These yummy low-carb Peanut Butter Protein Balls are among my favorite healthy snacks! They are easy to make, no-bake, gluten-free, and will stay fresh in the fridge for days.
This was one of those recipes that I was dreaming about for awhile before I finally had a chance to bring it to life.
And once I did, it was even yummier than I thought it would be!
These peanut butter protein balls are one of my favorite healthy snacks. They are so delicious, so satisfying, and SO easy to make! You simply blend up the ingredients, roll out the dough balls, and let them set in the fridge. How great is that?
When you find yourself craving a little taste of something sweet, these peanut butter bites are absolutely perfect. Plus, they have a nice 7.6 grams of protein per serving!
How to make low-carb peanut butter protein balls
This recipe is so easy. If you have a blender, you will be done in 10 minutes. If you don’t have a blender, it may take you 12 minutes.
You can see how I do it in this short video, or follow the step-by-step instructions below:
Note: I have reduced the amount of protein powder I use slightly since I made this video. Please use the amount listed in the recipe description below.
Step 1: Mix together all ingredients except the raw peanuts in a bowl until smooth.
Step 2: Roll the dough into 1 or 1½ inch balls. You should end up with 15.
Step 3: Place the raw peanuts in a blender (I use my NutriBullet) and pulse several times until you have small pieces. If you don’t have a blender, you can chop them instead.
Step 4: Roll the balls in the peanut crumbles, then transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 5: Place in the refrigerator and let set for at least 20-30 minutes.
You’re only 5 easy steps away from these super tasty peanut butter protein bites!
Choosing the right ingredients
The two most important steps in this recipe actually happen before you start rolling the protein balls.
First, make sure you buy the right peanut butter. You want to choose a brand that’s as natural as possible. No added sugar, salt, or preservatives – just peanuts! You also want creamy peanut butter rather than chunky.
Second, buy the right protein powder. I like Met-RX Vanilla Protein, but any good brand will do as long as you like the taste. The vanilla in the protein powder adds sweetness and flavor to the protein balls, so it’s an important part of the recipe.
Working with the ingredients
I have a few tips and tricks to make sure this recipe is as easy as possible!
When it comes to your peanut butter, you want to mix it well before using it. Natural peanut butter separates, so the jar will often have more oil on top and more solids at the bottom. This can make the protein balls either too runny or too dry if you don’t mix it all up!
Then, when you’re ready to roll out the balls, you may find that the mix is too sticky to work with. If this is the case, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. It will be much easier to roll!
I do this sometimes, but I also live in Los Angeles in an apartment without air conditioning, so it gets HOT!
Finally, when you’re pulsing the raw peanuts in your blender, make sure not to overdo it! You want small crumbles, not peanut flour.
How many calories are in a protein ball?
That’s the first question most people ask when I describe this recipe, and I totally get it.
These peanut butter protein balls are low-carb but they are NOT low-calorie. Each protein ball has 126 calories, 7 g protein, 10 g fat, and less than 5 g carbs.
That may seem like a lot of calories for a relatively small snack, but it’s all healthy calories. And believe me, they are worth it to fit into your macros or your meal plan. I am always a very happy girl when I work these into my daily calorie limits because they taste SO GOOD!
Storage
You can store the peanut butter protein bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. They are so nice to have on-hand when you want something tasty!
To keep them for longer, you can store them in the freezer in a sealed container for up to 6 weeks.
More healthy high-protein snacks
There are so many tasty and healthy high-protein snacks to choose from here on Diabetes Strong. Here are three of my favorites that I know you’ll love:
For more tasty treats to satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt, check out my roundup of the best easy diabetic desserts!
When you’ve tried these bites, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked them and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy unsalted peanut butter
- 1½ scoop vanilla protein powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon Stevia
- 20 raw, unsalted peanuts
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients except the raw peanuts in a bowl until smooth.
- Roll the dough into 1 or 1½ inch balls. You should end up with 15.
- Place the raw peanuts in a blender (I use my NutriBullet) and pulse several times until you have small pieces. If you don't have a blender, you can chop them instead.
- Roll the balls in the peanut crumbles and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place in the refrigerator and let set for at least 20-30 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Info Per Serving
Photos and recipe testing by Megan from Skinnyfitalicious.com
Unfortunately, these didn’t work for me either. Mine never got firm enough to roll.
These will fulfill my desire for a Reese’s PB cup, far more protein. Easy to use with my small Pampered Chef melon ball scoop. I used chopped almonds instead of nuts.
Hi! These sound delicious! Just curious. We don’t have any stevia but we do have xylitol. Do you think it would work with that? What amount if so? Thanks!
I can’t digest Xylitol so I never work with that sweetener, but it should work
Please provide the standard measurement of 1 1/2 ‘scoop’.
For most whey protein powders one scoop is 30 g (~1 oz), so 1.5 scoop is 45 g / 1.6 oz
I am so glad I came across your site. I am 5.2, and 199 lbs. My blood sugar was 119 this morning so I’m really close to prediabetic. What should I start with? Worried and overweight!
Hi Andrea,
When it comes to pre-diabetes, you can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% by dropping your body weight by 7% or adding 30-min exercise 5 times a week (per ADA).
So if you do have weight to lose I’d start by focusing on your diet and moving more. A good way to gauge if you’re overeating is to track your meals and calorie drink for a few days. That will give you your baseline and tell you where you can potentially cut back.
If you do not need to lose weight I would focus on a combination of resistance training and cardio 5 times weekly
We made these for the first time yesterday and have already made a second batch. We only had choc flavored protein powder and they turned out great.
I used Shmuckers Natural Peant Butter Creamy. First batch had much more oil than the second batch causing it to be runny. I poured it in some ice cubes and sprinkled the nuts, refrigerated it and then we literally ate them out the tray with a spoon!
The second batch I made today with the same peanut butter straight out of the fridge. It was much thicker without all the oil (actually added a drizzle of olive oil) and I was able to roll them into balls. Just dabbed them in the peanuts though.
I still have some from both batches- Either way is great. My husband is thrilled!
Highly upset. Mine would not roll into a ball is was just smearing all over my hands, so all of those ingredients have gone to a waste now.
Hi Jaimie,
That’s annoying. Sounds like your protein powder might not be as absorbent as the one I use. Like different brands of flour, you’ll sometime need to add a little less/additional to get the right consistency. I always hold a little of the dry ingredients back and if that doesn’t give the right consistency I’ll add until it does.
Did you actually mean 1 1/4 cup of protein powder? I only get a crumbly mess. Or did you means the scooper that it comes with? They are very very different
We just tested it with 2 different protein powders. With the powder we normally use, the recipe worked great, but with the other, it became too crumbly, just like you said. We have adjusted the recipe to slightly lower the amount of protein powder so now it should work with any brand of protein powder. Thank you so much for letting us know!
I was wondering the same thing, so tried it with the scoop that came with the powder. That seemed to be the perfect amount for forming the balls.
Tip: If the mixture sticks to your hands, put a little bit of the protein powder on a plate and dust your hands with it before rolling the balls. Like using flour to shape pizza dough. It works well!
Christel do you have a recipe for savory protein bars? B6 the way i cant wait to try these. Im allergic to peanutbutter so i will try almond butter or cashewbutter.
I unfortunately don’t have a good savory protein bar recipe. I tried creating one last year but it didn’t turn out great.
Thank you so much for a great recipe. I made these yesterday and they were super easy and tasty.
You are welcome. I am glad you liked them 🙂