Are protein balls actually healthy?

THEY'RE HIGH IN PROTEIN Protein balls, as their name suggests, are a great source of protein . With the inclusion of protein powder plus other protein-rich ingredients such as nut butters, nuts, seeds and a variety of other ingredients, protein balls make for a great protein-packed snack and delicious treat.

Do protein balls help with weight loss?

Protein balls (or bliss balls, if you prefer) are great on-the-go snack if you're trying to eat healthily or looking to lose weight . Filled with fiber-rich and protein-packed ingredients like oats, dates and nuts, they'll keep you fuller for longer – plus you don't need protein powder to make them.

What are the benefits of protein energy balls?

Helps Grow Healthy Muscles, Nerves, And Bones : Our protein energy balls are the perfect potassium and magnesium source. These vitamins help fight muscle cramps, headaches, fatigue, grow strong bones, and enables you to maintain a healthy nervous system.

How many protein balls can you eat?

These 4-ingredient protein balls have about 128 calories so you should only eat 2 of these as part of a healthy amount of calories and fat. Keep in mind that you need to consider all the foods consumed in a day and keep it within the acceptable range for your height and weight.

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls | Desserts With Benefits (2024)

May 19, 2012

Gluten FreeHigh Protein

Oh no, I couldn’t stop at Peanut Butter Protein Balls, and I certainly couldn’t stop at the Nutella Fudge Protein Cookies!

Chocolate + Peanut Butter= Magic

… the combo just hadto be done.

To tell you the truth, I was so happy with the basic peanut butter recipe I didn’t even thinkof makinga chocolate version until recently… OH NO, is there something wrong with me?!? *bites nails*

Well, if I could make these awesome treats, then there is definitely nothing wrong with me…

I’m sane, I swear! (says the girl with crazy eyes and melted chocolate all over her face)

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5 from 8 votes

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Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Servings: 4 balls

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

Our homemade healthy chocolate peanut butter protein balls are no-bake and gluten free, and made without refined sugar. They're bite-sized and delicious!

Ingredients

32g (1 scoop) Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
½ tsp Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder
32g (2 tbs) Natural Peanut Butter
42g (2 tbs) Honey

Instructions

Put the protein powder and cocoa powder in a bowl and mix.
Add the peanut butter and liquid sweetener of choice and stir until moist and crumbly. Using your hands, form the mixture into one large ball and then divide that by how many servings you want.
Eat immediately or refrigerate for later.

Course: Snacks

Adorable little snack, you have met your fate:

Mwahaha!

YUM. Deliciousness. Do you see how fudgy and chewy and decadent these Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls are? You must make these now, it’s only 4 ingredients and 4 minutes away… you will notregret it 🙂

With love and good eats,

–Jess

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posted in 5 Ingredients or Less, Bite-Sized Treats, No Bake, Single Serving

51 comments »

51 comments on “Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls”

Lexi — May 19, 2012 at 12:23 pm

Love love LOVE this!

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Lauren@LittleYellowKitchen — May 19, 2012 at 4:52 pm

Looks tasty! I’m lovin that you added chocolate because it makes everything better 🙂

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monsterscircus — May 19, 2012 at 11:11 pm

Very Nice blog and beautiful food pictures! Can you repalce the honey with stevia or sukrin. Love All your sweet treats!

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — May 19, 2012 at 11:34 pm
  
  Thanks! I’m sure the honey can be replaced with granulated sweeteners, but you may need to use more peanut butter (or you can try warming the peanut butter in the microwave). You can also try mixing the peanut butter with the sweetener of your choice and a thick “milk” like almond milk or coconut milk, then slowly add the protein powder until it’s crumbly, but moist enough to shape into a ball. Hopefully this works, I’ll have to try this when I get the chance!
  
  Reply
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  Cherry Cheesecake Dip Blueberry Fritter Loaf Our Favorite Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies No-Bake Easter Bunny Bark
Az Life and Style — May 19, 2012 at 7:39 pm

This looks amazing!

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Mara — May 19, 2012 at 8:18 pm

Those look delicious

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gina marinara — May 20, 2012 at 2:21 pm

I just saw these on food gawker and they look like a perfect snack to bring to work!

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MyFudo™ — May 22, 2012 at 3:08 pm

I am gonna make smaller versions so I could squeeze them in my pockets and shove them in my mouth 3 at a time…LOL! Thanks for sharing.

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — May 22, 2012 at 11:25 pm
  
  HAHA! I literally laughed out loud when I read that, but what a great idea, I need to do that!
  
  Reply
Anonymous — July 9, 2012 at 9:16 am

They look great!!! How many calories would be in one of these?

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — July 9, 2012 at 4:54 pm
  
  It depends on the brands you use, but for me, one entire batch should be 413 calories. Just split that up on how many balls you make.
  
  Reply
energeat — July 17, 2012 at 11:03 pm

These look SO GOOD! Going to make them right now. Just found your blog and I love it!

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Sweetie_CO — July 18, 2012 at 12:52 pm

Hey Jessica!
Thanks for this recipe, it looks really tasty 🙂 But before I try to make myself some protein balls, can you answer two questions regarding it:
1. What peanut butter do you recommend? I mean do you have favorite brand you trust, or should I prepare the butter myself?
2. Is there any way to figure out how much protein such protein balls contain? The thing is that I’ve been tracking my protein intakes for several months now and I feel really great now, so, I want to continue consuming the right amount of proteins. Thus, I need to know how much protein such balls contain to properly calculate my daily intakes.
In any case, your protein balls drive me crazy 🙂

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — July 18, 2012 at 1:50 pm
  
  I recommend all-natural peanut butter where peanuts are the only ingredient (no added sugar, salt or oil). I don’t have a favorite brand yet, I just buy what is cheapest 😉 I can’t really tell a difference between brands anyways. The peanut butter I have contains 7g of protein for 2 tablespoons, and the protein powder I used (Optimum Nutrition brand) contains 24g of protein per scoop. So one batch of this recipe will have 31g of protein!
  
  Reply
Anonymous — August 9, 2012 at 8:23 pm

could you use stevia or splenda if you are on a no sugar diet?

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — August 9, 2012 at 10:43 pm
  
  I’m sure you can use stevia to replace the honey. Here is a chart on how to convert sugar>>stevia (I would assume 1 tbs of honey = 1 tbs of sugar):
  http://sweetleaf.com/sweetleaf-usage
  You should also add more liquid to the recipe, I would recommend ~1 tbs of unsweetened almond milk (or creamy “milk” of choice) and ~1 more tbs of peanut butter. I haven’t made these without honey but I hope this works!
  
  Reply
Miranda — October 25, 2012 at 10:13 pm

If I only have vanilla protein, how much cacoa powder should I use?

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — October 25, 2012 at 11:49 pm
  
  You can make the recipe with vanilla protein without making any changes. If you want more chocolate flavor, just add some chocolate chips 🙂
  
  Reply
  See Also
  Peanut Butter Overnight Oats | Easy & Healthy Vegan Breakfast
Mishkowski — October 29, 2012 at 9:11 pm

Mine came out grainy and yours looks so creamy. What suggestions do you have to help with the consistency?

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — October 30, 2012 at 1:54 am
  
  Hmmm, not sure what went wrong… may I ask what kind of protein powder you used?
  
  Reply
- Mishkowski — November 2, 2012 at 2:16 am
  
  I used Pure Protein whey
  
  Reply
- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — November 2, 2012 at 3:32 pm
  
  I checked out the Pure Protein website and it says that one scoop is 42g, while one scoop of the protein powder I used is 32g. Because the scoop for that protein powder is slightly larger, I would increase the honey and peanut butter by a tiny bit too. Hopefully your next batch works great 🙂
  
  Reply
Gabriele — November 14, 2013 at 10:15 pm

Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs?
I have a blog based on the same topics you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information.
I know my subscribers would value your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.

Reply
Michelle — May 7, 2014 at 2:54 pm

These worked like a charm! I seriously could just sit around and eat the whole batch. I’m probably going to experiment with ground flaxseed and oats as additions. Great recipe!

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- dessertswithbenefits — May 8, 2014 at 5:31 pm
  
  Oh good I’m glad you liked the recipe! While I haven’t incorporated flax meal or oats INTO the balls, I have used them as a “coating” of sorts. The flax meal coating helps prevent your fingers from getting sticky, and the oats add a nice comforting flavor 🙂
  -Jess
  
  Reply
julie — May 15, 2014 at 4:48 am

Hi there,
these look really good! ..I want to try them, but I’m wondering about if the whey protein powder could be replaced with anything else? if so, what do you recommend? what purpose does it play in the overall product? and how many teaspoons or tablespoons is 35 grams? Thank you!!

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- dessertswithbenefits — May 15, 2014 at 10:06 am
  
  Sadly, the whey protein can’t be replaced. It’s the only dry ingredient and it helps bind the ingredients together. Along with texture, they whey also adds flavor and sweetness 🙂
  I’m not sure how many tablespoons are in one scoop, I would recommend using the scoop in the container. Hope this helps!
  -Jess
  
  Reply
Linda — May 26, 2014 at 8:42 pm

Hi,
I was wondering how long these balls lasted outside the fridge/freezer.
I wanted to make them and take them with me to work, but I don’t want them to melt on me after an hour.
Thanks!
Linda

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- dessertswithbenefits — May 27, 2014 at 9:19 pm
  
  The protein balls won’t melt or anything, they’ll just get pretty soft and super duper fudgy 🙂
  When I bring these with me on the go I place them in a sandwich bag and stick them in the freezer for an hour or two before I leave. This way, in a few hours they’re the perfect texture!
  -Jess
  
  Reply
Annie — September 21, 2014 at 6:43 am

These were so good! I have made snacks like these before, but with fresh cashews or pecans and dates. Your recipe was much faster and easier 🙂 Next time I think I will use less honey and more cocoa, because..well..chocolate <3 I really like your blog and all your healthy recipes! (sorry if I misspell something, I´m writing from Finland and my English is not that great..)

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- dessertswithbenefits — September 22, 2014 at 12:31 pm
  
  I’m so glad you liked the protein balls! 😀
  I’m not sure if they’ll work with less honey, they might be too difficult to stir together… but you can give it a shot! Aaaand great idea with the extra cocoa 😉
  -Jess
  PS: Your English is great! 🙂
  
  Reply
Annie — September 23, 2014 at 2:23 am

You are right, if I use less honey, it needs some liquid that it won´t be too dry. Maybe just more PB! I often use less sweetener than the recipes say, but more cacao/chocolate 😀 I just love the rich chocolate flavor! <3

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- dessertswithbenefits — September 23, 2014 at 3:36 pm
  
  Yummm, can’t go wrong with more PB 😉
  
  Reply
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Shape Me — October 21, 2015 at 10:51 pm

Hey Jessica, these look tasty, nice blog post. If you’re interested in a delicious and nutritionally balanced recipe for protein balls, I make choc peppermint bliss balls.

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JoAnne — November 18, 2015 at 3:55 am

Hi I used Stevia grains instead of honey and almond butter instead of peanut plus more cocoa for a stronger choccy flavour.The mixture was a bit dry so added small tsp of coconut oil to bind it and then rolled them in cocoa to give it a truffle finish. This gave a nice variation on the original recipe. I’m sure other nut butters could be substituted for peanut like cashew for nutrional variation. Yummy

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Christine — December 17, 2015 at 4:15 pm

Would it be possible to use Sunwarrior rice protein instead of whey?

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — December 21, 2015 at 4:43 pm
  
  I haven’t tried using sunwarrior in this recipe, but in my experience, rice protein thickens WAY more and WAY faster than whey. If you’re looking for a dairy-free protein alternative, maybe try my Triple Chocolate Fudge Protein Brownies! 😀
  -Jess
  
  Reply
Gordy — January 12, 2016 at 12:16 pm

Made these last night and they were out of this world!!

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Kayte — January 22, 2016 at 3:03 pm

These are delicious, ive made them a few times, dont last long in my house. And the fudgyness…..oh yes!!

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Sophie — January 26, 2016 at 7:32 pm

😀 shiny edible chocolate marbles <3

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Sebastian — April 25, 2016 at 8:01 am

I never comment on these website, but I just made these and had to tell you how AMAZING they are!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!

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Linda — January 7, 2017 at 2:35 pm

Hard to improve upon but roll into fine ground almonds to finish off. Nice to eat something sweet while being healthy.

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K — January 14, 2017 at 5:56 pm

I tried to make these today and they were super sticky, so much so that I couldn’t form them into balls. I used PB2 and not near the amount of honey the recipe called for, then the amount of cocoa and protein powder the recipe called for. I tried adding more cocoa and protein powder to make the mixture less sticky, but it didn’t help. Any tips? Thank you!

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — January 15, 2017 at 4:54 am
  
  PB2 is not peanut butter, that’s why the recipe didn’t work out. I’d recommend just using regular peanut butter here 🙂
  
  Reply
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Hilary — July 2, 2019 at 4:50 pm

I made these yesterday and was so excited in the process that I misread the amounts or ingredients. I put the two tbls of protein powder (I used unflavored because I didn’t have chocolate) with the two tbls of cocoa powder (this is where glossed over the correct amount…)
I realized that was a lot of cocoa, and then reread the CORRECT measurement and just added another tbls-ish of honey when adding the wet ingredients. I rolled the mixture into dime-diameter balls and layered them in a plastic container, with parchment paper in between the layers so they wouldn’t stick together. They turned out really good! Very rich in flavor and not very sweet, which I like 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!

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- Jessica | Desserts with Benefits — July 7, 2019 at 9:08 pm
  
  Omg YESSSS I’m so glad you liked the protein balls! I swear, I could eat these every single day for as long as I live <3
  
  Reply