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Peanut Butter Chia Balls

These vegan peanut butter cherry chia balls are the perfect, kid-friendly on the go snack! Full of flavor, fiber and a hint of sweetness, these peanut butter protein balls are nutritious, easy and delicious!  

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I don’t think I need to tell you about my love for snacks. These chia peanut butter balls are our new favorite!

The kids love them, they’re ready in minutes, and easy to throw together – all of my favorite things. Plus, chia seeds for kids are full of so many necessary nutrients!

These energy bites with chia seeds continue to be one of my favorite snack recipes. I made a bunch this weekend as part of my favorite easy toddler snacks but it’s safe to say I munched on most of these. 

Plus, these easy peanut butter seed balls just got a new upgrade for food photos, and they look so much more delicious now!

They are the perfect balance of delicious and they make healthy no bake treats look really easy. 

Vegan energy bites with oats, peanut butter and dried cherries | Bucket List Tummy

Why You’ll Love Peanut Butter Chia Balls

  • Full of nutrient-dense ingredients – oats, nut butter, chia seeds, flaxseeds and more.
  • Ready in minutes – Who doesn’t love a good, quick no-bake recipe?
  • Easy to throw in kids’ lunches – If you struggle with packing a lunch for school, these peanut butter chia balls are a great addition! If you are in a nut-free school, you can use soy butter or sunflower seed butter.
  • Versatile and flexible – If you don’t have an ingredient or want to substitute it out, easy enough! You can use honey or maple syrup as your sweetener, and sub out the nut butter. You can leave out the dried cherries, or use raisins or another dried fruit instead.
  • Vegan and gluten free – If you make the recipe as it is, it is vegan and gluten-free, and a great plant-based protein source. Make sure to use certified gluten free oats!
  • Easy to freeze for later – Part of me thinks I should keep making things in bulk to freeze for when baby gets here (like my freezer friendly meals), but the other part of me knows that snacks like this don’t last for long around our house.
  • Great post workout snack – Protein, carbs and antioxidants for after your workout. Here are more benefits of chia seeds for runners.

It’s the same with my almond flour muffins and sweet potato bread recipe (with chocolate chips) – just can’t get them to last very long!

But, at least I know these chia peanut butter balls are being enjoyed.

Spoonful of peanut butter with no bake peanut butter chia seed balls

Ingredients For Chia Peanut Butter Balls

To make these vegan, gluten free energy balls, you just need a handful of ingredients, which I get from my monthly Thrive Market haul.

Ingredient Variations

  • If you don’t have hemp, chia or flax seeds, you can leave them out or swap with adding extra of one of them. They don’t really change the taste, but add some texture and a ton of omega 3‘s + nutrition!
  • Substitute peanut butter with almond butter, soy butter, or even sunflower butter.
  • Try raisins or other dried fruit instead of the tart cherries
  • If you suffer from FODMAP intolerance, dates can be problematic as a source of fructans and can lead to runners stomach symptoms, so it’s nice to know these are no date energy balls!
Bowl of healthy chia peanut butter balls next to napkin

Let’s talk about the dried cherries – they are fantastic. I always have some dried fruit on hand for long runs (instant glucose).

Plus, cherries (specifically, tart cherries and tart cherry juice) can be great for reducing inflammation.

I’ll also add them to these chocolate cherry muffins and trail mix for kids. And even these tart cherry gummies for lasting recovery.

How To Make Chia Seed Protein Balls

To get started, you will need a food processor for this recipe because it does all the work for you.

To make, you’ll just mix all of the ingredients together, pulse for a few minutes and you’re done! 

Food processor with ingredients for peanut butter chia seed balls

These flaxseed protein balls are perfect for quick, on-the-go snack ideas. Or, a fun accompaniment to your salad, oatmeal or yogurt.

They also pose as ideal pre- and post-workout snacks for athletes.

They check ALL of the boxes – carbs, protein and fats.

Finally, just make sure to allow these guys to sit in the fridge to firm them up a bit, but they can be ready in under an hour!

food processor with mixture for chia peanut butter balls

If the mix seems too dry, you can add more honey or maple syrup if needed.

If you don’t have dried cherries, you could also substitute craisins or dried blueberries as well. These really taste like little peanut butter and jelly energy bites.

FAQ

Can you freeze peanut butter chia balls?

Yes, these chia seed energy bites are great for the freezer. After you roll them into ball shape, keep them in a freezer-friendly bag or stasher bag for up to 3 months.

Why are my protein balls so sticky?

If your chia protein balls are too sticky, you may have too much nut butter and/or maple syrup or honey. To fix, you can add more oats, oat flour, or even add a protein powder as well.

How much protein is in these flaxseed protein balls?

Each bite provides about 5 grams of protein. To increase the protein, add your favorite protein powder or even protein oats.

No Bake Cherry Energy Bites on cooling sheet | Bucket List Tummy

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Yield: 10

Peanut Butter Chia Balls

Spoonful of peanut butter with no bake energy bites

These vegan peanut butter chia balls are the perfect, kid-friendly on the go snack! Full of flavor, fiber and a hint of sweetness, these peanut butter protein balls are nutritious, easy and delicious!  

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Stir all ingredients, except the dried cherries, in a medium bowl or pulse in a food processor on low.
  2. Transfer mixture to a small to medium bowl, adding cherries in last.
  3. Cover and let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes to make the mixture easier to hold and handle.
  4. Form into 1” balls. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to a week.

Notes

- you may need to add extra honey or maple syrup if the mix seems too dry.

- If you want to up the protein, use protein oats or add a protein powder.

- If the mixture seems too sticky, you may need to add more dry ingredients or reduce the nut butter/maple syrup.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 156Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 22mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 5g

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  1. Could you not refrigerate these? I’m wondering if I could make a batch to send with my daughter on a trip. How long do you think they’d last unrefrigerated?

    1. Hi Dana! I would recommend at least refrigerating them initially to help them harden and mold, but after that, they would probably last a couple days if not refrigerated.

  2. These look so tasty!! Love the addition of the cherries, you’re right, it must really add a nice sweet and tart touch.
    These type of energy Bites are my favorite! they are always sso easy to make and always taste sooooo delicious.

  3. I love dried cherries! They probably are my favorite dried fruit other than apricots.
    Sunflower seeds are so good on salads with some cottage cheese.
    I agree every lunch box needs one of these.

  4. These sound amazing! We love energy bites and make a bunch of different kinds but I haven’t tried a cherry-flavored one yet. That will be changing soon! Love, too, that they are naturally sweetened and so packed with goodness! Yummed and pinned!

  5. These look so good! Dates are probably my favourite dried fruit, however, once I managed to find these organic flattened pieces of dried banana and they were HEAVENLY. I just haven’t been able to find them recently!

  6. omg YES, the food processor is a life saver. i dont know how i got on without one before.
    and my boyfriend is the sameeee. i have a little corner in our pantry that i camouflage with boring things, such as chia seeds and orzo. hahaha. it never fails ๐Ÿ˜‰

  7. Oooh. These look really good. At first I thought we were twinning – I created a new no-bake recipe using peanuts ans cranberries yesterday – but cherries might be even better. Sssh, don’t tell the cranberries ;).
    I like topping my savoury oatmeal with a mix of all kinds of seeds because it adds crunch and is just so good.

  8. These look great! I have been lovinggg cherries lately ๐Ÿ™‚ Fav dried fruit is mango and dates!! Dried mango makes for the perfect snack.

  9. No food processor for me. Which continually makes me so sad, so it’s definitely on my things to buy list. But, think I could press these into an 8×8 & cut them into bars? After I mixed everything together in a big bowl? Even if you say no, I’ll probably try it anyways. I love that dried cherries are a little tart!

  10. Oh my gosh I am obsessed with cherries at the moment so this is so right up my alley! I make little bites like this weekly for snacks and pre-workout meals, but I am always looking for new combinations! ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Yesss what an easy, perfect way to get those extra nutrients in from my favorite super foods. I’m needing some new, healthy snackage so these will be great.
    Favourite seed is definitely sunflower and now hemp.

    1. Cora! I’ve been trying to comment on your post all day but I don’t think it’s going through?!! (If so, sorry you have a bajilion things!) I have pasted my comment to YOUR post here, because your post obviously got me all sorts of excited:

      I love bucket lists!!! Aren’t they so fun? I bet you could master the chick pea flour flatbread, especially since I’m such a fan of your sweet potato flatbread/pizza. That homemade sushi bowl sounds wonderful, I may have to add that to my list. Obviously, making my own kombucha is on there and I will be reaching out to you once I start! I’d also love to bake bread from scratch, make lots of buddha/power bowls (everything in a bowl, right?), have a sophisticated wine and cheese night (with pairings), make grilled pineapple and veggie kabobs (we need to get a grill), make some sort of watermelon/basil cocktail drink, have some real clam chowda up in Rhode Island, catch a fish and eat it, and the list goes on. I’m so excited about all of these!

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