Chewy Peanut Butter Protein Bites
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If you’re looking for a delicious homemade hiking snack idea, these peanut butter protein bites are perfect! I love making my own hiking snacks. It’s a great way to control the quality of ingredients and give yourself some variety.

These protein energy bites are not just hiking snacks. They also make a great snack for those busy days at home or at work!
These energy bites are:
- sweet and chewy
- loaded with peanut butter flavor
- simple to make
- easy to pack for a hike
- full of protein
- really satisfying
What more do you need? Let’s dive into the recipe!
Peanut Butter Protein Ball Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe are few and simple!
- Brown Rice Syrup – This is the source of sweetness in this recipe. I love using brown rice syrup because it’s thick and it has a delicious caramel-like flavor. DO NOT substitute maple syrup instead. It’s not thick enough. I think honey would work, but I haven’t tested it yet.
- Peanut Butter – Use unsweetened salted peanut butter in this recipe. I always buy the “natural” kind that only has peanuts and salt as the ingredients. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter can be used.
- Vanilla Protein Powder – I use a whey protein powder, but I think most other kinds of protein powder would also work. Just make sure you like the taste of it. I use the Just Ingredients Vanilla Protein Powder.
- Chocolate Chips – I don’t think these protein bites would be complete without a little chocolate to go along with all that peanut butter!
- Rice Crisp Cereal – This adds a little bit of crunch to the protein bites! Make sure you get the rice crisp cereal (like you would use for rice crispy treats), not puffed rice.
- Collagen Peptides Powder (optional) – This last ingredient is totally optional. If you happen to have collagen powder, you can add a scoop to the batter to add even more protein. I use this one by Vital Proteins.

How to Make Protein Bites for a Hiking Snack
While this protein bite recipe is incredibly easy, it does require a food processor.
Add all of the ingredients except the rice crisp cereal into the food processor.
Pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly.

You might need to stop and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the processor to make sure everything gets incorporated.

Once the crumbly dough has formed, add in the rice crisp cereal and pulse a few more times to mix.
Use your hands to roll the dough into 12 bite-sized balls.
Store in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge. These should stay fresh for about 3-4 days… if they last that long!

Chewy Peanut Butter Protein Bites

Ingredients
- ⅓ cup brown rice syrup*
- ⅓ cup unsweetened salted peanut butter crunchy or smooth
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder about 30 grams, I use Whey**
- 2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup rice crisp cereal
- 1 scoop collagen peptides powder optional
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients except the rice crisp cereal into a food processor.
- Pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly. You might need to stop and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the processor to make sure everything gets incorporated.
- Once the crumbly dough has formed, add in the rice crisp cereal and pulse a few more times to mix.
- Use your hands to roll the dough into 12 bite-sized balls.
- Store in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge. These should stay fresh for about 3-4 days… if they last that long!
Notes
**I’ve only tested this recipe with a plain vanilla whey protein powder, but I think most types of protein powder would work.


More Homemade Hiking Snack Ideas
For even more delicious hiking snack ideas, check out these blog posts:
If you have any questions, ask me in the comments below!