Chocolate Date Protein Balls

a stack of chocolat e protein balls on a plate

These Chocolate Date Protein Balls are quick and easy to make with a food processor in under 15 minutes. They are sweet, with lots of chocolate flavour, and full of fibre and protein.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings Balls

Calories 177kcal

Author Kim

Ingredients

½ cup Oats
½ cup crumbled Walnuts
15 Medjool Dates seeds removed
¼ cup Chocolate Protein Powder
¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (note 1)
¼ cup Natural Peanut Butter or Sugar free chocolate spread
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Soften Dates: Microwave dates in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds to soften. if dates are already soft, this step can be skipped. (see Note 2 for tips)
Blitz: Add all ingredients to a large food processor (mine is an 8 cup) and blitz on high until a moist and sticky crumb is formed
Roll into balls: Carefully remove the blade from the food processor. Roll mixture into 10 evenly sized balls
Store: Place into an airtight container with lid in fridge for one week. Or freeze for upto 3 months

Notes

Instead of ¼ cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder you could add additional chocolate protein powder, although the cocoa powder does give these balls a delicious and rich chocolate flavour, probably moreso than if you used only chocolate protein powder
Dates: If the dates are already soft and pliable from sitting on the counter, you can skip microwaving them. If however they have been in the fridge and are firm, I highly recommend microwaving to soften them as this will also be “kinder” on your food processor
Oats: Rolled oats are what I use, however instant quick oats work fine as well.
Dates: medjool dates are the best as they are sweet and have a caramel like flavour. The skin is also much softer than other kinds of dates so it blitzes up nicely. If using another kind of dates, make sure they are soft before adding to the food processor so they blitz up into the mixture
Walnuts: Plain or toasted walnuts work fine, and can be substituted with pecans, macadamias or hazelnuts. If using almonds you may need extra moisture as this is a drier nut than the others
Protein Powder: I use a chocolate Whey Protein Isolate powder. If using a plant based protein powder you may need to add additional warm water to reach the right consistency with the mixture as plant based protein powders tend to be more "thirsty"
Cocoa Powder: this adds a rich chocolate taste to the protein balls. Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa power as there is already plenty of sweetness from the dates. Unsweetened cocoa powder is generally in the health food aisle of supermarkets.
Peanut Butter: Using a natural peanut butter will provide extra flavour and stickiness to the protein balls. Note that some natural peanut butters tend to be creamier than others which can make the protein ball mixture a bit too moist. If this happens see tips below to dry it out to get to the perfect crumb consistency.

Nutrition