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These Healthy Peanut Butter Energy Balls are an easy high protein snack that are grain free, gluten free and naturally sweetened.  A great snack for kids and toddlers as well as adults.

Peanut Butter Energy Balls in a green bowl
When I was a kid, my mom and I used to make these easy peanut butter balls we called honey bears.  It was a simple recipe of peanut butter, honey and powdered milk.  I absolutely loved those treats, but it has been years and years since I thought about honey bears.  Now that I am a mom myself I am always looking for new and creative snacks for my toddler.

A High Calcium Snack

I have mentioned before on instagram that my son refuses to drink milk.  I am always looking for ways to get more calcium into his diet.  So when I remembered “honey bears”, I knew I had to give it a try.  See, unlike most of the other peanut butter energy ball recipe on the internet, these have a secret ingredient – dry powdered milk.

Peanut Butter and honey in a glass bowl

Do you have powdered milk in your pantry?  It used to be a staple in our house growing up – I didn’t know there was a difference between powdered milk and regular milk. It makes a great ingredient to these peanut butter energy balls because it binds the peanut butter and honey – so you don’t need to use any other ingredients.  It also adds protein and calcium, and since I was looking for high calcium recipes, I was excited about that.

Peanut butter energy balls before and after mixing

I made a few adaptations to this recipe from the original.  First, I decreased the honey and increased the peanut butter – more peanut butter flavor, not as sweet.  I also added just a dash of salt and vanilla extract to really bump up the flavor.

Peanut butter energy balls dough in a bowl with a tablespoon

No bake energy bites

These Peanut Butter Honey Energy Balls are essentially healthy no bake cookies.  At least, I tell my toddler they are cookies and he doesn’t seem to mind.

Peanut butter balls in a glass container

Peanut Butter Protein Balls for post workout snack

I also love to grab these Peanut Butter Energy Bites before or after a workout for some easy protein. They are also a great sweet treat that is pretty healthy.

Peanut butter protein balls on a white plate

Mix ins:

You can mix in lots of things to these Peanut Butter Honey Energy Balls. Here are some suggestions:

  •  ground Flax Seed
  • shredded coconut
  • mini chocolate chips
  • rolled oats

The possibilities are endless!  I would recommend reducing the powdered milk by 1/4 cup and adding 1/4 cup of whatever mix in you are using to keep the texture similar.

If you like these, be sure to try my Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins!

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Honey Bears

Prep 5 minutes
Servings 16 Servings

Ingredients 

  • 3/4 cup natural peanut butter*
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup nonfat powdered milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions 

  • Mix together honey, peanut butter and vanilla extract.
  • Add the powdered milk and salt, stir until combined.
  • Roll into balls about 1 tablespoon in size. Store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ball | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

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

Additional Info

Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!
Hello! I’m Meghan.

I am so glad that you are here! I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at my blog Fox and Briar. I am a passionate, self-taught home cook and believe that most things are better homemade and that good food doesn’t need to be complicated.

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19 Comments

  1. Would whey protein powder bind as well (or close to as well) as the dried milk?

    Great recipe. I also like to roll these in powdered sugar and then refrigerate and serve as a “Christmas Cookie”

    1. Hi Caleb haven’t tried it so I’m not sure. It seems like it would work but I haven’t tested it. Let us know if you try it! The Christmas Cookie Version sounds great too!

  2. These have become a roadtrip staple in our cooler (2 seniors, no kids in sight :). I find them a very good protein and calcium boost when away from home and not eating as carefully as we do at home. I reduce the honey by a tablespoon or so and add a tsp of cocoa powder to reduce the sweetness a little. For the latest batch I chopped a small amount of good quality dark chocolate and mixed it in – a delicious treat. Thanks for posting!

    1. Hi, that would probably work but you might need to decrease the honey so they don’t turn out too sweet. Depending on the texture of the peanut butter you may also need to decrease the powdered milk as natural peanut butter tends to be more runny. Let us know how they turn out!

  3. Our school used to serve these as a snack and I’ve wondered about a recipe for them. So glad that you posted this!

  4. We have these every Christmas at my aunts. My family calls them honey balls. They are a big hit! She rolls them in powdered sugar too. So good!

  5. OMG, I had these as a kid too! We just called them peanut butter balls. Can’t wait to make these for my kids, I know they’ll love them!

  6. I totally remember these from my childhood too!! I hadn’t thought about these in years…They’re lovely and sweet (but not too sweet), and are super satisfying. And excellent to get that little boost of calcium, too. Thanks for reminding me of a childhood treat.

  7. 5 stars
    These are so easy and so delicious. I am in love with them and can’t enough of them. I am supposed to be on a juicing diet and have been on it for last few weeks. But today I had a terrible craving for something else and found your recipe. It full of proteins and I couldn’t resist. Thanks loved it.