Coconut Protein Balls
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Published Jan 02, 2022, Updated Sep 12, 2023
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High protein, low carb coconut protein balls made with coconut butter and hemp seeds! You’ll love the coconut flavor and the energy boost these protein balls provide. Low carb, vegan and gluten-free.
One of my overarching health goals is to make sure I’m getting enough protein. Most of the time, it’s pretty easy for me to get a good amount of protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner, but snacks are another story.
It can be a challenge to find protein-packed snacks that I actually want to eat! Greek yogurt bowls with fruit and granola have been my go-to for a while, but recently I was inspired to use protein powder, hemp seeds and coconut butter to make a low-sugar coconut protein ball for snacking.
Ingredients Needed
- vegan vanilla protein powder – any vanilla protein powder works, I just recommend vegan protein powder to keep these energy balls vegan! My go-to brand recently is Nuzest and you can use the code “eatingbirdfood” for 15% off your order if you want to try it out!
- hemp seeds – packed with healthy fats and protein, these seeds are a great addition to energy balls!
- coconut butter – use store bought or make your own coconut butter for the most delectable ingredient!
- maple syrup – a natural sweetener to balance the rest of the flavors. You should be able to swap for a different liquid sweetener of choice if needed.
- water – to help get theses balls to stick, you just need a touch of water!
- cinnamon – the perfect spice pairing.
What the Heck is Coconut Butter?
If you’re unfamiliar with coconut butter, it’s the most amazing thing ever – it’s a spread just like almond or peanut butter but made from coconut! You can find it at most grocery stores or simply follow my simple coconut butter recipe (linked above)! I’ve made protein balls with nut butter a bazillion times and finally decided it’s time to make one with coconut butter.
How to Make Coconut Protein Balls
Start by making sure your coconut butter is softened by putting the jar in a mug of hot water. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times to incorporate. Stir the dough with a mixing spoon and then use your hands to roll 1 Tablespoon of the mixture into balls. Repeat until you’ve made about 8 balls. If the dough is too crumbly and not sticking together, add a few more drops of water.
pro tip! If your coconut butter is hard, place the jar in a bowl of hot water to let it soften. Alternatively, you can scoop out the amount of coconut butter you need and place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until softened, stirring often! Just keep an eye on it because the coconut butter can burn in the microwave!
How to Store Protein Balls
You can enjoy the protein balls right away or store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
More Protein Balls and Energy Bites
- Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites
- Cranberry Energy Bites
- Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls
- Cherry Energy Balls
- Vegan Protein Balls
- Easy No Bake Protein Balls
- Coconut Protein Balls
- Cinnamon Raisin Cookie Protein Balls
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Tahini Chocolate Chip Protein Balls
- Hazelnut Chocolate Balls
- Pumpkin Protein Balls
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Coconut Protein Balls
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegan vanilla protein powder*
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- ¼ cup coconut butter
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a mini chopper/processor and pulse a few times to incorporate.
- Give the dough a stir and start to roll the mixture (with your hands) into 1 tbsp sized balls. It should make about 8. If the dough is too crumbly add a few drops of water.
- Eat right away or store in an airtight container at room temp for 3-4 days. For longer storage, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 week or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Video
Notes
- Use a vegan protein powder to keep these protein balls vegan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love coconut so had to put these together. I doubled the recipe and added a bit more water than stated. I made my own coconut butter which took about 10minutes in my magimix – luckily I had some coconut flakes stocked. I also used linseed instead of hemp. Maybe a bit premature to rate but did the taste test and very nice. And a change from the choc/coconut balls.
Ahh this sounds amazing, Emma! Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
I made this recipe and it yields 4 balls (not 8 as the recipe indicates). Also, coconut butter is extremely difficult to find in stores (I went to three grocery stores including Whole Foods and none of them had it). I finally found it online but that is a pain to have to buy it online. I know the Recipe says you can make your own coconut butter, but who has the time? Finally, the final product was just too sweet for me.
I am sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out as you had hoped, Jill. Did you make sure to measure out the balls the correct size? If everything else was correct, it should have made 8. Thanks for sharing, again, I apologize these did not work out for you.
This is so delicious!! I substituted collagen for the protein powder and added some vanilla. I tried macadamias and cashews for the hemp seeds, but it was very wet, so I rolled them generously in coconut flakes.
Woo! Thank you for sharing what swaps you made and how they turned out, Hannah. I appreciate it! 🙂
Do you have a protein powder you recommend?
Hey Allison! I’ve been loving Nuzest + Sun Warrior protein powders. 🙂 If you want to try Nuzest I have a code “eatingbirdfood” for 15% off. 🙂
Would these last just as long (1-2 weeks) in an air tight container if they aren’t in the fridge?X
If you store them at room temp, they will last 3-4 days. I would store them in the fridge if you want to keep them any longer than that! Hope this helps.
Hi, I’m wondering if these can be stored and eaten from freezer.
If not how long do they last in airtight container.
Great question. You can 100% store them in the freezer, but they’ll probably be too hard to eat frozen, so I’d recommend transferring them from the freezer to the fridge to thaw a couple hours before you want to eat them. For storage, they should last 1-2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
I love simple and straight forward recipes like this! There’s no way I can mess this up AND they look delicious!!
Any suggestion for a substitution for hemp seeds?
Wondering this too! 🙂
I haven’t tested it yet, but I’m thinking that cashews would make a great sub for the hemp seeds. So 1/4 cup cashews in place of the hemp seeds. Let me know if you try it!
That is an impressive amount of protein for each ball! I’m the same; I’ve used nut butters in SO many energy ball recipes, I’m excited to try something new!
WANT! Love this recipe, lady! SO easy, and they look so tasty! xoxo