Today I’m happy to show you how to transform less than 10 simple ingredients into delicious grain free, gluten free protein balls. When you’re done, you’ll have the perfect bite-size snack for lunch or afternoons. You can also enjoy your protein balls for breakfast, or dare I say, dessert.
Inherently, this gluten free protein balls recipe is compliant with a range of special diets including Paleo, Vegan, grain free, top 9 & top 14 free, refined sugar free, and more. One thing that I really love about this recipe is how flexible it is, and after the instructions, I’ve included different options for you to try.
A Little Note About Celiac Disease & Oats
You may have noticed that most protein ball recipes online contain oats, which is totally fine. However, not everyone with Celiac Disease (approximately 25%) can consume oats, and that’s because of avenin.
If you manage Celiac Disease, or any other medical condition that requires you to be free from gluten, and you still haven’t reached neutral, check out this article on oats. It breaks down the similarities between wheat, rye, barley, and oats. In some cases, understanding avenin and eliminating oats is the last hurdle someone needs to conquer to reach neutral.
Allergy Status
Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nuts, Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Top 9 Allergens, Top 14 Allergens, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Carrot, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Coconut, Corn, Cruciferous, Garlic, Latex Cross Reactive Foods (H/M), Legume, Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Nightshade, Oat, Onion, Pea & Pea Protein, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Squash & Gourd, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Tomato, Yeast
Friendly To: EOE, FPIES, GAPs, Grain Free, Paleo, Vegan
Compatible With: GERD
- GERD: Make sure your portion size is right for you. With too many of these, it can be considered high fat because of the sunflower seeds.
Tools Needed to Make Your Date Protein Balls
Link Note: I’ve only linked you to items I personally own, test, and love.
- Food Processor (this is the updated model of the one that I use)
- Baking Sheet/Tray (this is the brand I use the most these days) + Parchment Paper (I get mine in bulk at Costco) OR Glass Container with Lid
- Kitchen Scale (the one that I LOVE)
- Cookie Scoop (I have a ridiculous amount of these)
- Spatula (this is a good one)
Ingredients for This Gluten Free Protein Balls Recipe
- 250 Organic Medjool Dates (9 ounces, measured w/o pits)
- 195g Organic Raw Unsalted Sunflower Seeds (7 ounces)
- 1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract (this is the brand I use)
- 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 4 TBSP Water
- 4 – 5 TBSP Golden Flax Meal (not the same thing as flax seeds, use this brand for the best results)
- Optional: Chocolate Chips or Mini Chocolate Chips of Choice
For nut free dates, use Sam Cobb Farms. These dates are sold directly from the farmer, straight from the farm. There aren’t any tree nuts (or other foods) in the supply chain. Also, expect your order to take a couple of weeks to arrive since it’s a farmer and his family doing it all on their own.
More Delicious Snacks to Enjoy
These fantastic snack recipes are all gluten free, vegan, no-bake, and very allergy friendly (most are top 9 free and some are top 14 free). They’re also great for lunchboxes and busy mornings.
- Date Chocolate Protein Balls Recipe (such a great recipe for chocolate lovers)
- No-Bake Cookies (GF, Top 14 Free, and made with basic ingredients)
- Lemon Raspberry Date Protein Balls Recipe (Grain Free, Top 14 Free)
- Vanilla Protein Power Balls (GF, V, Top 9 Free, perfect for a lunch box snack)
 |
 |
 |
 |
Directions
Ready for some super easy instructions? Start by pitting your dates. If they’re very dry, soak them (whole) in warm water overnight, or for a few hours before starting.
Place your food processor bowl (with the blade in) on your kitchen scale and tare to zero. Pit your dates and add them directly to the bowl, stopping once you’ve hit 250g/9 ounces. Tare to zero and add the other ingredients.
Pulse a few times, then process/mix/blend until all of the ingredients are well combined. I like to use a small cookie dough scooper (2 tsp) to portion out protein balls directly into a large container. Rolling and shaping is optional.
If you end up loving this recipe, next time make a double batch or triple batch so you have snacks for days. Well, weeks.
Protein Ball Storage
After making your gluten free protein balls, you’ll want to store extras in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. They don’t need to be in a single layer, just be sure to add them gently when stacking. The good news is that protein balls keep very well in a sealed container in the fridge for several weeks.
Alternatively, you can freeze extra grain free protein balls, however, some people are on the fence. If you’ve never frozen energy balls before, only freeze a few. The next day, thaw one on the counter at room temperature, then eat it. If you like it, repeat for the next few days with the other power balls you froze to make sure you still enjoy the texture when thawed. If you’re still a fan, go all in and freeze your leftovers in a freezer safe container.
Lazy Storage Tip: If you don’t have kids, and really don’t care about the shape, invest in small 4-ounce glass jars. You can add a heaping spoonful or two to a glass jar, and pop the lid on. Now you have an easy snack that’s ready to go, and you didn’t have to get your hands dirty.
Freezer Tip: You can line a large baking tray with parchment paper and fill it up with protein balls. Freeze the entire tray, and when all of the balls have frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container. Freezing them on the tray first prevents them from sticking together. As needed, pull out several protein balls and thaw on the countertop for about 60 minutes, and you’ll have the perfect snack.
You can also add frozen protein balls to a lunch box in the morning, and when lunchtime rolls around, they’re thawed and ready to be enjoyed.
Fun Ways to Alter This Protein Ball Recipe
Let’s take a look at how you can incorporate more flavors, which can be helpful if you’re feeding a family (or just love having variety when it comes to snacking).
Boost the Fiber and Protein Content
There are lots of little ways you can boost the nutritional content of your protein ball mixture. Here are a few options to try:
- Add several tablespoons of your favorite protein powder that won’t clash with the flavor profile (I’d use vanilla or chocolate protein powder flavors, but you can branch out for sure).
- Include several tablespoons of hemp seeds or chia seeds.
- Use a seed blend, rather than just the sunflower seeds. This can create a nutritional variation for you.
Turn These Into Peanut Butter Protein Balls
A delicious way to alter this easy recipe is to add peanut butter to taste. If you plan to use creamy peanut butter, add it at the beginning with the dates. If you plan to use crunchy peanut butter, add it after the dough has formed so it’s just mixed in, and the crunchy bits are mostly intact.
When you go this route, you can skip some of the sunflower seeds and replace them with whole or crushed peanut to help reinforce the flavour.
Roll Your Protein Balls Through a Topping
If you have little ones, you can have them help you roll protein balls through mini chocolate chips or colourful sprinkles. Alternatively, you can roll your shaped protein bites through something like crushed macadamia nuts, or crushed Brazil nuts.
If you have a tree nut allergy, crush sliced tiger nuts (tuber, not a tree nut), and use those instead. It’s a great way to add texture without using a major allergen.
Use Your Protein Balls as a Topping
If you’re a fan of oatmeal for breakfast, or something like cream of wheat (or cream of buckwheat if you’re gluten free), your grain free protein bites would make for a fabulous topping. Break balls into small pieces and sprinkle all over your cooked breakfast cereal. If you want to jazz it up a little more, you can add unsweetened coconut shreds, or even almond slices for texture and extra flavor.
Make Homemade Breakfast Bars
Rather than making run of the mill power balls, you can make run of the mill bars instead. Except, let’s skip the mill and add some oomph. Make this recipe for protein balls, then press it into a glass baking dish. Then, make a delicious mixture of cacao powder, a little sweetener, and a nut butter (or alternative if you have a nut allergy). Spread that all over the top, then slice and you’ve got delicious layered breakfast bars.
Alternatively, you can make the top layer with coconut oil + spices + cashew butter (or a seed butter) and spread that all over. Pop it in the fridge and the coconut oil will set, giving you a lovely solid, somewhat creamy effect.
Top With a Maple Glaze
You can use straight maple butter to make a glaze, however, let’s take this a little further. You can make a delicious homemade glaze that incorporates healthy fats by using these kinds of combinations:
- Cashew Butter + Maple Butter + Cayenne Pepper (let’s add a little spice to your life, you can also use chili powder)
- Almond Butter + Maple Butter + Ground Coffee (this can add a nice kick to your snack/treat)
- Hazelnut Butter + Maple Butter + Cacao Powder
- Tiger Nut Butter (tuber, not a tree nut) + Maple Butter + Nutmeg + Vanilla
- Sunflower Seed Butter + Maple Butter + Carob Powder (a great alternative if you can’t have cacao powder)
Answering Your Questions About Gluten Free Protein Balls
Could I make these in a mixing bowl and mix by hand?
Unfortunately, no. You’ll need to use a food processor to make this gluten free protein balls recipe. If you were to try mixing by hand, you wouldn’t be able to stir this into the right consistency, even with the help of an electric hand mixer.
If you don’t have a food processor, the best advice I can offer is to look up a power ball recipe that uses oats (oat flour is even better), along with a liquid sweetener such as honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup. There’s a very good chance that a recipe like that can be made in an electric stand mixer, or with a handheld electric mixer.
Can I add protein powder to this recipe?
Yes! You can add any kind of protein powder to this protein ball recipe including a pre-workout style, vegan protein powder, whey protein powder, or even this top 14 free protein powder. They’ll all work.
One of the best tips I can give you is to start with a few tablespoons, taste, then add more. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take it away if you go overboard and don’t like the taste.
Are power balls a healthy snack?
Let’s be honest, bliss balls, power balls, energy bites, or anything else you like to call them legit taste like you’re eating dessert. When you use a sweet dried fruit as the base, in this case dates, you’re headed in direction of sweet treats.
However, these types of recipes can still be nutritious, and make for a great quick snack on busy days. The top perk these balls have are their natural sweetness which comes from dried fruit, as compared to a processed or refined sweetener. The dates also bring in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Back to healthy. It’s really going to depend on who you ask. For people with blood sugar regulation issues who are also at a high risk of heart disease, these types of recipes aren’t a great choice. On the flip side, for a young athlete that needs a high energy workout snack to tap into, these are easy snacks they can rely on.
Personally, I think protein balls are a great healthy snack when part of a well rounded diet, but I’m also comparing them to highly processed and ultra processed snacks by comparison. One could easily argue that baby carrots and hummus are a better snack choice. See what I mean?
Ultimately, you’re the only person that can determine if a snack is a healthy choice for you (or your children), based on your unique health goals and individualized nutritional needs.
Could I swap the dates for raisins?
For this particular protein ball recipe, the dates are really the base of this recipe and help hold everything together. Whilst I don’t suggest replacing all of the dates with raisins, you could try a combination of dates and raisins, or even a combination of dates and cranberries.
On their own, and in that large of an amount, raisins will have an overwhelming taste that won’t compliment these power balls. If you can’t have dates, I suggest looking up a protein ball recipe that uses honey or maple as the sweetener, that way you don’t have to re-work the ratios.
Can I swap the dates for honey?
Whilst honey is a great sugar alternative, it wouldn’t work in this recipe for date energy balls. Honey, and even something like maple syrup (or even agave) ruins the consistency of the energy bites, alters the sweetness, and you’ll no longer have chewy, delicious bite-sized balls.
The dates (a type of dried fruit) are a key ingredient to making this recipe work. Now, if you’d be interested in creating a new recipe at home, let’s chat. It’s not that honey can’t be used to sweeten protein balls, it’s that it can’t be used in this specific recipe.
You would need to create a base recipe that leans into oat flour or rolled oats to make up the mass of the protein balls, then use honey as the sweetener. Ideally, you’d use a runny honey to take advantage of the sticky powers.
Know that you can still make a great snack without the pitted dates, but it’s going to be different for you to get the right consistency. If you can’t have oats, toasted tiger nut flour (tuber, not a tree nut) would be my next suggestion for you, followed by toasted almond flour.
As you create this new recipe, be sure to take good notes. I suggest starting with 100g of the oats, 35g of honey, and any additional ingredients (vanilla, freeze dried fruit, seeds, etc.). Process and sample for sweetness levels. Once you have the sweetness right, tweak the ingredients until the consistency is just right. You may need to add a little milk of choice, or maybe more of the flour to thicken things up a bit.
