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These make-ahead No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls taste just like an oatmeal cookie! Filled with nutritious, delicious and protein-filled ingredients, they are perfect for snacks!
Do you know that between meals hunger feeling? The one where you know you’re hungry but you shouldn’t just eat junk? That’s why I love these No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls! They’re filled with good-for-you protein filled ingredients and they satisfy that hunger—and sometimes my sweet tooth—with a healthier option.
With the addition of the cinnamon and raisins, they taste just like yummy peanut butter oatmeal cookie! They’re like a little granola bar in a bite-sized ball. Plus, they are relatively healthy for you with all-natural ingredients and the only sugar coming from the honey and raisins.
I love that little bites like this with peanut butter can give some great energy with a punch of protein. These are SO easy and keep well in the fridge or freezer for when you need a quick snack at home or on-the-go.
My son especially loves these when they are cold from the fridge! They are also great in a lunch box. So many different options!
Best of all, they can be made ahead and even frozen!
Ingredient Tips To Make These Protein Balls
Most of these ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store but I’ve got a few tips to share, too.
Peanut Butter – If your family has peanut allergies, you can easily substitute another nut or seed butter such as almond butter or sunflower butter. The flavor will change a bit but they will still be delicious!
Honey – we like to buy our honey from the local farmer’s market so that’s why the honey in my picture is dark. This particular batch was darker than some others and I’ve learned that it depends on the season and the types of flowers they go to. Any honey you find at the grocery store is ok, though, too!
Crispy Rice Cereal – This is the generic name for Rice Krispies cereal. I like to buy the generic brand anyway because it’s usually a lot less expensive! I also use it in my recipe for Cracker Jack Rice Krispie Cookies so use some of the extra cereal there if you like!
Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – We prefer the rolled oats to the quick-cooking version but either will work in this recipe. The quick-cooking oats are found right next to the rolled oats at the grocery store and blend in a little bit more into the peanut butter oatmeal balls recipe.
Unsweetened Shredded Coconut – We prefer the unsweetened coconut, but it can sometimes be hard to find so sweetened coconut is ok, too. I find the unsweetened variety most regularly at Kroger and it’s their store brand variety.
Ground Flax Seed – I buy this in bulk from Costco as we use it a lot in different recipes like this Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie or Homemade Granola Bars. It just adds and extra bit of nutrition! We sometimes sprinkle it on our oatmeal or cereal too.
How to Make This Recipe
Combine the peanut butter, vanilla and honey in a large bowl and stir well. I like to use a flexible silicone spatula (affiliate link) for this. Then add the remaining ingredients (1) and stir until everything is combined.
Next, form mixture into about 1-inch balls (2). I love my scoops (affiliate link) for this kind of thing as it makes it so much easier and the balls are more uniform, too! I just place the scooped balls on a baking sheet (affiliate link) lined with parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat (affiliate link).
Sometimes I will spray my hands with non-stick baking spray so that it’s easier to form the balls without so much sticking.
After the balls are formed and on the baking tray (3), they can be placed in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months. Just thaw them before eating.
Make Ahead Preparation Tips
As I’ve said, these no-bake peanut butter oatmeal balls are totally make ahead! Keep in the refrigerator up to a week. When transferring them from the baking sheet to an airtight storage container, you can separate the balls with wax paper in between layers, depending on the size and shape of your container.
Are These Protein Balls Freezer Friendly?
Yes, these freeze really well! I recommend flash freezing them on the baking sheet (affiliate link) and then transfer to an airtight container or storage bag. I like these silicone food storage bags (affiliate link)—they hold a lot more than you might think! Don’t forget to date and label (affiliate link) your container!
When ready to serve, let the balls thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes. They can be served cold but you want to be able to bite into them! They can also be served at room temperature.
More Delicious Easy Snack Ideas
No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter or nut butter of your choice
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup ground flax seed
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons Non-stick baking spray optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the peanut butter, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients: oats through raisins.
- Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. When ready, scoop out about a tablespoon size amount and roll into a ball. For me, it was easier to squeeze the mixture together a bit first, then roll into the ball.
- If you prefer, coat the palms of your hands with non-stick baking spray so that they mixture is easier to roll without sticking.
- Place balls in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in August 2016 but updated in April 2021 with new photos, content and video.
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