These birthday cake themed protein balls are packed with energy and a whole lot of happiness. Made with vanilla-flavored protein powder, these protein balls have a similar consistency to vanilla confetti cake pops. Their subtle fruity sweetness comes from APPLESAUCE, which keeps these energy bites moist and soft!
7/28/22 update: here's a collagen peptide powder version of this same recipe! The collagen version is dense and chewy, kind of like a thick sugar cookie.
Aren’t confetti and birthday cakes just so fun and exciting? I remember eating one at my friends' birthday parties, and so whenever I get to eat them now, it's like I go back to feeling like a kid again.
Today's recipe is a tribute to traditional birthday cakes in the healthiest way possible. Ta-dah! These over the top, confetti sprinkled protein balls will bring back your childhood memories without any guilt. The sweetness of the cake with notes of vanilla with beautiful and colorful specks of the confetti sugar sprinkles almost has the same moist texture as cake pops!
They are perfect if you’re looking for a healthy snack to share with your friends and family. Also, these applesauce protein balls are:
- no-bake
- easy to prepare
- only 6 ingredients (5 if you leave out the extra sweetener)
- high-protein
- high-fiber
- low calories
Ingredients used to make this
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
- Applesauce - you can use any kind or any flavored applesauce. I used unsweetened.
- Protein Powder – You can use any protein powder for this, but in this recipe I used a vanilla plant-based protein powder, like this one below. For a collagen protein ball version, go to this recipe
- Coconut Flour - you can use any brand of coconut flour for this recipe. I used Anthony's Organic Coconut Flour
- Sprinkles - I like using the Wilton Rainbow Sprinkles for most of my recipes. Here's the link, below:
More Healthy Recipes Using Applesauce
How to Make
How to Make Healthy Birthday Cake Protein Balls
STEP 1
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
STEP 2
Roll the batter into tablespoon sized balls, refrigerate for 15 minutes to set
STEP 3
Enjoy!
Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:
- Feel free to experiment with natural flavoring / extracts. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I didn't feel like it was essential so I left it out in this recipe), or vanilla bean paste
- Coat these in melted white chocolate to turn these into birthday cake truffles
- Add a tsp of lemon zest for more flavor
- Here's a Protein Bar Variation of the Applesauce Birthday Cake Recipe HERE that uses a secret ingredient to make these taste just like the real thing!
How to Make this Healthier
- Make this even healthier by adding a handful of nuts, seeds and old-fashioned oats to add texture and nutrition. Even better, add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, hemp seeds, or chia seeds.
See More of my Protein Ball Recipes here
How to Store
- Store these protein balls covered in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Final Tips
- Coconut flour and protein powders are all very different depending on brands, so if you find that the dough is too soft, add more coconut flour; if the dough is too thick, add a teaspoon or more of water, honey or liquid sweetener of choice.
Applesauce Birthday Cake Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder*
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar of choice* optional
- 1 Tbsp confetti sprinkles
- 1-2 Tbsp almond milk , if needed
Instructions
- Mix applesauce, protein powder, coconut flour, sugar, and confetti sprinkles in a bowl.
- Add the almond milk at the very end, half tablespoon at a time (if needed) to adjust the dough to desired thickness. You can also add more coconut flour if the dough is too soft.
- Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls, and refrigerate 15 minutes to help set
Tigernut @ Breakfast Time says
These look amazing! I love protein balls and like to switch up ingredients to give them new life. Have you ever tried using mashed bananas?
All Purpose Veggies says
Hey Tigernut, thank you! I haven't tried using mashed bananas for this particular recipe, but I think it'd be a great replacement for applesauce. If switching up ingredients is your thing, you might also want to try mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin puree, or even mashed (ripe) avocados!
Ashley says
Hello! I’m trying to make this recipe but my mix keeps crumbling in my hands when I try to roll the balls. I’ve tried adding more flour/applesauce but can’t seem to figure out where I may have went wrong. Please help!
All Purpose Veggies says
Hi Ashley! If you start out by mixing the protein powder and applesauce first, then add coconut flour half a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together, you may have more control over the texture. Also, it's better to add water or almond milk to the dough instead of more applesauce. The protein balls might feel soft at first but they set better once they had some time in the fridge. Hope this helps!
Rahul says
Nice recipe
All Purpose Veggies says
Thanks Rahul, hope you enjoy!
Anonymous says
Followed recipe to a T and it was more like a pancake mix texture then dough, took so much more of the coconut flour to fix that the flavour was way off.
All Purpose Veggies says
Hi there, thanks so much for coming back to leave a review and constructive feedback! I fixed the recipe card to make almond milk an optional ingredient instead of it being a required one. It should help to not add almond milk until the very end for people who are having the same problem with their protein batter being too thin. Thank you!
Libby says
Hi, is the nutrition information for one ball? Thanks.
All Purpose Veggies says
Yup! It is