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Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls Recipe!

Looking for the best chocolate peanut butter protein balls recipe? This is it! Your family, but especially your kids, will love these!

6 chocolate peanut butter protein balls on a white plate with a glass of milk.

These protein balls taste so yummy and they are the best, I repeat, THE BEST snack! My kids literally cheer when I make them.

And I love making them for my children!

My four year old always yells “These give me so much energy!” He’s not wrong. Protein balls are also frequently called energy bites.

These aren’t a low carb snack, but they’re filling, healthy, delicious, and my kids love them. They honestly taste like chocolate chip cookies or cookie dough. In my mind, they can’t be beat!

This chocolate peanut butter protein balls recipe is one of my favorite recipes ever! They are healthy, filling, and easy to make. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make a double if not a triple batch.

This recipe is SO versatile! Don’t have vanilla protein powder? Use chocolate. Don’t have any protein powder? Leave it out.

You can add anything else into the protein balls you’d like to as well. Cranberries would be super yummy!

Protein balls on a cookie sheet.

This recipe was adapted from Clean Eats Clean Treats.

What Are Protein Balls Made With?

These chocolate peanut butter protein balls are made mostly with ingredients you’ll have on hand. You’ll need:

Oats: I use old fashioned oats when I make them. You could also use quick oats or old fashioned rolled oats if you have those as well. You can break down the oats in a blended to get smooth protein balls.

You can partially break them down. Plus, you could eat them without doing anything to them.

Peanut Butter: I have three, almost four, little kids so naturally, I need a lot of peanut butter on hand. I buy the Great Value brand creamy peanut butter from Walmart in the biggest size I can. I keep a few extra in my cold storage, so I can make these whenever we run out. You could use natural peanut butter to make these even healthier. You could also use crunchy peanut butter. I have before and it’s yummy too!

Honey: I buy a big jug of honey from Costco almost every time I go to the store. Like I said earlier about peanut butter, we go through a lot of honey as well. Feel free to use whichever honey you’d like to.

Shredded Coconut: I love coconut and love having it in this recipe. My kids don’t like it, but they don’t even notice it’s in there! Amazing right?! If you or your family doesn’t like coconut, you can leave it out.

Chocolate Chips: I love chocolate chips! I like to use the chocolate chip mini size, because they’re easier for my kids to eat. I’ve used regular chocolate chips as well and they work great. You could swap them for M&Ms too!

Vanilla Extract: I love vanilla, and it makes them taste extra yummy!

Salt: Add a dash of salt to balance the sweetness.

Protein Powder: This is totally optional. It will just obviously add more protein to them. If you don’t have any, no worries! Leave it out. If you don’t have vanilla protein powder, you can use chocolate protein powder or s’mores, peanut butter, brownie batter, caramel toffee, or any other flavor you like. I use the Clean Simple Eats protein powder. I’ve made these with vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel toffee.

You could also add flax seed or chia seeds to make these even healthier!

I haven’t tried it before, but pure maple syrup is a good substitute in many recipes for honey. It might be a delicious substitution here too!

Protein balls stacked on a white plate with chocolate chips and a glass of milk.

How Do You Make These Protein Balls?

It’s SO easy to make these! Next time you’re craving something sweet, just whip up a batch of these and you won’t be sorry.

  1. First, you add all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl and mix them together.
  2. Second, add all the rest of the ingredients and mix it all together.
  3. Then, use a medium or small cookie scoop to scoop each protein ball onto a plate or cookie sheet.
  4. Finally, put them in the fridge for 30 minutes to one hour to they can harden.
  5. Last comes the best part….you get to eat them!

See, I told you it was easy. Protein ball recipes are my favorite!

A closeup of 20 protein balls on a cookie sheet.

FAQs

How Do You Store Protein Balls?

Store protein balls in an airtight container in your fridge for up to two weeks, but ours never last that long.

Can You Freeze Protein Balls?

Absolutely! That’s one of my favorite things about protein balls. They freeze beautifully. Make a double or triple batch and freeze the extras. Pull them out when you need more. They’ll be like you just made them.

How Long Are Protein Balls Good For?

Protein balls are good for two weeks in your fridge in an airtight container. They’re good for up to six months in your freezer. I’m sure they would last even longer than that in the freezer though.

Are Protein Balls Good For You?

Yes, protein balls are good for you! They’re filled with oats, peanut butter, and honey. To make them even healthier, use natural peanut butter and only add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips instead of 1 cup.

Are you ready for my favorite protein ball recipe, because here it comes!

A closeup of chocolate peanut butter protein balls.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

This is one of my favorite snacks to make for my kids! They gobble them up. Even with a double batch, they're gone in a couple of days. They're so easy to make and even yummier to eat!
Prep Time 5 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 30 balls

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter I use Great Value Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 dash salt I use sea salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Get a large bowl.
  • Add all of the dry ingredients and mix them together.
  • Add all the rest of the ingredients.
  • Mix well.
  • Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form them into small balls.
  • Put them in the fridge if you'd like for 30 minutes to an hour.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

I ALWAYS double or triple this recipe!  They freeze perfectly so I always make tons. 
If you don’t have protein powder, feel free to leave it out.
Putting them in the fridge for a little while helps them harden and makes them less messy to eat.  You can totally eat them without refrigerating them though!
Keyword chocolate peanut butter balls, chocolate peanut butter protein balls, easy protein balls, protein balls

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Final Thoughts On Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls:

I’m going to make even chocolatier protein balls next time. Until then, I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments.