These no-bake oatmeal balls are such an easy way to prepare a big batch of a nutrient-dense, healthy snack that the whole family will love. I love that they’re sweet, but not too sweet, they come together in under 5 minutes, and I feel great about my kids grabbing these when they’re hungry! You know I’m all about healthy snacking. 

So without further ado, today I’m sharing my no-brainer, no-bake oatmeal balls recipe that I think you will love! 

No-Bake Oatmeal Balls

These no-bake oatmeal balls come together with just a few ingredients. The nut butter (I like almond butter or peanut butter best) makes them a hearty bite and the maple syrup gives just enough sweetness that it feels like a treat! 

You can enjoy these no-bake oatmeal balls at room temperature right when you make them. But then you should stick these in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 5 days. The fridge not only keeps them at a safe temperature for longer, but it also helps them stay together. They can get a little sticky and soft at room temperature!

Personally, I like to pop them right in the freezer because they are good for about 2 months in there! That way, if we don’t go through them immediately, none go to waste.

If you’re like me and you can’t get enough of easy, no-bake recipes, check out my no-bake chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m always looking for ways to press the easy button (without compromising on nutrition!) when it comes to feeding my family.

Don’t get me wrong, I love store bought protein balls and no-bake bites, but nothing beats making them at home with ingredients you love and feel good about. Sometimes the store bought versions are loaded with unnecessary added sugar, which I try to avoid when I can. 

Is It Safe To Eat Uncooked Oatmeal Balls?

Yep! These are safe to eat right away. 

I know it can seem weird to mix up a dough and not bake it, but there are a couple reasons why doughs usually need to be baked (and why this one doesn’t).

1. Most quick doughs have eggs in them, and eggs need to be cooked to a safe temperature before eating.
2. Doughs usually also use rising agents to make them rise, and they basically have to be baked for the appropriate chemical reactions to happen amongst the ingredients.
3. Wheat flour is not safe to eat raw. It can contain E. coli or salmonella, and needs to be cooked to a safe temperature before eating. (Oats are different because they are steamed before packaging.)

These no-bake oatmeal bites don’t have any eggs in them, so no concern there! And we aren’t using any baking soda or baking powder (rising agents) so no baking needed. These stick together on their own because of the nut butter and maple syrup, and all these ingredients in them are safe to consume without being heated.

What Nutrients Are In Oatmeal Balls

There are tons of nutrients in these oatmeal balls! They cover all the macronutrients pretty well, and have a good amount of some important micronutrients, as well. I love a nutrient-dense snack.

Some of the nutrients that are present in these no-bake oatmeal bars are:

• carbohydrates
• fat
• protein
• fiber
• magnesium
• calcium
• and lots more! 

How To Make Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Balls

Ingredients

1.5 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup creamy nut butter
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (can also use chocolate if you want them to be double choc peanut butter)
2 Tbsp shredded coconut (unsweetened)
2 Tbsp chia seeds (you could also use ground flaxseed)
2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Step one, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl

Step two, mix together using hands if needed to get all ingredients incorporated. This will form a very thick dough that should stick together well

Step three, roll into balls- about 2 inches in diameter.

Step four, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (they can also be frozen for up to 3 months)

Recipe notes

These no-bake oatmeal balls are gluten free as long as you use certified gluten-free rolled oats. Even though oats are naturally gluten-free, they can sometimes come into contact with gluten during processing, so you need to opt for the certified gluten-free version if you need them to be gluten-free. 

These also can be made nut-free if you use sunflower seed butter or granola butter in place of the nut butter. You may need to adjust your nut/seed butter amount depending on the consistency of the one you choose. 

I also marked them as dairy-free, but you’ll need to make sure your chocolate chips don’t have dairy in them if you need them to be dairy-free.

Swaps and picky eater customizations

You can change the add-ins of this recipe to tweak it to be a different flavor profile, if you like. 

My picky kids like white chocolate almond butter with white chocolate chips and almond butter. We also do cinnamon raisin with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, raisins, and coconut. And my husband likes the trail mix version- which usually means I just throw in whatever nuts/seeds we have around like a handful of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, and of course, chocolate chips! 

Basically, if you just keep the starting ratio of nut butter, oats, some protein powder, add a binder like honey/maple syrup, then you can customize the add-ins to be whatever you like! 

Happy no-baking!

Is protein powder okay to use for kids?

Since the entire recipe only uses one scoop of protein powder, I am comfortable with kids having it. I don’t recommend giving children a full serving of protein powder on a regular daily basis, since they do not need that much protein at a time. But in this recipe, it just adds a little protein boost to each ball.