If you’re craving something sweet, these chewy oatmeal protein balls are decadent but guilt-free! They’re full of nutritious seeds, plant-protein and are naturally sweetened. The perfect on-the-go snack or healthier dessert made with only 6 ingredients!
Whenever I’m craving something sweet, these almond butter protein balls always satisfy! We’ve been making them a ton lately, and love to enjoy them as a snack, or healthier dessert.
The texture is chewy and soft, but also a little fudgy too (especially when chilled!).
They taste indulgent but are full of good-for-you ingredients such as seeds, oats, and protein-filled almond butter. They take only a few minutes to whip together and are the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Key Ingredients
One of my favorite things about this recipe is you only need 6 ingredients to make it! Each ingredient is nutritious and adds delicious flavor and texture. Below is the complete list of what you’ll need, plus some ingredient swaps if needed!
Oats: Oats add a little heartiness to these protein balls. I like to use sprouted gluten-free oats! Whether you use gluten-free or regular, I recommend whole rolled oats, not quick oats.
Almond butter: for protein and moisture, use creamy almond butter! If you’d like to use another nut butter, you can use cashew or peanut butter.
Maple syrup: for sweetness and moisture! I personally wouldn’t swap for honey or any other sweetener. Maple syrup has a perfect consistency needed to help these protein balls be chewy and moist!
Hemp seeds: for protein and nutrients!
Chia seeds: for a little bit more seeds! If you don’t have chia seeds, you can swap them for more hemp seeds.
Cinnamon: adds a warm spice and delicious flavor!
How to Make Oatmeal Protein Balls – Step by Step
-
1
add ingredients to food processor. First, add all of the ingredients to the food processor.
-
2
Pulse ingredients. Then, turn the food processor on and pulse until the oats are chopped small and the ingredients are mixed together.
-
3
Roll into balls and chill! Next, scoop about 2 Tablespoons of the mixture and squeeze it together and then roll it into a ball between your hands. Repeat until the mixture is used up. Arrange the balls in a container or on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and chill in the refrigerator for 30+ minutes or until firm in texture. Then enjoy!
How to Store Leftovers
What to store them in: These balls are best if kept chilled in the refrigerator in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Keeping them in an opened container could cause them to dry and not keep as long.
How long they keep: these protein balls will keep for about 10 days chilled in the refrigerator. If you’d like to freeze them, you can freeze them for up to one month!
Tips for Success
How to fix a dry/crumbly batter – If for some reason your protein ball mixture comes out crumbly and you are unable to form ball shapes, then mix in additional maple syrup until the mixture can hold. Test by pinching between fingers.
Make it gluten-free – Instead of old-fashioned oats, use gluten-free oats! I specifically love to use sprouted gluten-free oats. They taste the same as regular oats in this recipe, and no one will ever know they’re GF-friendly!
Additional nut butter you can use – substitute almond butter with peanut butter or cashew butter if preferred.
Make it nut free – If you have a nut allergy, you can make it nut free and use sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter!
If you don’t have a food processor – you’ll need a blender to chop the oats into small pieces. Then mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until combined using a rubber spatula – this might take a little bit more effort if your almond butter isn’t super creamy.
Other seeds you can use – instead of hemp or chia seeds you can also use flax, sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds! Most of these seeds are bigger in size, so they will need to be chopped into smaller pieces which is why a food processor would work best if using different seeds.
Other Oatmeal Recipes to Enjoy:
- Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Banana Pancakes
- Almond Butter Banana Oatmeal
- 6 Ingredient Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
- Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bowl
Chewy Oatmeal Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats (use gluten-free oats if needed)
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mix ingredients in a food processor: In a food processor pulse all of the ingredients together until combined. The mixture should be able to hold when squeezed together. Add additional maple syrup if more moisture is needed.
- Form into balls: Use a small cookie scoop to measure the mixture or make them about 2 Tablespoons in size. Squeeze the mixture together then use your hands to roll them into smooth balls. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or in an airtight container and refrigerate for 30+ minutes before enjoying.
- Keep the protein balls stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
These are SOOOOO GOOD! One of the best protein balls I’ve had.
Can you make these without a food processor or blender?
I’ve not tried without one, but if you use quick oats it should work! You might just need to add a little bit more almond butter to help hold it together.
What can you substitute hemp seeds with?
you could try sunflower seeds, more chia seeds, or flax seeds instead!
About how many would be one serving?
Hi Jasmine! The recipe makes about 9 (1.5 – 2 inch) protein balls – the calorie serving size is per protein ball. Hope that helps!
Made these TWICE! They’re soo good. Thanks for sharing!!