These easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter protein balls taste like a chocolate dessert but are made with just 5 wholesome ingredients.

Chocolate energy balls drizzled with peanut butter in a bowl, one with a bite taken out of it to show inside.

These easy chocolate protein balls are a must for road trips, school lunches or a sweet treat after meals.

You’ll need less than 10 minutes, minimal ingredients and they make a great option for a healthy snack to satisfy your sweet tooth. They have an addictive fudge-like texture that lands somewhere between cookie dough, truffles and brownies – yum.

For more energy bite recipes, you’ll have to try these 3-Ingredient Chocolate Date Balls, Lime Coconut Energy Bites, Banana Bread Bites or No-Bake Brownie Bites next.

For more more protein powder recipes, these 5-Ingredient Vegan Protein Brownies, Vegan Apple Oat Protein Muffins and Baked Berry Protein Oatmeal all make a delicious snack.

Recipe At-A-Glance

  • No-bake.
  • Easy to make in minutes.
  • 5 ingredients.
  • Customize with add-ins.
  • Can be nut-free.
  • Vegan.
  • Gluten-free.
  • Oil-free.
  • Taste like dessert!
  • Fudgy texture.
  • No added sugar (depending on protein used).
  • 82 calories with 4 grams per ball.

Ingredients

Protein powder, cocoa powder, dates, banana and peanut butter in a food processor. Each ingredient is labelled.
  • Dates: Any variety such as medjool dates or sayer dates work as long as they’re soft and moist, if not they’re dry, you’ll need to soak them before proceeding with the recipe.
  • Banana: Use a medium-sized ripe banana, a few brown spots is perfect!
  • Cocoa Powder: Regular cocoa powder works great or you can use raw cacao powder for extra nutrition.
  • Peanut Butter: Use natural peanut butter or substitute almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter.
  • Protein Powder: A pea protein-based powder, such as Vega or NuZest, works best here, chocolate or vanilla protein powder both work (most vegan proteins are pea protein-based).

This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.

Variations & Additions

This recipe is versatile and can easily be customized to your needs. Here are some ideas:

  • Add up to 1/2 cup chia seeds or hemp seeds for some healthy fats.
  • Add up to 1 cup old fashioned oats or quick oats.
  • Add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs.
  • Add 2 tbsp ground flax seeds for healthy fats.
  • For sweeter balls, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup.
  • Up to 1 tsp vanilla extract helps to enhance the flavour.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Add the dates and banana to a food processor and blend into a paste.

A date and banana mixture blended up in a food processor.

Step 2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until it forms one big ball. This should take about 20 seconds.

Chocolate dough in a food processor.

Step 3. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls. A small cookie scoop can help portion the dough. You should get about 20 balls depending on size.

Rolling chocolate dough into balls.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use almond butter instead of peanut butter?

For sure! You can use any nut or seed butter as long as it’s not too dry.

How do you store protein balls?

You can store protein balls for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in a container or freezer bag. If you’re freezing them, consider freezing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper before transferring to a container or bag or freeze with parchment paper between layers.

Do you have to store protein balls in the fridge?

No. They’ll get a bit soft at room temperature but if you need to have them out of the fridge for the day, totally fine. Keep them cool if possible.

Can I make these without a food processor?

If you don’t have a food processor or blender, soak the dates for 15 minutes in hot water then drain well. Mash them into a paste with a fork then add the banana and mash both to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well until you have a uniform dough you can roll into balls.

They’re definitely easiest to make with a food processor though!

5 chocolate energy balls drizzled with peanut butter on a small plate.

Notes & Tips

  • If your dates are on the dry side, soak them in hot water in a bowl for 15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe.
  • These can be made nut-free by using sunflower seed butter or tahini.
  • For best results, use a kitchen scale for measuring ingredients.
  • For more peanut butter flavour and extra protein, use 1/4 cup each powdered peanut butter and cocoa powder instead of 1/2 cup cocoa powder.
  • For an extra treat, add up to 1/2 cup of chocolate chips after step 2 and pulse a few times to combine.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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A chocolate protein a ball with a bite taken out of it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 mins
  • Yield: 20
  • Category: Snack
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Blend up these chocolate peanut butter protein balls in minutes for a yummy no-bake snack that tastes like dessert!


Ingredients

  • 1 cup (280 g) very tightly packed, soft pitted dates
  • 1 cup (210 g) ripe, lightly spotted banana (about 2 small or 1 large)
  • 1/2 cup (50 g) cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 servings (60 g) vegan vanilla or chocolate protein powder

Instructions

  1. Add the dates and banana to a food processor and blend into a paste.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until it forms one large balls.
  3. Use your hands to roll the dough into 20 balls.

Notes

It’s important to use soft, moist dates in this recipe. If your dates are overly dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes then drain well before before use.

Alternative: For more protein and peanut butter flavour, use 1/4 cup each powdered peanut butter and cocoa powder instead of 1/2 cup of cocoa powder.

Addition: For an extra treat, add up to 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips or melt chocolate and roll the balls for a chocolate coating.

Nut-Free Option: Use sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of peanut butter. You can also use almond butter or cashew butter.

Storage: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 2 months.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ball
  • Calories: 82
  • Sugar: 10 g
  • Sodium: 82 mg
  • Fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 15 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 4 g

This recipe was originally published on July 28, 2016.