I don’t know about you, but I love healthy snacks to fix my sweet cravings, and what I love are small bite-size snacks. Often, my gluten-free protein bars are too big for a snack and my cookie dough protein balls too high in calories on rest days. I never run out of ideas and here are my favorite protein balls flavors: pumpkin protein balls perfect for fall, vegan protein balls, or coconut chocolate protein balls.
Ingredients For Low-Calorie Protein Balls
If you are after an easy protein ball recipe with just five ingredients, this is the recipe you need. It focused on the basic wholesome ingredients you need in energy balls without adding the ones that increase calories.
Quick Oats – You can also use rolled oats, but I found the texture of the protein balls very crumbly and dry using old-fashioned oats. Feel free to use gluten-free certified oats if you need them. Peanut Butter, cashew butter, or almond butter – I prefer using a small amount of natural peanut butter rather than powdered peanut butter, making the protein balls too watery. Plus, peanut butter adds proteins as well. You can also make nut-free protein balls using sunflower seed butter, as seen in my nut-free energy ball recipe. Vanilla Protein Powder – You can use any vegan protein powder you love, Chocolate-flavored plant-based protein powder is a great idea to make chocolate protein balls. I do love peanut butter protein powder to make peanut butter protein balls. Maple Syrup – You can also use other liquid sweeteners, like coconut nectar or agave syrup. Unsweetened Almond Milk – or any plant-based milk you enjoy. This ingredient is used to stick all the ingredients together, it hydrates the protein powder and sticks with the peanut butter, and oats.
How To Make Low Calories Protein Balls
These balls are really easy to make. Here’s how.
Low Calories Add-Ons
The best to keep the protein balls low in kilocalories is to limit add-on or use only 1/4 cup focusing on low-fat ingredients. Avoid nuts or chocolate chips and try these instead:
Freeze-dried fruits like strawberries or raspberries Dried apricots Dried raisins or cranberries
I tend to prefer the sweetness of the Vegan Protein Balls or Banana Protein Balls, but these low-calorie alternatives are a great solution to the days I have a big breakfast after a workout and still want to take some protein balls!
