These are the easiest no-bake peanut butter protein balls with chocolate chips that take 10 minutes to make. Enjoy the best keto energy bites that are incredibly delicious and only 4g net carbs.
These peanut butter protein balls need only 8 simple pantry ingredients and are the right snack for when you need a little boost of energy or some extra protein to fuel those challenging workouts.
Ready in just a couple of minutes, these keto protein balls are gluten-free, soft, chewy, and low in carbs.
It’s one of my favorite recipes that I usually make every other week to have on hand for when the sugar cravings start to appear.
Watch this quick step-by-step video to see exactly how easy it is to make the best peanut butter protein balls!
Reasons To Make Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
- Quick and easy to make, requiring no baking and minimal prep time.
- Great source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
- Portable and make a great nutritious snack for school or work.
- Customizable – you can add your favorite ingredients to make them unique.
- No-Bake: These peanut butter balls are a no-bake recipe, making them a great option for those hot summer days when you don’t want to turn on the oven.
- Satisfies Sweet Cravings!
Can You Eat Peanut Butter on a Keto Diet?
We all know that peanut butter is one of the most popular and delicious spreads. And it goes well with almost everything, whether you eat a tablespoon straight from the jar as a midnight snack or add it into your chocolate protein smoothie.
But is peanut butter keto-friendly? You will be happy to know that it is keto, but you need to pay attention to the ingredients list. Watch out for hidden sugars or for any other ingredients that are not peanuts.
According to the USDA, two tablespoons (32g) of natural peanut butter contain:
- Calories: 190g
- Total Carbohydrates: 7g
- Fiber: 3g
- Net Carbs: 4g
- Total Fat: 16g
- Protein: 8g
Ingredients Needed
These keto protein balls are super easy to make and so delicious. These keto protein balls are made with low carb ingredients without dates. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Peanut Butter – make sure to use unsweetened peanut butter that doesn’t contain any sugar or palm oil, and it’s made 100% from peanuts. In fact, you can use any nut butter such as almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter.
- Protein Powder – use your favorite low carb protein powder, and make sure it doesn’t contain sugar. I used unflavored protein powder, but you can use chocolate protein powder for some delicious chocolate protein balls.
- Almond Flour – keeps the protein balls keto and low carb, and makes the batter stick together. Peanut flour would be a great addition if you can find almond flour.
- Chia Seeds – help the ingredients bind well, and they also boost healthy fats and fiber.
- Keto Maple Syrup – it replaces the honey and makes the protein balls more sweet and tasty. You can use any powdered keto sweetener as well. Just mix it with the peanut butter first. Add a splash of unsweetened almond extract if the dough is too thick.
- Vanilla Extract – adds a delicious vanilla flavor and brings out the sweetness in protein balls.
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips – If you can’t find chocolate chips, just chop up an unsweetened chocolate bar of choice and use chocolate chunks instead – so good!
How To Make Peanut Butter Protein Balls
It’s incredibly easy to make these keto protein balls, and there’s no food processor needed. Just gather all the ingredients and take a large bowl and a silicone spatula.
Mixing the Ingredients
Add the room-temperature peanut butter, protein powder, almond flour, chia seeds, low carb maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a bowl.
Stir the dough using a spatula or a spoon until a thick batter starts to form.
Incorporate the mini chocolate chips and allow the batter to rest for a few minutes.
If the mixture is too runny, add more protein powder to get the right consistency, so you can roll out the balls. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes.
Forming the Balls
Roll about one tablespoon of dough to make small balls. You’ll get about 15 balls from this peanut butter protein balls recipe.
Place the protein balls onto wax paper. Serve straight away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy these delicious and healthy peanut butter protein balls as a quick snack or pre-workout fuel!
Tips for Making the Perfect Protein Balls
- If the dough is too sticky, add a little more protein powder or almond flour.
- If you end up with a thick peanut butter mixture that’s too dry or too thick, add a little almond milk or water to the mixture. Add a little at a time until the mixture is moist enough to form balls.
- If rolling the balls is still difficult, wet your hands before forming each ball.
- Make keto energy bars – You can put the peanut butter balls mixture in a square 8×8-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper, refrigerate them, and cut them into small energy bars. Yum!
- Spice them up using a little ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
- Use any nut or seed butter you have on hand – Peanut butter is easily available at most grocery stores. Still, these energy bites turn out great with almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut or seed butter you prefer.
- For added crunch, you can mix in some chopped walnuts or dried fruit.
- To make vegan protein balls, use plant-based protein powder instead of whey protein powders.
Flavor Variations
- Chocolate – Use a chocolate-flavored protein powder or add one or two tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dough.
- Coconut – Roll the balls in unsweetened shredded coconut or mix some into the mixture.
- Pumpkin Spice – Add 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin spice to the peanut mixture and adjust to reach the best flavor.
- Dried Fruits – mix in dried cranberries or raisins.
- No Peanut Butter – If you have a peanut allergy or simply don’t like the flavor, replace it with almond butter or cashew butter.
- Seeds – to boost the nutritional content, mix in chia seeds, flax seeds, or hemp seeds.
How To Store the Peanut Butter Balls
There are two options for storing these Keto Peanut Butter Protein Balls:
- First, refrigerate them for about five or seven days in an airtight container.
- Or, you can freeze them for up to two months, and then you can grab one in the morning or any time when you need a quick and healthy snack.
Looking for More Protein Snacks? Try these:
- Keto Protein Bars
- The Best Double Chocolate Protein Pancakes
- High Protein Strawberry Smoothie
- High Protein Low Carb Pizza Crust – 2 Ingredients Keto Pizza Crust
No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Balls – Low Carb Energy Bites
Description
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup low carb protein powder
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips
- 4 tsp almond milk
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add peanut butter, protein powder, almond flour, chia seeds, low carb maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix the dough. Add one teaspoon of milk at a time to get a cookie dough consistency. Depending on the peanut butter used, you'll need to add more or less liquid.
- Incorporate the chocolate chips into the peanut buttter mixture.
- Roll about one tablespoon of dough to make small balls. You'll get about 16 balls.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
How do we calculate the nutrition info?
These nutrition facts listed are determined using nutrition information from the USDA Food Database. Our nutrition facts are accurate, but if you are using different products, please make your calculations. Net carb count is calculated by subtracting both fiber and sugar alcohols because they don’t raise blood sugar.
READER FAVORITES
The full recipe is in the recipe card below. Readers that love this aslo made these recipes:
Can you substitute the chia seeds for flax seeds?
Yes, you can substitute flax seeds for chia seeds in this recipe.
The protein from peanut butter is very low quality, so much so that peanut butter is not allowed to be called a source of protein. The only good quality protein comes from the powder. These are really fat balls, but they are tasty. I won’t be making them again as calling them protein balls is very misleading.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. While it’s true that the protein in peanut butter is not considered a high-quality protein due to its incomplete amino acid profile, it can still contribute to one’s daily protein intake. However, this recipe uses a low-carb protein powder as you can see in the ingredients which make each of these balls 7g of protein. Thank you again for your feedback, and I hope you’ll give other recipes a try in the future.
How many balls per serving?
The macros are calculate for one peanut butter protein balls.