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Snack 15 min 14 balls (2 per serving)

No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Seven grams of protein a bite, ten minutes, no oven.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Balls
The dish, photographed by anasegota (CC0 1.0). Our version may look a little different.

Per serving

Protein
14 g
28% DV
Calories
280
kcal
Fiber
4 g
14% DV
Magnesium
75 mg
18% DV

Carbs 27 g · fat 15 g · sugars 11 g (incl. natural) · calcium 70 mg · potassium 280 mg · sodium 25 mg. We did the math: each ingredient by weight with USDA FoodData Central values, and the protein powder from its label. Brands differ a little.

The snack that saves the 4 pm vending machine run. They take ten minutes, keep for a week, and two of them have about as much protein as a protein bar — with ingredients you can actually pronounce.

Ingredients

14 balls (2 per serving)

  • 1⅓ cups rolled oats (120 g)
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter (130 g)
  • 3 tbsp honey (60 g)
  • 2 scoops chocolate or vanilla whey (62 g)
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (15 g)
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, 70%+ (40 g)
  • 2–3 tbsp milk, as needed (40 ml)

How to make it

  1. 1

    Stir the peanut butter and honey together in a big bowl (warm the peanut butter for 15 seconds if it's stiff).

  2. 2

    Add the oats, whey and flax; mix well.

  3. 3

    Add milk a tablespoon at a time until the mix holds together when squeezed.

  4. 4

    Fold in the chocolate chips, then roll into 14 balls.

  5. 5

    Chill for 20 minutes so they firm up.

Kitchen notes

  • Too sticky? More oats. Too crumbly? A little more milk.
  • They keep 7 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer — eat them straight from frozen.
  • Swap the peanut butter for almond or sunflower butter if there's a nut allergy at school or work.
  • Two balls ≈ a protein bar's protein at a fraction of the price per serving.

What goes in it

The products this recipe was worked out with — any similar one works.

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Going deeper: our label-checked guide →

More from the kitchen

Nutrition sources for this recipe
  • Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry — USDA FoodData Central #173904
  • Peanut butter, smooth style, without salt — USDA FoodData Central #172470
  • Honey — USDA FoodData Central #169640
  • Seeds, flaxseed — USDA FoodData Central #169414
  • Chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids — USDA FoodData Central #170273
  • Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D — USDA FoodData Central #171267
  • Protein powder — label of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey (1 scoop, 31 g)