If you are looking for some stealth healthy treats to put in your kids' lunchbox, look no further than these no-bake protein balls. These taste way too good to call them healthy...and you definitely should not tell your kids they are healthy.
Just let them enjoy these gluten-free protein balls one bite-sized ball at a time!
(*This post was sponsored by iHerb and all delicious opinions are my own. I appreciate your sending a little love over to iHerb as they have some of the best deals on gluten-free foods!)
One thing I have noticed over the years of being gluten-free is the sheer amount of delicious gluten-free products out there now. When we first went gluten-free, you couldn't even find a loaf of gluten-free bread in stores.
Times have really changed and now you can find all of your favorite gluten-free foods and ingredients in one place!
If you haven't looked at iHerb, they carry over 30,000 different natural products including tons of gluten-free!! They ship to over 150 different countries, making a gluten-free diet so much easier for people. When I wanted to make a healthy lunchbox snack, I knew iHerb would be the best place to shop. If you want to look at what they have, new customers can save 10% on their first order.
Did you know that iHerb ships from climate-controlled warehouses so you know your food will be fresh? This means that what I order will taste delicious.
For this gluten-free energy balls recipe, it was important for me to pack as much protein and nutrition into each energy ball as possible...while keeping them kid-friendly and delicious. It was the ultimate challenge!!
My kids get hungry during their school day and it is important to create tasty treats for them that will give them the energy their bodies need to get through their day.
Shopping on iHerb, I found so many great gluten-free products for this recipe. My first great find was Organic Coconut Oil by California Gold Nutrition. This coconut oil will help keep the ingredients in this healthy protein balls recipe hold their ball shape.
Another awesome find, also by California Gold Nutrition, was the Freeze-Dried Strawberry Slices. These grind up and add a sweet strawberry flavor, and fun pink color. I love to snack on these, add them to lemonade, and grind them up to flavor baked goods!
I really LOVED using the Pecan Butter by Wilderness Poets in this recipe. It is an organic raw pecan butter that adds texture, sweetness, and protein to these nut butter balls. For added "kid-appeal" sweetness, I included Organic Honey by Y.S. Organic Bee Farms. This honey is thick and spreadable...and blends into this recipe beautifully.
Now I needed ingredients to give these no-bake protein balls some structure. I used Nativas Organic Hemp Seeds, Organic Golden Flax Seeds by Now Real Food, and Organic Chia Seeds by California Gold Nutrition add even more protein.
To round out the ingredients, and add even more protein, I used Great Lakes Collagen Protein and certified gluten free oats. I love Great Lakes Collagen Protein because it is completely flavorless. It is perfect in smoothies too! I love that so many ingredients can all be found in one place!
iHerb has 24-hour customer service 7 days a week in 10 different languages so you can always get the help you need when ordering!
Are you ready to make these gluten-free protein balls for yourself?
Instructions:
This no-bake protein balls recipe is so easy to make! Include your kids and I can promise you they will love rolling the batter into balls.
Add your ingredients to a food processor. Cover and lock the lid, then pulse until the mixture is thick and somewhat stiff.
Can you make these nut-free?
You can definitely make these protein balls nut-free. iHerb sells SunButter, which is a great nut-free alternative that is safe for those with nut allergies.
Your protein ball batter doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. I like keeping it slightly chunky because it has a better crispy texture for eating. See the beautiful pink color from the freeze-dried strawberries?
Next, we want to set up the rolling station.
Fun coating ideas
For this recipe, I rolled the gluten free energy balls in either hemp seeds or shredded coconut. More fun ideas for toppings include:
- Crushed peanuts or chopped nuts
- Cocoa powder
- Dip in chocolate
Since shredded coconut tends to be long and crunchy, I blended mine in a food processor for a few seconds to make the pieces much smaller. This will help make it easier to coat the protein balls.
Get your station set up and now it is time to roll the energy balls!
Chill for 30-45 minutes and then enjoy!!
Pack these delicious energy balls into your kids' lunchboxes, enjoy as a pre or post-workout snack...the sky is the limit with these healthy energy balls!
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📖 Recipe
The Best No-Bake Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces nut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ cup hemp seeds
- ¼ cup collagen protein
- ¼ cup flax seeds
- ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup gluten free whole oats * see note
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor.
- Mix until the mixture is ground up.
- Use a spoon to remove some of the protein ball mixture and roll circles with your hands.
- Optional: roll the balls in coconut, chopped nuts, etc.
Notes
- It is critical to use certified gluten free oats if you are Celiac. Cross-contamination runs high in regular oats.
- These protein balls will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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Kelly
Love that you put dried strawberries in here. Great flavor and great for keeping them glued together!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Kelly 🙂
Nicole Dawson
My kids have been asking for more protein bites...I may just have to change it up and make these this week. They look yummy and loving the dried strawberries you added.
Sandi Gaertner
These protein bites are perfect to give kids a boost!
Micki
These are incredible! I love the freeze-dried strawberries - so yummy!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked them Micki 🙂
Beth
These look too tasty to be healthy! Delish!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you like this Beth :-). Let me know how they turn out 🙂
Alisa Fleming
I need to make a big batch of these. Protein ball always come in so handy in our house. I've never used collagen to make protein balls - does it affect the consistency at all?
Sandi Gaertner
Surprisingly, collagen protein doesn't affect the consistency...plus collagen is flavorless 🙂