These Peanut Butter Coconut Balls are sweet, salty, and satisfying. Energizing snacks are the unsung heroes of the work week. They're perfect for in between meals, curing the "hangry", or giving you an energy boost before a workout. So, do yourself a favor and prep a batch—your future self will thank you!
The inspiration for these protein balls is from Erin Ireland and her bakery, To Live For. After buying far too many of their peanut power balls, we started making our own homemade version. And this recipe definitely hits the spot!
Why you'll love this recipe
- A healthy, energizing snack: These protein balls are made with whole ingredients. And, they're a source of healthy fats and protein to power you through the day!
- Ready in 15 minutes: These yummy protein balls are fast to make. Ready in as little as 15 minutes.
- No bake: This easy no bake recipe comes together with just a food processor. No need to turn on the oven!
- Meal prep friendly: These healthy snacks are portable. Pack them for work, a workout, or a day running errands. The peanut butter balls can can be kept out of the fridge for the day. Store the rest in the fridge or freezer for meal prep.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only need 9 ingredients for this recipe—and you may already have them in your pantry!
- Peanut Butter: Choose a natural, smooth peanut butter. We recommend an unsalted peanut butter, because this recipe adds salt separately. But, you could use a salted peanut butter if needed. If substituting, just be aware that you may want to add a bit less salt than the recipe calls for.
- Peanuts: This recipe calls for roasted, unsalted peanuts. If you need to use salted peanuts, you can. But similarly, consider adding a bit less salt if needed.
- Medjool Dates: Add sweetness and mild caramel flavor (like in these Vegan Caramel Bars). Medjool dates are known for being large and moist. If your dates seem hard and dry, you can soak them in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them. Drain well, then use as directed.
- Shredded Coconut: We use unsweetened shredded coconut for these healthy protein balls. But, if you have a big sweet tooth, you could swap in sweetened shredded coconut instead. (Love coconut? Check out this Vegan Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie recipe).
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Other peanut butter recipes you might love: Vegan Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, and Spring Roll Salad with Peanut Glazed Tofu.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
This easy no-bake recipe is ready in 15 minutes. Here's how to make these energizing Peanut Butter Coconut Balls:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Looking for other vegan meal prep recipes? Check out these Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk, Vegan Smashed Chickpea Sandwich, and Sesame Soba Noodle Salad.
Tips
- Cookie dough scoop: A retractable cookie dough scoop makes quick work of portioning out the dough balls. But, it's not a requirement to make this recipe. If you don't have a cookie scoop, just use your hands instead.
- Compact the dough tightly: You'll need to use your hands to compress and roll the mixture into tight balls. So, take the time to work each ball so it sticks together. See recipe video for reference.
- Add more coconut oil if needed: If you're having trouble getting the balls to stick together, pulse the mixture with a bit of extra coconut oil. You may have added a bit more of the dry ingredients, but it's an easy fix with more of a wet ingredient, like coconut oil.
- If gluten-free, check the labels: Oats are naturally gluten-free, but can be subject to cross-contamination. (This is similar to lentils, which also have a cross-contamination risk for gluten). So, if you need ingredients that are certified gluten-free, check their labels to confirm.
Recipe FAQ's
We recommend using unsalted peanuts and then adding the salt separately like the recipe instructions. But, you could substitute salted peanuts in a pinch.
If you're using salted peanuts (instead of unsalted), do not add the additional salt listed in the recipe. Instead, taste the mixture after adding the maple syrup and coconut oil to the food processor. Then, add salt to taste (if needed), pulsing to incorporate. See recipe notes for full details.
These peanut butter coconut balls are best kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can easily freeze these! Store in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the fridge overnight before eating.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review below!
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Coconut Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick oats
- ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (more for rolling)
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter (natural and unsalted, see note 1)
- ½ cup peanuts (dry-roasted and unsalted, see note 1)
- ¼ cup packed pitted Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (see note 2)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Pulse ingredients: To a food processor, add quick oats, coconut, peanut butter, peanuts, dates, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until the texture of coarse sand (no large pieces of date should be visible).
- Add oil and syrup: Add coconut oil and maple syrup to food processor. Pulse until mixture comes together in a ball.
- Form balls: Scoop 16 balls of dough, and use your hands to compact and roll them until smooth (see note 2). Roll each ball in more shredded coconut, until covered. Place in airtight container and refrigerate until firm.
Notes
- Peanut Butter & Peanuts: Unsalted is recommended because this recipe adds salt separately. But, you can substitute salted peanut butter/peanuts instead. If you're sensitive to salt and using salted peanut butter/peanuts, feel free to reduce the added salt to taste.
- Coconut Oil: If your mixture seems too dry to stick together when compressed, you can add more coconut oil in small increments.
- Storage tips: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. For longer storage (up to 3 months), freeze in a freezer bag. Defrost frozen balls in the fridge overnight.
Jane says
Sorry just found it xj
bri says
No worries, glad you found it! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jane says
Sorry I might of missed it but how much of the quick oats do you use ? Just ordered your cook book , looking forward to that .Kind Regards , Jane
bri says
Hi Jane! The quick oats are the first ingredient - so for a single batch you'll need 1 cup:) Let us know how it goes! And thank you so much for ordering our cookbook! We hope you love it!
Thomas says
Great recipe. I made these last week to pack as a snack before workouts. Made a batch again this week.
bri says
Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe Thomas! Thank you for sharing!
Lara says
Loved these! Made a batch yesterday in an effort to pack more healthy work snacks during the week. These really hit the spot. Thanks
bri says
Hi Lara! Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Hope you had a great week of yummy snacks!
Dianna L says
LOVE these!! Super easy to make and delish. They're going to be great weekday snacks to bring to work.
bri says
Hi Dianna! So great to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing:)
Margot says
Love these! Have made them many times and sometimes drizzle them with dark chocolate. Yum!!
bri says
So happy to hear that Margot! Great idea with drizzling them with dark chocolate:) Thank you so much for sharing!
Hannah says
I've been making this recipe for years and my kids still haven't gotten bored of these! I just saw you guys added a ratings function to your site. 5 stars for sure. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
bri says
Hi Hannah! Yes, at long last, we updated our site — and can now receive reviews! Thank you for noticing! Glad to hear you and your kids are enjoying this recipe. They're one of our favorites too!
Tanya says
Delicious, easy and healthy. Will definitely make these again and share this recipe with my friends
bri says
Hi Tanya! So happy to hear you enjoyed these power balls! Thank you for sharing the recipe with your friends, we hope they enjoy it too!
Phoebe says
how long would these last in the fridge?
Kelsey says
Do you have any recommendations for a date substitute?
Nayem says
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m
impressed! Extremely helpful info specially the last part
🙂 I care for such information a lot. I was looking for
this certain information for a long time.
Thank you and good luck
Cheers
Ashley says
do you have the calorie estimates for these?
Bri says
Hi Ashley! We don't personally track calories, but you're more than welcome to enter the ingredients into one of the online nutrition calculators out there. That'll be your best bet!
Sarah says
Do you think these would freeze well?
A mie says
I just made these subbing dry roasted sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter for peanuts/pb. (I also added a few help seeds because I love them). It worked perfectly with seeds and the end result is delicious!
Bri says
Awesome - so glad your subs worked out! Love when readers get creative:) Thanks so much for sharing!
Theresa says
These were really good, love the flavor of the coconut in them!! Will definitely make them again!
Bri says
We're thrilled to hear you're loving these Peanut Butter Coconut Power Balls Theresa! And so happy you'll be making them again:) We just finished prepping another batch for ourselves to munch on this week. Woohoo!