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Keto Protein Balls – 2g Net Carbs!

4.89 from 107 votes
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This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

These No-Bake Keto Protein Balls are delicious sugar-free no-bake peanut butter Protein Balls with a soft sweet texture and filled with crunchy chocolate bites.

These peanut butter protein balls are ready in 15 minutes, dairy-free, vegan, and contain only 2 grams of net carbs each.

A stack of keto protein balls in a light-blue bowl.

These Keto friendly protein balls are the best post-workout keto snack or daily snack to up your protein intake on keto.

So if you need a protein boost on your keto diet, these low-carb Protein Balls are the ones you should make.

How To Make These Keto Protein Balls

It’s super easy to make Protein balls keto-friendly and with no sugar added.

Let’s see the six simple ingredients you need to make this healthy keto protein snack in under 15 minutes. No food processor is needed!

Ingredients

  • Natural Peanut Butter or almond butter – Make sure you are using a fresh jar with no added oil no added sugar and a drippy texture. For a nut-free option, try sunflower seed butter.
  • Ultra-fine Almond Flour – Almond meal works as well, but the color and texture of the balls come out grainy, darker, and spread a little more.
  • Vanilla Protein Powder – Read more below on how to choose keto protein powder.
  • Powdered Erythritol – or powdered allulose or any keto sweetener you love in a powder form. You must use a powder sweetener in this recipe. A liquid sweetener wouldn’t work.
  • Coconut Oil – or melted cocoa butter, avoid melted butter. The balls spread too much with this option.
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Sugar-free Chocolate Chips – you can use any flavor, dark, milk, or white chocolate chips as soon as they are keto-friendly.

Combine wet to dry

First, prepare two different mixing bowls. In one bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients until evenly combined.

It’s crucial to use a whisk because some keto protein powder form lumps.

So whisk the chosen protein powder evenly with the almond flour and powdered sweetener. Set the bowl aside.

In another bowl, stir natural peanut butter with vanilla extra and melted coconut oil until smooth and shiny.

Finally, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir. When it starts to dry out, add the sugar-free chocolate chips and use your hands to knead.

Squeeze the batter and form a consistent batter that comes together into a bowl.

If it’s too dry at more melted coconut oil make sure it’s not too hot, or your chocolate chips will melt.

If too wet, add more protein powder one teaspoon at a time.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make Keto Protein Balls.

Forming Balls

First, cover a plate with parchment paper. Set it aside.

Then, scoop out some batter. One sugar-free protein ball weighs approximately 30 grams/1 oz.

Roll each portion of batter between your hand palms and place the formed ball onto the plate. Repeat these steps until all peanut butter Protein Balls are formed.

Place the plate in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the ball quickly or for one hour in the fridge.

The balls flatten slightly, and that’s ok. You can reshape the balls round after spending some time in the refrigerator.

Storage Instructions

Store the keto protein balls in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Another great way to enjoy these low-carb peanut butter protein balls is to eat them frozen!

Freeze the balls and enjoy them straight out of the fridge or thaw for 30 minutes at room temperature to soften.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Selecting The Protein Powder

You can take protein powder on a keto diet to boost your protein macros. Not all protein powders are keto-friendly, but there are plenty of keto-friendly options available on the market.

I am not going to list all brands here. Instead, I will guide you through simple steps to choose a keto-friendly protein powder by yourself.

First, you must look at the ingredient listed on the box.

You are looking for:

  • No added sugar
  • No grain – avoid brown rice protein powder, for example. They are often higher in carbs.
  • Keto-friendly sweeteners

Then, look at the net carbs per serving. A keto-friendly protein powder ranges from 1 gram to 2.6 grams of net carbs per 40 grams.

Depending on your diet requirement, you may want to choose:

1. Keto Plant-based Protein Powder

Plant-based protein powders are my first choice because they are easier to digest. You will have to choose from protein powder made of:

  • Pea Protein Powder – yes, pea protein powders are keto-friendly. While pea is not a keto-friendly vegetable, pea protein powder is low in carbs, and plenty of brands have a range made with keto-friendly sweeteners like stevia or erythritol.
  • Hemp Protein Powder – hemp is a keto-friendly seed full of healthy fat and protein.
  • Almond Protein Powder
  • Peanut  Protein Powder

2. Other Keto Protein Powder

  • Whey protein powder
  • Egg-white protein powder
  • Casein

Recipe Variations

This keto energy balls recipe is excellent on its own, but you can also tweak it to give it many different tastes.

  • Chocolate Protein Balls – Add a touch of cocoa powder to the batter.
  • Almond Butter Protein Balls – replace the nut butter with almond butter to make delicious energy bites.
  • Post-Workout Bites – If you’re not on a keto diet, you can add maple syrup or honey to the blend.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does Protein Powder Alter Baking?

Based on the keto protein powder you choose from the above, your baking will be affected.
For example, whey protein powder is more liquid absorbent than pea protein powder, so if you use this option, be prepared to add more liquid to your recipe to reach the same texture.

More Keto Protein Recipes

On a keto diet, you need to eat your protein, fat, and carbs. Protein keeps you full and fueled up your muscles.

Below I listed some of my top keto recipes to boost your proteins. It includes keto meals, breakfasts, and desserts because proteins are everywhere!

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Low Carb Protein BallsLow Carb Protein Balls

Keto Protein Balls

2.1gNet Carbs
An easy No-Bake Keto Low-Carb Protein Balls made with protein powder to boost your protein intake and fix your sweet cravings on your keto journey.
Prep: 10 minutes
Refrigerate 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 balls (0.6oz/17g each)
Serving Size: 1 ball (0.7oz)
4.89 from 107 votes

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons Natural Peanut Butter (Note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon Melted Coconut Oil (Note 2)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tablespoon Powdered Erythritol (Note 3)
  • 3-4 tablespoons Almond Flour (Note 4)
  • ¼ cup Vanilla Protein Powder (Note 5)
  • cup Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • In a bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients: protein powder, powdered sweetener, and almond flour until no lumps show. Set it aside.
  • In another bowl, stir peanut butter, vanilla extract, and melted coconut oil until smooth and consistent.
  • Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, start stirring with a spatula, when it starts to dry out, add chocolate chips and knead the dough by hand, squeezing the ingredient together until they form a smooth cookie dough ball.
  • The dough texture vary based on the keto protein powder you are using, so feel free to adjust the batter until it comes together well and it's easy to shape small balls that hold their shape. If the dough is too dry and crumbles, add an extra teaspoon of melted coconut oil, and if too wet, add a tablespoon of almond flour.
  • Divide the dough into 12 balls of about 1 oz/30g and roll the dough between the palms of your hand to form lovely round balls.
  • Place the balls onto a plate covered with parchment paper. Repeat the steps above until all the protein bites are formed.
  • Pop the plate in the fridge for 1 hour or in the freezer for 10 minutes to slightly firm up the balls – they will stay soft anyway but firmer after spending time in the fridge.
  • Remove the plate from the fridge, reshape balls if they flatten too much.

Storage

  • Keep the balls in the fridge in an airtight box or in the freezer and thaw 30 minutes before eating. Store up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

Note 1: Peanut butter can be replaced by same amount of fresh drippy almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option.
Note 2: Melted butter works, but the balls stay softer and flatten quickly. Melted cocoa butter works very well and keeps the ball from flattening even more.
Note 3: Almond flour can be replaced with the same amount of sunflower seed flour or sesame flour for a nut-free option. Coconut flour is not recommended. the balls get very dry and crumbly with coconut flour.
Note 4: Powdered sweetener is not granulated sweetener that leaves a grainy texture. If you skip the sweetener, add more almond flour to prevent the balls from being too soft. A liquid sweetener won’t work in the recipe without adding more almond flour or protein powder.
Note 5: Any keto protein powder can be used with different results. The recipe has been tested with pea protein powder which is less liquid absorbent than whey protein powder. Read the post above on how to choose the keto protein powder.

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Serving Size: 1 ball (0.7oz)
Yield: 12 balls (0.6oz/17g each)
Serving: 1ball (0.7oz)Calories: 85.8kcal (4%)Carbohydrates: 5.2g (2%)Fiber: 3.1g (13%)Net Carbs: 2.1gProtein: 3.7g (7%)Fat: 6.9g (11%)Saturated Fat: 2.3g (14%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.8gCholesterol: 4.6mg (2%)Sodium: 39.7mg (2%)Potassium: 57.7mg (2%)Sugar: 0.9g (1%)Calcium: 18.4mg (2%)Iron: 0.2mg (1%)Magnesium: 12.3mg (3%)Zinc: 0.2mg (1%)
Carine Claudepierre

About The Author

Carine Claudepierre

Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.

I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.

I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet

Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!

All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.

Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.

I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!

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    6 Thoughts On Keto Protein Balls – 2g Net Carbs!
  1. Hi there,
    I measured everything out on a scale and was able to make 7 1/2 balls at 1oz in size. Should the balls be smaller to reach the 12ct?

  2. 4 stars
    I’m not sure about the metric measurements. All combined it comes out at far less than 360 grams which you would need for 12 times 30 grams. Most calculators online say 1/3 cup of chocolate chips is 53 grams not 30 grams.
    Then again I tried the metric recipe as is and used 50 grams of home made chocolate chips and I ended up with 12 about 19 grams balls. They still tasted pretty good. I also used banana flavored whey protein powder instead of the vanilla one.

    • Sorry the metric are ok, for the chocolate chips it depends of the size of the chips. Since cups are volume, if you use smaller chips than mine then you fit more in the cup and it increase the weight. A ball is about 17-20g, 0.6 oz and I updated this now, thanks for spotting that!

Disclaimer

The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. You must consult with your doctor before starting on a keto or low-carb diet. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only.

The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates. As an example, a recipe with 10 grams of Carbs per 100 grams that contains 3 grams of erythritol and 5 grams of fiber will have a net carbs content of 2 grams. Some sweeteners are excluded because they are not metabolized.

You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.

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