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!
- Raw Honey or Brown Rice Syrup – This is the source of sweetness in this recipe. I love using raw honey because we don’t heat this recipe so you can maintain all the benefits of the raw honey. Brown rice syrup also works because it’s thick and it has a delicious caramel-like flavor. DO NOT substitute maple syrup instead. It’s not thick enough.
- Peanut Butter – Use unsweetened salted peanut butter in this recipe. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter can be used.
- 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 or the Ascent Chocolate Whey 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.
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. At home, I prefer to keep these in the fridge. These should stay fresh for about 1-2 days… if they last that long!
Chewy Peanut Butter Protein Bites
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey or brown rice syrup*
- ⅓ cup unsweetened salted peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
- 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein powder (about 30 grams, I use Whey**)
- 2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup rice crisp cereal (add more if the dough is too soft)
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. At home, I store these in the fridge. Consume within 1-2 days.
Notes
- *Do not substitute maple syrup, it’s not thick enough.
- **I’ve only tested this recipe with whey protein powder, but I think most types of protein powder would work.
- If the energy ball dough is too soft, you can add more rice crisp cereal.
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!
