Have you tried these yummy little protein balls? There are lots of variations on this recipe and they really are quite tasty. They are fast and easy to make, require no baking and provide a lot of protein to satisfy hunger and get you through the day. I should warn they are also addicting! I love these as an afternoon treat and right before I hit the gym.
I have started making these almost every week as both of my children play sports and dance. This Spring we have one activity or two every single night plus games on the weekend. My big girl usually has soccer practice followed by softball a few nights a week. So I have really been struggling to get quality snacks into her little body to keep energy levels up. These little peanut butter balls are perfect- mostly good stuff with that sweetness she craves and quick to pop right before running out onto the field.
I posted a white chocolate and cherry version of these protein balls before and here is another variation- crispy peanut butter and chocolate. This almost turns these into a healthier version of a candy bar with the crispy rice cereal, peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Here is the quick and easy recipe:
- 1½ cups oatmeal (I use old fashioned oats)
- ½ cup peanut butter or other nut butter (I like crunchy but creamy works fine)
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (dark or milk)
- ½ cup crispy rice cereal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Ground Flax/ Whey Protein Powder or Chia seeds (optional)- mine have 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
- Place mixture in fridge to chill for about an hour.
- Remove and begin spooning a small amount of the mixture into your hands- roll into a ball.
- Place in a container or zip-top bag and store in fridge.
And you can roll these into whatever size you like. I use a small cookie scoop (like this one
) and mine are slightly larger than a quarter.
Also one tip- I use really high quality chocolate for these recipes. My favorite chocolate chips are Guittard and they tend to be a little large. I prefer to roughly chop the chocolate chips before mixing them in. It seems to blend the flavors a little more smoothly and distributes the chocolate evenly.
And you can pop these into a freezer bag or I use a glass storage container (like these
Please come back and let me know what you think of this recipe and if you made any modifications!
Here are a few other recipes you might also enjoy:
Roasted Ranch Chickpeas– so good!
Easy Blender Salsa (Please make this. It is so crazy good.)
OMGOSH!! so, i doubled this recipe, and i did the honey but then i used maple syrup when i doubled it, and then i did the peanut butter and i used almond butter when i doubled it. we cannot stop eating them, they are awesome!!! thanks for the recipe!!
Ha ha- so glad you liked them! I really love that crispiness from the cereal. 🙂
I finally tried these, and I love them! I tried the recipe as you posted it, and I also made them by changing the peanut butter to Chocolate PB2 which has lower fat than regular peanut butter. I added chocolate protein powder to these as well.
We take long bike rides, and we freeze these before taking them on our trips. After a couple of hours, they are thawed out and ready to eat. So good!!
I haven’t tried PB2 but I am glad you liked them! I always though the fats in peanut butter were good fats but I will have to read up on that again. Chopping the chocolate is super important if you freeze- the huge chocolate chips are awful to bite into when they are cold. 😛
How much protein powder can be added and still keep the texture right?
My daughter and the neighbor kids love these! I made a batch with almond butter for her birthday party, and had to use a bit of maple syrup to make the honey measurement. The parents at the party all kept commenting about how good they were. Gave them the link to your recipe.
Thanks so much Lori! I love them too- so good! 🙂