Description
This protein ball recipe makes paleo and vegan friendly dark chocolate energy bites with pistachios. They’re a crunchy, lightly sweet, delicious NO BAKE snack!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup pistachios, shell removed
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate (finely chopped or finely ground in a food processor) – see notes for keto
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons (20–25 grams) coconut flour, protein powder, or oat flour
- 1/4 cup (heaping) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup almond butter or tahini (smooth, no stir variety)
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (start with 1/4 cup and adjust as needed) – see notes for keto
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional – extra ground pistachio or cocoa powder to coat bites
Instructions
- Blend pistachios in a food processor or chop finely with a chef’s knife. Transfer into a large bowl and whisk in all the remaining dry ingredients. Add the syrup and vanilla extract and and any other add ins.
- Mix well (I use my hands) then roll into bite size balls.
- If the batter is too dry add more almond butter and/or syrup. If it’s too wet, add more protein powder, oat flour, or coconut flour.
- Freeze balls on a cookie sheet and once frozen, coat bites in extra cocoa or ground pistachios, if desired.
- Makes about 15-17 bites. Freeze or keep in refrigerator to maintain freshness.
Notes
Keto Substitutions
- shredded unsweetened coconut maybe be used in place of dark chocolate for keto option.
- Xylitol syrup to replace maple syrup. NOTE: the texture and consistency will vary.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: n/a
- Category: snacks
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 1.4 g
- Sodium: 12 mg
- Fat: 6.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.1 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0.1 mg
Keywords: protein ball recipe, energy bites, keto, no bake, vegan, paleo