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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!
Look Again: Quinoa Peanut Butter Snack Balls
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 20 balls 1x
Description
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.
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!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 36
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 14.6mg
- Fat: 1.7g
- Carbohydrates: 2.6g
- Protein: 1.5g
How long do these keep in the fridge please?
Thanks.
Has anyone tried to use almond butter with this recipe?
I am out of PB at the moment.
Hi 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
It is a very nice post.
Thanks for sharing this yummy and healthy recipes ideas .I love to try different yummy food and healthy recipes …
Hi Hhm!
What a FABULOUS snack before dinner!
Thanks!
I’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!
Yes, I do think date paste would work. Good luck!
I’m not a fan of maple, could I use agave and maybe a date or fig paste? Love the option of quinoa over oats
Agave would work great!
These were not what I expected.. gross!
I’m really sorry they weren’t what you expected.
I 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.?
I’m really sorry to hear this. Freezing and dipping in chocolate definitely sounds like a lovely solution to what you didn’t like.
How much saturated fat ? Just trying to figure out for weight watchers
Thank you
Is there anything you can use instead of syrup?
Honey works well also!
I’m thinking go using agave instead of the syrup & molasses.do u think it would work as well?
Yes, I think that should work fine.
Just wondering if they freeze well? I like to make big batches and freeze for easy snacking and lunches.
I’m sorry I haven’t tried freezing these.
I have some left over quinoa (cooked) How much do I use in this recipe?
Same question here….I have cooked quinoa already, is it 1 cup cooked quinoa needed for the recipe?
You’ll actually need closer to 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa.
You’ll need approximately 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa. Sorry for the late reply–this comment got buried and I missed it somehow!
These look so easy to make yet so delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
These look so easy to make yet so delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
-Ellie // http://www.peanutbutterandle.wordpress.com
If I make them on a Sunday will they be good on Tuesday?
Yes, they should be.
I’ve never added quinoa to a nut or ball recipe. I need to try it!
When 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!
I hope you love them!
This 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.
Please disregard my previous comment. I see at the beginning of the recipe it says this makes 20. I should have read this more carefully.
These 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!
You can simply leave it out and they will be fine. I’ve actually forgotten it a few times and we don’t notice.
I have leftover quinoa mixed with leftover brown rice. .do you think i could get away with using that mixture? ??
Thanks!
I do think it would work great! Please let me know if you try it.
I’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!
You’re welcome! I hope you love these!
Do you happen to know how many carbs are in each?
4g it say’s
Can I use puffed quinoa to make this?
I have never tried that, but it could be amazing!! You may have to increase the peanut butter some.
Hi. Do you know how many calories?
Can you use sunflower peanut butter?
Yes!!
Don’t have Molasses
What can I use instead?
You can just leave it out.
Could I add protein powder to this recipe to amp up the protein?