Keto Protein Balls
This easy Keto Protein Balls recipe is made in just a few minutes with a few simple ingredients you already have on hand. These gluten-free cinnamon protein balls are an excellent dessert, snack, or grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings.
Hiya everyone! This is Lindsay again from over at That’s Low Carb and today we are bringing you a recipe for peanut butter protein balls I’ve been making these past couple of months for a quick on-the-go snack. They are full of healthy fat and perfect for a keto diet.
I have a hard time having enough time in the morning. I find myself running around the house every morning almost late for my spin class. Therefore a quick portable breakfast on the go is almost mandatory these days. These Cinnamon Protein Balls are perfect! They taste like cookie dough and mix up in minutes.
Ingredients Needed
If you make a lot of keto recipes you probably have all of these already!
Peanut Butter – You can opt for any nut butter you would like. Natural peanut butter is just what always have on hand in our home. Double-check that it’s keto peanut butter without added sugar. For a milder flavor to let the cinnamon really shine through sub in almond butter for the creamy peanut butter.
Almond Flour – We make our Keto Pancakes every single weekend so having almond flour stocked in the kitchen is a must.
Powdered Erythritol – You can completely omit this and replace it with additional almond flour if you wish. I like just a tad bit of sweetness myself. Using a powdered sweetener such as Swerve or Powdered Lakanto is best for this. Granular sweeteners can make the energy bites gritty.
Then just two spices – Cinnamon and Salt!
(Note: Scroll down to see the exact measurements you need for each ingredient)
How to Make Keto Protein Balls
Just a few ingredients whipped together and you’ll be traveling along on the go with a few perfect energy and protein-packed low carb protein balls aka cinnamon bites. They are no bake protein balls, don’t need a food processor, and also don’t need hard-to-find keto maple syrup like many other recipes.
Step One: Once you stir everything together in a large mixing bowl you want it to form the mixture a ball as you see below.
Step Two: After that, just form the dough into smaller balls. That’s it!
Variations & Flavors
The possibilities are endless with the simple combination of nut butter, almond flour, and sweetener. Want chocolate coconut protein balls? Mix in some cocoa powder and coconut. Apple spice balls? Mix in apple pie spice and maybe even a tiny bit of diced apple. Here are some of our favorite options:
Sugar Free Chocolate Protein Balls – replace a tablespoon of the almond flour with cocoa powder and/or mix in some sugar free chocolate chips to make chocolate peanut butter balls. And try my Chocolate Bliss Balls next.
Pumpkin Spice – replace the cinnamon with a pumpkin spice blend for a fall twist. Add in some vanilla extract to boost the flavor.
Protein Powder – for a bigger boost of protein add a sugar-free sweetened vanilla protein powder or chocolate protein powder in place of some of the sweetener. Or add whey protein powder in place of some of the almond flour. Whichever type of protein powder you add you just want to make sure the dough is moist enough to roll. An eggwhite based protein powder should also work.
Chocolate Chip – sugar free regular or mini chocolate chips are great in these. You can omit the cinnamon and add a dash of butter extract and vanilla extract for a cookie dough flavor.
Coconut & Nuts – mix in some shredded unsweetened coconut and chopped nuts to turn these into keto energy balls. Chia seeds are another great addition to protein bites.
Rolled Oats – If you are not on a ketogenic diet you can add gluten free oats to make peanut butter oatmeal balls. That variation for easy protein balls with oats is one of my kids favorite protein ball recipes.
Sunflower Seed Butter – for a nut-free option simply sub in sunflower seed butter and sunflower seed flour for the peanut butter and almond flour. Cashew butter can also work if you’d prefer to use that.
Bars – I’m not sure these would hold up if you try to make peanut butter protein bars. But my Keto Protein Bars are a great choice.
Tips
Now I find that the dough is just a tad soft if you use all-natural peanut butter. We use the peanut butter that has to be stirred every time to stir the oil back in. So depending on the type of peanut butter or nut butter you use you may have to chill the dough.
Allowing the dough to sit for 30 minutes I’ve found gives the almond flour enough time to ‘soak’ up the oils as well.
I’ve used almond butter before and it also worked wonderfully. If for any reason you find the dough to be too soft for your liking simply adding 2-3 Tablespoons of your favorite protein powder would be a lovely addition. Using peanut butter protein powder would really kick up the peanut flavor or choose a milder flavored vanilla whey protein or egg white protein powder.
And that is how this protein energy balls recipe has solved my hectic morning problem. One less thing to worry about and eating on the go. These are perfect for the morning and then I love to make a batch of our Low Carb Peanut Butter Balls or the Keto Peanut Butter Balls here at Joy Filled Eats for a nighttime treat. Welcome to an insight into my life. I love these types of recipes SO MUCH.
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Keto Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp powdered sweetener
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a big bowl mix together all ingredients together.
- Roll into 12 bite-sized balls. If the batter is too sticky to roll chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes and try again. Sprinkle with a little bit of additional cinnamon, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
For some other easy snack ideas check out these posts here at Joy Filled Eats:
Strawberry Almond Flour Muffins
Originally Published January 14, 2019. Revised and Republished February 10, 2023.
how long will these keep for in the refrigerator?
About a week. You can freeze them for longer storage. They thaw pretty quickly at room temp.
So simple easy and delicious!!! I didn’t end up using any sweetener and they are still so good. I also added a scoop of salted caramel protein and wow it’s 10/10
I used almond butter and it’s just a bowl of crumbs:( The flavor is amazing but the almond butter didn’t work to keep the mixture together to form dough balls
Sorry, this didn’t work with almond butter. Next time, try adding a bit of coconut oil to help make it moister so it holds together.
I just made it and it was a bit crumbly too however I added water to keep it together and I didn’t roll it, I sort of mold it into my hands using pressure
These protein balls look so quick and easy to make. Yummy
So very simple yet so very good. These are perfect when you just want a little something sweet that keeps you on plan.
These are so delicious! Love how easily adaptable they are too with other nut butters. I’ve even switched up flours a little too. Great snack!
It was so delicious! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
These are tasty as a mid-morning snacks! Great source of protein.
Such a delicious and easy recipe! I’m on diet and was looking for some sweets and this going to be my winner, for suuure! Thank you for sharing it!
I r just started exploring energy balls (keto) and these were fabulous! Thanks for the great recipe.