No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls (Meal Prep Snack)

These soft, fudgy 5-ingredient no-bake peanut butter balls are ready in record time! And they only contain healthy, easy-to-find ingredients. Plus, they are gluten-free, vegan, and packed with plant-based protein. The perfect healthy snack to give you a kick of energy in the middle of the day!

Love this recipe? Check out these 25 Peanut Butter Snacks Every PB Lover Must Try

Table of contents

I discovered no-bake energy bites only a few years ago, and I’ve been in love with them ever since!

These no-bake peanut butter balls are incredibly easy and contain only 5 simple ingredients. And you don’t even need to turn the oven on to make them!

Plus, they are filled with creamy peanut butter and chocolate. I don’t know about you, but it’s my idea of heaven!

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And I simply LOVE that you can make a big batch ahead of time and have them ready whenever you feel the urge to eat something sweet.

I mix these on rotation with my granola balls, coconut date bars, and granola bars.

Ingredients you’ll need

So, what’s in these vegan energy balls?

• Peanut butter: Of course! Here I used smooth unsalted peanut butter, but you can also use crunchy peanut butter if you like. But no matter what kind of peanut butter you use, make sure it’s made with 100% peanuts and no added oil.
• Peanuts: Roasted unsalted peanuts give an extra depth of nutty flavor to these energy bites. Plus, a bit of extra needed crunch!
• Dates: Dates give these no-bake peanut butter balls a natural caramel-like sweetness. Use Medjool dates for extra softness.
• Rolled oats: For an extra boost in protein and fiber. Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if needed.
• Cocoa powder: To give our energy balls their extra decadent chocolate flavor!

How to make no-bake peanut butter balls

1. If your dates have pits, open the dates in half and remove the pits.
2. Place the dates, oats, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and roasted peanuts in a food processor, and pulse until it’s fully mixed. If the mix is a bit dry, you can add a couple of tablespoons of water to make it a bit stickier.

3. Divide the mixture into 16 equal parts and use your hands to roll them into 1-inch balls.

4. Place the rolled balls into the fridge to firm up for about 15-30 minutes. Or, if you are as impatient as I am, you can just eat them immediately!

How to store

These healthy chocolate peanut butter balls are perfect if you are a fan of meal prep!

They store well for a week in the fridge in an airtight container and are perfect to be made ahead of time. They also freeze well for up to 2 months.

Thaw overnight in the fridge before eating them. Ideal for travel, work snack, hikes, school (kids LOVE them!), or road trips!

Handy Tips for Making No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls

• If there aren’t chocolate lovers in your house (really?!), you can just omit the cocoa powder from the ingredients. Your peanut butter energy bites will still be delicious.
• If your dates are a bit dry, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Or, if you are in a hurry, just add a couple of tablespoons of water when you are processing.
• Keep them resting: by leaving your energy bites in the fridge for a few hours, the ingredients will stick together, and the flavors will blend to reach complete awesomeness!
• If you have it, you can also use oat flour instead of rolled oats for a smoother texture.
• You can use any kind of nut butter in this recipe: almond butter, cashew butter, or hazelnut butter…Just make sure your nut butter doesn’t contain anything else but nuts (no added oil or salt).
• Same for dry nuts: you can substitute peanuts with almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts…anything you like! Or also add some extra chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks for texture.

Why I love these no-bake peanut butter balls

• Insanely easy to make and ready in 10 minutes!
• Made with just 5 simple cheap ingredients that you won’t struggle to find in your food cupboard.
• Full of proteins and healthy fats.
• Peanut buttery and chocolaty, with a slight crunch.
• Made with only whole, healthy ingredients and naturally sweetened.
• Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free.
• Perfect as your go-to everyday healthy snack!

More healthy snack ideas you’ll love

Here are some more wholesome snacks you can try:

• No-Bake Granola Balls
• Vegan Granola Bars
• Homemade Nutella Recipe
• Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies (No Sugar)
• Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates
• Frozen Chocolate Bananas

And for more healthy recipes, check out these healthy snack ideas.

If you try this no-bake peanut butter balls recipe, please leave a comment and a rating and let me know how much you liked it!

4.80 from 5 votes

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls (Meal Prep)

Insanely easy to make and delicious: with 5 simple ingredients these no-bake peanut butter balls are ready in record time, and are incredibly healthy! (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Protein-Packed)

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 95kcal

Author: Sara Trezzi

Ingredients

USMetric

• 4 tablespoons peanut butter - (see note 3)
• 1 cup Medjool dates - pitted
• 3/4 cup roasted peanuts - (see note 4)
• 1/3 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Add the pitted dates, oats, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and peanuts to a food processor and pulse until mixed. If the mix is a bit dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water to make it a bit stickier.
• Divide the mix into 16 equal parts and use your hands to roll into 1-inch balls.
• Place the rolled balls into the fridge to firm up for about 15-30 minutes.
• Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze them for up to 2 months if you want to store them for longer.

Notes

Note 1: If you don’t like chocolate (really?!), you can just omit it from the ingredients.

Note 2: If your dates are a bit dry, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Or, if you are in a hurry, just add a couple of tablespoons of water when you are processing.

Note 3: You can use any nut butter in this recipe: almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter…just make sure your nut butter doesn’t contain anything else but nuts (no added oil or salt).

Note 4: You can substitute peanuts with almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts…anything you like! Or add some extra chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks for texture.

 

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate per servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Sugar: 6g