These Cookie Dough Protein Balls are easy no-bake healthy snacks packed with plant-based proteins from nut butter and protein powder. Plus, these are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
Cookie dough protein balls are no-bake high-protein snacks similar to peanut butter oatmeal energy bites recipes but packed with protein powder and a smooth texture filled with crunchy chocolate chips.
They taste like no-bake cookie dough but are healthier, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Peanut Butter – Use natural peanut butter with no added oil or added sugar.
- Maple Syrup – Or any refined sugar-free liquid sweeteners you love like agave syrup, coconut nectar.
- Oat Flour – It is packed with proteins, more than almond flour or coconut flour. If you like low-carb flour, use 1/2 cup of almond flour and one tablespoon of coconut flour instead of oat flour. But you will have fewer proteins per serving.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
- Almond Milk or oat milk or any plant-based milk your like.
- Plant-Based Vanilla Protein Powder – pick your favorite protein powder. I’ve tried this recipe with pea protein powder and peanut protein powder.
- Mini Chocolate Chips or regular. Pick the flavor of chips you love. I prefer the dark chocolate ones.
How To Make Cookie Dough Protein Balls
It’s very easy to make no-bake cookie dough balls with protein powder. You don’t need a food processor or fancy kitchen tools, just simple ingredients that are protein-packed.
- First, in a large bowl, add fresh drippy peanut butter. If your peanut butter is hard at room temperature, microwave it for 20 seconds in a microwave-safe bowl.
- This softens the peanut butter and makes combining it with the dry ingredients easier.
- Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and milk. Stir until the liquid ingredients are smooth and well combined.
- Fold in all the dry ingredients together: protein powder, salt, and oat flour.
- Stir until the dough starts to be very dry and difficult to stir. Now, fold in the chocolate chips and use your hands to knead the dough and bring the ingredients together.
- If too dry, add a bit more almond milk, 1 or 2 teaspoons at a time, you don’t want wet cookie dough, or it will be hard to bring together into balls.
- Use a small cookie dough scoop to take out some dough from the ball. Roll it between your hands to form balls.
- Place the formed protein balls onto a plate covered with parchment paper.
- Repeat this step until you have formed 16 protein balls.
Increasing The Protein
You will probably think that 5.5 grams of protein per ball is low. However, these are small protein snacks not intended to be as high in protein as my cookie dough protein bars or homemade perfect bars.
If you want to increase the protein content of these vegan cookie dough protein balls, stir in 1.3 cups of hemp heart. These are very high plant-based protein sources that add healthy fats and crunch to the recipe. It tastes just like cookie dough filled with seeds.
Storage Instructions
Store the chocolate chip cookie dough protein balls in an airtight container in the fridge. They last up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or you can freeze this protein snack for later in freezer bags. Keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge, on a plate the day before serving.
Allergy Swaps
If you have food allergies, I listed some options to adapt this recipe below.
- Gluten-Free – Pick gluten-free oats and pulse them into oat flour following my tutorial on how to make oat flour.
- Nut-Free – Use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. Then, use oat or soy milk and a nut-free protein powder like pea, hemp, or soy powder.
- Peanut-Free – You can use other nut butter like salmon butter – it’s even higher in protein – or cashew butter.
- Sugar-Free – Use your favorite sugar-free syrup and sugar-free chocolate chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are my answers to your most common questions about protein balls.
The number of protein balls depends on the activity level of your day and your hunger.
Generally, we need 15 to 30 grams of protein to feel full, depending on age, gender, and size.
It means you can have one protein ball as a small snack and a protein shake on the side.
Otherwise, you can have two or three protein balls after a high-intensity workout to refuel on healthy fats and proteins.
Protein balls are smaller than protein bars, perfect as a smaller protein snack post-workout or a small healthy dessert to fix sweet cravings with nutrients.
The cookie dough can be a bit sticky. It’s, therefore, preferable to oil your hands lightly with coconut oil to roll the dough.
It lasts up to 7 days in the fridge, in an airtight container, or for up to 1 month in the freezer.
More Protein Breakfast Recipes
Here are some more high-protein breakfast or snack recipes to inspire you.
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Cookie Dough Protein Balls
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Peanut Butter
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
- ½ cup Oat Flour
- ½ cup Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Soy Milk
- ⅓ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and almond milk.
- Stir until the liquid ingredients are smooth and well combined.
- Stir in the remaining dry ingredients: oat flour, salt, and protein powder.
- Stir with a rubber spatula. When it starts to be dry and difficult to stir, fold in chocolate chips, and use your hand to squeeze the dough and bring the ingredients together into a cookie dough.
- If too dry, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk or more until the dough is smooth, soft, and sticks together but not to your finger. If it does, it's too wet. If too wet, adding more protein powder or oat flour will absorb the moisture.
- Roll into 16 cookie dough balls using a small cookie dough scoop and place them on a plate covered with parchment paper.
Storage
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge the day before eating.
I have allergens and was wondering if I can make these swaps?
oat flour for chickPea flour?
Peanut for cashew butter?
Cashew milk for soy milk?
Cashew butter and cashew milk are fine, I’ve already tried. I haven’t tried chickpea flour in this but I think it should be fine!
Omg I’m addicted to these. They are AMAZING!!