Vanilla or Chocolate No Bake Gluten Free Protein Balls

Whether you know them as no bake gluten free protein balls or power balls or energy bites or some other combination of interesting words, these homemade snacks are the real deal when it comes to delicious nutrition.

My kids call them gluten free power balls, but that always sounds like some obscure kind of gluten free lottery to me.

Maybe gluten free energy bites is the best term, but they’re most definitely shaped like balls, so … call them whatever you like.

 

Be sure to use only purity protocol and certified gluten free oats if you’re living gluten free for medical reasons like celiac disease (raises hand). Here’s tons more information on why and how to find the right oats. If you can’t tolerate any oats in your diet, try using quinoa flakes instead.

As for cereal, I like Nature’s Path, but you could probably find another gluten free one that would work, just don’t go thinking Rice Krispies will do; they are NOT gluten free (the malt flavoring does them in). Make sure not to get “puffed” rice cereal though – that style of cereal just gets mushy when you add the it to wet ingredients like maple syrup, nut butter and coconut oil.

And speaking of nut butters, if you need nut-free, by all means choose the sunflower nut butter or soy butter of your choice. Know that those nut butters, as well as some “natural” peanut butters, are oilier than typical peanut butter from a jar, so you may need to add more oats and protein powder to keep the balls from being too wet and greasy; it will be obvious as you’re mixing them and it’ll be easy to fix since these are no-bake protein balls.

As for protein? I am wild about OWYN* plant-based, gluten-free protein powders. I can’t tell you how many different protein powders my family has gone through and utterly rejected. You could say we’re protein-picky (understatement).

It really DOES make a difference what protein powder you use, both for its health benefits, lack of yucky ingredients and taste/texture. OWYN powder and drinks are smooth and not at all gritty, plus they don’t have that tell-tale manufactured protein/chemical aftertaste. They also contain more than just protein: Omega 3s, probiotics, and even greens are tucked in, but no one would ever suspect it.

All that is by way of saying that I highly recommend you use OWYN — whatever flavor you prefer — when you make these balls/bites. But find any protein powder your family loves — it’s an easy way to add protein to an already healthy snack and your kids will never be the wiser. 

When you use chocolate powder, the protein balls are definitely more chocolatey, as you can see from this photo.

But they’re equally yummy when you use vanilla or matcha flavor and just add a touch of chocolate from the chips.

These power balls will become an evergreen favorite in your house: loved by your kids for the flavor and loved by you for the nutrition. With protein powder plus nut butter, good fats from coconut oil, fiber from oats and no extra refined sugars, these gluten-free, vegan crunchy snacks make munching meaningful.

No Bake Gluten Free Protein Balls

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do for snacking, road tripping and anytime-munching!

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**I’ve partnered with OWYN (Only What You Need) to use their products in order to increase the nutrition in many popular gluten-free recipes. As always, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more information. Working with select brands I love allows me to keep bringing you free recipes, and I hope that in the process, you’ll learn about some of the safe gluten free products I choose for my family. Thanks so much for your support!