OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BALLS

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls are made with oats, peanut butter, honey, flaxseed, Rice Krispies, coconut oil, and vanilla. They are healthy, filling, and the best protein ball recipe I’ve ever tried!

I make a batch or two of these energy balls every single week. Everyone in the family loves them, and they are the perfect grab-and-go snack! I’ve tried a lot of recipes and this one is my favorite by far.

Our readers love them too!

Why we love these oatmeal peanut butter protein balls:

• Portable snack. I keep a container of these in my refrigerator so that my kids can grab one or two when they are running out the door or heading to soccer practice. They are filling and provide quick energy.
• Delicious. My kids are very picky. And so am I. I’ve tried many energy ball recipes, and this is the one that everyone in my house will eat. I love having a yummy snack that is also made with simple ingredients.
• Versatile. A couple of years ago, I began adding protein powder to the recipe to increase the amount of protein per ball. You can add any flavor of protein powder to change up the flavor a little bit. You can also leave the flaxseed or the Rice Krispies out, and the recipe still works. Add nuts, chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, dried fruit, or anything else that sounds good!

Why this protein balls recipe is different than other ones out there:

• I think one of my favorite things about this recipe is the addition of Rice Krispies – it adds a wonderful crunchiness without adding any weird flavors.
• This recipe includes ground flaxseed. I don’t love flaxseed, and there is no way my kids would touch it in most recipes, but you can’t even tell it’s in this one and it is full of fiber and omega-3s.
• Many similar recipes also add in mini chocolate chips, which you are welcome to do, but they are really so good without them! I’m really glad I didn’t start making them with chocolate chips because then my kids wouldn’t want to eat them plain. But since I started making them this way, they don’t know any better! I know, I know – I’m one of those “mean” moms!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Ball ingredients

Oats – Quick oats work best in this recipe, but you can use old-fashioned oats if you want a much chewier texture.

Rice Krispies – Crispy rice cereal adds more volume and a little bit of crunch to the protein balls without affecting the flavor.

Ground flaxseed – A cup of ground flaxseed adds fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to the protein balls, and you can’t even tell that something healthy is in there!

Peanut butter – The recipe calls for 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, but crunchy peanut butter works well too. You can swap in a different nut butter – almond butter and cashew butter work well, but the flavor will be much different.

Honey – Most of the sweetness in the protein balls comes from the honey in the recipe.

Coconut oil – Just a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil will add a little bit of smoothness to the protein balls and will help all of the ingredients mix together better. Just make sure the coconut oil is melted before adding it to the mixture.

Vanilla extract – Just a little bit of vanilla adds a little extra flavor.

How to make Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls

The full instructions for making this recipe can be found in the recipe card below, but here are a few tips that I wanted to share.

• Use quick oats. Quick oats provide the best texture for these balls. If you only have rolled oats on hand, or you prefer a smoother texture for the energy balls, you can blend the oats to a fine powder in a blender before mixing with the other ingredients.
• Adjust to your preference. I made the recipe as written for years, but most of the time, I change things a little bit when I make it now. I often add chocolate or vanilla protein powder for more protein, and this also adds a lot of flavor. You can easily leave the coconut oil and vanilla out of the recipe, and you won’t notice much of a difference. Since I’ve been gluten-free, I leave the Rice Krispies out as well.
• Use a stand mixer and a cookie scoop! I made these by hand for many years, but realized it’s so much easier to mix everything in a stand mixer. I often make a double or triple batch in my Bosch mixer and then use a cookie scoop to scoop the balls out – I don’t even bother rolling them with my hands at all anymore!

STORAGE AND FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS

Keep the protein balls in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Although I store them in the fridge, they are fine to eat at room temperature, and I actually can’t decide if I like them better cold or not!

These energy balls also freeze well. Freeze for up to 3 months in a Ziplock bag or an airtight container.

What kind of oats do you use in Peanut Butter Protein Balls?

I use quick oats in this protein ball recipe because I think that the texture is a little bit more palatable and easier to chew. I have used rolled oats before, but I prefer to blend them in a blender first.

Can you make protein balls without peanut butter?

Yes, you can make these protein balls without peanut butter. In my house, we absolutely love peanut butter and prefer it to other nut butters, so that is all I have ever personally tried with this recipe. I do have a friend who made them with almond butter and said that they were wonderful, so I’m assuming you could easily swap most types of nut butters into this recipe.

Can you change the ingredients of this protein ball recipe?

One of my favorite things about recipes like these is the versatility and the ease with which you can swap out many of the ingredients, or even add some of your favorites. There are a lot of ways you can make this protein ball recipe “your own.” Some of these changes will alter the taste a bit, but you can easily make this recipe adaptable for you and your family – the possibilities are endless!

• As mentioned before, you can swap the peanut butter with other nut butters.
• Add little bits of dried fruit, or you could just add raisins if you don’t want to do any dicing!
• You can also add chocolate chips if you want a little bit of extra sweetness!
• For a little bit more protein, you can add some chia seeds or a scoop or two of protein powder for an extra nutritional boost.
• Add protein powder. Chocolate and vanilla protein powder both taste delicious in these energy balls, but you can use any flavor you want!

Do Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls taste good?

These Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls are different from other recipes because they are so much yummier than other recipes I’ve tried!  A couple of years ago, I tried several different protein ball recipes trying to find one that was pretty healthy and one that all of my kids (and me!) would eat.

I did some experimentation and came up with this recipe. I was shocked when I first tasted it because it really tastes very similar to traditional no-bake cookies. You know, the ones that have like 2 cups of sugar and chocolate in them? I’ve had so many people eat these and say the same thing. These are so yummy!

Do you have to bake protein balls?

No, you do not have to bake protein balls! One of my favorite parts about this snack is that there is no baking or cooking involved at all! Just mix everything together and roll into balls. This recipe is so easy that my kids can all make them without any help and I love having lots of helpers to shape all of the balls!

Are protein balls the same as energy balls?

Protein balls and energy balls/energy bites are one and the same! I have found quite a few recipes for protein balls and quite a few for energy balls/energy bites, and as far as I can tell, they are exactly the same thing, just called by different names. These protein balls provide a great combination of fats, carbs, and fiber to help you stay full and give you long-lasting energy! My favorite thing about these protein balls is that they are so filling, even though they are small!

How many calories are in each protein ball?

There are 133 calories in each protein ball. There are 7 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs, and about 3 grams of protein in each ball. Plenty of calories to give you energy for a long time – just don’t plan on eating dozens of them every day if you want to stay within a reasonable calorie range! Adding a few scoops of protein powder to the recipe will increase the amount of protein per ball by at least 2-3 grams.

More delicious peanut butter recipes to try:

• We love peanut butter cookies. These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have been a reader favorite for many years.
• Peanut butter is wonderful in all kinds of snacks. Peanut Butter Apple Dip and Peanut Butter Popcorn are both easy to make and delicious!
• Frozen Peanut Butter Pie is the perfect dessert for warmer weather and is made with only five ingredients.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls are healthy, filling, and the best protein ball recipe that I’ve ever tried! These energy balls are made with oats, peanut butter, honey, flaxseed, Rice Krispies, coconut oil, and vanilla.