It’s been a hot minute since I brought one of my old recipes out the archives and into the spotlight. I couldn’t let these Quinoa Peanut Butter Snack Balls be buried any longer. You need this healthy snack recipe in your life.
You only need five simple ingredients that you probably have hanging out in your pantry and these come together in a snap. Quinoa is the base of these little snack balls, giving them a great protein boost. Each ball is just 36 calories with almost 1.5 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of sugar.
These are perfect for when you need just a little something to tide you over before your next meal. I think the best part about these for me, though, is that they get my kids to eat quinoa. For whatever reason, my kids are not big quinoa fans. It isn’t from lack of exposure as I’ve been trying to get both of them to eat it since they were barely able to walk. It’s been the same reaction from them both. “I don’t like keeeeeeen-wah.” Oh, really? How about a peanut butter ball? “Yummmmmy!”
These are a naturally gluten-free and vegan snack. If you need them to be nut-free, substitute sunflower seed butter or soy butter for the peanut butter. They are very lightly sweet with a strong peanut butter flavor. I added some blackstrap molasses for a nutritional boost, but it’s optional so if you don’t have it, go ahead and make these without it.
These are perfect for back-to-school snacks. You can add them to your child’s lunch or save them for after school snacking. I hope you love them!
PrintLook Again: Quinoa Peanut Butter Snack Balls
Quinoa is the star of these naturally gluten-free and vegan snack balls. They boast almost 1.5 grams of protein with only 36 calories each and less than 1 gram of sugar.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 20 balls 1x
Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 cup water
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
pinch of sea salt
Instructions
In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Bring it to a boil, stir once, and cover the pot. Reduce the heat a bit and allow to simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.
Once the quinoa is cooked, allow it to cool a bit. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Form the mixture into 1″ balls and place them onto a tray or plate. Place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm. Keep stored in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 36
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 14.6mg
- Fat: 1.7g
- Carbohydrates: 2.6g
- Protein: 1.5g
jill conyers says
August 11, 2015 at 6:32 amI’ve been loving quinoa for baking lately. This looks delicious and easy to make. And even better it’s gluten free so I don’t have to tweak the recipe. Thanks!
Maryea says
August 12, 2015 at 6:41 amYou’re welcome! I hope you love these!
Paula says
September 21, 2015 at 7:27 pmDo you happen to know how many carbs are in each?
thomas says
October 18, 2017 at 5:11 pm4g it say’s
Kathy says
May 30, 2017 at 2:00 pmCan I use puffed quinoa to make this?
Maryea says
May 30, 2017 at 4:58 pmI have never tried that, but it could be amazing!! You may have to increase the peanut butter some.
Lu says
June 8, 2017 at 8:38 pmHi. Do you know how many calories?
Savanna says
November 19, 2018 at 2:38 pmCan you use sunflower peanut butter?
Maryea says
November 20, 2018 at 8:43 amYes!!
Marcia Pacak says
September 22, 2018 at 10:51 amDon’t have Molasses
What can I use instead?
Maryea says
September 22, 2018 at 12:49 pmYou can just leave it out.
Jodie Archer Schibline says
March 23, 2019 at 9:54 amCould I add protein powder to this recipe to amp up the protein?
Kelly says
August 20, 2015 at 12:43 amI have leftover quinoa mixed with leftover brown rice. .do you think i could get away with using that mixture? ??
Thanks!
Maryea says
August 20, 2015 at 9:56 pmI do think it would work great! Please let me know if you try it.
Heather says
August 29, 2015 at 2:32 pmThese look so great! I have a question though about the blackstrap molasses. I live in Germany, where molasses is really hard to find. Do you think I could substitute it with anything else? Thanks so much!
Maryea says
August 30, 2015 at 9:36 pmYou can simply leave it out and they will be fine. I’ve actually forgotten it a few times and we don’t notice.
Elaine says
September 29, 2015 at 4:41 pmThis sounds wonderful. We don’t have any children at home any longer, so I was wondering how many 1 inch balls this recipe will make? How long can these be stored in the refrigerator? Do I need to keep some of them in the freezer in a sealed container to keep them fresh? Thank you very much.
Elaine says
September 29, 2015 at 7:01 pmPlease disregard my previous comment. I see at the beginning of the recipe it says this makes 20. I should have read this more carefully.
Shweta says
October 2, 2015 at 12:36 pmWhen a Pin for this popped up in my inbox & I thought these were good old sesame/ peanut balls(laddu) that are so famous in India! Can’t wait to try these healthy goodies!
Maryea says
October 5, 2015 at 9:52 pmI hope you love them!
jill conyers says
October 21, 2015 at 4:50 amI’ve never added quinoa to a nut or ball recipe. I need to try it!
Courtney says
October 24, 2015 at 10:20 pmIf I make them on a Sunday will they be good on Tuesday?
Maryea says
October 26, 2015 at 6:22 amYes, they should be.
Ellie H. says
December 28, 2015 at 6:20 pmThese look so easy to make yet so delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
-Ellie // http://www.peanutbutterandle.wordpress.com
Ellie H. says
December 28, 2015 at 6:22 pmThese look so easy to make yet so delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Maryea says
December 29, 2015 at 7:13 amYou’re welcome!
Sandie Mixa says
February 19, 2016 at 1:33 amI have some left over quinoa (cooked) How much do I use in this recipe?
Lea says
February 23, 2016 at 10:06 pmSame question here….I have cooked quinoa already, is it 1 cup cooked quinoa needed for the recipe?
Maryea says
February 24, 2016 at 9:37 pmYou’ll actually need closer to 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa.
Maryea says
February 24, 2016 at 9:43 pmYou’ll need approximately 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa. Sorry for the late reply–this comment got buried and I missed it somehow!
Tara says
March 24, 2016 at 2:04 pmJust wondering if they freeze well? I like to make big batches and freeze for easy snacking and lunches.
Maryea says
March 25, 2016 at 6:34 amI’m sorry I haven’t tried freezing these.
Joni says
September 13, 2016 at 2:12 pmIs there anything you can use instead of syrup?
Maryea says
September 14, 2016 at 9:37 amHoney works well also!
michelle says
September 19, 2016 at 4:16 pmI’m thinking go using agave instead of the syrup & molasses.do u think it would work as well?
Maryea says
September 19, 2016 at 9:32 pmYes, I think that should work fine.
Shannon says
April 30, 2017 at 8:03 amHow much saturated fat ? Just trying to figure out for weight watchers
Thank you
Kathleen says
May 11, 2017 at 7:42 pmThese were not what I expected.. gross!
Maryea says
May 12, 2017 at 11:29 amI’m really sorry they weren’t what you expected.
Ruth Oulton says
April 19, 2019 at 7:39 amI followed recipe to the letter and balls would not stick together well, also have very little flavor. I thought of freezing and dipping in chocolate. what do you think.?
Maryea says
April 20, 2019 at 7:34 amI’m really sorry to hear this. Freezing and dipping in chocolate definitely sounds like a lovely solution to what you didn’t like.
Audra says
August 10, 2017 at 9:46 pmI’m wondering if these could be made with date paste as the sweetener instead of the syrup and molasses? I’m always looking for no-sugar/naturally sweetened snack recipes. Either way, I will be making these!
Maryea says
August 11, 2017 at 7:45 amYes, I do think date paste would work. Good luck!
Debby says
February 1, 2018 at 2:59 pmI’m not a fan of maple, could I use agave and maybe a date or fig paste? Love the option of quinoa over oats
Maryea says
February 2, 2018 at 8:54 amAgave would work great!
Colleen Fearon says
March 13, 2018 at 4:25 pmHi Hhm!
What a FABULOUS snack before dinner!
Maryea says
March 14, 2018 at 9:17 pmThanks!
Sam says
September 5, 2018 at 8:25 amIt is a very nice post.
Thanks for sharing this yummy and healthy recipes ideas .I love to try different yummy food and healthy recipes …
Kathy R. says
April 5, 2019 at 12:35 pmHi Maryea, I can’t wait to try these healthy little snack bites! They sound amazing!!! I have a kiddo-friendly rock painting party to make snacks for & I think these will be just perfect! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes! <3