• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Sourdough
      • Gluten-Free Sourdough
      • Sourdough Discard
    • Seasonal Recipes
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
      • Sweet Breads
      • Savory Breads
    • Condiment Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
      • Cocktails
      • Non Alcoholic
Vanilla And Bean

Vanilla And Bean

Sweet and Savory Vegetarian

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • About
    • Subscribe
    • A little bit about me…
    • Contact
    • Let’s Work Together
    • Blogs I’m Reading
    • Blogger Resources
You are here: Home / Recipes / Appetizers & Snacks / 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls

By Traci · Jump to Recipe ·
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my affiliate policy.

Simple, economical and portable! This 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls no bake recipe is like my Healthy Peanut Butter Bars but are easier to whip up. They’re convenient to have at the ready when hunger paings strike. With optional adds ins, you can keep it simple or make these little balls more indulgent. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.

3 Ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls on sheet pan.

Table of Contents

  • Why You’ll Love These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
  • What You’ll Need for 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
  • How to Make 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
  • Optional Add Ins
  • Peanut Butter Balls FAQs
  • A Few Recipe Tips
  • More Peanut Butter Snacks to Love
  • 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

Why You’ll Love These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls

Healthier snacks we can whip up at home and have on the ready for all the things? Yes please!

These 3 ingredient snacks are delicious for lunch boxes, in between meals snacks, road trippin’, after school or to stuff in your backpack to take on a hike. They’re even quite tasty when your sweet tooth strikes at the office! Here’s why you’ll love this peanut butter balls recipe:

  • Simple To Make
  • Only Three Ingredients – with optional add ins
  • Wholesome Ingredients
  • Naturally Sweetened
  • Freezer Friendly

Let’s GO!

1. Ingredients for peanut butter balls no bake recipe. 2. Oats in a food processor. 3. Peanut butter balls recipe ingredients in a food processor. 4. 3 ingredient peanut butter balls ingredients processed in a food processor.

What You’ll Need for 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Balls

  • Natural Peanut Butter – Look for natural peanut butter with only one or two ingredients. You can use crunchy peanut butter or creamy peanut butter.
  • Oats – You’ll need old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. Old fashioned oats offer a bit more texture.
  • Maple Syrup – Use pure maple syrup. Honey may be subbed, but the peanut butter bites will be a bit sweeter.
1. Scooping peanut butter balls dough on to a sheet pan. 2. Rolling the scooped peanut butter balls recipe.

How to Make 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

I like to whip these bites up in a food processor. That way the oats are broken down a bit and the peanut butter is easier to handle. If you don’t have a food processor, you can gently warm the peanut butter in the microwave to soften it and use quick oats for a softer texture, or a mixture of quick and rolled oats. Here’s how to make these easy peanut butter balls with oats (see recipe card for details):

  • First, add half the oats to the food processor work bowl and process for about 20 seconds. This will break them down a bit.
  • Next, add the remaining oats, peanut butter and maple syrup and process for about 15 seconds.
  • Last, scoop the peanut butter dough, roll and enjoy!

If adding additional ingredients, add those when you add the peanut butter.

3 Ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls on a marble table.

Optional Add Ins

There are many ways to elevate these little no bake 3 ingredient peanut butter snacks. Choose one or more… here are some favorites:

  • Salt – Sea salt here, you’ll just need a sprinkle. It adds a nice pop of interest and contrast.
  • Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract boosts the flavor profile of these tasty peanut butter energy balls and I highly recommend it.
  • Mini Chocolate Chips – Look for dairy free if needed. I like Enjoy Life brand.
  • Cocoa Nibs – Instead of mini chocolate chips, try cocoa nibs. They add bitter chocolate flavor, crunch and healthy fats.
  • Chia Seeds – Seedy little bits add texture and extra fiber to your peanut butter bite.

1. Add in ingredients for peanut butter balls recipe. 2. Oats in a food processor. 3. Peanut butter balls recipe ingredients in a food processor. 4. 3 ingredient peanut butter balls ingredients processed in a food processor.

Peanut Butter Balls FAQs

Which is the Best Peanut Butter Brand to Use?

This recipe calls for Natural Peanut Butter. That’s peanut butter with only one or two ingredients – peanuts and salt – and doesn’t include any added oils or sugars. I like Santa Cruz, Woodstock, Once Again and Maranatha Organic Peanut Butter brands.

Do Peanut Butter Balls Have To Be Refrigerated?

These peanut butter balls do not have to be refrigerated. Leave them at room temperature for best texture.

Can I Freeze 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls?

These little bites freeze beautifully! Store in the freezer in a covered container for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Balls no bake on a sheet pan.

A Few Recipe Tips

  • Use a #50 cookie scoop to make portioning a snap! It’s about the size of one tablespoon.
  • Crumbly Dough? If you find the dough to be crumbly after processing, add a few teaspoons of water to bring the dough together.
  • Make em’ gluten free. Simply use gluten free certified rolled oats or quick oats in place of regular oats.

More Peanut Butter Snacks to Love

  • Healthy Peanut Butter Bars
  • Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars
  • Peanut Butter Tagalongs Cookie Cups – by Salted Plains
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites – by Bakerita
  • Vegan Peanut Butter Fudgesicles – by The Bojon Gormet

Close up of 3 ingredient peanut butter balls lined up on a sheet pan.
Print Recipe

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes
Scoop/Shape:10 minutes
Total Time:20 minutes
Servings:20 Balls
Calories:117kcal
Author:Traci York | Vanilla And Bean
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls no bake recipe is easy to whip up and convenient to have ready when hunger paings strike. With optional adds ins, you can keep it simple or make these little balls more indulgent. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.
*Yield: This recipe yields 20 balls with no add ins.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (80 grams) Old Fashioned Rolled Oats or quick oats
  • 1 cup (270 grams) Natural Peanut Butter creamy or crunchy
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120 grams) Pure Maple Syrup

Optional Add Ins

  • 1/4 cup (40 grams) Mini Chocolate Chips or cocoa nibs
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine Sea Salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons Chia Seeds

Instructions

  • In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade, add half the oats. Process for about 15 seconds or until the oats are broken down a bit.
  • Add the remaining oats, peanut butter and maple syrup. If using any add ins, now is the time to drop them in the work bowl. Process for 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl, and process again for about 15 seconds more.
    Grab a small fist full of dough. If the dough sticks together without crumbling, it's ready to scoop and roll. If the dough seems a bit crumbly, add one tablespoon of water and process again for about 10 seconds. Test again. If still crumbly add an additional teaspoon of water.
  • Use a #50 cookie scoop to make portioning a snap or portion into about 1 tablespoon size balls. Use your hands to roll the dough into a ball and place it in a parchment lined container. The peanut butter balls are now ready to enjoy!
  • To Store: Store in a lidded container at in the fridge for up to one week. Texture is best at room temperature. Or, store in the freezer, removing individual balls as desired for up two weeks. Thaw at room temperature.

Notes

This recipe can be made with a bowl and spoon, but I find the ingredients easier to incorporate using a food processor. If using a bowl, gently warm the peanut butter in the microwave just to soften it up a bit, then add all the ingredients and stir until incorporated. 
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1Ball | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Made It? Leave a comment below! The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications and/or helping other commenters. On Instagram? Take a snap of your make and share, tagging @VanillaAndBean #VanillaAndBean!

You might also like:

Maple Pecan Granola in a large cookie jar with a scoop.

Maple Pecan Granola

Chewy Peanut Butter Fruit and Nut Granola Bars on parchment paper.

Chewy Peanut Butter Fruit and Nut Granola Bars

Overhead shot of naturally sweetened Blueberry-Oat Flax Muffin

Blueberry-Oat Flax Muffins – gluten free + vegan

No Bake Vegan Chocolate Almond Coconut Bars from my newly released ebook Grab-n-Go Snacks: healthful eats for crazy busy days . Quick and easy, have on the ready when you are! GF

No Bake Vegan Chocolate Almond Coconut Bars

Shares145PinShareYummly

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive free sweet and savory vegetarian recipes, and get my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox!

You will receive recipes and kitchen tips, along with information about our partners and offerings. For more details, review the Vanilla And Bean privacy policy.
Previous Post: « Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
Next Post: Mediterranean Lentils with Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes »

Primary Sidebar

well hello!

I’m Traci and this is my blog. So Glad You Stopped By!

Here you’ll find full of flavor vegetarian comfort food with vegan and gluten free recipes too. I also share sourdough, sweets and naturally sweetened baked goods and desserts recipes because we all gotta have a little balance!

Learn More About Traci  or  The Blog.

Get on the List!

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive Sweet and Savory Vegetarian Recipes, and get my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox!

Right this Way to Subscribe

Start Here!

Why vegetarian, what you’ll find on Vanilla And Bean and fan favorites all right here!

Right this Way to Start

Footer

Affiliate Info

Vanilla And Bean is monetized in part through the use of affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on a link and/or purchase an item after clicking on a link, Vanilla And Bean may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use through my affiliate links. To learn more please see my Affiliate Policy. Thank you for your support!

© Vanilla And Bean, LLC  – 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any content or images without express and written permission from this blog’s owner is prohibited. Licensing inquiries for publication, general distribution, and/or commercial use, please contact me on my contact page.

Copyright © 2023 · Vanilla and Bean · Website by Meyne

Menu

Home · Recipes · Contact · Privacy Policy
Terms of Use · Accessibility · California Privacy Notice

Copyright © 2023 · Vanilla and Bean On Genesis Framework · Log in

Get On The List!
Get On The List!
_____________________

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive sweet and savory vegetarian recipes, as well as my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox.

You will receive recipes and kitchen tips, along with information about our partners and offerings. For more details, review our Privacy Policy.
  • Recipes
    ▼
    • Recipe Index
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
      ▼
      • Sweet Breads
      • Savory Breads
    • Seasonal Recipes
      ▼
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
    • Sourdough
      ▼
      • Sourdough Discard Recipes
      • Gluten Free Sourdough
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Condiment Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
      ▼
      • Cocktails
      • Non Alcoholic
    • Dessert Recipes
  • Sign Up For Weekly Newsletter!
  • Start Here
  • Home
  • Shop
  • About
    ▼
    • Contact
    • A little bit about me…
    • Let’s Work Together
    • Blogs I’m Reading
    • Blogger Resources
Vanilla And Bean and our partners use cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. By using the Site, you consent to the use of cookies. Learn More

COOKIE SETTINGS   ACCEPT
Cookie Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
__cfduid14 weeksThe cookie is set by CloudFare. The cookie is used to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address d apply security settings on a per-client basis. It doesnot correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
OptanonConsent01 yearTracks users cookie consent preferences
viewed_cookie_policy011 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Advertisement
CookieTypeDurationDescription
IDE12 yearsUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE15 monthsThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
_ga02 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid01 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id16 monthsProvided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
GPS030 minutesThis cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
_gat01 minuteThis cookies is installed by Google Universal Analytics to throttle the request rate to limit the colllection of data on high traffic sites.
YSC1This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
YTCpersistent10 minutesThis cookie is set by Youtube to manage the embed and viewing of videos