Who doesn’t need more snack ideas, right? – especially low carb ones that are good for blood sugar levels!
These Peanut Butter Protein Balls are a great take-from-home snack – put them in your lunch box or place a couple in a zip lock bag and you’ll know you’re safe when out and about.
They keep stored in the fridge for months – though you’ll definitely be eating them much faster than that. 🙂
And best of all they are low in carbs, blood sugar friendly and incredibly satisfying!
One ball is equal to one serve.
Recipe
Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together to combine.
- Next get your hands dirty and roll the balls into 1/2″ (1.5 cm bite sized balls) – makes about 15 balls.
- Place them into a container as you go and store them in the fridge. These will keep for months like this – but I hope you’ll eat them before then!
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients
These protein balls get their sweetness from the protein powder and the vanilla extract.
When purchasing a protein powder, try to choose one that is stevia based. Stevia is one of the best sugar substitutes, whereas some of the others have artificial sweeteners and all kinds of nasty ingredients you don’t want to consume.
Here are a few good options from Amazon.
Natural peanut butter is the kind that has no sugar or preservatives added. Basically it’s just ground peanuts, which is how peanut butter should be.
And also be careful when selecting vanilla extract. Many have fructose or sugar, which is not a great choice for type 2 diabetics or prediabetics. Choose a ‘natural’ or ‘pure’ vanilla extract and always check the labels.
Kitchen Tools
You always need a range of storage containers – even better if they have switchable lids so you’re not doing the frustrating search in the pantry every time you want to set something away!
And, stainless steel mixing bowls are the only way to go – hygienic, versatile and will literally last for years. And measuring cups and spoons are a must.
Please share, pin, or tweet this recipe. 🙂
Can you suggest specific brands of protein powder that are available in Canada.
I am replying to my own email. I did not rate this recipe. Not sure why it looks like I gave it 3 stars. The emoji looks angry – I have no reason to be angry. I was just asking for suggestions.
While we can’t speak to which ones are available in your area of Canada specifically, this article should help! Some may be able to be purchased online as well.
can you use walnuts in stead of almonds
Yes Rhonda, you can substitute with any type of nuts.
What could you sub for the coconut? My husband doesn’t care for coconut.
Hi Shirley, you could replace with coarsely ground or chopped nuts or almond meal, that would probably work fine.
I am very interested in joining. I do not understand the 30- day plan as opposed to the other meal plans.I need control in eating. With planned meals, I hope to be able to stick to what I am eating.Please suggest what plan I should start . I live alone, am 85 years old, and the five ingredients sounds great. It would be great to be able to talk to someone . Thanks Laura
Hi Laura, the 30 Day Turnaround Program is not a meal plan but a step-by-step nutrition program. Our subscriptions include weekly meal plans, resources and other support. It sounds like this would be more suited to you. You can view the membership options here. If you have other questions, please contact our support desk, they will be happy to help. 🙂
HiJedha
I was. Wondering if the monk fruit is considered an artificial sweetener lie Stevia and the others? I can’t tolerate them as they leave an after taste. I was hoping monk fruit won’t do that as it is an alternative to sugar and not artificial sweetener.
Thank you
Hi Mary,
Monk fruit and Stevia are not considered artificial sweeteners but are more alternative sweeteners. They are different than artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose which can have some negative side effects. Monk fruit is a good choice for people with diabetes as it contains no carbs, it doesn’t raise blood sugar, and research supports its effectiveness for diabetics – without any negative side effects.
I think the reason you find stevia is leaving a “lasting taste” in your mouth is that you are using too much at a time. Too much at a time yes, it’s horrible! I use stevia in iced tea, coffee, on cottage cheese and so much more.
Stevia is all natural and comes from the stevia plant.
If you’re using the dry, just sprinkle a tiny bit, stir and taste.
It’s a trial and error thing but you’ll get the right amount with practice and taste as it is for any sweetness.
By the it has 0 zero everything so no need to worry about packing anything extra on.
My Dad (91-years-old) is diabetic but also has kidney disease. Due to kidney disease, his protein intake is limited. Is the protein powder needed in this recipe? If so, is there something that is not protein-based that I could substitute? The amount of protein in the other ingredients is fine.
Hi Rhonda,
You can certainly leave out the protein powder or use less to fit your father’s protein needs!
Did leaving it out work? Protein powders tend to make my stomach hurt, but I would think using the other ingredients alone would leave the balls somewhat sticky. Would substituting peanut powder work, or would that increase the protein too much?
Leaving the protein powder out probably wouldn’t work unless replaced with something – maybe almond flour or a nut butter. You’d also need extra flavor too, such as vanilla extract.
Hi Jedha!
Thank you for all the information, it is life saver. Which protein powder is recommended if whey protein gives a sugar spike?
Are you sure it’s the whey itself and not another ingredient (sugar) in the particular protein powder you have tried? Make sure it’s a low carb powder and check all ingredients carefully! Another one of my personal favorites is egg white protein powder, a lot of the other types of protein are going to be higher in carbs.
I just discovered your website today and I am thrilled at the great information and recipes you are making available to Type 2 diabetics. I am overwhelmed at the contradictory information out there on diabetes. So thank you very much for publishing researched medical information and then give recipes and meal plans to help diabetics through the maze of good/bad information.
I did not notice butter anywhere on your foods list. Can butter be eaten since it has no carbs?
Thanks again! Elaine
Thanks for joining us, Elaine.
Yes butter is acceptable on a low carb diet– you might find our Definitive Guide to Fat and Diabetes useful if you have any other questions about which fats to eat or avoid on a diabetic diet.
I purchased the unflavored protein powder by mistake. Will this change the flavor of the snack?
Yes Teresa it will, the vanilla gives the snacks a vanilla flavor. You could add some vanilla extract if you have it available.
They look very good, I was wondering if I could add some rolled oats to make them more like a granola bar. I would also have to use a different nut butter as hubby does not like peanut butter.
Oatmeal will drastically change the nutrition info of these protein balls- most notably it’s going to raise the carb count a lot. For that reason, we do not encourage oatmeal on our meal plans and would not recommend that change. If you want more texture you could try increasing the amount of almonds you add, or mix with some different chopped nuts. It is perfectly fine to swap out a different nut butter- that will not change the nutrition content!
Let us know how you like the recipe.
I struggle with using protein powder. As a diabetic my goal is to also eat clean. So I see protein powder as artificial, not clean. I want to do smoothies as well but run into protein powder as an ingredient. Can you guide me in this delemma?
Some protein powders are very clean Gail – they are pure whey protein, which is a natural product. Others are junk filled with many additives, which is why you need to choose wisely. Still, if you want to avoid it, add nuts, seeds and other ingredients to smoothies. These peanut butter balls can also be made without the protein powder, too.
Try Bi-Pro protein. It’s flavorless, sugarless and nothing’s added.