These peanut butter protein balls without protein powder are quick to make, come together in one bowl, and require no baking. They use hemp hearts, peanut butter and oat flour to deliver 5 grams of protein per ball.
A Quick Look At This Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Peanut Butter Protein Balls Without Protein Powder
🕒 Ready In: ~15 minutes active prep + 60 minutes chilling
👪 Serves: 16 balls
🍽 Calories: 133 calories, 5g protein, 2g fiber per ball
🥣 Main Ingredients: Oat flour, hemp seeds, smooth peanut butter, maple syrup
⭐ Why You'll Love It: No baking required, family friendly, easy to adapt for vegan, dairy free and gluten-free needs.
I've made a lot of no-bake snack recipes over the years, but these are the ones my husband always requests. I also recommend them to a lot of my nutrition clients who are looking for family-friendly snack options. Since protein powder isn’t usually recommended for children, this is a really versatile option that everyone can enjoy.
While they’re not technically “high in protein” (which requires at least 20% of calories from protein according to EU guidelines), they are a good source of protein and make a really balanced snack with healthy fats and fiber to help keep you full.
After making this recipe, I'd recommend trying my healthy rice krispie treats or banana cottage cheese muffins next, both are great options if you want a more balanced sweet treat.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At This Recipe
- Why This Recipe Is Good for You (Nutrition Highlights)
- Key Ingredients
- Ingredient Substitutions
- Equipment
- How To Make These Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Expert Tips for Making This Recipe
- Storage
- Recipe FAQS
- More Healthy Snack Recipes You'll Love
- Want to Learn About Nutrition?
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why This Recipe Is Good for You (Nutrition Highlights)
- Hemp hearts are one of the few plant-based foods that contain all nine essential amino acids, which makes them a complete protein source. This is relatively rare in the plant food world and one of the reasons I love recommending hemp hearts to clients who are plant-based or just trying to eat less meat. They're also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium.
- Peanut butter contributes both protein and healthy unsaturated fats. The fat in peanut butter actually helps you feel satisfied for longer, which is what you want from a snack.
- Oat flour adds fiber and slow-releasing carbohydrates. This helps stabilize blood sugar after eating, which is especially useful if you're having these as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.
Key Ingredients
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Peanut butter: Use a runny, smooth peanut butter. I always recommend choosing a peanut butter where the only ingredients are peanuts (and maybe salt). If your peanut butter is stiff or dry, the mixture will be hard to bring together and the balls may crumble.
- Shelled hemp hearts: Hemp hearts (also called shelled hemp seeds) are the soft, pale inner part of the hemp seed. They're mild in flavour, easy to mix in, and are one of the best plant-based sources of complete protein. Look for them in the health food section of most large supermarkets or online. I like the linwoods brand. If you can't find hemp seeds you can use ground flaxseed instead, however the final recipe will have slightly lower protein but higher fiber.
- Oat flour: Oat flour gives a smoother texture. Whole oats would make them chewier and grainier. You can buy oat flour ready-made or make your own at home in about 30 seconds (see the tip below). Either works well.
- Maple syrup: Maple syrup acts as both the sweetener and the binder here. It helps hold everything together.
- Salt: Only add this if your peanut butter is unsalted. Salt brings out the flavour of the peanut butter and stops the balls tasting flat. A small amount goes a long way.
- Optional chocolate drizzle: Dark chocolate chips melted with a small amount of coconut oil makes the drizzle smooth and easy to work with. The coconut oil prevents the chocolate from seizing and gives it a glossy finish. I recommend 70% dark chocolate for the best flavour. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top is optional.
How to Make Oat Flour At Home
You don't need to buy oat flour. Add regular rolled oats to a blender or food processor and blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds until you have a fine, flour-like powder. One cup of rolled oats gives you roughly one cup of oat flour. Store any leftover oat flour in an airtight container for up to three months.
Ingredient Substitutions
Here are some tips to help you adjust the recipe to suit your individual dietary needs and preferences. I only recommend swapping 1 - 2 ingredients, so the original recipe doesn't completely change.
- Nut-free: Swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter. The protein content will be slightly lower, but the texture should be similar. Make sure the butter is the runny, natural kind.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats to make your oat flour. Regular oats can contain traces of gluten from cross-contamination during processing.
- Higher protein: Add one to two tablespoons of hemp hearts on top of what the recipe calls for. You can also use a peanut butter that's higher in protein (some brands now make these). Alternatively check out my Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls recipe, its very similar but uses a mix of both protein powder and oat flour.
- Dairy free or vegan: Omit the chocolate drizzle or use dairy free chocolate instead.
Please note: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear how it worked out! 💛
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Equipment
Cookie scoop: A medium cookie scoop (also called a tablespoon scoop) makes it much easier to portion the balls evenly and quickly. If you don't have one, a tablespoon measure works fine, but expect a little more variation in size.
How To Make These Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Below are the simple steps for how to make this recipe with visuals I hope are helpful! Don't forget to check out the recipe card at the bottom for the full recipe.
- Add the oat flour, hemp hearts, peanut butter, maple syrup, and salt (if using) to a large bowl. Mix well until everything is fully combined and a thick dough forms.
- Optional: Allow the dough to sit in the fridge for 1 hour before rolling into balls, this allows the dough to firm up slightly more making rolling easier. Use a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion the dough into 16 even balls. Roll each one between your palms to shape.
- Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave using short bursts, stirring in between, until fully melted and smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the balls.
- Refrigerate for at least 60 minutes before eating. This firms them up and gives you that satisfying, dense texture. They're edible before then, but better after chilling.
Hint: Check the consistency of the dough before shaping. The dough should be thick enough to roll into a ball without being sticky. If it's too wet, add a small amount of extra oat flour, one teaspoon at a time. If it's too dry and crumbly, add a small drizzle of extra maple syrup.
Expert Tips for Making This Recipe
- Use runny peanut butter. Natural, drippy peanut butter gives you the best texture and the easiest mixing experience.
- Make your own oat flour, its much cheaper and the same final product!
- Adjust slowly. The dough consistency depends on how runny your peanut butter is, which varies between brands. Add extra oat flour or maple syrup in small amounts and mix before adding more.
- The balls will firm up in the fridge. Don't panic if the dough feels a little soft when you first roll them. Chilling for 60 minutes makes a big difference.
- Wet hands help. If the dough is sticking to your palms when rolling, dampen your hands slightly with water.
Storage
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to one week. I prefer not to store them at room temperature as the fridge temperature helps keep them firm.
Freezer: Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or eat straight from the freezer, allowing about a 10 minute thaw if you prefer them firmer.
Recipe FAQS
You can, but the texture will be different. Rolled oats make a chewier, grainier ball. Oat flour gives you that smooth, truffle-like consistency that makes this recipe really stand out. If you don't have oat flour, blend regular rolled oats in a blender for 20 to 30 seconds to make your own. It takes less than a minute.
No, but if you do omit it you will need to replace it with something of a similar texture such as sunflower seed butter or tahini.
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Want to Learn About Nutrition?
Here are some nutrition education articles from a dietitian! And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out - I'm here to help.
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Protein Balls Without Protein Powder (No Bake)
Equipment
- Medium cookie scoop (tablespoon size) not essential, but makes portioning quicker
Ingredients
For the balls:
- 50 grams oat flour ½ cup - see notes to make your own
- 70 grams shelled hemp seeds ½ cup. Can be subbed for ground flaxseed/linseed.
- 200 grams smooth peanut butter ¾ cup - must be runny,
- 60 grams maple syrup 3 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon salt only if your peanut butter is unsalted
Optional chocolate drizzle:
- 2 squares dark chocolate I used 70% lindt
- ¼ teaspoon coconut oil
Optional Mix ins
- ¼ cup chocolate chips If you decide to omit the chocolate drizzle you can add chocolate chips to the batter instead.
Instructions
- Add the oat flour, hemp hearts, peanut butter, maple syrup, and salt (if using) to a large bowl. Mix well until fully combined and a thick dough forms.50 grams oat flour, 70 grams shelled hemp seeds, 200 grams smooth peanut butter, 60 grams maple syrup, ½ teaspoon salt
- Check the consistency. The dough should hold its shape when pressed together without being sticky. If too wet, add extra oat flour one teaspoon at a time. If too dry, add a small drizzle of extra maple syrup.
- Optional: Allow the dough to sit in the fridge for 1 hour before rolling into balls, this allows the dough to firm up slightly more making rolling easier.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion the dough into 16 even balls. Roll each one between your palms to shape.
- For the chocolate drizzle: add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in short intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted.2 squares dark chocolate , ¼ teaspoon coconut oil
- Drizzle the chocolate over the balls.
- You can enjoy straight away but I recommend refrigerating for another hour to firm up more and for the chocolate to fully set.
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Suz says
I haven’t made protein balls in a while but this recipe caught my eye. I quickly whipped up a batch but may try a little less maple syrup next time if batter is not too dry. I just thought the sweetness could be reduced for my own taste.
Great recipe. Thnx for sharing.
Maria Lucey RD says
You are very welcome, thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know how it all went. Agreed, I always adjust the maple syrup depending on how drippy the peanut butter is.