Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls are a quick healthy snack that will fuel your entire day! No Bake Energy Bites are high protein and delicious!
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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls are an irresistibly sweet snack that will fuel you with energy any time of the day.
These tasty and wholesome peanut butter energy balls are easy to prep, so you can always have a batch on hand!
Throw them in your lunch or have them pre-workout. They taste sweet, but like protein cookies, these little energy bites are full of collagen protein, fiber, and omega-3s!
3 Great Reasons to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
We love having these peanut butter energy balls on hand! Here is why they are so awesome:
- Portable. Energy bites are the perfect grab and go treat. We love them as a preworkout snack!
- Wholesome and Nutritious. Protein, healthy fats, and fiber are the trifecta for satiating snacks, and this recipe has it all. Anti-Inflammatory Omega-3s – One energy bite contains over 1/3 of your daily requirements for omega-3s, which help fight inflammation and support a healthy brain!
- No baking necessary!! Of course, the best part is that it only takes just a few minutes to prep a batch of 24 bites.
Ingredients:
To make these protein bites, you’ll need:
- creamy natural peanut butter – For this recipe you want to select a brand that contains only peanuts (and possibly salt). A no-stir variety is easiest to work with.
- maple syrup
- coconut oil
- vanilla extract
- collagen powder – you can substitute protein powder, but we prefer plain unflavored collagen
- ground flaxseed – you can buy pre-ground, or grind your own
- old fashioned oats– we use rolled oats, not quick-cooking or instant oats
- chia seeds
- sea salt
- mini chocolate chips
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR ENERGY BITES
Creamy Peanut Butter – Avoid using peanut butter with added sugar and oils! Almond butter (that contains only almonds) can be used for those with a peanut allergy. Cashew butter may also work. We don’t recommend using seed butter as these tend to be too runny.
Maple Syrup – Use pure maple syrup and not imitation maple syrup. Honey is a good alternative to maple syrup in this recipe.
Coconut Oil – Do not substitute coconut oil! Coconut oil works to bind the other ingredients together and adds structure to help the dough firm up in the fridge. Make sure the oil is melted, but cooled!
Collagen Protein Powder – This recipe is a great way to use unflavored collagen protein powder because it is virtually undetectable making it an easy and tasty way to get collagen protein in your diet. We use this brand.
Protein Powder: If you need an alternative to collagen powder, you can use unflavored or vanilla protein powder. Using protein powder instead of collagen will change the recipe slightly and you will be able to taste the protein powder in the energy balls.
If substituting this ingredient, measure by weight instead of volume for the most consistent results (protein powders can vary significantly). Also, keep in mind that if the protein powder is sweetened it might make the protein bites overly sweet depending on the flavor/sweeteners used. We tested this recipe using 45 grams of Four Sigmatic Plant-Based Protein in Sweet Vanilla and it worked great but we prefer the unflavored collagen protein.
Flaxseed – Use ground flaxseed, not whole flaxseed! This ingredient adds omega-3s to the recipe and helps to bind.
Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – If you need to follow a gluten-free diet, be sure to select certified gluten-free oats. I did not test any alternatives to old-fashioned rolled oats.
Chia Seeds – If you don’t have chia seeds on hand this ingredient can be omitted without changing the recipe too much.
Mini Chocolate Chips – Regular chocolate chips can be used they just don’t disperse or roll quite as well as the little ones! Feel free to use milk, dark or semi-sweet!
How to make Energy Balls
- Whisk peanut butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the collagen protein powder, ground flaxseed, and sea salt and whisk until there are no lumps or streaks. Stir in the oats and chia seeds.
- Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Mix until everything is evenly distributed and coated with the peanut butter mixture.
- Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes before rolling.
- Once the dough is chilled enough to work with, scoop the dough out using a cookie scoop. Roll between your hands to form a smooth ball. Set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and repeat for the rest of the dough.
- Enjoy right away or place the entire sheet pan in the fridge to allow the balls to firm up for 15-20 minutes before placing them in a large resealable bag.
No Bake Energy Balls FAQs
The sugars in these energy balls make them a great pre-workout snack that will give you an energy boost for your workout. Eat about 30 minutes before exercising.
Yes! It’s safe to eat raw oats in energy balls.
Not all energy balls are healthy! Most are really high in sugar and fat. One serving of our protein balls recipe has 8 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and only 6 grams of unrefined sugar!
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
- Combine the wet ingredients really well before adding the dry ones. Use a large bowl to whisk together the butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. You want it nice and smooth before you fold in the other ingredients.
- Be sure to mix the dough well after the mini chocolate chips are added. If too many chocolate chips are clumped together the balls will have a harder time forming.
- When rolling the balls, squish the dough between your hands a few times before you start to roll it to help distribute the ingredients even more and help everything stick together.
- Allowing the dough to chill for 10-15 minutes in the fridge can help to achieve perfectly round balls.
Storing Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Storing: These peanut butter energy balls should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container or resealable bag.
They will maintain quality in the fridge for up to 3 weeks if they are properly sealed. Once the protein bites have properly set in the fridge overnight, they can be stored at room temperature if this is preferred, but will only last for a few days at room temp before getting moldy.
If you prefer to store your snacks at room temperature, allow the energy bites to set in the fridge overnight first. Then, as long as your house is not too warm, they should be fine for a few days.
Freezing: These energy bites keep in the freezer for a while. We ate them all within a month of freezing so I can’t be sure how much longer they’ll last, but I think they’d be fine for a few months! Let them sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes before enjoying.
Other healthy snack recipes:
Looking for other easy snack recipes? Give these a try!
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter unsweetened (280 g)
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted (55 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup collagen protein powder unflavored (45 g)
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed 20 g
- 1 ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats 150 g
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds 20 g
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips 85 g
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
- Add the collagen protein powder, ground flaxseed, and sea salt to the wet ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps or streaks. Once the collagen is worked into the mixture well, add the oats and chia seeds and stir together using a rubber spatula.
- Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Mix the dough until the chocolate chips and oats are very evenly distributed and everything is coated with the peanut butter mixture.
- If the dough is very soft, place the bowl in the fridge and allow it to chill for about 15 minutes before rolling.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Once the dough is chilled enough to work with, scoop the dough out using a spoon or a 1-ounce cookie scoop. Roll the dough between your hands to form a smooth ball. Set on the parchment paper lined baking sheet and repeat for the rest of the dough.
- Enjoy these peanut butter energy bites right away or place the entire sheet pan in the fridge to allow the bites to firm up for 15-20 minutes before placing them in a large resealable bag. These bites will begin to soften if stored at room temperature for a prolonged period of time, so store extras in the fridge until fully set.
Notes
- Combine the wet ingredients really well before adding the dry ones.Â
- Chill the dough for 10-15 minutes in the fridge before rolling
- Storage: These will last in the fridge for up to 3 weeks if they’re properly sealed!
Suzi says
So delicious! Subbed out the flax (didn’t have any on hand) & 1/4 c of the oats with organic rice crisps.
Liz Marino says
So glad you enjoyed them, Suzi! Thank you so much!
Taylor says
These are delicious!! If you haven’t made them you need to. Perfect for postpartum as well!
Monica Maxwell says
5 STARS! So yummy and perfect. Everything about them, soooo good! Make these, you will not regret it, other than maybe shoving 5 in your mouth, ha!
Well done!
Jennifer Lachner says
Easy to follow and delicious! My new favorite treat!
Karol Kimmerly says
These are so good and easy to make! I was going to ask if they could be frozen, but I see that you said you haven’t tried. I doubt they will last that long, but I may try to freeze a few and hide them in my freezer for when I’m desperate for a sweet treat!
Liz Marino says
We’ve always eaten them before they made it to the freezer 🙂 but I bet they will be fine once frozen! Might be a little hard to chew though!
Kathy says
Sounds amazing!! If you omit the protein powder do you need to adjust any other ingredients? Thanks!!
Liz Marino says
Please check the green substitutions box for info on this 🙂 Pasting it here: If you need an alternative to collagen, you can use unflavored or vanilla protein powder. Using protein powder instead of collagen will change the recipe slightly and you will be able to taste the protein powder in the energy balls.
If substituting this ingredient, measure by weight instead of volume for the most consistent results (protein powders can vary significantly). Also, keep in mind that if the protein powder is sweetened it might make the protein bites overly sweet depending on the flavor/sweeteners used.
Julie says
Liz, I love your site and have gotten many great recipes from it–thank you!
I have made these before and they are delicious! You’ve included so many healthy ingredients so I feel good about eating them.
I have a question–maybe it’s a silly one: in the nutrition facts, it says that 1 serving is 1 bite. Do you mean 1 ball, or an actual bite out of one ball? Thank you! (you probably mean 1 ball per serving, but I just wanted to clarify)
Julie R. says
Liz, I love your site and have gotten many great recipes from it–thank you!
I have made these before and they are delicious! You’ve included so many healthy ingredients so I feel good about eating them.
I have a question–maybe it’s a silly one: in the nutrition facts, it says that 1 serving is 1 bite. Do you mean 1 ball, or an actual bite out of one ball? Thank you! (you probably mean 1 ball per serving, but I just wanted to clarify)
The Clean Eating Couple says
1 ball per serving 🙂 glad you like these!
Terri says
Do you think you could omit the coconut oil?
The Clean Eating Couple says
No you can’t omit it. There are substitutions listed above in the green box
Erica McBride says
Sounds delicious
Sigrid Nordquist says
These are so amazing. Minutes to make, and such a good snack when cravings kick in. I accidentally stumbled upon it cleaning couple and I am so glad I did. The recipes are amazing easy and taste good.
Kendra says
A big hit with the whole family!
Molly Zarookian says
Recipe is perfect!
Christine says
These are absolutely delicious and so easy to make.