Want a delicious, healthy snack for your family that packs a nutritious punch? These no-bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Protein Balls are so easy to whip up, and our recipe can be customized to your kids’ individual tastes with fun mix-ins!
For busy parents, it’s all too easy to default to pre-packaged granola bars or crackers from the grocery store for those “I need a snack!” occasions – because let’s face it, it’s a quick and easy option, especially with kids who always seem to be hungry.
Having a healthy, homemade snack on-hand with whole grains and protein (to keep those kids feeling full!) is always the best option, but not always feasible…until now!
Our protein ball recipe is so insanely easy to make that you’ll always be able to have a batch on-hand for when hunger strikes.
They take less than 5 minutes to make, and there’s no baking required, and no need to take out a food processor or blender. Hurrah!
It’s a simple recipe with nutritious, whole ingredients. With tons of extra protein from the peanut butter and protein powder, and plenty of whole grains from the rolled oats. Plus, these energy balls have no added sugar – instead, they’re naturally sweetened with honey and banana!
We’ve provided the base recipe for these healthy Peanut Butter Protein Balls, and you can then customize them with different mix-ins to please every member of your family.
PIN for when you want to have a healthy homemade snack on-hand!
HOW TO MAKE PROTEIN BALLS WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND OATS
No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup your favorite protein powder
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 banana, mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Optional Mix-ins: mini M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, raisins, chopped nuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, unsweetened coconut, cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine oats, protein powder, peanut butter, honey, mashed banana, vanilla extract and salt.
- Choose your mix-ins and fold them in.
- Allow mixture to chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out the mixture and roll in your hands to form a small ball.
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4-5 days, or the freezer for 1-2 weeks.
Makes approximately 30 small protein balls.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR PROTEIN BALLS
This Peanut Butter Protein Ball recipe provides a healthy base for adding different customizations. Here are some ideas to make this recipe your very own:
If there is a peanut allergy in your family, or you prefer a different nut butter, simply swap it out! Almond butter, cashew butter, and sunflower seed butter also work well. You could also opt for crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy to add a little extra texture and crunch to your snack.
Play with mix-ins to create different flavor combinations:
Oatmeal Raisin Protein Balls: add in raisins and cinnamon
Chocolate Chip Protein Balls: keep it classic and add in mini chocolate chips
Monster Protein Balls: add in mini M&Ms
Cranberry White Chip Protein Balls: add in Craisins + white chocolate chips
Double Chocolate Protein Balls: use a chocolate protein powder + dark chocolate chips
Nuts & Seeds Protein Balls: add-in a selection of chopped nuts (raw almonds, pecans, walnuts) and seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)
Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls: substitute pureed pumpkin for the banana and add 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice
Add extra healthy fats and even more nutrition to any of these combinations by adding in ¼ cup of chia seeds, flax seed and hemp hearts.
These healthy snacks will go fast, and for that reason, we always recommend making a double batch.
They store well in the fridge and are easy to grab and go, pop in a lunch box, or have on-hand to refuel and power your kids after school.
As parents, we also like to munch on these energy bites to satisfy our sweet tooth after dinner, or as a post-workout snack.
Make these No Bake Protein Balls with Peanut Butter and Oats for your family and let us know if you have any new flavor combinations you love – share them in the comments below!
If you prefer bars over bites, you’ll love our healthy granola bar recipes:
