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This peanut butter energy balls recipe is the best easy snack! Healthy oatmeal balls pack protein and fiber into tasty bites.
Here’s a healthy snack that’s so delicious, you might find yourself sneaking one for dessert. Try this peanut butter Energy Balls recipe! Yes, we can’t stop riffing on combinations of peanut butter and oatmeal, though any nut butter works here. Just mix a handful of simple ingredients together and bam! You’ve got an instant homemade snack that’s infinitely more delicious than store-bought granola bars or energy bites. Even better, they’ve got a good amount of protein and fiber for a tiny ball. We think they’re pretty darn perfect.
Ingredients in the best energy balls recipe
These energy balls are quick and easy to make, and full of very simple ingredients you might already have on hand. That’s very intentional, in fact. Years ago, we used to make energy ball recipes with trendy Medjool dates, a large variety of date with a sticky sweet, caramel flavor. We love them, but they can be hard at the grocery and very expensive. Also, I burned Alex out on Medjool date energy bites (oops!).
Now we now want our energy balls recipes super simple. Oatmeal, peanut butter, and honey are things we always have on hand…so why not use them? They’re beyond easy to make: and kids love them too! Here’s what you’ll need for these peanut butter oatmeal balls:
- Old Fashioned rolled oats
- Creamy peanut butter: no sugar added! Use sunflower butter for nut free
- Honey: substitute agave syrup for vegan
- Kosher salt
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla or chocolate protein powder: see notes below
- Mini chocolate chips: make sure to get mini-chips! They’re best for keeping the balls tightly packed
How to roll peanut butter energy balls
This energy balls recipe could not be easier: all you have to do is mix together the ingredients and roll them up! It’s that simple. Want them to look as beautifully uniform as the energy balls in the photo? Here are a few tips on rolling these energy bites:
- Freeze the dough 5 minutes before you roll. Just a few minutes in the freezer firms up the texture so it’s easy to roll.
- Use a cookie scoop (1 1/2-inch or #40). This is the magic behind making them look so uniform! A cookie scoop is perfect for proportioning out the dough. Don’t have one? No problem, just approximate.
- Use mini chocolate chips. Using mini chocolate chips helps the entire texture to stick together well: large chips can cause fractures.
Use any nut butter you like: and some troubleshooting tips
These don’t have to be peanut butter energy balls, of course. You can use any nut butter you like: almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or sunflower butter for nut-free! Here are a few notes if you use a different nut butter:
- Make sure to use a creamy nut butter. You’ll want a nut butter with a nice creamy texture that will make the energy balls stick together.
- You can use homemade, but be aware of texture. You can use homemade nut butter, but be aware: some homemade versions can be very dry.
- If it’s too dry, add a little more honey or a few tablespoons milk. If you can’t get the balls to stick together, it’s ok: all nut butters have a different consistency. Just add a little more honey or your milk of choice (dairy or non dairy) until the dough is able to stick together.
Are these healthy energy balls?
These peanut butter energy balls come out 1,000 times more delicious than a store-bought granola bar. And guess what? They’re fairly healthy too. You can get a decent amount of protein in a few balls (which would equal 1 store-bought energy bar). Here are the particulars:
- Protein: Each energy bite has 3 grams of protein of 6% of your daily need.
- Fiber: Each energy ball has 1 gram of fiber or 5% of your daily need.
- Fat: Each energy bite has 4 grams of fat or 5% of your daily allotment.
- Calories: Each ball has 100 calories.
Of course when it comes to healthy snacks, carrot sticks or a handful of almonds are the healthiest. But if you’re looking for something irresistibly tasty and
What protein powder to buy (or omit it!)
Here at A Couple Cooks we don’t usually include protein powder in our recipes. But for these peanut butter oatmeal balls we wanted to maximize the overall protein content! If you prefer, you can definitely omit the
Alex did a little research into how to find healthy protein powder; here’s what we found:
- Read about how to choose protein powder brands. Here’s what we referenced on How to Choose the Healthiest Protein Powder.
- Need recommendations? After reading through that article, we’ve been using this protein powder and like the flavor — it’s not too artificial.
Energy ball flavor variations!
There are so many ways to mix up this energy balls recipe! As we’ve mentioned above, no need to make them peanut butter oatmeal balls, though that’s our favorite way. Here are a few ideas on how to vary the flavors:
- Almond joy: Use almond butter instead of peanut butter, and add 1/4 cup shredded coconut (so delicious!). Remember if your almond butter has a dry texture, add a little more honey or a few tablespoons milk until the dough comes together.
- Birthday cake: Add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and 3 tablespoons all natural sprinkles.
- Cherry vanilla: Substitute dried cherries for the chocolate chips (roughly chopped) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Blueberry lemon: Substitute dried blueberries for the chocolate chips and add 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest.
There are so many more options…how would you customize these energy bites? Let us know in the comments below.
Related: oatmeal bars!
These peanut butter oatmeal balls are very similar to our oatmeal bars recipes! Because oatmeal, peanut butter and honey are the best classic combination, right? Try these fan favorite oatmeal bars:
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars The best flavor: a fan favorite! Drizzled with a hint of chocolate.
- Easy Oatmeal Bars The classic: these are great as breakfast bars and beyond.
This energy balls recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free, use agave syrup.
Print
Easy Energy Balls
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 20- Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This peanut butter energy balls recipe is the best easy snack! Healthy oatmeal balls pack protein and fiber into tasty bites.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Old Fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (no sugar added, or any nut butter or sunflower butter for nut free)
- 1/3 cup honey (or agave syrup for vegan)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup vanilla or chocolate protein powder (we use this one)*
- 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Freeze the bowl for 5 minutes.
- Roll the dough into 20 small balls, pressing the dough together with your hands. We used a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop (#40) to make uniform balls. You can also make smaller balls if desired. (If the texture of your nut butter makes the dough very dry, add a little more honey or a few tablespoons milk of choice until you can press it together into a ball shape.) Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you prefer, you can omit the protein powder from this recipe and still have a delicious snack. You can also add natural foods like chia seeds or flax seeds (2 tablespoons of each has 4 grams protein).
Category: Snack
Method: Raw
Cuisine: Snack
Keywords: Energy balls, Energy balls recipe, Peanut butter energy balls, Peanut butter oatmeal balls
A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes
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