Small Batch No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Balls (8g Protein Each!)
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These protein balls pack 8g of protein and less than 125 calories each – a no-bake, one-bowl snack that actually keeps you full. Perfect for that “in between” of meal times, when you want something satisfying and delicious that will hold you over until the main event but you have next to zero time.
Made with oats, peanut butter and protein powder and coated in an optional chocolate coating and toppings of your choosing, these are the best to pop in your mouth and go about your day. They last all week so you can meal prep a ton of them at once or small batch to just cover yourself!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 8g of protein per ball, only 122 calories – the perfect macro snack
- No bake, 6 ingredients, one bowl, no food processor needed
- Ready in 20 minutes (this includes fridge time!)
- Kid and husband approved
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients. See the recipe card for the full list of recipe ingredients and instructions.
Old Fashioned Oats
Protein balls are best with old fashioned rolled oats. Instant oats get too mushy under the chocolate coating and steel cut oats are too hard and don’t make for a soft bite. Old fashioned rolled oats give the best of both worlds.
Natural Peanut Butter
I’m a crunchy peanut butter gal through and through. Crunchy adds that pop of texture but if you’re the smooth peanut butter type, go for it. Whichever you choose, you need the natural kind where the oil separates. The oils in natural peanut butter act as the moisture that holds everything together. Conventional peanut butter is too dry and won’t hold. To cut the fat, use PB2, which is a powdered peanut butter mixed with water. They won’t be as rich but gives you a similar peanut butter flavor at a fraction of the macros.
Vanilla Protein Powder
A good protein powder is worth every penny. PEScience gourmet vanilla is the best I’ve found and I use it for everything. It’s not gritty when mixed and has the best flavor. Whey protein powders (made with milk products) tend to be smoother when mixed when compared to plant-based protein powders, which tend to be gritty. Whichever you chose, go with one that you know you love the texture and flavor of.
Honey
This is used to sweeten and bind everything together. You can use maple syrup or sugar free syrup in its place.
Chocolate Wafers
We’re melting the wafers to make a chocolate coating for the peanut butter protein balls. Use a good quality chocolate that melts well. The cheaper stuff tends to burn easily and is difficult to work with.
Toppings
Sprinkles or nuts are my two favorite. I usually do a mix of both.
Variations
- Chocolate PB: add 1 Tbsp cocoa powder and use chocolate protein powder.
- Birthday Cake: use vanilla protein powder + sprinkles + white chocolate chips
- S’mores: add mini marshmallows + crushed graham cracker + chocolate chips
- Cookie Dough: vanilla protein powder + extra mini chips
Dietary Modifications
- For dairy-free, use a plant-based protein powder and be sure your chocolate is free of dairy.
- This recipe is gluten-free, as is, if using certified gluten-free oats and chocolate chips.
How to make these no bake protein balls: tips for the perfect energy bite
- Drippy PB matters: The oils provide moisture. If your PB is stiff, your dough will be crumbly. Microwave stiff PB for 15–20 seconds to loosen.
- Chilling matters: The oats absorb liquid as they chill, firming the dough. Don’t skip it.
- Use a cookie scoop: Ensures every ball is the same size → every ball has the same macros. This is huge for accurate logging.
- Weigh your balls: For the most accurate macro tracking, weigh each ball in grams after rolling. Log by weight, not count.
Troubleshooting Tips!
1. Dough too dry/crumbly: Add liquid (water or milk) 1 tsp at a time. Most common cause: protein powder absorbed all the moisture or PB was too stiff.
2. Dough to sticky to roll: Refrigerate for 15–20 min before rolling. Wet hands slightly.
3. Balls falling apart after rolling: Not enough binder – add a bit more honey or PB. Make sure the dough was properly chilled.
4. Chalky taste: Protein powder issue, not a technique issue. Some powders (especially cheap plant-based) taste chalky. PEScience, Vital Proteins Collagen, or Garden of Life are cleaner options.
Recipe FAQs
There are 8g of protein per energy bite and only 122 calories.
The most common culprit is protein powder that absorbs too much liquid, or a nut butter that’s too dry. Add liquid (water or milk) one tablespoon at a time until the dough is sticky but not wet. Drippy natural peanut butter works best.
Yes. Substitute with an equal amount of oat flour, ground flaxseed, or additional rolled oats. Your protein per ball will be lower, so factor that into your macros.
Up to 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container or up to 3 months in the freezer. They make a great weekly meal prep snack so make a bunch to have for the week.
Vanilla whey (like PEScience Gourmet Vanilla) blends smoothly and doesn’t overpower the flavor. Plant-based protein works too but may make the dough slightly drier – add a splash of milk to compensate.
Check out our other bite-sized recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Energy Balls
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
- 1 scoop PEScience gourmet vanilla protein powder
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1/4 cup water
Topping
- 1/2-1 cup melted chocolate wafers
- sprinkles or nuts
Instructions
- Add the oats, peanut butter, protein powder, honey and water to a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Keep mixing, it will come together.
- Form into 6 equal balls rolling with your hands (wet hands helps keep them from sticking). I like using a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop. Flash freeze for 10 minutes to harden.
- If coating in chocolate add ½ cup of chocolate wafers to a bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Roll the balls in the chocolate and top with sprinkles or nuts.
Notes
- These are delicious on their own or topped in chocolate. Nutritional information is without chocolate coating but it will not add a significant amount to the nutritional value as you won’t use the full ½ cup, we just want to have excess to make rolling easy.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- Use natural peanut butter – the oil helps bind everything together and keeps it from getting too dry.
