These chocolate coconut keto protein balls are a healthy no bake snack that take only minutes to make. Energy bites are great to have on hand for a healthy, sweet treat or even a dessert. The nut butter and coconut oil provide healthy fat and each protein bite has only 0.5g net carbohydrates and 4.8 grams of protein.
You might also like these salted caramel keto fat bombs!
I’ve been trying hard to stick to my low carb diet lately and it’s been pretty easy except for sweets. I just need something sweet for a dessert or mid afternoon snack. So I came up with these chocolate coconut keto protein balls.
These energy bites are very filling so I only eat one or two. But these low carb high protein bites have only 0.5g net carbohydrates and 4.8 grams of protein so I don’t feel guilty. They are also sugar free and gluten free so perfect for a keto friendly snack!
Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.
The 5 simple ingredients I used for these energy bites were vanilla protein powder, almond nut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, shredded coconut and coconut oil. Below you can see the brands I used. These products seem to have the lowest number of net carbs that I could find.
Isopure ZeroCarb Protein Powder
This is one of my favorite protein powders for both taste and because it has no carbs. You can use whatever kind of protein powder you want but if you are watching your carb intake keep that in mind. You can also use other flavors like chocolate protein powder of course. I find vanilla to go with most recipes so I use that.
Almond Butter
I like the flavor of almond butter and while I used Justin’s, I often by Aldi’s brand as it’s more accessible to me and low in carbs. You can also substitute with peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or other nut butters. Just check that they are no sugar added products and just use nuts.
Divine Cocoa Powder
I love Divine Cocoa Powder because it has little to no carbs and a deep chocolate color and flavor. I can find it at my larger grocery store but I usually buy it online. However you can also just use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. If you like baking keto sweet treats you might want to give this one a try though.
Shredded Coconut and Coconut Oil
I always have coconut oil on hand and you can get it just about anywhere these days. I use it a lot in my cooking. You really want to use it in the recipe and not substitute with anything else but you can use any brand you want.
The shredded coconut is more for flavor and added nutrition. If you don’t have any you can skip it if you want. It does add a bit of bulk to the protein bites though. Plus I use it to coat them as well.
My favorite low carb protein powders.
Below are a few of my favorite protein powders that I have used over the years. They have the following net carb and protein count and you can find them on my Amazon store. Isopure is my favorite but I’m always trying different ones. These were picked solely for carbs and protein not the quality of the ingredients.
- Quest Protein Powder – 0 net carbs, 22g protein
- Lite Protein Powder – 1g net carbs, 10g protein
- Isopure Protein Powder – 0g net carbs, 25g protein
- CarbThin Protein Powder – 0g net carbs, 26g protein
How to make chocolate keto protein balls.
Step 1: Add the cocoa powder, shredded coconut and protein powder to a bowl and mix these dry ingredients.
Step 2: Next add the almond butter and coconut oil using a fork to help mix everything together.
As you see below this is pretty crumbly. However if you use your hand to squeeze and roll it into balls it coconut will heat up and make it easier.
Step 3: The coconut oil softens the more you handle it so I like to use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop up the mixture. Then I roll them into a ball with my hands quickly and drop them in the extra shredded coconut or cocoa powder.
I finish by rolling them around in the coatings and then put them on a plate. Note you can just skip this step if you want and eat them without the coating.
Step 4: Once you roll them into balls place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. They last longer in the freezer though.
These really fill me up for some reason. I’m not sure if it’s the almond nut butter or the protein powder but just 2 of these protein bites in the afternoon will keep me full until dinner.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Note you should not melt the coconut oil to make these. Just keep mixing with the other ingredients and it will form a dough. You can try a food processor too but it might get too soft and hard to clean up.
- When you roll the balls in your hands, the batter will become sticky due to the coconut heating up. So roll a ball and drop it in the extra coconut or cocoa powder. It will be easier to shape.
- You could also put the batter in the refrigerator for ½ hour to harden a little before rolling.
- Note that almond nut butter is different from brand to brand. Some are harder and some are more oily. This might effect the texture of the protein bites. See the next tip for solutions.
- If you dough seems too crumbly you can add a bit more coconut oil. If your dough is too runny, you can either add more cocoa powder, protein powder or coconut flakes.
More keto recipes for your sweet tooth.
As I mentioned i have a bit of a sweet tooth so I like to have something on hand so I can stay on a ketogenic diet but still satisfy my cravings. Here are few of my favorite keto sweet snacks.
- Chocolates: chocolate peanut butter candies, chocolate peanut butter cups and favorite dark chocolate
- Cookies: low carb tea cookies, chocolate cream cheese cookies
- Pumpkin: 1 minute muffins, cheesecake, and pies
- Cheesecake: raspberry no bake, peanut butter bites, strawberry pretzel cheesecake bites
- Fudge: peanut butter fudge, banana peanut butter protein fudge
I kept mine in the freezer but they were pretty hard. I just let them sit out for a few minutes and they soften. You can also keep them in the refrigerator for a more truffle like bite.
I hope you like these chocolate keto protein balls. They really fill me up and satisfy my chocolate cravings. Plus they are very versatile as you can change up the flavors with different nut butters, protein powders and even add things like mini keto friendly chocolate chips or other healthy toppings.
The nutrition information for 1 protein bite is 88 calories: 7.1g fat / 2.5g carbs / 2g fiber / 4.8g protein = 0.5g net carbs
Keto Protein Balls Recipe
These chocolate coconut low carb protein balls take only minutes to make and are great to have on hand for a healthy, sweet keto friendly treat. These energy bites use healthy fats like nut butter which is also a good source of protein!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons vanilla protein powder, I used Isopure Zero Carb Vanilla
- 2 tablespoons Divine cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoons coconut, finely ground, unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (not melted)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond nut butter (I used Justins)
- extra shredded coconut or cooca powder to roll in (optional)
Instructions
- Add the dry ingredients (protein powder, cocoa powder and shredded coconut) to a medium bowl and give it a quick mix.
- Add the coconut oil and almond butter. Mix well with a fork to integrate everything. Note the coconut oil should not be melted.
- Form into small bite size balls. I used a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop it out and then rolled them in my hands. Don't worry if the batter is a bit crumbly. When you scoop them in your hands to roll the coconut oil will melt a bit from the heat of your hands and help keep them together.
- Roll in extra cocoa powder or shredded coconut to coat them if you wish. This is optional.
- Place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Note you should not melt the coconut oil to make these. Just keep mixing with the other ingredients and it will form a dough. You can try a food processor too but it might get too soft and hard to clean up.
- When you roll the balls in your hands, the batter will become sticky. due to the coconut heating up. So roll a ball and drop it in the extra coconut or cocoa powder. It will be easier to shape.
- You could also put the batter in the refrigerator for ½ hour to harden a little before rolling.
- Note that almond butter is different from brand to brand. Some are harder and some are more oily. This might effect the texture of the protein bites. See the next tip for solutions.
- If your dough seems too crumbly you can add a bit more coconut oil. If your dough is too runny, you can either add more cocoa powder, protein powder or coconut flakes.
- You can also use other nut butters like sunflower seed butter or even peanut butter for these energy balls. Make sure they have no sugar added.
The nutritional information for 1 ball is:
88 cals / 7.1g fat / 2.5g carbs / 2g fiber / 4.8g protein = 0.5g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 88Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Sue says
I did not like the texture of these balls at all. They were so dry in my mouth when I ate them which I think was due to the protein powder being the main ingredient. I added a little more oil and 2 tablespoons of extra cocont but they are still very difficult to eat as they stick to the roof of your mouth. Might hae to rethibk this recipe if I make them again.
Denise says
Hi Sue, the protein powder does have that drying effect and gets sticky when wet so I think it is the protein powder that is creating that texture you don’t like.
If you don’t care about the protein but want a keto snack try these
https://mylifecookbook.com/cinnamon-sugar-keto-cookie-dough-balls-5-ingredient-fat-bombs/
or these
https://mylifecookbook.com/low-carb-cookie-dough-snacks/
or these
https://mylifecookbook.com/easy-keto-chocolate-truffles-using-avocados/
Or for just a healthy brownie bit try these.
https://mylifecookbook.com/recipe-date-nut-brownie-bites/
Hope that helps.
Denise
MANDY GANIATSAS says
can you use coconut butter instead of almond butter
Denise says
Hi Mandy, I think that should work though I’ve never done that. Let me know how it goes.
GINETTE STUCKEY says
How much is a scoop of the protein powder?
Denise says
Hi Ginette, this last batch I made I used Quest chocolate protein powder and 1 scoop was 30g which is roughly 2 heaping tablespoons. Hope that helps!
Ruby says
My batter is a sloppy mess I even added extra protein powder and still sloppy
Denise says
Hi Ruby,
I don’t know why that would be. They will be a little loose but when you roll them in the cocoa or coconut they should take shape and when you freeze or refrigerate them they should get even harder. Sorry they didn’t work for you!
Katie says
Are you not supposed to melt the coconut oil?! My batter is not rollable at all 😢
Denise says
Hi Katie,
No you don’t want to melt the coconut. It will all mix together when the coconut oil is solid. It will make a dough. If it’s still too stick, refrigerate it for awhile so it will Harden and then it woill be easier to roll. You could also put them in a baking dish and make bars out of them. You would spoon them into a baking dish and refrigerate until solid. Good luck!
ry says
what temperature is it where you are making these balls? i find coconut oil goes between extremes depending on the climate. i have lived in sydney australia where is was liquidy nealry all year round. but in melbourne during winter itd be rock hard and hard to scrape out of jar. in such climates i woul imagine you might want to warm it up just a tad to soften it ..tho yr hands should do it, but before that putting the jar in lukewarm water for a few minutes surely shouldnt hurt? .but to avoid making it super runny also ?
Denise says
Hi Ry, I live in NE United States and I usually make these with coconut oil at room temp. It’s definitely solid and it heats up easily in my hands. However if yours is harder do to the climate, by all means soften it a bit but you don’t want it runny as you said. If it’s too soft you could refrigerate it for a little bit. Hope that helps!
Mary says
I made these protein balls as a snack when I hit the ski slopes. They were amazing. Thankyou. I love them. Very fulfilling. I used Choc protein powder, peanut butter and macadamias. I’m in heaven.
Denise says
Glad you liked them Mary!