Easy No Bake Power Balls made with whole food ingredients for a high-protein bite of bliss! These tasty sweet treats are a great option for those who love wholesome snacks.
For those of you who enjoy healthy snacks, you’re in the right spot! I’m here with my favorite recipe for power balls as well as a general formula that you can use to create all sorts of different flavors.
Made with wholesome ingredients in a food processor, this no bake energy bites recipe is perfect for daily enjoyment as well as a great snack for road trips or hikes.
I have included all sorts of great options to customize these easy energy bites to keep the snacking flame alive.
Each power ball contains 7 grams of protein. Not too shabby for a little quick snack!
Let’s discuss the wholesome ingredients to make this healthy snack recipe happen! The great news is you can find all of them at any grocery store.
Ingredients for Power Balls:
Almond Butter or Peanut Butter: Not only is almond butter the glue that holds all of the ingredients together, but it also adds richness, flavor, healthy fats, and some fiber to this power balls recipe.
I like using unsweetened almond butter, but natural peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter work too.
We need a sticky nut butter to make the perfect texture, so I don’t recommend using dry nut butters.
Oats: Whole grain oats add complex carbohydrates to the power ball recipe and also function as a dry ingredient to ensure the balls form the right consistency.
Use quick oats or rolled oats. For gluten-free power balls, make sure you use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Protein Powder: Pick your favorite protein powder to mix into these no bake energy balls for added protein. I use unflavored unsweetened protein powder.
My two favorites are egg white protein powder and goat whey protein powder. If you use a flavored protein powder, just be sure you enjoy the flavor, as you will be able to taste it in these protein power balls.
Medjool Dates: The natural sweetener here, pitted medjool dates are what give the energy balls their sweet flavor.
Hemp Seeds: Hemp hearts or hemp seeds add omega-3 fatty acids to this energy bite recipe. You can also use chia seeds instead or omit them altogether.
Ground Cinnamon: A little ground cinnamon adds warm flavor to the recipe, which I find so appealing. You can skip it if you aren’t into it.
Sea Salt: Salt enhances flavors, which makes the balls taste sweeter without the need for excess sugar.
Mini Chocolate Chips (optional): Adding some additional sweetness and chocolate flavor to the power balls, we need some mini chocolate chips. I use dairy-free dark chocolate chips, but any kind of chocolate chips work.
Water: Because the ball mixture has a tendency to be slightly crumbly, you may need to add a little water in order to get all of the ingredients to blend together.
Just be sure to blend well in between each tablespoon of water, because a little bit goes a long way.
Looking for different ways of customizing the recipe using existing pantry ingredients? Here are some options.
Recipe Customizations:
- Use any kind of nut or seed butter you enjoy. I recommend it is well stirred without a lot of oil separation. I love making peanut butter energy balls using this exact recipe too.
- Rather than using oats, you can use 1 cup of your favorite nuts such as walnuts, pecans, cashews, or almonds.
- Skip the protein powder and add another ½ cup of oats.
- Incorporate dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, or figs.
- Replace the medjool dates with 3 to 5 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, honey, or date syrup.
- Chop half of a chocolate bar and use it in place of chocolate chips.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or other seeds.
You can use the general formula below to make your own energy bites recipe using basic ingredients.
General Formula For Power Balls:
- 1 cup nut butter or seed butter
- ⅔ to 1 cup of old fashioned oats or quick oats
- ½ cup of protein powder (or more oats)
- 3-4 tablespoons of chia seeds, ground flax seeds, or hemp seeds
- 6 large medjool dates or 3 to 5 tablespoons liquid sweetener (pure maple syrup or honey)
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips or dried fruit
- Flavors: pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, orange zest, etc.
Now that we’ve covered the healthy ingredients, let’s go ahead and make a batch!
How to Make Power Balls:
Add all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips to a food processor and process until all of the ingredients are well-combined.
Depending on your food processor, you may need to stop and scrape the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula multiple times. It will take a while for the dates to fully blend in, so be sure to blend well.
Note: if your almond butter is not at room temperature from sitting in the refrigerator, microwave it for 20-30 seconds until it stirs easily.
Add 2 to 5 tablespoons of water, processing between each addition, until the mixture sticks together easily. The mixture should resemble a thick cookie dough.
Add in the chocolate chips and continue processing until the chocolate chips are integrated into the power ball dough.
Form balls out of the dough mixture and place them in an airtight container or a plastic bag for storage. If you have a small cookie scoop, now is a great time to use it in order to make equally sized balls.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Keep a constant supply of these easy power balls available at all times for healthy snacking!
I like to keep energy ball recipes like this on constant rotation so that I always have a sweet treat to nibble on after a meal when the craving strikes. Honor your sweet tooth with almons butter or peanut butter energy bites!
If you enjoy healthy snack recipes like this one, also try out these healthy protein balls or energy bites recipes.
More Protein Bites and Energy Ball Recipes:
- Fig and Date Energy Balls
- Cranberry Almond Protein Balls
- Chocolate Date Energy Balls
- Cranberry Orange Protein Balls
Leave me a comment below letting me know what renditions you try!
Protein Power Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup quick oats or rolled oats
- ½ cup protein powder of choice *
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds or hemp seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened almond butter or peanut butter**
- 6 pitted medjool dates or 3 to 5 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 2-6 Tbsp water ***
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips to a food processor and process until all of the ingredients are well-combined. Depending on your food processor, you may need to stop and scrape the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula multiple times. It will take a while for the dates to fully blend in, so be sure to blend well. Note: if your almond butter is not at room temperature from sitting in the refrigerator, microwave it for 20-30 seconds until it stirs easily.
- Add 2 to 5 tablespoons of water, processing between each addition, until the mixture sticks together easily. The mixture should resemble a thick cookie dough.
- Add in the chocolate chips and continue processing until the chocolate chips are integrated into the power ball dough.
- Form balls out of the dough mixture and place them in an airtight container or a plastic bag for storage. If you have a small cookie scoop, now is a great time to use it in order to make equally sized balls. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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