Chocolate Mint Protein Balls

Chocolate mint protein balls are the perfect sweet treat. These protein packed vegan peppermint truffles are great for dessert or a healthy afternoon snack. Easy to make and great to keep stashed in your freezer anytime.

Why you will love this recipe

• Easy to make – these mint chocolate protein bites are made in the food processor in just a few minutes. They are dipped in chocolate and stored in the freezer so they can be made in advance and ready anytime you have a sweet tooth.
• Simple ingredients – these mint protein bites are made with a combination of dates, nuts, cacao powder and protein powder and are extremely filling. Top with melted dairy free chocolate to make these even more like protein truffles. This recipe is vegan, gluten free and dairy free.
• Fun homemade gift – these are easy enough to make for your weekday snacking but are good enough to make as a gift for the holidays.

Ingredients

• Medjool Dates
• Walnuts
• Cacao Powder
• Chocolate Protein Powder
• Dairy Free Milk
• Peppermint Extract
• Dairy Free Chocolate Chips

How to make chocolate mint protein balls

Remove the pits from the dates. Add the dates to a food processor and process on high about 30 seconds.

Add walnuts to the food processor and process on high for 1 minute.

Add the cacao powder, protein powder, dairy free milk and peppermint extract to the food processor and process on high until well combined.

Form the mixture into energy bites (this recipe will make about 20-21 total). Place the energy bites in the freezer 5-10 minutes to help them firm up.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals (takes about 1 minute total).

Pour the melted chocolate over the peppermint energy bites and place directly on wax paper lined plate. Place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to fully set up.

Store in the freezer (up to 2 months) or fridge (up to 10 days).

Top tips

• Be sure to remove the pits from the medjool dates before adding them to the food processor. To do this simply cut the date in half and remove the pit. Also the dates should be relatively soft to the touch. If the dates feel hard when you squeeze them, you may want to soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes or microwave them for 10-15 seconds to help soften them.
• You can make these into mint chocolate protein bars instead! Instead of forming these into balls, you can press the mixture down into a glass Pyrex dish lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Once flat in the dish, place in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to harden. Remove from the dish and slice into bars. Then coat the bars with chocolate. You may decide just to coat just one side with chocolate then let it sit in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden before coating or drizzling the other side.
• When you are rolling out energy balls, it can be helpful to have slightly damp hands to keep the mixture from sticking to your hands.

Common questions

What protein powder to use?

This recipe uses a vegan protein powder. It absorbs water and helps add to the structure of the peppermint energy balls. I love to use Nuzest Protein powder because it has minimal ingredient (no artificial flavors) and is easy to digest. You can use whatever your favorite vegan protein powder you love.

How to store mint chocolate protein balls

Since these are made with protein powder and dates, you can store them in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for about 2 months.

TIP: I like to store the chocolate mint protein balls in the freezer and take 2-3 out at a time and move these to the fridge for at least 45 minutes before snacking! This is because they are a bit tough to bite down on right out of the freezer.