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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Snacks and appetizers

    Peanut Butter Oatmeal Protein Balls (no-bake)

    Published: Mar 21, 2024 by Sally Cameron ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 2 Comments

    205 shares
    No-bake oatmeal energy balls rolled in coconut on a silver tray.
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Bite-sized bombs of protein, healthy fats, flavor, and fiber, these no-bake peanut butter oatmeal protein balls are a guilt-free snack when you need just a little something to curb your hunger. If peanut butter is a problem ingredient, see the variations to make it customizable for your family. Beware they are deliciously addictive!

    No-bake oatmeal protein balls rolled in coconut on a silver tray and a gray cake stand.

    When a friend asked me for food ideas for the grand opening of her fitness studio, it was the perfect opportunity to test my no bake peanut butter protein balls recipe. They were a hit! Peanut butter oatmeal protein balls are easy and fun to make. They are sometimes called bliss balls or little protein bites.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll like These Protein Balls
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Recipe Instructions
    • Tips for Perfect Protein Balls
    • Nut Butter and Seed Butter Comparison Chart
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More Great Snack Recipes
    • โญ๏ธDid you Make This?
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    Why You'll like These Protein Balls

    What makes this the best protein ball recipe? I worked hard on balancing the nutrition and carefully selecting ingredients for the perfect mix, so they are not just glorified candy or a cookie but a healthy snack.

    • Perfect for a quick snack (and easily made vegan).
    • Protein balls hold well in the refrigerator or freezer.
    • No-bake recipe!
    • Make them into bite-sized balls or use these mini silicone molds.

    Here's another terrific no-bake chocolate recipe for chocolate bites with cranberries and walnuts. They are like chocolate bark in a mini muffin cup. Easy and fun to make!

    Recipe Ingredients

    Old fashioned oats (regular or GF) are the base for these peanut butter oatmeal protein balls along with good old fashioned creamy peanut butter.

    Ingredients for peanut butter protein balls in bowls on the counter.
    • Coconut milk: I use light canned coconut milk, but you can use full fat.
    • Nut or seed butter: Use natural peanut butter (creamy style), cashew butter, or almond butter. Use tahini if you have nut allergies (sesame seed butter), or try sunflower seed butter.
    • Sweeteners: Use real maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit maple syrup (how I make them).
    • Extract: Use a high quality vanilla extract or try vanilla paste. Almond extract works too.
    • Protein powder: From whey protein powder to egg white protein, or plant-based protein blends, there are lots of options. I prefer unflavored and unsweetened to control myself but a vanilla protein powder works well too.
    • Rolled oats: Either gluten-free rolled oats, regular rolled oats, or quick oats. You use raw oats, not cooked.
    • Chocolate chips: Use your favorite brand but see my dark chocolate chips tips below, or you can use your brand.
    • Seeds: Raw hemp seeds or hemp hearts and ground flaxseed add healthy fat, protein, and fiber.
    • Coconut: Unsweetened shredded coconut. Use some in the dough then roll the finished balls in extra coconut.
    • Dark cocoa powder: Optional to roll in instead of the coconut for a chocolate truffle protein ball.
    • Spices: Add cinnamon if you like (optional).

    Please see the recipe card for measurements.

    As long as you have the rolled oats out, make a few oatmeal chia seed puddings for breakfast. No bake and easy to make.

    Chef's tip on protein powder: With the overwhelming amount of protein powders on the market it can be hard to choose. Read this article for How to Choose a Protein Powder. And if you have any questions about a specific type of protein powder, comment and I'm happy to help.

    Substitutions and Variations

    Make protein balls many ways to fit your taste and dietary needs. Here are just a few ideas:

    • Maca powder adds a kind of butterscotch flavor and is an adaptogenic herb good for energy.
    • Choose either granular monk fruit or a monk fruit honey or maple syrup to reduce sugar and carbs (always a good idea).
    • Swap chocolate chips for white chocolate chips, or cacao chips.
    • Use chocolate protein powder for chocolate peanut butter protein balls.
    • Add dried fruit like cranberries or raisins, but chop them first.
    • For a coconut allergy, omit and use extra hemp seeds and add chia seeds. I have not made them this way so it's hard to tell you how much of each. Start with a tablespoon until you get a stiff dough.
    • Use almond milk, cream or half and half instead of coconut milk.

    For another no-bake snack, try these no-bake chocolate oatbars.

    Chef's tip on chocolate chips: While you can use standard Tollhouse chips, there are healthier and allergy-friendly options on the market. Check these chocolate chips out: 1) Hu no added sugar chocolate chips, 2) Lily's Dark Chocolate Baking Chips (with erythrirtol and stevia), and the brand 3) Enjoy life semi sweet mini chocolate chips, free of gluten and 14 common allergens, and 4) Pascha Organic Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Baking Chips (also allergen-friendly).

    Recipe Instructions

    No food processor or standing mixer required. Make the simple dough by hand in a bowl. These are small balls, just bite-sized to pop into your mouth.

    Ingredients for peanut butter protein ball dough in a glass bowl ready for mixing.
    1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, maple, peanut butter, and vanilla, then blend in the dry.
    Dough for protein balls in a glass mixing bowl with chocolate chips and rolled oats.
    1. Mix the dough well, it will be stiff. Freeze for 30 minutes.
    Protein balls dough rolled into balls and ready for finishing on a parchment covered tray.
    Step 3: Roll into 1 tablespoon portions into balls with a cookie scoop or a 1 tablespoon measure.
    Peanut butter protein balls rolled in coconut on a sheet tray.

    Step 4: Roll finished balls in extra coconut or cocoa powder to finish (optional).

    Tips for Perfect Protein Balls

    • For perfectly round and portioned protein balls, I use a handy gadget called a cookie scoop (aka a disher). Pack the dough into the scooper, pump the handle to pop the dough out of the scoop, then roll in the palm of your hands. These things are great! Here's a chart of the sizes. For a different brand, they are a usually a "small" size and 1 tablespoon.
    • Wear disposable kitchen food handler gloves to roll the dough. You can roll the final coconut layer without gloves.
    • The dough is a little sticky so use a rubber spatula to mix (versus a wooden spoon).
    • Another option is to use a Souper Cubes freezer mold tray with the small squares which hold an ounce or 2 tablespoons. Or use their cookie dough tray which is a little smaller in volume, about 1.6 Tbsp, or ยพ of an ounce. These work great! See photo below.

    What else can you use a cookie scoop for? Baked turkey meatballs are a snap with a larger size, #40 or #50. Handy little tools! You'll be glad to have them.

    Souper Cubes tray filled with peanut butter protein ball dough.

    Nut Butter and Seed Butter Comparison Chart

    If you want to use a different nut butter or seed butters, this chart should help.

    Nut and seed butter comparison chart with calories, fat, protein, carbs and fiber.

    Serving Suggestions

    Peanut butter oatmeal protein balls make a terrific afternoon snack whenever you need a little something healthy when your stomach growls. Tuck a few into school lunches or a backpack.

    Protein balls are a healthier alternative than junk food or processed snacks. Just sweet enough to take the edge off your sweet tooth and your hunger. Peanut butter protein balls are good at room temperature, chilled, or even frozen.

    How long do they last? A week in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer, but they never last that long because they are so good!

    Finished no-bake energy balls rolled in shredded coconut on a silver tray.

    More Great Snack Recipes

    Good healthy snacks are easy to create with a few good tried and true recipes. Please see the appetizer and snack recipe archive for more ideas.

    • A white bowl of roasted red pepper hummus to serve as an appetizer.
      Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus Recipe
    • Close up of creamy basil and avocado dip in white bowl.
      Avocado Dip with Yogurt and Fresh Basil
    • Creamy salmon dip on an appetizer tray with crackers and cucumber chips.
      The Best Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
    • deviled eggs 2022
      Best Deviled Eggs Recipe (Step by Step)

    ⭐️Did you Make This?

    If you make these peanut butter oatmeal protein balls, please comment and let me know. I enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5 star rating! They really help other readers.

    Originally published 2/25/2018, updated and republished 3/21/2024.

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    no-bake coconut protein energy balls

    No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Protein Balls

    Sally Cameron
    Delightful bite-sized bombs of healthy fat, protein and fiber, these balls make a great snack with no baking required. A cool tool called a disher makes them a snap to make, but you can use a tablespoon too. See link in post for the disher. This recipe doubles easily.
    5 from 2 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 0 minutes mins
    Freezing time 30 minutes (optional) 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 24 balls or 14 squares
    Calories 218 kcal

    Equipment

    • A cookie scoop/disher #70 sure makes them easier and perfectly portioned (optional).

    Ingredients
      

    • โ…“ cup canned lite coconut milk or full fat
    • 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter cashew butter, almond butter, or tahini
    • 1 ยฝ tablespoons maple syrup or zero sugar monk fruit maple syrup
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or ยพ teaspoon paste
    • 1 ยฝ scoops protein powder, unsweetened 30 grams protein
    • ยพ cup rolled oats gluten-free if needed
    • โ…“ cup chocolate chips I use no sugar added
    • ยผ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
    • 3 tablespoons raw hemp seeds aka hemp hearts
    • 3 tablespoons ground flax seed

    Optional ingredients to roll the balls in

    • ยผ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
    • ยผ cup dark cocoa powder for a truffle appearance

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    Instructions
     

    • Combine coconut milk, nut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup in a medium bowl and stir until smooth. Blend in protein powder and stir together, then add the rest of the ingredients, oats, chocolate chips, hemp seeds, coconut, flax seed. Use a flexible silicone spatula as the mix gets sticky.
      Freeze the dough for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
    • Using a tablespoon or #70 disher (see notes below) or tablespoon, portion out 24 balls on a small baking tray lined with parchment or plastic. To finish, dampen hands with a little water and roll into round balls. You can use disposable food handler gloves.
      Lastly rolls balls in extra shredded coconut or dark cocoa powder. Store the balls in the refrigerator or freeze.

    Notes

    Tool tip
    Yield will depend on the size of the cookie scoop (ez-disher) you use. The one I use for this recipe has a diameter of 5/16".
    They are handy tools I can't live without. They look like an ice cream scoop, available online at this link. I have five sizes! A cookie scoop/disher is the fastest and easiest way to portion these no bake protein energy balls. I use a larger size for making meatballs.
    If you have the Souper Cube 2 tablespoon freezer molds, they hold an ounce of dough. The recipe yield is 14 squares/14 servings. Nutrition is then per square: 10 gr carbs, 5 gr protein, 7 gr fat, and 124 kcals per square. 
    Protein powder
    The protein powder I used in this recipe provides 20 grams of protein in 1 scoop. For help in choosing protein powder, read my post on How to Choose a Protein Powder, and if you have questions please comment and I will answer.
    Variations
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons maca powder (for energy)
    • Please see the post for lots of substitution and variation ideas. 
    Nutritional note
    I make mine with the monk fruit maple syrup reducing the sugar by about 18 grams from the overall recipe, and tastes the same. I also use no-sugar-added chocolate chips. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 3ballsCalories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 36mgPotassium: 151mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 44IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was with a comment and leave a star rating!

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    205 shares

    Comments

    1. Andrea C says

      July 02, 2025 at 8:33 am

      5 stars
      Perfect protein bites for on-the-go healthy snacks

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        July 02, 2025 at 5:57 pm

        They really are and taste so good.

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Chef Sally Cameron of aFoodcentricLife.com in her kitchen.

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef, former personal chef and caterer, lover of fresh healthy food, and sharing it with others.

    More about me โ†’

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