Peanut Butter Oat Balls
Peanut Butter Oat Balls are the perfect meal prep for breakfast on-the-go, made with peanut butter, rolled oats, flax seed, honey, and mini chocolate chips, ready in 30 minutes!
In this house, a quick breakfast is often a must! For more ideas, check out these Breakfast Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies. For the higher protein version, check out my Peanut Butter Protein Balls!
These are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast idea or healthy snack, made with simple ingredients like rolled oats, creamy peanut butter, and ground flax seed, sweetened with honey and mini chocolate chips!
They’re also great little energy bites during the day when you need a little something, and require almost no prep time. Plus you can make a big batch and freeze them for later!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. This works best with old fashioned rolled oats. You can use instant oats, but you’re not going to get the big chewy oat pieces that way, and the balls will be much softer.
Some celiacs cannot tolerate oats, talk to your doctor to find what’s right for you. I also recommend looking for certified gluten free oats that follow a purity protocol, meaning they are grown in dedicated fields without other grains.
Peanut Butter. Creamy peanut butter is the way to go here. It’s a way to help bind all of your ingredients together and add some good protein and healthy fats. You can use crunchy peanut butter, but you’ll have peanut pieces in your oat balls.
Personally, I prefer to use natural peanut butter. With natural peanut butter, the oil will come to the top, so you have to stir it all together before adding it to the recipe. Also, natural peanut butter will need to be refrigerated, unlike regular peanut butter.
You can also use creamy almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, or most other nut butters for this recipe. Just check to make sure they’re gluten free.
Chocolate Chips. Any semi-sweet chocolate chips will work here, but mini-chocolate chips will mix in easier. You can also try butterscotch chips, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips.
Honey. Honey just adds a touch of sweetness. You can also use maple syrup.
Ground Flax Seed. Flax seed helps everything hold together, and also provides some good fiber and nutrition. Make sure you’re using ground flax, and keep it refrigerated for the best quality and flavor.
If you don’t like flax seed, you can just add more oats instead. You can read more about flax seeds here.
Vanilla. Vanilla is just for flavor, you can also use almond extract.
Cinnamon. Cinnamon is for flavor, you can also use other spices like pumpkin pie spice or allspice.
Salt. Salt both balances out the sweet flavors, and enhances some of the other flavors.
How to Make Peanut Butter Oat Balls
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Add the wet ingredients and work everything together until well-combined. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Once the mixture is cold, it will be much easier to work with, and the oats have a chance to soften while sitting with the other ingredients.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure each peanut butter ball, and use your hands to roll each ball. Press the mixture together firmly. This will make it stick together, so you can form the shape.
- Place the oat balls in an airtight container lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oats are naturally gluten free, but they are most often cross-contaminated when they are processed on a farm-level. This is why it’s important to choose a certified gluten free brand of oatmeal, that also follows purity protocol. Purity protocol means that the oats are grown in dedicated fields, without chance for cross contamination with other grains.
Some celiacs will also have a reaction to oats. Talk to your doctor to decide what is best for you.
This peanut butter energy balls recipe is made with wholesome ingredients that you can find in your pantry. However, healthy depends on what your specific nutritional needs are, so peanut butter energy balls may or may not be a great fit to your normal routine. Just be aware of how many you’re eating and if that fits in with your goals and lifestyle.
Yes, raw oats are safe to eat in protein balls, smoothies, and more. But if you have discomfort from the high fiber, you can soak the oats in a small amount of milk or water before using them for recipes.
Storage
Refrigerate oat balls for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Freeze peanut butter oatmeal balls in an airtight container for 2-3 months. This is great if you make a double batch!
More Oatmeal Recipes
- Amish Baked Oatmeal with Cranberries
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Mug Cookie
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
Recipe Variations
- Add some toasted shredded coconut flakes for a different flavor.
- Instead of chocolate chips, try white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips to make them feel more indulgent.
- Try adding pumpkin pie spice, allspice, nutmeg, or apple pie spice for extra flavor.
- Instead of honey, you can use finely chopped and pitted dates for sweetness. They’re also a little chewy, which adds to the texture of the oat balls.
- Add a handful of chia seeds to the mixture for some more nutrition.
- Add a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder for a higher protein snack.
- Instead of rolling into balls, press the mixture into a square baking dish instead. Refrigerate, then cut into bars and wrap each one with parchment paper for grab-and-go.
Cooking Tips
- Press the oat balls together as you roll them, otherwise they may fall apart.
- If you need to make multiple layers, place a sheet of parchment paper between each layer to prevent sticking.
- If you’re having issues rolling the balls, try using a piece of plastic wrap to form them. Then just peel the plastic wrap away and place the ball in the storage container or on a cookie sheet.
- If you’re going to freeze a batch, place them on a baking sheet and freeze the balls first. Then remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a bag and back in the freezer, so they won’t be stuck together.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Peanut Butter Oat Balls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, certified gluten free (purity protocol)
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Equipment
- 1 medium bowl
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together oats, flax, cinnamon, salt, and chocolate chips. Stir in peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure each one. Press firmly on the oat mixture while forming it into a ball, then roll to fix the shape. If the ball starts falling apart, press it together firmly again.
- Place the oat balls in an airtight container lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Notes
- Press firmly on the oat mixture while forming it into a ball, then roll to fix the shape. If the ball starts falling apart, press it together firmly again.
- Once the mixture is cold, it will be much easier to work with. And the oats have a chance to soften while sitting with the other ingredients.
- If you need to make multiple layers, place a sheet of parchment paper between each layer to prevent sticking.
Nutrition
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Substituted the chocolate chips for chopped up craisins and used chunky peanut butter for more texture. Tastes good! I think the ratio is a wee bit off, but they taste amazing! I didn’t think using chunky peanut butter would make me need another 1/4 cup more and 2 Tbls. more honey, but it did. It was super crumbly before that. I managed to get a cohesive (ish) mixture that had to be HEAVILY pressed by hand. There’s no way creamy peanut butter and no extra honey would have held up with how much I had to add. A HEAPING half cup would do the trick with the aforementioned honey.