3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls are the perfect no-bake energy bite that can be made in 10 minutes and eaten on the go. Made with peanut butter, oatmeal, and honey OR maple syrup/ agave nectar to make them vegan-friendly. The perfect protein-packed snack or breakfast!
Love healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Snacks? Try my No Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars, 5 Ingredients Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars & Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bites.
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
So what's so fabulous about these 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls? First, they can be made in less than ten minutes, and did I mention they use only three ingredients? You can't beat a simple recipe that uses peanut butter, honey, and oatmeal. The recipe is naturally vegetarian, keto, and dairy-free, plus, this recipe gives you the option to make these gluten-free and even vegan. Plus, this is a basic base recipe that you can customize in so many ways with my tasty suggestions below.
The PB Oat Balls have a rich tasty peanut butter flavor with lots of texture but without the fuss of actually having to turn on the oven. You've got to love a good, healthy no baked snack like this.
With the twins running around, I love a recipe that can be thrown together in minutes especially if it's a fast and easy snack my crazy toddlers will eat! This ridiculously easy no-bake energy bite recipe falls into BOTH of those categories making a recipe anyone will love.
Are the PB Oat Balls healthy?
These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls are very healthy! They are full of healthy fats, plus the combination of peanut butter, honey, and oats, all have nutritional value.
Peanut Butter is a great source of protein and healthy fats. Oats are an unrated superfood full of iron, fiber, and micronutrients. And honey is full of vitamins, and minerals and has anti-inflammatory properties. Use local honey or benefit from allergies.
As with most energy bites though, they can be rich in calories so it's important to eat them in moderation.
Why You'll Love These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls...
- Whether you call them 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls, Peanut Butter Balls, or short for PB Oat Balls, these delightful bits are perfect for meal prep and make-ahead snacks.
- They are wonderful as a quick snack, part of a healthy lunch, or even an afterschool snack for kids.
- They are even toddler-approved... Hunter and Jackson both gobbled them up.
- These no-bake bites are simple, approachable, and a total crowd-pleaser. I love that you get the feeling of eating a tasty baked treat without actually having to turn on the oven.
- This recipe easily makes a dozen, but you can double it or more to save some in the freezer for snacks.
- They are great for lunch boxes, travel, and more.
- You can't beat a recipe that has only 3 ingredients! You can customize these with other add-ins to match your favorite flavor.s
- They are made with pantry ingredients and staples! I bet you already have these ingredients in your pantry.
Ingredients:
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls recipe, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.
- Peanut Butter: Use a nice and creamy one for this! Natural peanut butter that is drippy also works well. You can also substitute any other nut butter you like including almond butter and sunflower seed butter. Using creamy peanut butter vs. crunchy peanut butter works the best.
- Rolled Oats: Old-fashioned oats work best for this recipe. Rolled oats will give you the best chewy texture. You can use quick oats if that's all you have though. I do not recommend making these with steel-cut oats as they will not be tender enough.
- Honey: Honey sweetens these bites just a touch. Depending on how sweet your peanut butter is you can add more or less to taste. Read below for the vegan substitution. You could use any liquid sweetener of your choice.
Peanut Butter PROTEIN Balls?
If you are looking for a version of these with more of a protein punch these can easily turn into Peanut Butter Protein Balls or protein bites! Just substitute your favorite vanilla or peanut butter protein powder for part of the oatmeal. ¼ cup of oatmeal and ¼ cup of protein powder would work great!
You can hardly taste the protein powder and if getting more protein is important to you, this is a great way to do it! It's way better than packaged protein snacks too.
Variations for Alternative Diets:
- Gluten Free: Make the 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls gluten-free by substituting certified gluten-free oats.
- Vegan: To make this recipe vegan substitute the honey for maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Nut Free: Make these No Bake Bites nut-free by substituting sunflower butter!
- Peanut Free: You can also swap out Almond Butter or Cashew Butter if those taste better to you or fit into your diet better.
Optional Add-Ins:
This basic recipe for 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Energy Balls is a great place to start, but all of these toppings below would give you an entirely different snack.
- Add Chia: Chia seeds add some extra protein and Omega-3s naturally.
- Add Flax: Add flax seed, ground flax seed, or hemp seeds for more healthy fats and protein.
- Make them Indulgent: For a more indulgent treat add some mini chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips!
- Make them Fruity: Add dried fruit like dried cranberries, dates, or raisins.
- Make them Nutty: Add nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Add some Flavor: For more rich flavor, add a dash of vanilla extract, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or almond extract.
- Make them Tropical: Add some shredded coconut.
Instructions:
These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls could not be simpler to make! Just grab your favorite food processor or high-speed blender and get mixing! Here's what you do...
- Put the oatmeal, peanut butter, and honey in a food processor and mix until smooth.
- Use a cookie scoop to divide into 12 balls and form uniform balls with your hands.
- Put the balls on a cookie sheet and put them in the fridge until they firm up.
- Transfer to an airtight container to store.
Pro Tips & FAQ
- The amount of moisture in different brands of peanut butter can widely vary, so if you feel like your dough isn't quite the right consistency, don't be afraid to add a little more oats to dry it out or a little more peanut butter to add more moisture back in.
- For easier rolling of the balls, chill your dough for 10-15 minutes before rolling.
- If you are still having trouble rolling the balls, wet hands can help.
- To make the balls even divide the mixture into 12 portions first and then make the balls.
- Use a small cookie scoop to help form the circle.
- Serve as a side with your lunch or as a healthy snack on the go.
Storage
These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls are stored in the fridge well for up to a week. You can keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Can you freeze oatmeal energy balls?
These energy balls are freezer friendly! You can store extras in a sealed freezer-friendly container. You could even double the recipe to have more for later.
To enjoy the energy bites from the freezer, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Are energy balls good for you?
YES! These Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls have lots of protein, good carbs, and healthy fats for a well-rounded snack. Eaten in moderation they are great on-the-go snack.
How many calories in a protein ball?
Each energy bite has around 120 calories and 4 grams of protein. So this is a healthy snack, I would enjoy them in moderation.
Can you eat raw oats in energy balls?
You might be wondering about the raw oats in these energy balls? Raw oats are fine to eat raw. When combined with the other ingredients like the peanut butter and honey they soften with the moisture from those things. They provide substance and a wonderful chewy texture to the recipe!
How to make oatmeal energy balls without peanut butter...
Even though peanut butter is one of just three ingredients in this recipe you can easily substitute sunflower butter to make them nut-free! Almond butter or cashew butter also works.
How to make energy ball gluten-free?
You can easily make these 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls gluten-free by adding certified gluten-free rolled oats.
These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls are So Good!
You can't go wrong with these 3 Ingredient Peanut butter Oatmeal Balls. This humble little recipe for PB Oat Balls might be super easy but I know you will LOVE it.. This is a great base recipe for simple energy bites and then you can dress them in so many ways if you'd like.
Give them a try and let me know what you think.
More Healthy Peanut Butter Snacks to Try:
- No Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- 5 Ingredients Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bites
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies
- Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus
More No Bake Energy Balls to Love:
- Banana Bread Energy Balls
- Chunky Monkey Energy Balls
- Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls
- Fudge Brownie Energy Balls
- Peppermint Fudge Energy Balls
- Nutella Fudge Energy Balls
- Gingerbread Energy Balls
- Carrot Cake Energy Balls
- Apple Pie Energy Balls
- Superfood Energy Balls
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oatmeal
- ⅔ cup peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Put the oatmeal, peanut butter, and honey in a food processor and mix until smooth. You'll want to leave the oats broken but still a little visible.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Use your hands to form into balls.
- Put the balls on a cookie sheet and put them in the fridge to harden.
- Transfer and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin for later!
Vera says
Can you use quick oats instead of rolled oats?
JulieWunder says
Yes, you can! The texture will be less chunky though. Just a preference thing though.
Lily says
One thing I would like to ask? Where are the amounts/measurements? This would be very helpful! Thank you!
Leslie says
Perfect in so many ways! Easy to make, flavorful, healthy. This is by far the perfect snack!
Deborah Brooks says
I love oatmeal and peanut butter together! How easy and I bet delish
Shelley Marcy says
Hey Julie, it's Shelley from Friends for Life. One of my own dogs had this same knee injury and indeed have surgery to repair the damage. We also were told that 50% of the time, they will blow out the other knee. One thing that will help this from happening, is to keep her weight at a healthy level so there isn't additional stress on the knees. I want you to know that the veterinarian we used for her surgery is excellent. You know how many critters we have at the Forever Farm, so knowing which vets to use for different medical issues is imperative. This came in very handy when I we needed a good surgeon for our Corky. I won't name names here on your blog, but if you want to contact me directly, you are welcome to connect through my email rcmsam@comporium.net and we can talk about it. We are blessed in this area with some absolutely great veterinarians, but knowing which vets to use for speciality procedures/surgeries is vitally important when the time comes that your critter needs some help.
Praying for you as you make these decisions...
Shelley
Jessie says
Poor Reina!! I can't even imagine having to go through another surgery if it comes down to it. Dogs are part of the family, ya know. My heart breaks for all of you. Fingers crossed and many prayers that it ends up just being a strain!
Tara @ Running 'N' Reading says
Julie, these look AMAZING! I can't wait to try them out...maybe this weekend. I'm so sad to hear about Reina; I'll be sending healing thoughts your way. 🙂
JulieWunder says
Thanks Tara! We need them!
Nan says
Hi Julie,
I am so sorry to hear about Reina’s knee injury and I thought I might share my dog’s story with you.
When she was 8 years old, Ruby (60 lb mixed breed) slipped on a small patch of ice in our back yard and began limping. She, too, was eventually diagnosed with a cruciate ligament rupture (CLR). At that time, and where we were living, her only surgical option was to do a suture technique — a heavy duty suture is literally sewn in to form a new ligament (not a medically accurate description, but that’s what it looked like). The veterinarian who performed the surgery let me observe the procedure, because he felt that owners who had seen what was involved with the surgery were always more successful during the recovery phase.
The recovery period is very important to the long-term success of the surgery, and the larger the dog the more essential it is — the dog can not be allowed to put weight on her leg for about two weeks, followed by another six to eight weeks of minimal, supervised exercise. (We bought her a "belly belt," a support strap to help hold her up during the first days of recovery.) Ruby recovered quite well with a lot of care. I also took her to a physiotherapist, who provided some very good suggestions and week-by-week exercises.
We were told, though, that many dogs require surgery on their other knee within a year of their initial surgery — there is some degenerative joint diseases that seem to be involved. Sure enough, the next year, Ruby began limping on her other leg. The second time, a different type of surgery was available to us (we had moved to a new city), called TPLO which uses plates and screws to hold the knee together. It is supposed to be more stable and therefore better. The recovery process is about the same.
Both surgeries worked very well, but around the time Ruby turned 12 years old, she developed arthritis in both her knees — I can’t really say that one knee was worse than the other, so am not sure of the effect of the different surgeries. She was on nsaids and pain meds for the remainder of her life, which helped most of the time. We also tried acupuncture (limited success) and laser therapy (more successful) for her. We lost her last year (at the age of 16) to kidney disease and miss her terribly.
Some recommendations based on our experience if you need or decide to proceed with the surgery:
— keep her weight down, extra weight adds strain to the joints
— after she recovers from the surgery, consider an aquatic therapy program for her, I’m pretty sure that there is a clinic in Asheville that offers it. It will help strengthen her joints and might prevent problems with her other knee too. There wasn’t anything available at the time we needed it for Ruby, but I’d certainly look into it again. I hope this information will be a bit helpful.
Good luck to you and Reina.
JulieWunder says
Nan,
Thank you for letting me know about your experience with the same injury on Ruby. It sounds like Ruby was a very sweet dog.
It's good to know that it may happen to the other leg so we can plan ahead.
I really appreciate all of your tips too!
Julie
Tamela says
I am praying for your furbaby! She seems so sweet 🙂
The protein bars look oh so good. May I suggest including nutrition info on the recipes? I can plug them in to My Fitness Pal to get that info but I'm not sure everyone uses that app. Thx!
JulieWunder says
Hi Tamela, That is a good idea. I will look into doing that.
Julie
Jaime says
Poor Reina!! I hope she's feeling better SO soon. I hate when our pets feel bad.
I'm definitely pinning this. I often need protein options that aren't bars (some bars can wreak havoc on my stomach.)
JulieWunder says
Thanks Jaime! AND happy birthday!!!!! I really appreciate the pin 🙂
Lisa B says
Thoughts and prayers to your precious Reina! Our pets add so much joy to our lives! I hope she is on the mend quickly.
Thanks for the recipe! I'm a disaster in the kitchen so the fact that no cooking is involved is definitely a plus!
JulieWunder says
Haha! I totally understand. I have my moments too.
Margaret McGinnis says
I am so sorry to hear about Reina's injury.I am praying she will heal quick and will not need the surgery. Your Peanut Butter Bites look yummy! Can't wait to try them!
JulieWunder says
Thank you Margaret!
Debbie Sprouse says
Hi Julie, I'm new to your blog and am loving it! I enjoy the recipes, fashion tips, running adventures, etc. I'm going to make up a batch of brownies and peanut butter bites this weekend! I'm very new to running and appreciate your blog.
I wish you the best with Reina. I've been through it with my dog. She had the surgery and was just fine afterwards. You and Reina will be in my prayers.
JulieWunder says
Hi Debbie! Welcome! Best of luck with your new hobby.
My dogs seem to always have something wrong with them! I'm glad your pup is fine now too.
Herman Briceno says
Sorry to hear about your furry buddy , sending prayers your way
Norma Clayton says
I am so sorry about Reina's injury. Our fur-babies are very special and we hurt when they do. Prayers for you both and healing thoughts for her. Can't wait to try the protein bites!
JulieWunder says
Thanks Norma!
Madeline St Onge says
I hope she heals up quickly and doesn't need surgery Julie Prayers for you both
JulieWunder says
Thank you!
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says
Poor Reina! Praying she gets better soon. Nothing makes me sadder then seeing an animal in pain.
JulieWunder says
me too 🙁 It's terrible. She is walking around on 3 legs!
Blane Sherer says
Sorry to hear about Reina.
I feel your pain.
Susanna @Zealous Mom says
Oh no! Poor Reina. It's so hard to see animals hurt because they can't tell us what's going on. Also, these peanut butter protein balls look delicious. I have pinned!
JulieWunder says
I agree Susanna. You just have to guess. And thank you for the pin!