High in fiber and a fantastic snack for anyone who is looking for a boost of instant energy to fuel their day, these apple pie protein balls have all of the things I love about apple pie: sweet, flaky, jammy, and so delicious that you cannot stop yourself from asking for seconds.
Family dinners and holidays are just not complete without a piping hot apple pie waiting in the kitchen to be devoured for dessert. Almost every family I knew growing up had some sort of apple pie recipe passed down from their moms, aunts and grandmas (unlike my family that passed down rice cake recipes). In fact, one of my middle school teachers had an apple pie recipe passed down for generations!
My favorite apple pie is all of these things: sweet, flaky, jammy, and so delicious that you cannot stop yourself from asking for seconds. And these apple pie protein balls are what I eat when I’m craving apple pie but not craving all that sugar and butter that usually goes into an apple pie. While the texture is different, these apple pie protein balls DO taste like apple pie and have the added bonus of giving you instant energy and fewer calories. They are all vegan and gluten-free and just need 5 ingredients and few minutes to make. Homemade apple pie filling and almond butter are the main ingredients in this recipe, but the walnuts add that element of crunch and surprise to balance all that sweetness
What I love about this recipe
- Easy to make (just 5 ingredients!)
- Vegan-friendly
- Gluten-free
- Full of fiber and nutritious!
- A perfect healthy treat
Ingredients used to make Apple Pie Protein Balls
**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 🙂
- Apple Pie Filling – storebought or homemade, try this quick cinnamon sugar apple pie topping recipe!
- Protein Powder – You can use any vanilla flavored protein powder for this protein ball recipe, but I used this plant-based protein powder with an added “superfood” powder which I’ve found turns out darker than regular vanilla protein powders. Just something to have in mind when you compare my photos with yours!
- Walnuts – roughly chopped
- Almond Butter – like this one. You can also use other natural nut butters like pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or even seed butter like sunflower. So many choices!
- Coconut Flour – you can use any brand of coconut flour for this recipe.
- Stevia, to taste – I personally did not use this, but if you want your protein balls to be sweeter, you can add up to 1/4 tsp stevia extract, or 1 Tbsp of granulated sweetener such as monk fruit sweetener. You can also use honey or a liquid sweetener, but you may need more coconut flour to make the dough more firm
More Healthy Recipes Using Apples
Did you know?
According to USDA, Apple is high in fiber (2.5 g/100g), vitamin B3 (0.11 mg/100g), potassium (116 mg/100g) and various antioxidants. Studies showed that apples may reduce the risk of a wide variety of chronic disease and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Apples were most consistently associated with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and type II diabetes compared to other fruits and vegetables. Apple consumption was also positively associated with increased lung function and increased weight loss, again thanks to that awesome fiber.
How to Make Apple Pie Protein Balls
Apple Pie Protein Balls (Energy Bites)
STEP 1
First prepare apple pie filling / topping (recipe here)
STEP 2
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Add more coconut flour if the dough is too soft, add a teaspoon or more of water or milk of choice if the dough is too thick*
STEP 3
Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls, and refrigerate 15 minutes to help set. Afterwards drizzle melted white chocolate on top.
Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:
- Add natural flavoring / extracts. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I didn’t feel like it was essential so I left it out in this recipe), or other flavorings or extracts, such as caramel flavoring, hazelnut extract or almond extract.
- Coat these in melted white chocolate to turn these into truffles
- Love coffee or mocha? Add either a teaspoon of coffee extract or espresso powder to the batter
- Add up to 1 tsp of Cinnamon powder, Cardamom or Chai Tea Powder.
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.
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.
More Energy Bite Recipes
Apple Pie Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp vanilla protein powder* packed
- 1 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1.5 Tbsp almond butter
- 1.5 Tbsp walnuts roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp prepared apple pie filling / topping**
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Add more coconut flour if the dough is too soft, add a teaspoon or more of water or milk of choice if the dough is too thick*
- Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls, and refrigerate 15 minutes to help set
- Drizzle melted white chocolate on top!
Notes
Nutrition
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