When you need a boost of energy, try this easy recipe for peanut butter protein balls with dates made with oats, coconut, dates, peanut butter, hemp seeds, flaxseed, coconut oil, and honey. Simple and delicious!
Protein Balls Are Quick Energy
When you're in between workouts or busy and on-the-run, quick grab-and-go snacks are a lifesaver! These protein balls made with plant-based protein are full of good nutrition to fuel your body and provide the energy it needs. Peanut Butter Protein Balls with Dates are the perfect solution to satisfy your cravings and fill you up. Besides, feeling hangry is a real bummer.
Having energy for my workouts is important for my workout performance. These little bites definitely do the trick to provide stored energy for my body to burn. Bite-sized and calorie-dense, these little protein balls go a long way to give your body quality fuel. They are pretty damn delicious, too.
Pair them with a lean protein or protein shake and you've got a great post-workout snack. My kids love them for breakfast, too. Added Perk: these protein balls with dates are a great way to get more healthy fats in your diet!
Peanut Butter Protein Ball Ingredients
- Whole Oats- aka old-fashioned oats. You can also use quick oats in this recipe. The oats provide a healthy source of whole grain carbohydrates and soluble fiber.
- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut- regular flaked coconut is high in sugar, so using unsweetened coconut improves the nutritional profile of this recipe. They get plenty of sweetness from the raw honey in this recipe.
- Medjool Dates- make sure that you buy the pitted Medjool dates, not the smaller Deglet Noor dates for this recipe, or be sure to remove all pits before adding them to the food processor.
- Creamy Peanut Butter- I recommend using no-stir peanut butter for the best protein ball texture. If you use natural peanut butter where the oil separates and it's not stirred really well, you can end up with a pasty protein ball that needs more moisture.
- Hemp Seeds- Look for raw, shelled hemp seeds for this recipe. They won't alter the flavor of the energy ball and provide a great source of plant-based protein.
- Flax Seeds- I recommend using ground golden flaxseed for this recipe. Ground flaxseed is easier to digest than whole flax seeds that can pass through your system without any nutrient benefits. Flax seeds are a great source of fiber and omega 3 fatty acids.
- Raw Honey- honey and peanut butter are a magical combo, but you can also use real maple syrup as an alternative natural sweetener.
- Coconut Oil- melted and cooled to room temperature.
- Vanilla- a good-quality real vanilla extract recommended
- Salt- I recommend half a teaspoon for this recipe, but salt to your taste preference.
- Optional Ingredient- mini dark chocolate chips are a great add-in for all you chocolate lovers out there
Recipe Directions
- First, toast the coconut in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
- Next, place the coconut and all remaining ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until all ingredients are incorporated and dates are finely chopped. It should look like this.
- Roll into 20 tablespoon-size balls and enjoy!
How To Store Protein Balls
You may be wondering how long do peanut butter protein balls last? You can store them in a sealed container, I love these glass storage containers, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days for maximum freshness. These peanut butter balls also freeze beautifully, just store them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. These peanut butter protein balls are perfect for meal prep!
In addition to these Peanut Butter Protein Balls, we also love these Coconut Almond Date Balls, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss Balls, Chocolate Protein Date Balls, and Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bites.
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Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry oatmeal can use quick oats or whole oats
- ¾ cup unsweetened flaked coconut toasted
- 7 Medjool dates pits removed
- ½ cup creamy no-stir natural peanut butter you can also use crunchy peanut butter, but make sure it's the no-stir nut butter
- ¼ cup raw shelled hemp seeds
- ¼ cup ground golden flaxseed
- ⅓ cup raw honey can use real maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- *Optional add-in- mini dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Toast coconut in a saute pan on med-high heat until lightly golden, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes.
- Place toasted coconut and all other ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Roll into 20 tablespoon-size balls and place in an airtight container.
- Chill and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Beth
Do you know the calorie count and nutritional stats for these? Thank you.
Amee Livingston
Hi Beth! I don't do nutritional stats for my blog recipes, basically because I just don't have the time…wish I could get that implemented…maybe someday. However, there are great tools online where you can calculate that yourself for any recipes that you find on the web. Check out http://nutritiondata.self.com for analyzing recipe data. Have a great day. 🙂
Karli @kindredstyle.blogspot.com
Ok, making these tonight--and sharing them with all my friends!
Emily Smith
Need these right now with afternoon tea! yum
Jennifer F
Amee, we are on the same wave length . . . . I've got something like this yet plenty different coming up! These look so delicious. BTW, huge fan of hemp seeds.
Amee Livingston
Thanks Jennifer! I can't wait to see what deliciousness you come up with!