Name: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 28
Ingredients: 1 jar of crunchy peanut butter (16.3 ozs); 2 tbsp honey; 2 tbsp chocolate chips; 2 cups quick-cooking oats

We’re a household of grazers.

And because of that, we have an abundance of snacks in our cupboards. One of my kids’ favorites? Protein bars. That’s fine by me but holy moly, are they expensive!

Add to that my husband having a lot of food sensitivities so the fewer the ingredients, the better.

To solve both of these issues I came up with this simple recipe for 4-ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls. They come together quickly, taste completely sinful, and are packed with protein and fiber.

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These 4 ingredient energy balls come together in just 5 minutes. No baking! Make a bunch of these for grab and go snacks pre-workout or after school. They taste like dessert but are actually pretty good for you! Contain whole grain, fiber, and protein. Much cheaper than expensive protein bars and they taste a whole lot better.

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How to Make 4-Ingredient Energy Balls

The basic method to making no-bake, 4-ingredient energy balls is simple. Stir together nut butter, honey, quick cooking oats, and any mix-in of your choosing. Form into balls and store in the fridge (up to a week) or freezer (up to three months).

I love the flexibility of this method! For this batch, we’re using peanut butter for the nut butter and chocolate chips for the mix-in.

Using peanute butter, honey, quick cooking oats, and chocolate chips these 4-ingredient energy bites come together in only 5 minutes.

First of all, you’re going to want to use the old-school Skippy peanut butter for this recipe. The generic version works too, but avoid using all-natural peanut butter. It’s very oily and the balls will be strangely dry.

How oily PB leads to dry balls, I have no idea, but trust me. I tried, it failed.

We prefer to use crunchy peanut butter for the added texture it provides, but creamy would work too!

Scoop the entire 16.3 oz jar* of peanut butter into a large mixing bowl then top with honey and mix until well combined.

Then, add your oats and chocolate chips. Mix again.

These chocolate chip peanut butter energy balls are satisfying and quick to make.

Form into small balls (roughly a tablespoon) and you’re done! No baking, no fuss.

Store balls in a covered container for up to a week in the fridge or up to three months in the freezer.

*I specifically developed this recipe around using a whole jar because I HATE measuring peanut butter.

And that’s it! These no-bake energy balls have been a total gamechanger for us. We’ve saved SO MUCH money since switching to these little bites vs. the $20 we were spending on protein bars each week.

Want more easy recipes like this? Check out my full collection of simple family favorites.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Yield: 28 balls

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

These chocolate chip peanut butter energy balls have only four ingredients and come together quickly.

Ingredients

1 jar of crunchy peanut butter (16.3 ozs)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp chocolate chips
2 cups quick-cooking oats

Instructions

Scoop the entire jar of peanut butter into a large bowl
Add 2 tbsp of honey
Mix well
Add 2 tbsp of chocolate chips and 2 cups of quick-cooking oats to the bowl
Mix well
Scoop into 1 tbsp portions, roll into balls
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months

Notes

Don't use all-natural peanut butter for this recipe. Your balls will be too dry. You need the good old-fashioned PB from your youth. Skippy and Peter Pan are great options.