Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

If you crave the taste of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, then these Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls are exactly what you need without added sugar or processed ingredients. These chocolate protein balls have simple ingredients, including Medjool dates, chia seeds, peanut butter, and cacao powder. You can make these ahead of time for a healthy snack all week!

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Energy balls are in constant rotation in my house. These no-bake snacks use simple pantry ingredients, easy to throw together, and are full of protein. Not to mention will curb a serious sweet tooth craving without the refined sugar and processed ingredients.

Our favorites include almond butter energy balls, pumpkin energy bites, turtle energy balls, almond joy energy balls, and these amazing chocolate peanut butter protein balls.

Jump to:

• Reasons you’ll love this recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
• Tools to make this recipe
• Cooking tips
• Substitutions & Swaps
• Storage Tips
• FAQs
• Other Protein Ball Recipes
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
• Have you made this recipe?

Reasons you’ll love this recipe

• No cooking is involved! These chocolate protein balls come together quickly, and you don’t need to heat the house by turning on the oven.
• Pantry ingredients. You likely have everything in your kitchen to make these chocolate peanut butter protein balls.
• Healthy. Gluten-free, vegan, high-protein, and filling! It’s like dessert without guilt! I make these to enjoy between meals, but my kids also love them in their lunches or before practice.
• Make-ahead. You can make a batch or double or triple batch for the week and freeze it for healthy snacks all month.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need to make a batch of these chocolate protein balls. See the recipe card for the full instructions. Shop my energy bites list on Thrive Market for all of these ingredients.

• Medjool Dates. Dates give these chocolate protein balls sweetened without refined sugar. You need to soften the dates by soaking them for 10 minutes. Also, check for and remove the pit before adding it to the food processor. You can find Medjool dates in the grocery store either in the bulk section or with the other dried fruit. Or order online from Thrive Market or Amazon.
• Creamy natural peanut butter. For best results, use peanut butter that’s organic and natural; this means it only has one ingredient – peanuts.
• Cacao powder. For a rich chocolate flavor, cacao powder will do the trick. Cacao powder is less processed than cocoa powder, so It’s a touch more bitter than cocoa powder, but it provides fiber, flavonoids, and potassium. However, the dates mask any bitter flavor the cacao powder offers. You can find cacao powder alongside other superfoods or in the baking section of the grocery store.
• Chia seeds. These add fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
• Peanuts. Speckles of peanuts add color, flavor, and crunch to the chocolate energy balls.
• Pure vanilla extract. A teaspoon of vanilla extract adds another warm sweetness to the energy bites.
• Salt. A small pinch of salt brings the flavor together.
• Water. A small amount of water combines the ingredients into a thick batter that you can form into balls.

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

• Start by soaking the dates in warm tap water for 10 minutes and then drain. Dates have a tough texture out of the package, making it challenging to blend into the energy ball batter if they are softened in the water ahead of time.
• After you soften the dates, place them into a food processor using a steel blade with the peanut butter, cacao powder, peanuts, chia seeds, vanilla, and salt.
• Pulse until all of the ingredients are blended and form a thick dough.

• If the dough doesn’t come together, add one tablespoon of water. Once the dough holds together and you can form a ball, it’s ready.
• Carefully remove the blade and either roll the energy balls or place the dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for a few hours. This helps the dough stiffen and roll easier into balls.
• Roll the dough into 12-15 balls and place into a glass container – I use a small cookie scoop which is about 1-2 tablespoons of dough per ball. After you roll the protein balls, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
• Let the protein balls set for about 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This gives the bites time to firm up and blend flavors. 

Tools to make this recipe

• Food processor
• Mixing bowl
• Glass containers

Cooking tips

• Use a high-speed blender if you don’t have a processor. 
• This chocolate protein ball dough resembles the consistency of a Lara Bar. That’s because it is a homemade Lara Bar. So if you want to make these into bars, you can lay parchment paper into a pan and press the dough out. Allow it time to chill in the refrigerator, then cut it into bars.
• Depending on the chocolate peanut protein balls size, you’ll get between 12- 15 balls. You can get about 20 balls if you make them small.
• If the brand of peanut butter is runny then start with half the amount of peanut butter and add in a little at a time until the dough comes together. 
• If the dough is dry and crumbly, add one tablespoon of water into the food processor until the dough ingredients come together.
• If the dough is runny, add a few more dates or nuts until the dough thickens. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of oats, hemp hearts or ground flax seeds to make the dough thicker, and I recommend starting with the extra dates or nuts.
• If the dough is soft and hard to roll into balls (but not runny), let it sit for a few hours in the fridge – this gives the chia seeds time to soak up some of the liquid.

Substitutions & Swaps

• Use almond butter, nut butter, or seed butter instead of peanut butter. 
• Use almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, or any of your favorite nuts instead of peanuts.
• Add coconut flakes for flavor.
• Add in milk or dark chocolate chips or cacao chips for more of a sweet treat!
• If you need additional sweetness stir in a tablespoon or so of honey or pure maple syrup.
• Add superfoods like collagen, protein powder, hemp seed or hearts, flaxseeds, or your favorite superfood. Start with 1-2 tablespoons. 

Storage Tips

These chocolate peanut butter protein balls are perfect for meal prep. Here are my tips for making these chocolate energy bites for the week or freezer for healthy snacks all month.

For the week. After you roll them into balls, place them into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

For the freezer. After you roll the energy balls, place them into a freezer bag and lay them flat until frozen. After the chocolate energy balls are frozen, place the bag wherever you want in the freezer. These chocolate date energy balls thaw quickly. Take one out of the freezer and set it on the counter for about 20 minutes or throw it into a lunch bag for snacks later.

FAQs

Other Protein Ball Recipes

• Cranberry Energy Balls
• Blueberry Banana Energy Balls
• Banana Chocolate Energy Balls
• Chocolate Mint Cookie Protein Balls
• Chocolate Cherry Protein Balls

See all of my healthy snack recipes.

Have you made this recipe?

Have you tried this Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture in the OYS Facebook Group and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!