Choc Mint Protein Balls

These Choc Mint Protein Balls with plant protein powder are super easy to make for a healthy snack or dessert. They are gluten free, nut free and contain less sugar than a lot of protein balls. Made without dates, they are sweetened with brown rice syrup for a low fructose option.

I divide the recipe into 10 large protein balls. Each ball has 169 calories and just over 6 grams of protein. It’s not a huge amount of protein, but I enjoy these as more of a healthy treat. If you want a protein ball recipe with a higher dose of protein, check out these Choc Mint Whey Protein Balls.

Why are my protein balls too dry and crumbly?

If your protein balls are dry or crumbly, it is usually due to the type of protein powder used. Different brands and varieties of protein powder will absorb different amounts of liquid. It can also happen if the recipe calls for nut butter and you use a thicker nut butter, rather than a drippy or runny one.

To fix dry or crumbly protein balls, just add some extra liquid to the mixture. You can add a splash of water, milk or nut milk, some extra liquid sweetener or a little melted coconut oil. Just make sure that you add it gradually so that you don’t overdo it and end up with a mixture that is too sticky or oily.

Why are my protein balls too sticky?

Protein ball mixture may become too sticky if too much liquid is added. The protein powder and other dry ingredients should blend with the liquid ingredients to make a pliable dough. However, depending on the protein powder used, there may be some variance.

If your mixture is too sticky, just add some extra protein powder, oat flour or coconut flour until the dough becomes easier to handle. Add it in small amounts, stirring well between each addition.

Why are my protein balls oily?

If the mixture for your protein balls is oily, it may be due to the consistency of nut or seed butters used in the recipe. Nut and seed butters can be either drippy and runny or thick in texture. If your nut butter is drippy and runny and the recipe was developed using a thicker variety, the protein ball mixture may turn out oily.

This can easily be rectified with a little tweaking. Just add some extra protein powder to the mixture, or another dry ingredient like oat flour or coconut flour. This should absorb the excess oil. Add it gradually, stirring well, until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.

More plant protein recipes

• Vegan Peanut Butter Oat Protein Bars
• No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Energy Balls
• Banana Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Protein Bars
• Nut Free Cookie Dough Protein Bars

You can find more ideas on the Protein Powder Recipes page.

Choc Mint Protein Balls Recipe

Notes

1. Protein powder – I used plant-based protein powder in this recipe for a vegan option, but whey or egg white protein powder should also work. Since these are chocolate protein balls, I use a chocolate flavored protein. But you could use another neutral flavor, like vanilla. Unflavored protein powder will also work, but you may want to slightly increase the raw cacao powder and brown rice syrup in the recipe to taste.
2. Oat flour – You can buy oat flour, but it’s cheaper to make your own by blending rolled oats in a blender or food processor until it turns into a flour consistency.
3. Raw cacao powder – Even though I use chocolate flavored protein powder, I increase the chocolate flavor of the protein balls by adding raw cacao powder. Regular cocoa powder will also work as a substitute.
4. Tahini – I used tahini in this recipe to keep the protein balls nut free. However, you could substitute a neutral tasting nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter.
5. Peppermint oil, extract or essence – If using peppermint oil, make sure it’s pure and suitable for ingestion, meaning you can eat it. I use Obbekjaers Pure Peppermint Oil, which doesn’t have a harsh menthol taste that some other brands have. I recommend starting with 1 drop, stirring it into the mixture, then tasting the mixture and adding more if needed. Alternatively, you can use peppermint extract or essence, starting with 1/4 teaspoon of extract or essence, then adding more if needed to suit your taste.
6. Storage – Store the protein balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or you can freeze them. You can eat them straight from the freezer or let them soften slightly at room temperature a few minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

• Serving size: 1 ball
• Energy: 169 Calories / 709 Kilojoules
• Total Fat: 11.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 11.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.9 g
• Sugars: 3.5 g
• Protein: 6.3 g
• Sodium: 6 mg
• Potassium: 108 mg