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These Reese’s Protein Balls are gluten free, lower sugar, higher in protein, and can easily be made vegan. These no-bake protein balls are made with only three main ingredients, with a chewy soft center and dipped in chocolate for extra goodness. No fancy ingredients or complicated steps – just simple, mouthwatering snacks ready to go in no time!
I think you guys know by now that chocolate peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations. And honestly, who doesn’t love it? Through the years I’ve shared SO many chocolate peanut butter inspired recipes on the blog like my Reese’s Blizzard Ninja Creami, Healthy Reese’s Protein Shake, Peanut Butter Cup Baked Oatmeal, Healthy Valentine’s Day Protein Reese’s… just to name a few 
. They’re all high on my favorites list but THESE protein balls are taking one of the top spots at the moment. I just can’t get enough and have been loving making a batch to have in my fridge for the week. But let’s be real, one batch doesn’t normally make it through the entire week!
This is a really great alternative to a traditional Reese’s because it has the peanut butter flavor but there’s not a lot of added sugar because it’s sweetened with applesauce! To keep these lower sugar, you can use dark chocolate or sugar-free chocolate chips – I’ve shared some of my go-to’s option below.
Why You’ll Love These
- Perfect for meal prep – You can make a big batch of these, store them in the fridge, and have a healthy snack ready to go all week long. They’re perfect for when you need something quick but don’t want to sacrifice flavor or nutrition.
- Balanced bites – In these balls, we have a balance of healthy fats, carbs, and protein to make them a blood sugar supportive snack.
- Familiar favorite – The chocolate and peanut butter combo is an all-time favorite, and with these protein balls, you get the same flavor, but with an added nutritional boost.
- Dietary friendly – These are gluten free, high protein, low carb, low sugar, and can be made dairy free with a simple swap listed below!
What You’ll Need
For the Protein Balls
- Powdered peanut butter – I choose organic and prefer this PB powder because it’s sweetened with coconut sugar or organic sugar and doesn’t have any other additives.
- Applesauce – Make sure it’s unsweetened and there’s no added sugars or spices! This is to help give it a natural sweetness and sometimes I leave out the honey and this is sweet enough on it’s own.
- Honey – You can use any liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, etc.) and adjust the sweetness as needed.
- Sea salt
For the Chocolate Coating
- Chocolate chips – To keep these dairy free, I love Hu Gems but any chocolate chips will work!
- Coconut oil
How To Make
- In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except for chocolate chips and coconut oil. Mix until a thick dough forms.
- Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls, about one tablespoon, and place on the sheet. You should be able to make ten to sixteen balls. (Tip: Make sure the baking sheet or plate you use can fit in the fridge before starting!)
- Make the chocolate coating by combining chocolate chips and coconut oil in a bowl. Microwave for thirty seconds, stir, and repeat until smooth.
- Dip each protein ball into the melted chocolate, making sure to cover completely. (Tip: I like to use a fork to help cover each in chocolate.)
- Set in the fridge for at least ten minutes or until the chocolate coating is fully set. Enjoy!
Recommended Tools
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Glass mixing bowls
- Silicone spatula
- Stainless steel measuring cups and spoons
- Glass food storage container – Store these in the fridge for up to a week or longer in the freezer!
More Popular Protein Recipes
Double Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Bites (Gluten Free, High Protein)
Two Minute Protein Brownie (Gluten Free, Single-Serve)
No Bake Healthier Snickers Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan, High Protein)
Reese’s Protein Balls (Gluten Free, Low Sugar)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup peanut butter powder
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tbsp honey (optional)
Chocolate Coating
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a plate with parchment paper, making sure it can fit in the fridge.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips and coconut oil until a thick dough forms.
- Roll the dough into 16 balls.
- Make the chocolate coating by combining chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave for 30sec, stir, and repeat until smooth.
- Dip each ball into the melted chocolate.
- Place in the fridge for 10 min until hardened.
- Store in the fridge and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest!
I love these little balls of peanut butter goodness! Making my second batch, now
Yay Lori! So happy you love them and hope you keep making more
Glad you liked these Sara!
How much protein is in each ball? Thank you!
Hi Michelle! It depends on what powdered peanut butter you use, but you can always add the information for your ingredients to an online nutrition calculator or app for an estimate
Can you substitute creamy peanut butter for powder?
Hi Diana! I don’t think so because that’s the only dry ingredient that holds everything together and form the dough texture needed to make the balls. Hope that makes sense!
Very tasty. I used honey but can see that it might not be needed. I found the dough to be very sticky and found it hard to roll nice balls (it kept sticking to my hands). Did you grease your hands?
Hi Karol! The honey is optional for people who might want more sweetness but you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. To keep the dough from sticking, wet your fingers a little first – that usually helps me!
Would you know the calorie count and nutritional values?
Hi Mary! I don’t include nutrition information on recipes but the online nutrition calculator or apps have great estimates and you can enter the specific products/ingredients you use
I have to say, these were quite tasty. But like a comment above, they were very sticky. I put them in the fridge for an hour before coating them in chocolate hoping they would get a little more solid. Unfortunately, they were still super sticky and stuck to the parchment paper. So even though they were nowhere near looking like a ball, they still tasted yummy and I will make again. My family also liked how “gooey” they are inside the chocolate shell. I think I will modify the amount of PB powder next time and see if more will help the consistency. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Hi Lori! Thank you so much for sharing this and I hope they turn out better next time for you. It looks like the consistency of powdered peanut butter varies so that might be why you might need to add more for a less sticky consistency.
They taste great! I was disappointed in the quantity and size, though. Recipe said a tablespoon each and would make 16 balls. I did maybe 1/2 tablespoon each and the mixture only made 10 balls.
Hi Terri! I’m glad you liked these, you can always double the recipe to make more or bigger bites