These 6-ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Balls a perfect snack! Packed with protein, fibers, and SUPERFOODS, as well as with nuttiness and sweetness, these energy balls provide optimal nutrition while satisfying your sweet tooth cravings. Bonus – they are super easy to throw together.
Just recently I came to realize that the main pitfall of healthy eating is midday sweet snacking. The truth is if you have a healthy sweet treat ready for you somewhere in the fridge, freezer or kitchen cabinets, you won't stumble and take something from, for example, your kid's cabinet where you keep all the jollies and store-bought treats for him.
Let me get this straight, I'm no food-nazi and when it comes to my kiddo's healthy eating I make sure he gets all the healthy nutrients he NEEDS trough main meals. But I always leave snacking as an option he can choose for himself. He likes healthy snacks I made him but also he sometimes likes to grab KitKat from the cabinet. And that's perfectly fine. Having those treats are in my opinion perfectly fine and kids can indulge themselves occasionally with those treats too.
I, on the other hand, bypass that cabinet and these treats with ease. My desire to have store-bought sweet treats are long dead. But when I got caught in a stressful week where I neglected to stuff my freezer with Cacao Energy Balls or jars with Peanut Butter Cookies, then I stumble. And I usually pull my husband right with me. Poor thing.
I don't like to make a fuss about it. It happened. I stumbled. I moved on. Actually, that store-bought treat I had didn't give me nearly much pleasure as Brownie Bites would... if I had 'em that day in my freezer. The good thing I DID learn that day is that I really really need to educate my husband so he can make some of these healthy midday snacks for us when I'm in my no-time-to-prepare-treats phase.
That's why I mixed up these No Bake Peanut Butter Balls. These little peanut butter delights are loaded with nuttiness and sweetness. Soft-textured, melt-in-your-mouth with a touch of bitter-sweet crunchy chocolate bits inside. Yummy!
Also, these energy balls are loaded with nutrients, SUPERFOODS, and all the good-for-you stuff. But most amazing thing about these energy balls is the fact that they are like SUPER easy to make. 6-ingredient, one bowl, no special equipment needed.... yummy snack that is both satisfying, energizing and kills the sugar cravings like SUPER fast. + Anyone can make these. Win!
Peanut Butter Balls ingredients
For this peanut butter balls recipe you'll need:
- PEANUT BUTTER: Peanut butter is versatile protein-packed spread that is not only super tasty but super healthy too. It's packed with proteins and healthy fats, as well with fibers. (1) Peanut butter is low in carbs and suitable for people with type 2 diabetes or those following a low-carb diet. Also, half of the fat in peanut butter is made up of oleic acid, a healthy type of monounsaturated fat that promotes good heart health.
- COCONUT FLOUR: Coconut flour is made from dried and ground coconut flesh. Mild in taste, its texture is perfect for making no bake treats. Coconut flour is rich in many nutrients including fats and fibers, but also medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) a type of fat linked to several benefits, such as weight loss, protection against bacteria and viruses, brain and heart health. (2)
- PURE MAPLE SYRUP: To sweeten these peanut butter balls I used pure maple syrup.
I also added a bit of vanilla flavoring because vanilla loves peanut butter. It's an amazing flavor combo.
To make these energy balls extra special, I added in some:
- MACA ROOT POWDER: Maca is in one word - amazing! Some dislike it's earthy nutty taste but I love it. It's a SUPERFOOD known to boost mood, sex drive, energy and stamina. Maca powder is a great source of essential vitamins and minerals - like vitamin C, copper and iron and loaded with powerful antioxidants that prevent some health conditions, including heart disease and cancer. (3, 4)
- CACAO NIBS: Cacao nibs are small pieces of crushed cacao beans that have a rich bitter chocolate flavor. Cacao nibs are loaded with nutrients - fiber, protein, and healthy fats, as well as with powerful antioxidants - flavonoids, that have many health benefits. (5, 6) I used Yacon sweetened cacao nibs here. They have the bitterness of raw cacao but with subtle added sweetness. I like to use cacao nibs as a replacement for dark chocolate chips wherever I can especially when making no-bake treats like no bake balls. They give a little crunch which I love in soft no bake protein balls. You can substitute cacao nibs with dark chocolate chips.
How to make no bake peanut butter balls
- Use a big glass or stainless steel mixing bowl and silicone spatula to mix ingredients.
- If peanut butter is too hard, microwave it for a few seconds to soften.
- Use natural soft peanut butter. Crunchy won't work well here.
- You can sift maca powder before adding to get rid of lumps.
- Don't substitute coconut flour with descended coconut.
- If the mixture is to dry add a drop of warm water.
- If the mixture is too sticky, add a bit more coconut flour.
- You can substitute pure maple syrup with honey. Use raw honey because it has more nutrients.
- You can substitute Yacon sweetened cacao nibs with chocolate chips or regular cacao nibs. Be aware that regular cacao nibs are bitter in taste and hard to chew thus not suitable for kids.
- Before making the balls, refrigerate the mixture for 15 minutes. That will harden the mixture as coconut will soak the moisture making the mixture easier to roll.
- For dusting, you can use crushed cacao nibs, cacao powder, descended coconut or finely chopped raw peanuts.
How long will peanut butter balls last?
Peanut butter balls should be stored in a covered air-tight food container in the refrigerator. Use a piece of waxed paper between the layers. The refrigerated balls will last for 2 weeks.
Can you freeze these protein balls?
Absolutely yes! Place the balls in a zip-lock bag and freeze up to 3 months. You don't need to thaw the balls to eat them.
These healthy no bake peanut butter balls are beautifully flavored, loaded with SUPERFOODS and so delicious – chewy, mildly sweet and so incredible. Perfect snack or sweet treat that goes so well with cup of coffee or tea on afternoons. + There’s a tiny bits of bitter sweet chocolate bits in every single bite which is like soooo yummy!
These protein balls are naturally gluten-free, vegan and made without refined sugars with only good-for-you stuff. They are one of the best snacks to have on hand for easy, healthy snacking!
Enjoy!
Recipe
No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter smooth
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon maca powder
- ¼ cup Yakon sweetened cacao nibs or chocolate chips
For dusting:
- Crushed cacao nibs or cacao powder
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients with the spatula in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Leave in the fridge for 15 minutes for the mixture to harden.
- Take 1 tablespoon of mixture and gently roll into a ball.
- Coat the ball with crushed cacao nibs or cacao powder.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Eat immediately or store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this No Bake Peanut Butter Balls recipe or any other recipe on Natalie’s Health, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
Pam Greer says
I am all about healthy snacking! I used to be a teacher and got used to having a snack when I got home from school. Even though I'm retired, I still want a snack around 3 in the afternoon, so these are perfect!
krissy says
you had me at peanut butter and chocolate. i had never tried this version of protein/snack balls. and now they are my new favorite. so so good!
Kristina says
Wholesome ingredients and super easy is my kind of recipe. These look like my new favorite!