a recommendation you can make for substituting the flaxseed out? Thanks!
They should be okay as it, or you can add a few tablespoons oat flour or almond flour!
I have made A LOT of energy balls in my life and these are the best BY FAR! Not only are they so easy to shape (not too crumbly, not too sticky), but they’re delish! And so quick! Sometimes I mix hemp hearts in with the ground flax for a little extra oomph!
Love it! Perfect snack!
These recipes are delicious and easy to make
Much appreciated 😊👍
Absolutely!
These are the bomb!! Making them to take to a softball all-day tournament for a quick energy pick up between games. That is, If I don’t eat most of them before then. I’m flash freezing them now and will take in bags in a cooler. Hope the girls enjoy them as much as I do.
Love that! Perfect game day snack!
These were good but 10 servings at 150 cals. I made more than 10. It would be nice to know how many tablespoons per bite?
Hi! It should be about 1 heaping tablespoon.
These were delicious! I used Girl Scout coconut caramel flavor protein powder (vs the choc chips and coconut) , and I also added salted pumpkin kernels, used the chia seeds and flax and this was the BEST! Thank you!
I have made this twice in the past three days; my kids LOVE them – even without the mini chocolate chips and coconut! I am using the Orgain chocolate fudge superfoods protein powder from Costco.
Love that!
When making most foods – a pinch of salt will offset the sweet of the honey. I doubled the recipe & added @ 4 TBSP of pumpkin seeds. Could also try adding dried dark cherries.
Perfect!
What is “drippy” peanut butter. I know there is crunchy and creamy. Do you just mean the creamy kind, so not the crunchy kind?
Hi! I mean a natural peanut butter that’s just made with peanuts + salt. It will be “drippier” than a peanut butter like Jif 🙂
Very good. Omitted flaxseed meal did not have it, Added coconut. So good! I put vinyl gloves and rolled it into balls. No mess and super fast. (I also did not blend it, no need.)
Perfect! Such a great snack 🙂
These are so tasty, the perfect filling snack! I’ve made them twice now to try and incorporate more flax into my diet & they really do take only 5 minutes to make! The second time I made them I used less honey, more PB, and chopped up a date to add more texture and sweetness. Both times I’ve made them I’ve had to add closer to 3/4 cup PB for them to collect all the dry ingredients.
So glad you love them! Such a great snack and easy to customize 🙂
These have single-handedly fueled my postpartum recovery. They’re absolutely delicious and so easy to make!
SO happy to hear that!!
These are great! Easy to make, and a taste of indulgence when needing a quick pick me up. We notice a slight and pleasant banana aftertaste that is probably a combination of our whey protein, flax and chia seeds.
Used Skippy Creamy PB, vanilla 100% Dynamic Whey by INC International Nutrition Co., and our favorite dark chocolate candy bar cut up for the chocolate chips.
The perfect protein-packed snack!
Way too dry as written
Sorry to hear that! Did you make sure to use natural peanut butter?
This recipe is the best! I usually don’t leave reviews for online recipes, but this is a winner. These energy bites are kid approved and full of nutrients and flavor. We love the almond butter version!
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
I was wondering if I could make this recipe without chia seeds and flaxseed meal. Would it be close to the same? Or are those ingredients essential?
Hi! They may not hold together as well without those two ingredients, so I’d recommend keeping them in.
Sooooo good. I made them using half honey, half maple syrup for the sweetener. I also cut the amount of cinnamon to 1/4 tsp as I’m not crazy about the taste of cinnamon, and that was just the right hint of it. I didn’t have protein powder but just used a little extra flaxseed, coconut, and oats until the balls held together.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
OMG.. I NEVER post on these recipes but had to reply and say THANK YOU!! I just made this and these are SOOO good. I won’t be buying Protein Bars anymore!!! It was super easy to make as well.
So glad you found this recipe!!
These are so good! Super easy to make too.
These are delicious! I prepped these for postpartum and they’ve been so easy to grab on the go and taste great. It’s a quick simple snack that’s perfect for me as a new mom balancing a newborn and breastfeeding. They were easy to make without a food processor and have kept well in the freezer. I did add extra protein powder. I’ll be making another batch very soon!
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed!
Oh my gosh so delicious! I make these every week.
I usually eat two a day for a snack. Thank you so much for these fantastic recipes.
Perfect mid-day snack or a snack to eat while ur waiting for dinner to be done😂😂 nonetheless these are so good and i had no trouble mixing my hand, just had to add more peanut butter, also added hemp seeds 🙂
This is a good recipe whenever you need a quick snack for the go.
I chose to leave out some of the extra ingrediants like cinnamon & flakseed meal but I found that it came out super extra sweet (coming from the honey) so personally I would just put a little less honey or a little more peanut butter but its all up to you.
Overall, great recipe. Just needs some tweaking 😉
Yes feel free to reduce those!
Just made our first batch and they are delicious. Used whole flax seeds, forgot the cinnamon (oops), and substituted about 8 whole dates that had been soaked in water for a few hours (plus most of the soaking liquid). Looking forward to making the recipe again!
Amazing! Glad you loved these!
These are amazing! Packed full of nutrition and perfect for that mid afternoon sweet craving! Thank you.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
I’m 50/50 on these as there were SO hard to roll; definitely not the right consistency for rolling. I followed the recipe to the letter bar using sunflower seeds butter and doubling it; it gave me 99 small balls. Now in the freezer.
So strange! Did you mixture seem overly dry? Was your sunflower seed butter “drippy” in texture?
Excellent!!
I’m obsessed! These are so good.
The perfect snack!
cant use oats what can I sub.
Trey these energy bites instead, but feel free to use peanut butter!
Hi! Do you use the vanilla Aloha protein powder?
I typically use Four Sigmatic or Collagen Peptides, but Aloha will work well!
Delicious and easy recipe. So quick to put together too without much mess. I made it as written minus using more flaxseed in place of the chia seeds. My only complaint is the crazy amount of advertising popping up when using the site. I know you’ve got to pay bills, but sheesh. Thanks for the recipe. The kids love these.
So glad they were a hit! We’ll absolutely look into any trouble with the ads. In the meantime, feel free to click the “Print” button 🙂
These are addicting! I substitute 1 tbsp of cocoa powder for the chocolate chips, and mix them easily with my KitchenAid mixer. They are a little dry from the cocoa powder and I should prob add a little more honey, but I haven’t tried that yet.
Try these bites next instead!
Delicious! Just made with tahini instead of peanut butter and added 2 tbsp more oats since the tahini was pretty runny. They are SO good! Will absolutely make again.
Perfect! Love these for an easy snack 🙂
Can you use maple syrup as the sweetener in these?
Yes that should work!
High protein and delicious!
Mine isn’t the consistency of yours and it’s not “sticking” into a ball…not sure what is wrong or what I should add?
Depending on what protein powder you used you might need to add more nut butter or sweetener!
I curse the day I started making these because I’ve had to make them twice a week since 😅 my partner, our son and I are all obsessed. Great for grabbing out of the fridge as we’re running out the door! I blend the rolled oats for a smoother texture and add more honey than the recipe says and add some melted dark chocolate over the top!
Love hearing that!!
I love the little additions to the protein, peanut butter, energy balls!
Thank you!
Love the texture, taste, all of the above! Just right about all each ingredient with a really yummy taste!
So yummy!
Do I need to soak the chia seeds before I make these? Can I soak them beforehand or will that mess up the texture?
Hi Amanda! No need to soak the chia seeds here!
I make these every week so my husband has a quick and yummy breakfast while he’s on calls for work- always a hit!
Love that!!
Delicious! I didn’t have any protein powder on hand so I added a little more oats and flax seed. A great nutrient dense snack to keep in the freezer.
Perfect snack!
I literally make these once a week! They are a household staple according to my 8-year-old daughter and myself. They are so easy, delicious, and the perfect snack.
Love that! Such a great snack 🙂
i foound and then lost this recipe, and found it again. Made a batch to share with my exercise partener and they loved them. I didn’t have Chai seeds today and I used maple syurp instead of honey. Very good snack with coffee.
Amazing! I’m glad you found it again!
I’m looking to increase protein in our diet as we are eating mainly vegetarian so I was interested to try your recipe for protein peanut butter bites. Wow! They are delicious! Thanks so much.
😋
These are the perfect snack!
I made your delicious protein bites. We love them. They are pretty quick to put together, with pretty healthy ingredients! I made a batch a week ago and made a double batch yesterday. They freeze beautifully. It’s a great snack and helps get more protein into our diet in a most enjoyable way.
Thanks so much!
Amazing! So glad they were a hit 🙂