Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Holiday-Inspired Homemade Protein Ball Recipes

By

Protein bars are a convenient way to refuel after a hard workout or keep hunger at bay between meals, but they are expensive and often packed with all sorts of fillers, processed ingredients, and artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. It is actually quite easy to throw together your own no-bake protein bites at home, and they travel really well. They also make a great substitute for sugar-laden, conventional protein bars, and we’ve specifically created some protein ball recipes to celebrate the flavors of the holiday season.

Now, you can make your own healthier protein-packed version of holiday treats like gingerbread, pumpkin pie, and candy canes. Each recipe is also vegan, gluten-free, and does not contain refined sugars or oils. So, if you want to try your hand at holiday-inspired healthy treats, keep reading for four fun and easy recipes for festive homemade protein balls.

Recommended Videos

Gingerbread Cookie Protein Balls

No bake protein bites balls sitting in a pan.
Dayvision / Pexels

These gluten-free and vegan protein balls have all the familiar flavors of classic gingerbread cookies in a nutritious, chewy bite.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • .75 cup almond butter
  • .5 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 2/3 cup plain or vanilla pea or rice protein powder
  • .25 cup dark molasses or pure maple syrup
  • .25 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • .75 tsp ground ginger
  • .25 tsp allspice
  • .25 tsp ground cloves
  • .25 tsp sea salt
  • Cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

Method

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until fully mixed and sticky. Add more almond milk if it is too dry to hold together.
  2. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
  3. Using a small ice cream scoop or clean hands, form the dough into 1-inch balls.
  4. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture if desired.
  5. Enjoy right away or store up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Chocolate Peppermint Bliss Balls

If candy canes are your favorite holiday treat, you’ll love these tasty chocolate peppermint protein balls. They are gluten-free and vegan.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup SunButter or almond butter
  • 1/3 cup vegan chocolate or plain protein powder
  • .5 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1/3 cup cocoa nibs
  • 3 tbsp almond milk
  • 2 crushed candy canes

Method

  1. Add everything except the crushed candy canes in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
  2. If the dough is too dry, add more almond milk. If it is too wet, add another tablespoon or two of protein powder.
  3. Using a small ice cream scoop or clean hands, form the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll each ball in the crushed candy canes.
  4. Chill balls in the fridge 20 minutes or until firm.
  5. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Protein Balls

pile of Pumpkin pie protein balls in a bowl sitting on a counter.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Many homemade energy balls use dates, which impart a pleasant chewy texture but are high in natural sugar. These easy pumpkin pie balls are date-free, vegan, gluten-free, and only contain a few ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cashew butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1.5 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • .75 cup plain or vanilla pea or rice protein powder
  • Rolled oats or almond flour (optional)

Method

  1. In a large saucepan over low heat or In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the nut butter and maple syrup until liquid and warm. Whisk until combined.
  2. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined or a thick, firm batter has firmed.
  3. If the dough is too loose, add rolled oats or almond flour, a little at a time until firm.
  4. Using a small ice cream scoop or clean hands, form the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Chill the balls in the refrigerator until firm.
  6. Enjoy!

Coconut Cranberry Snow Balls

cranberry coconut protein balls sitting on a shallow plate on top of a checkered hand towel.
Pixabay

These protein balls have chewy cranberries, nutty coconut, and a bit of orange zest for a tart and sweet festive bite.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup natural almond butter or cashew butter, warmed
  • .25 cup maple syrup
  • .5 cup plain or vanilla protein powder
  • .5 cup plus 3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
  • .5 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • Zest of two oranges

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the oats, protein powder, orange zest, cranberries, nut butter, 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, and melted coconut oil until a dough is formed.
  2. Using a small ice cream scoop or clean hands, form the dough into 1-inch balls.
  3. Roll each ball in the remaining shredded coconut.
  4. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Amber Sayer
Amber Sayer
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Amber Sayer is a fitness, nutrition, and wellness writer and editor, and was previously a Fitness Editor at Byrdie. She…
This 3-ingredient all-purpose bread recipe is super easy to make
Nobody ever said homemade bread had to be complicated.
Pita bread

While homemade bread is an indulgence that remains unparalleled in the comforting joy and satisfaction it brings, preparing it, admittedly, can be something of an arduous process. There's the prepping, the measuring, the kneading, the resting, more kneading, more resting, more waiting, flour dust for days, and a neverending pile of dishes to clean and aching arms to nurse. Learning how to make bread can be a bit much, and we get it. That's why, when an easy homemade bread recipe comes along, we excitedly cling to it like white on rice. Too often, cheats in homemade bread are obvious when the resulting product is tough or lacking in flavor. When one cuts corners in breadmaking, it's hard to disguise the subpar result. But every now and then, there's an exception that leaves even the most passionate of bakers befuddled. A recipe that is equally simple and delicious, defying all baking odds. This is one of those recipes.

Most cultures have their own version of a stuffable flatbread. Pita, perhaps, is the most recognizable. We love pita for its versatility and dependability. Dip it in hummus and olive oil for a perfectly healthy yet indulgent afternoon snack. Stuff it with turkey, cucumber, and cream cheese for a light, yet tremendously satisfying lunch. Cut it into triangles and fry it, sprinkling it with cinnamon and sugar and dipping in homemade chocolate sauce for a deliciously crispy dessert. The culinary possibilities are never-ending, and for that reason, we love the pita. What we love even more, though, is just how ridiculously easy it is to make.

Read more
Forget Hershey’s: Our chocolate sauce recipe is better, and takes 5 minutes to make
Seriously, stop buying chocolate sauce
melted dark chocolate flow, candy or chocolate preparation background

If you don't have kids in your house, it may have been a while since you last enjoyed a generous drizzling of sweet, indulgent chocolate sauce. Or maybe not. In addition to the childhood favorites, chocolate sauce (or, syrup) can also be the star of many adult-themed beverages and...activities. But however you enjoy this decadent sauce, we'll bet you didn't realize how easy it is to make for yourself. No sticky brown jug from Hershey's is required.

Chocolate sauce is the ketchup of the dessert world. Kids love it, adults love it (whether they admit it or not), and it makes anything better with just a little squeeze. Use it to amp up ice cream, magically create chocolate milk, turn it into a dip for your favorite fruits, or garnish cakes and brownies. We love to stir it into our iced coffees and chocolate-themed cocktails.

Read more
The easiest and best pickled red onion recipe we’ve ever seen belongs to Rick Bayless
The god of Mexican cuisine has the easiest and best recipe
Pickled onions

Pickled onions may just be the most underappreciated, underutilized, yet amazingly delicious condiment that exists. Sure, we love our onions raw and sliced paper thin on a sandwich or battered and fried with a perfect dipping sauce. We love them grilled, piled on our favorite steak, or charred and sandwiched in a chicken kabob. And, of course, onions are the start of almost any great recipe. But if you've never taken this humble but wonderful ingredient and pickled it, you're doing yourself (and your sandwiches) a great disservice. Pickled onions have a zippy, piquant sweetness that elevates any number of dishes. Put them in sandwiches, burgers, brats, and tacos. Mix them into salads and stir-fries, or pile them on top of your favorite snacks like avocado toast or deviled eggs. Their briny, bright tartness adds so much character and flavor to just about anything. And the truly marvelous thing about pickled onions is that they're ridiculously easy to make and have in your fridge at all times.

In the following video, the great Rick Bayless, famed chef and restaurateur, teaches his easy method for pickling red onions. He begins by simply covering a bowl of sliced onions with very hot water, which he explains will take the "power" out of them and soften their texture. After the onions have sat in the hot water for about 30 minutes, he drains them completely and covers them with freshly squeezed lime juice. To that mixture, he mixes in a teaspoon of salt, then presses the onions down firmly so that they are totally submerged in the lime juice. The next step is to simply set the bowl aside for about six hours, and that's when the magic happens. After the elapsed time, the onions are beautifully pink and perfectly pickled.

Read more