Green Banana Flour Chocolate Protein Balls (vegan, gluten-free, no oat)
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These Vegan Chocolate Protein Balls are made with green banana flour which is a densely nutritious and delicious gluten-free flour. Packed full of energy, these truffle bites are on just the right side of sweet, slightly salty and very chocolatey. Leaving you super satisfied as a between meals pick-me-up.
These Chocolate Protein Balls are a perfect snack if you can't quite manage your hunger or energy levels until your next meal. They are so full of great energy boosting ingredients like nuts and seeds that they really fill a hole and will keep you going.
I carry these little Gluten-Free Bliss Balls to school pick-up to give immediately to the children when they finish for the day. They are always so hungry and they think these Energy Balls are a total treat as they are pretty much akin to Chocolate Truffles but they are also excellent at helping tide them over until we get home for dinner.
Meanwhile I love them either before or straight after a gym work out, or when the children are eating their dinner and I'm ravenous but still have time until dinner. They are excellent on so many occasions and this recipe makes loads so you can stash them in the fridge of freezer for future emergency snacking.
Green banana flour is an excellent choice for these no-oat protein balls. A nutrient dense naturally gluten-free flour which is fine to eat raw and with a lovely mild flavour.
Why You’ll Love These Protein Balls
- So easy to make. Chuck all the ingredients into a food processor or blender, process until smooth, roll into balls and you are done.
- No oats. Great if you need to keep oats out of your diet.
- Full of protein. We get our protein from almond butter, peanut butter and hemp seeds for a great energy boost.
- Sweet yet salty. The sweetness comes from the medjool dates but a little pinch of sea salt gives another layer of flavour.
- Vegan. All the ingredients here are naturally dairy-free and vegan.
- Gluten-free. A great gluten-free snack which will definitely leave you satisfied.
Watch the video to see how to make it
Why use green banana flour?
Green banana flour is a very fine powder ground from dried organic green bananas and is excellent for your gut health as it is high in pre-biotic fibre and resistant starch.
As green banana flour is a very fine powder it gives our Gluten-Free Protein Balls a very smooth texture and truffle like consistency. Which makes them feel a little more special than just a healthy snack.
Full list of ingredients needed
Medjool dates. No other date substitute will do. They give sweetness to the recipe and medjool dates are chewy and will break down easily when mixed in with the other ingredients.
Almond butter. Natural, drippy and unsalted.
Peanut butter. Natural, drippy and unsalted.
Green banana flour. This isn't an everyday gluten-free flour. You can buy it from specialist health food shops or from Amazon. Visit my Ultimate Guide To Green Banana Flour.
Cacao powder. You can absolutely use cocoa powder instead but cacao powder just has more health benefits which is what I was looking for in this particular recipe.
Coconut butter/oil. Either at room temperature or in its liquid state.
Vanilla extract. I like the Nielsen Massey Brand as I want the great flavour for this recipe.
Sea salt. For a lovely flavour!
Hemp seeds. These just add in a little more protein and I love the flavour. They are used to coat the Chocolate Protein Balls and are great for an extra source of protein. However, you can substitute for desiccated coconut, sesame seeds or just more cacao powder.
How To Make Chocolate Protein Balls
The following gives a short concise method with step-by-step images. For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Put all the ingredients into food processor (or blender) and mix until smooth.
Weigh and roll into 30g balls.
Roll the balls in hemp seeds and chill until you are hungry.
How to weigh and roll out your Chocolate Protein Balls
Once the ingredients have been processed and are a nice cohesive dough then separate out a small portion of it.
Weigh the mini ball of dough on a set of digital scales. You want each ball to be about 30g.
When you have confirmed it is 30g then roll the dough tightly between the palm of your hands until you have achieved a smooth ball.
Set aside on baking parchment whilst you weigh and roll the rest of the balls.
This recipe should make about 16 protein balls.
How to store
These Chocolate Protein Balls with Dates will keep for up to 10 days if stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
I recommend though storing your Protein Balls in the freezer as they will keep for up to 2 months and only take 10 minutes to defrost at room temperature.
More Protein Packed Snacks You’ll Love
- Raw Cranberry and Nut Energy Bars
- Chocolate Tahini Energy Balls
- No Bake Granola Bars
- Healthy Coconut and Blueberry Bars
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Green Banana Flour Chocolate Protein Balls (vegan, gluten-free, no oat)
Ingredients
- 10 medjool dates - pitted
- 140 g almond butter
- 90 g peanut butter
- 60 g green banana flour
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 50 g hemp seeds
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients (expect for the hemp seeds) in food processor or blender and mix until smooth.
- Remove a small portion of the dough and weigh out on a set of digital scales. You want to achieve about 30g of dough.
- Roll the dough tightly between the palm of your hands until you have achieved a smooth ball.
- Set aside the protein ball on baking parchment whilst you weigh and roll the rest of the dough.
- Sprinkle the hemp seeds evenly in a small dish and roll each protein ball in the hemp seeds until evenly covered.
- Store the finished protein balls in the fridge until needed.
Video
Notes
- Use almond butter and peanut butter that is lovely fresh and drippy (not the dry hard stuff at the bottom of your jar).
- Use a set of digital scales to weigh out the dough for each protein ball so you can ensure they are all the same size.
- You can substitute the hemp seeds for sesame seeds, desiccated coconut or extra cacao powder.
- Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
- US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups
- Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.
- The nutrition serving is for 1 protein ball. This recipe should make 16 protein balls.
Hi! Is it ok to just use almond butter and omit the peanut butter? Thanks
Yes that's fine!