These Protein Cookie Dough Balls literally taste like you’re eating cookie dough! High in protein and low in added sugars, these no-bake bites are ready in 5 minutes. Nostalgia in every bite - you’ll be transported back to licking the spoon as a kid.
As a dietitian, I love that these cookie dough protein bites are made with nutritious ingredients, but taste like regular cookie dough. 😊
This was inspired by my Date Snickers recipe. These are the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth and get some extra protein without going overboard on refined sugar.
Jump to:
- Video of How to Make Protein Cookie Dough Balls
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to Make Protein Cookie Dough Balls
- Variations
- Storage
- Expert Advice
- Registered Dietitian Tip
- FAQ
- More Nourishing Dietitian Recipes
- Perfect for Pairing
- Looking for Nutrition Education?
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Video of How to Make Protein Cookie Dough Balls
Here's a video that shows how to make this recipe that I hope is helpful! Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy - This recipe couldn’t be easier. You don’t even have to bake them.
Nutrition - Compared to regular cookie dough, these have less sugar and a balance of protein in every ball. They also contain complex carbohydrates with dietary fiber for gut health and healthy fats to support brain health and hormone health.
Meal Prep - Great to prep at the start of the week and enjoy when a sweet craving strikes.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
*These Protein Cookie Dough Balls are made with simple ingredients. Below are some ingredient notes. Be sure to check the printable recipe card at the bottom for exact ingredient measurements.
- Oat Flour - We are using oat flour here because it is high in nutritional value. It contains fiber and a good amount of protein at 16 grams per 1 cup serving size. I like Bob's Red Mill brand. If you don’t have oat flour, you can easily make your own by throwing some oats in a blender or food processor until they are finely ground. If you prefer, you can substitute with almond flour or your favorite flour.
- Vanilla Protein Powder - I prefer to use plant-based protein powder, but you could also use whey protein powder. Use your favorite protein powder based on taste because it will make or break these Protein Cookie Dough Balls. I use Orgain Vanilla Protein.
- Pure Maple Syrup - A small amount of maple syrup adds some sweetness. Feel free to substitute with honey or agave syrup or leave it out.
- Nut Butter - I prefer to use either natural peanut butter or almond butter because natural nuts butters have a more runny consistency and mix easier into no-bake snacks like this edible cookie dough. Justins or MaraNatha are my go-to brands. You could substitute with cashew butter or for a nut-free option, use sunflower seed butter.
- Almond Milk - Just a small amount milk is needed. You can substitute with any kind of plant-based milk or regular milk. I use Califia brand unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
- Mini Chocolate Chips - I use mini chocolate chips for this recipe so that I get a little chocolate in every bite, but you can use regular sized. Feel free to use dark chocolate or semi-sweet.
- Vanilla Extract- Vanilla extract amps up the sweet flavor and ties everything together.
- Optional: Sea salt - A pinch of sea salt is optional, but I find it enhances the flavor.
How to Make Protein Cookie Dough Balls
*Below are the instructions for how to make Protein Cookie Dough Balls with some process shots that I hope are helpful! Don't forget to check out the recipe card at the bottom for the full recipe.
Step 1 - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients including oat flour, protein powder, chocolate chips and sea salt.
Step 2 - Add in the wet ingredients including the maple syrup, milk, nut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine until it forms a dough-like consistency.
Step 3 - Shape about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into a ball using your hands or a cookie dough scoop. Place each ball on the parchment lined baking sheet. There will be about 12 balls. Use a rubber spatula to get all of the dough off the sides of the bowl.
Step 4 - For best results, refrigerate the balls for about 10-15 minutes before eating. This will help give them more of a raw cookie dough consistency.
Hint: Wet your hands before shaping these cookie dough bites - it will help them be less sticky and easier to form into balls! I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop.
Variations
One of the best parts about Protein Cookie Dough Balls is that you can easily customize them with different flavor combinations to your taste. Below are a few ideas for variations, but feel free to get creative!
- Nut Free - If you want to make this recipe allergy-friendly, swap out the nut butter and use Sunflower Butter instead. Sunflower seed butter is found near the nut butter in the grocery store. You can also grab some off of Amazon.
- Monster Cookie Protein Balls - use a combo of m&ms and chocolate chips and double up on the peanut butter to give these more of a monster cookie flavor.
- Snickerdoodle Cookie Protein Balls - give this protein ball recipe a snickerdoodle flare by adding ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the rest of the ingredients and topping them with a cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- Peanut Butter Balls - amp up the peanut butter flavor by using 2-3 tablespoon of peanut butter and replacing chocolate chips with peanut butter chips.
Storage
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freezer - store in a freezer-friendly container in the freezer for up to 4 months. To thaw, place the protein balls in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Expert Advice
- Wet your hands before shaping them into balls. This will help prevent them from sticking to your hands.
- Be sure to use a protein powder that you like the taste of.
- Double up on these and freeze half of them to have a healthy snack on hand for busier weeks.
Registered Dietitian Tip
One of the best ways to ensure you fill your day with nutrient-rich foods is to have them prepped and ready! By keeping these satisfying protein cookie dough bites in your fridge or freezer, you give yourself a nourishing option for when you inevitably get a sweet tooth. And unlike regular cookies that have a lot of sugar and will cause a quick spike (and dip) in blood sugar, these contain fiber, heart healthy fats, and way less sugar. That means they no blood sugar spike which means no sugar crash. And they also taste amazing. Win-win!
FAQ
While healthy means something different to everyone, these protein cookie dough balls are a nutrient-rich option. They contain plant protein from the oat flour and Orgain protein powder to keep you full longer, heart-healthy fats from the nut butter that also support brain health and hormone health. Oat flour provides fiber for gut health and manganese, phosphorus and antioxidants. These protein balls are gluten-free if using GF certified oat flour.
From a nutrition standpoint, these are a healthier alternative compared to regular cookie dough or cookies. They contain less added sugars, carbohydrates and saturated fat than regular cookie dough are also higher in heart-healthy fats and fiber.
If you’re trying to cut back on sugar, there are many great-tasting vanilla protein powders on the market with minimal or no added sugars. Some brands of vegan protein powder that I like are Orgain or Truvani. You can also use collagen powder. My favorite Collagen powder is Vital Protein brand.
Yes, absolutely! To make them into bars, simply shape the dough into a square which can be easily done in a bread pan or on a baking sheet. Then, refrigerate it for about 20-30 minutes and cut it into bars.
Yes. Make sure that your oat flour is certified gluten-free to ensure the recipe is free of gluten. Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite brand.
Yes! You can substitute with almond flour if you prefer.
Not if you use regular chocolate chips. To make these vegan, be sure to use vegan chocolate chips or replace them with nuts or dates and use a vegan protein powder. I use Orgain Vanilla Protein.
More Nourishing Dietitian Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Perfect for Pairing
Here are some of my favorite recipes to pair with Protein Cookie Dough Balls:
Looking for Nutrition Education?
Here are some of my educational posts you may enjoy.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram....I LOVE knowing there’s people out there trying out my recipes! 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian.
📖 Recipe
Protein Cookie Dough Balls, Chocolate Chip (No Bake)
Equipment
- cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour or almond flour (120g)
- ⅓ cup vanilla protein powder I use Orgain brand (46g)
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup (30 ml)
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice (60ml)
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter or nut butter of choice (16g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (60g)
- pinch of sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients including oat flour, protein powder, chocolate chips, and sea salt.
- Add in the wet ingredients including the maple syrup, almond milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine until it forms a dough-like consistency.
- Shape about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into a ball using your hands or a cookie dough scoop. Place each ball on the parchment lined baking sheet. There will be about 12 balls. Use a rubber spatula to get all of the dough off the sides of the bowl.
- For best results, refrigerate the balls for about 10-15 minutes before eating. This will help give them more of a raw cookie dough consistency.
- Hint: Wet your hands before shaping these cookie dough bites...it will help them be less sticky and easier to form into balls! I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop.
Video
Notes
- Wet your hands before shaping them into balls. This will help prevent them from sticking to your hands.
- Be sure to use a protein powder that you like the taste of. I use Orgain vanilla protein powder
- Double up on these and freeze half of them to have a healthy snack on hand for busier weeks.
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freezer - store in a freezer-friendly container in the freezer for up to 4 months. To thaw, place the protein balls in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Kim
Literally exactly what I was looking for! I just started working out more and I'm trying to do more protein but I don't really like protein shakes so this was perfect. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!
shawnna
ah-mazing! this dessert spoke to
my soul 😍 it’s easy, has protein, and most importantly, hits the spot. plus on the healthier side of desserts so you
can enjoy without all the guilt. a must try. more of these please mallory!
Mallory
Hi Shawnna,
Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review, it truly means SO much to me! 🙂 It makes me so happy you loved this recipe!!! I am working on a pumpkin spice version with you in mind my sweet friend. Let me know if there are any other kinds of recipes you want me to share, I love getting ideas from my readers -- especially my favorite taste-tester! 🤎
Have a great day,
Mal