Cranberry Almond Protein Balls are the perfect snack to tide you over between meals. With a balance of protein, fat, and carbs, these healthy protein bites are a mindful treat.
If you tried my Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Protein Balls, you’ll be delighted to know I’m back with a brand new version!
These cranberry almond protein balls are the perfect treat for those who enjoy fruity flavors and can get on board with a little almond essence.
Easy to prepare, this simple recipe comes together in mere minutes. It can easily be made in bulk if you enjoy having snacks on hand at all times.
Plus, the balls are easy to customize by incorporating different ingredients. You can check out the Recipe Customizations section below to get some ideas.
The only special equipment you need is a food processor to make protein ball recipes.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this healthy snack. I’m willing to bet you have some of them on hand already, and the full ingredients list can be found at any grocery store.
Cranberry Almond Protein Balls Ingredients:
Quick Oats or Rolled Oats: The combination of oats, protein powder, and almond butter is what make up the base of these balls, ensuring everything holds together nicely.
You can use instant oats or old-fashioned oats. If you’re gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Protein Powder: Pick any of your favorite protein powders to add a boost of protein to this tasty snack. You will be able to taste the protein powder (unless it is unflavored), so pick one you enjoy!
Unflavored protein powder, vanilla protein powder, or cake batter protein powder would be my top recommendations for this particular recipe.
I prefer using unflavored, unsweetened protein powder because I try to prevent the flavor from shining through. I use either goat whey protein powder or egg white protein powder.
Hemp Seeds: A little hemp seeds adds some omega-3 fatty acids to the protein bites to enhance their nutrient density.
Unsweetened Almond Butter: We need a creamy nut butter to bring all of the ingredients together to make them stick and to add healthy fats.
I like using almond butter because its flavor doesn’t over power the dried cranberries, and keeps with the almond themes.
You can make peanut butter protein balls if you enjoy that peanut butter flavor in your energy balls. Any runny nut butter will do – just be sure you enjoy the flavor.
Pure Maple Syrup: Used to sweeten the balls, we need some pure maple syrup. The recipe as written turns out with only a little sweetness, which is what I prefer for healthy snacks.
Almond Extract and Vanilla Extract: An infusion of almond extract is what brings the almond flavor to the protein balls.
If you aren’t as concerned about the almond essence, you can skip it but I recommend it for the best result. Vanilla extract does a delicious service here too.
Ground Cinnamon and Sea Salt: A pinch of ground cinnamon brings more warm flavor. Salt enhances all of the flavors so that the balls taste bold.
Dried Cranberries: One of the star ingredients, dried cranberries bring a sweet tangy flavor we all love so dearly.
Water: This is an optional ingredient that doesn’t really count as an ingredient.
Depending on the consistency of the protein bite mixture, you may need to add a few tablespoons of water to ensure the dough presses together easily. I added 4 tablespoons of water to mine.
Looking for ways you can enhance the recipe to your personal taste? Here are some ideas.
Recipe Customizations:
- Add ¼ cup of chocolate chips if you enjoy the chocolate and cranberry combo.
- Natural peanut butter or sunflower seed butter works here too but the flavors will overpower the cranberry flavor.
- If you aren’t into dried cranberries, swap them out for raisins, dried apricots, or dried blueberries.
- Chia seeds or ground flax seeds work as a replacement for hemp seeds, but I prefer hemp seeds because you can’t detect the texture.
- Coconut lovers, add ⅓ cup of shredded coconut or roll the balls in shredded coconut.
- If you enjoy chocolate, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, use chocolate protein powder, and add some extra water (or milk). Be sure to toss in some mini chocolate chips too.
- If you have oat flour, feel free to use it instead of oats.
- For a vegan option, use plant-based protein powders, such as hemp protein, pea protein, or rice protein.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for protein balls, let’s make them!
How to Make Protein Balls:
Add all of the ingredients for the no bake protein balls (except for the water) to a food processor.
There’s no need to separate the wet ingredients from the dry ingredients as everything gets blended up. Blend until all of the ingredients are combined into a thick dough.
You may need to stop the food processor a couple of times to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula for even blending.
Taste the balls for flavor and if you feel they need to be sweeter, you can add an extra tablespoon of pure maple syrup or some more dried cranberries.
If the dough is too crumbly to press together, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water, until the dough is easy to mold into balls. It should resemble firm cookie dough.
Form 12 to 16 balls out of the protein ball mixture.
Store balls in an airtight container or a zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can freeze the balls in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
So what is the macronutrient breakdown for this healthy treat? Let’s check it out.
Nutrition Information:
If you make 14 balls, each ball contains 140 calories, 7 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbohydrates, and 8 grams of fat.
I find this to be a great macronutrient breakdown for a post-workout treat before or after your meal.
For active individuals, a balance of protein, carbs, and fats is very useful in replenishing stores and building muscle. For this reason, I love simple recipes like this where the balance works out nicely and there isn’t a lot of added sugar.
You can find the complete nutrition info in the recipe card below.
And that’s it! These cranberry almond protein balls are perfect for meal prepping to ensure you’ll have a mindful snack on hand throughout the week. They are also great for school lunches or after school snacks for kids.
You can also use this recipe to make no-bake homemade protein bars.
The perfect recipe to quench your sweet tooth any time of day while not going overboard, these power balls are your blank canvas for all your easy snack needs.
If you enjoy snack recipes like this, also try out these other gems!
More Healthy Snack Balls:
- Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs
- Chocolate Date Energy Bites
- Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls
- Cranberry Orange Protein Balls
- Fig and Date Balls
Almond butter protein balls, let’s GO! Happy healthy snacking!
Cranberry Almond Protein Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup quick oats
- ½ cup protein powder of choice*
- 2 Tbsp hemp seeds or chia seeds
- ¾ cup almond butter**
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon optional
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2-4 Tbsp water***
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the no bake protein balls (except for the water) to a food processor. There's no need to separate the wet ingredients from the dry ingredients as everything gets blended up.
- Blend until all of the ingredients are combined into a thick dough. You may need to stop the food processor a couple of times to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula for even blending.
- Taste the balls for flavor and if you feel they need to be sweeter, you can add an extra tablespoon of pure maple syrup or some more dried cranberries.
- If the dough is too crumbly to press together, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water, until the dough is easy to mold into balls. It should resemble firm cookie dough.
- Form 12 to 16 balls out of the protein ball mixture.
Notes
Nutrition
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I am going to try the recipe with dried tart cherries. Great idea to be able to add more cherries to my hubby’s diet.
Ooh, I love the idea of using dried cherries! Why didn’t I think of that??! I’ll definitely be using dried cherries the next time I make a batch. Thanks for the inspiration, Judy! xo
Talk about a tasty bite! I find these energy balls to be the perfect sized sweet treat when I’m wanting a nibble on something between meals or after a meal. I love that they come with protein to boost my daily protein intake 🙂
What is a good zero-sugar substitute for the maple syrup in this recipe since there is some sweetness added by the dried cranberries but not nearly enough? These are for someone who has to very closely monitor their sugar (of any type) intake at all times but needs to increase their protein intake dramatically because they aren’t fond of meat or dairy of any kind. Thank you for any suggestions.
Hi Carrie! If it were me, I would use monk fruit sweetener instead of pure maple syrup and I would add a little water or milk (any kind – cow’s, almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, etc) to make up for the loss of liquid. To be more specific, I would do 3 tablespoons of powdered monk fruit sweetener to avoid any grainy texture and I would add liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is easy to press together. Let me know if you try it!!