Protein Muddy Buddies

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A lightened up version of muddy buddies with an added protein boost! Gluten-free, dairy-free with a low-sugar option as well.

Muddy Buddies, Puppy Chow, Trash… it goes by many names, but no matter what you call it – it’s a delicious and highly addictive sweet treat!

A bowl of protein muddy muddies made with protein powder.

I’m all about indulging, especially around the holidays, but I find it fun to make recipes a little healthier so I made some tweaks to the classic muddy buddies recipe I grew up with as a kid.

This version has fewer calories, less sugar and more protein than the traditional blend, but it tastes just as good!

One 1/2 cup serving has 4 grams of protein, but if you’re looking for even more protein, you can add more protein powder than powdered sugar. I was making this mix as a gift and didn’t want the protein powder flavor to be too overwhelming so I decided to roll with 1/4 cup.

A hand holding four pieces of protein muddy buddy mix.

Here’s What You Need

  • Chex cereal – Rice Chex makes the best Muddy Buddies, but for even more protein you could use half Chex and half Catalina Crunch. The chocolate peanut butter flavor would be great. 
  • dark chocolate chips – I used Lily’s dark chocolate chips for less sugar.
  • peanut butter – make sure you use peanut butter with no added sugar, just peanuts and salt. See my note in the recipe card if you want to use something like PB2.
  • coconut oil – this just helps the melted chocolate from being too thick.
  • powdered sugarpowdered monkfruit or powered erythritol will keep this treat lower in sugar, but you can totally use powered sugar if that’s what you have on hand
  • vanilla protein powder – I like to use Nuzest vanilla protein powder, but use your favorite brand!
A bowl full of protein buddy buddies.

How to Make Protein Muddy Buddies

Cereal – Measure the cereal and place it in a large bowl, set aside.

Prep dry ingredients – Next, pour powdered sugar or powdered erythritol and protein powder into a 2-gallon resealable zip-lock bag.

Melt – In a saucepan over low-medium heat add peanut butter, chocolate chips and coconut oil. Stir continuously until chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth.

Coat cereal – Then carefully pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss until evenly coated. Carefully pour the coated cereal mixture into the bag with powdered sugar and protein powder. Seal the bag and shake until well coated.

Serve – Spread the muddy buddies onto parchment paper to cool completely. Make sure you let it cool for a while before putting it in a container, otherwise your mix will get soggy! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Brittany’s Tip

Store your protein muddy buddies in the fridge to keep it fresh and crunchy!

A bowl of protein muddy buddies coated in vanilla protein powder.

Make a batch to take to your next holiday party or portion into cute containers and give it away as gifts. Or keep it around the house – but I will warn you, it’s easy to eat a whole batch of it in a day. Not that happened to me or anything. 😉

More Protein Snack Ideas

More Healthy Snack Ideas

Looking for more healthy snacks? Be sure to check out all my popular snack recipes here.

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4.91 from 10 votes

Protein Muddy Buddies

Make muddy buddies a bit healthier with a protein boost with just a few easy substitutions! Gluten-free and dairy-free. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Measure cereal and place in a large bowl, set aside.
  • Pour powered sugar or powdered erythritol and protein powder into 2-gallon resealable zip-lock bag.
  • In a saucepan over low-medium heat add peanut butter, chocolate chips and coconut oil. Stir continuously until chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth. If you're using a microwave, heat the chocolate chips and coconut oil in 30 second increments until melted. Then stir in peanut butter until combined.
  • Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and toss until evenly coated.
  • Carefully pour coated cereal mixture into the bag with the powdered sugar and protein powder. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on parchment paper to cool completely. Make sure you let it cool for a while before putting it in a container, otherwise your mix will get soggy.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeping it in the fridge will keep it fresh and crunchy!

Notes

  • Chex is the traditional cereal used for Muddy Buddies, but for even more protein you could use half Chex and half Catalina Crunch. The chocolate peanut butter flavor would be great. 
  • If you prefer to use powdered peanut butter for lower fat content, mix 1/4 cup PB2 with 2 Tablespoons almond milk or water and 2 Tablespoons peanut butter. Use this instead of the 1/3 cup peanut butter. If the chocolate peanut butter mixture is too thick, add more almond milk, 1 Tablespoon at a time until it’s thin enough pour over the cereal. 
  • Powdered monkfruit or powered erythritol will keep this treat lower in sugar. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cup (made with powdered erythritol) | Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 148mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1.5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: protein muddy buddies
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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Recipe Rating




35 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’m trying to wean myself off Christmas cookies and I was craving something sweet. This is so good and quick! I used a little less sugar because Im using peanut butter protein powder and it’s already pretty sweet. I needed a little more than the recipe called for, but no biggie. My boyfriend has already had some and he approves (and he’s not worried about sugar content or protein benefits at all, so I’m sure this is kid friendly)!

    1. Woo-hoo!! So glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating, Missy. It means the world to me. <3

  2. 5 stars
    Just made these and they were a HIT among my family. They were the perfect quick and tasty treat. And the protein powder is undetectable!

    1. Yay!! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit with your family, Lily. I so appreciate you trying my recipe and coming back to leave a comment + star rating!!

  3. Thank thr Lord you called them Muddy Buddies and not “puppy chow”. 🙄 Haha! Anyway, SUPER excited to try this!

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