No bake protein peanut butter energy bites that taste like cookie dough with a soft and chewy texture. These healthy peanut butter energy bites are loaded with nutritious ingredients like oats and chia seeds and are made extra satisfying with mini-chocolate chips!

You may have heard of no-bake energy bites referred to as power balls, lactation bites or protein bites. Whatever you choose to call them, they are a wonderful on-the-go snack to give you energy or a tasty cookie-like dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth!  

Use our base recipe to get started but feel free to experiment with the ingredients to suit your preferences and what you have available in your pantry. For example:

• Chia seeds can be replaced with ground flaxseed
• Peanut butter can be replaced with any nut butter you enjoy (cashew butter makes these bites taste like cookie dough!)
• Honey can be replaced with agave syrup or maple syrup
• Mini-chocolate chips can be replaced with shredded coconut, raisins, chopped nuts, or seeds.
• Vanilla protein powder can be substituted with chocolate protein powder, unflavoured protein powder, or any other protein powder flavour you enjoy. You can also omit the protein powder all together and replace it with a combination of 1/4 cup ground flaxseed and 1/4 cup shredded coconut. 

NO BAKE PROTEIN ENERGY BITES

Nutrition Facts are for one energy bite

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup (120g) peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons (36g) honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups (120g) oats
• ½ cup (60g) vanilla protein powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon (12g) chia seeds
• 2 tablespoon water or milk
• 3 tablespoons (45g) mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the peanut butter and honey in a medium-sized mixing bowl. If the mixture is difficult to combine, melt it in the microwave at 10 second intervals. When the honey and peanut butter are combined, stir in the vanilla extract.
2. In a separate bowl combine the oats, protein powder, salt, and chia seeds. When the ingredients are evenly combined add 1/2 the mixture to the peanut butter and honey mixture. Combine with a spatula and then add the other half of the mixture and thoroughly combine. If the mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water!
3. Next, add the mini-chocolate chips and thoroughly incorporate with a spatula or your hands.
4. Use a tablespoon to measure out the mixture and roll the mixture into bite size balls. You should get about 24 bites!
5. Store the energy bites in the freezer and enjoy when you need a quick snack, pre-workout boost, or healthy dessert!

DIETITIAN TIPS

These energy bites are a great pre-workout snack option. If you've eaten your meal >2 hours before you train, you may benefit from a small snack to restore your energy and blood sugars. Enjoying one or more of these bites 30-60 minutes before you exercise is a great way to energize your muscles and brain so you get the most out of your training session. Here's why!

• Provide energy in the form of carbs: The energy bites have a source of carbohydrate from the oats and honey. Carbohydrate provide accessible fuel that your muscles can use to power you through your training!
• Sit light in your stomach: The energy bites are low in volume but packed with nutrition  (ie. they provide energy without taking up too much space in your stomach). While high volume foods like vegetables and fruit are wonderful to prioritize at meals, too much volume before a workout can sit heavy in your stomach and provide little useable energy for your workout. These energy bites are small but mighty!
• Offer some protein and fat: a little bit of protein and fat in the 30-60 minute window before your workout can be optimal as it slightly delays the digestion and absorption of the carbs. This ensures your blood sugars are sustained for your workout and avoids a mid-training energy crash that can happen when carbs are consumed in isolation. That being said, be cautious of too much protein, fat, or even fibre in the 30-60 minutes before a workout as this can cause digestive upset during your exercise session because these nutrients delay the digestive processes.

Our team of Registered Dietitians are fitness enthusiast, accomplished athletes, and some even have specialized training in kinesiology and exercise science.  The education and experiences of our team of dietitians ensures they provide evidenced-based recommendations to tailor and time your nutrition to meet the demands of sport or to optimize energy, recovery, and body composition for your workouts.  Our dietitians support clients inside of our Comprehensive Coaching Program to help them build meals and snacks in a way that helps them experience results from their hard work in the gym! 

WE WANNA KNOW!

Did you try this recipe or a variation of it? Comment below! Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram so we can see your creation. Looking for more recipes like this one? Try our recipe for Double Chocolate Larabar Bites!