Chocolate Strawberry Protein Bites
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Quick, fun, and tasty, these Chocolate Strawberry Protein Bites are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth while packing in a little extra nutrition. A simple mix of nut butter, oats, and protein powder forms the base, while a few mini chocolate chips and freeze-dried strawberries add the fun.
Sweets for the strong.
A fun fact long-time readers may not know: I also work part-time as a group fitness instructor. I first made a version of these protein bites almost a year ago to share for Valentine’s Day with friends and co-workers. Although I formerly brought lots of cupcakes and cookies to my old traditional 9-to-5, somehow that doesn’t seem on brand for work at a gym–but the protein bites went over quite well!
This chocolate strawberry combo is sweet, fruity, and perfectly themed for any red, pink, or cocoa-loving occasion. I consider these a dream snack for, well, people like me, who have protein goals but no interest in fully denying their sweet tooth. Life is all about balance, in my book, and one (or two!) of these for a post-meal treat–that’s an appealing part of balance for me!
Related: Protein-Packed Family Dinners
Ingredient & Substitution Notes
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients. As always, find the full printable recipe with measurements below.
- Old-fashioned rolled oats. For best results, use this type of oats. Instant oats, steel cut oats, etc. all have a different texture and absorb different amounts of liquid.
- Nut butter. I use almond, cashew butter, or a mix, owing to my daughter’s peanut allergy, but I have zero doubt peanut butter would be delicious in this. If using almond butter or a natural butter that separates out, do your best to stir and reincorporate the oil before measuring it into this recipe.
- Honey. Agave or maple syrup makes a good substitute.
- Chocolate protein powder. Use your favorite! I’ve tested these with both Afterburn and Orgain vegan protein. If you want to reduce the chocolate effect, use vanilla or strawberry-flavored protein instead, but also, are you OK? 🙂
- A splash of milk, any kind. This is the secret little ingredient to keep the mixture together. Without it, the mixture tends to be dry and crumbly, and while I originally fixed this by adding honey, that runs the risk of making the bites overly sweet, not to mention sticky. A splash of milk, on the other hand, does the job perfectly. I’ve tested with regular milk, almond, and cashew — all effective.
- Mini chocolate chips and freeze-dried strawberries. I buy the strawberries at Trader Joe’s; they’re usually near the nuts, seeds, and other dried fruits. Of course they are also available on Amazon. Any other freeze-dried fruit or berry can be swapped as you wish.
How much protein?
As written and portioned out, each of these bites has approximately 4 grams of protein. Since I personally usually eat at least two at a time, this makes for a perfectly respectable little strength snack in my book. 🙂
If you need detailed specifics for your own macros, I highly encourage you to plug this into MyFitnessPal or a similar app of your choice with the exact data from the nut butter, protein powder, and other ingredients that you prefer to use.
Top Tips and Tricks
- If you want to add more protein to these bites, try incorporating a small amount of flax or chia seeds into the mixture.
- Be prepared to put some effort into the stirring: the mixture will seem too thick at first, but use your muscles, keep going, and it will come together. Use your hands towards the end to press in the last few bits and knead the mixture together. It needs to be thick to stick together in balls.
- Use a cookie scoop for portioning. So, so, so much easier than two spoons.
Storage
I recommend storing these protein bites in the refrigerator for about a week or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Experiment with which delivers your favorite texture for snacking. Chilled in the refrigerator is my personal favorite, but they are still edible straight from my freezer.
Related Recipes
Craving more strength-focused snacks? You might also like blueberry chia protein bites, and this banana protein shake has more than 22 grams of protein and is so easy I whip one up several times per week!
If you try these Chocolate Strawberry Protein Bites, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.
You can also FOLLOW me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more great recipes and ideas!
Chocolate Strawberry Protein Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup almond, cashew, or another nut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 scoops chocolate protein powder (should be 50-60 grams)
- 1 and 1/4 cups freeze-dried strawberries chopped into small pieces
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk any kind
- 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place oats, nut butter, honey, protein powder, strawberries, 2 Tablespoons of the milk, and chocolate chips in a large bowl.1 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/3 cup almond, cashew, or another nut butter, 1/4 cup honey, 2 scoops chocolate protein powder, 1 and 1/4 cups freeze-dried strawberries, 2-3 Tablespoons milk, 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- Stir very well to combine — it will seem too thick at first and can be difficult to mix, but use your muscles and it will come together. Use your hands towards the end to press in the last few bits and knead the mixture together.
- Once everything is evenly mixed, use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls. Use your hands to roll them smooth. If you find that the balls are not holding together, add the extra Tablespoon of milk, or even a few drops more, to the mixture. Stir well and try rolling again.
- Store tightly covered in the refrigerator or freezer. This is just a matter of preference — I like them best fridge cold. Enjoy!
Notes
- The nutrition information here is an automatically-calculated estimate based on a generic nut butter; if you need detailed specifics for your own macros, I highly encourage you to plug this into MyFitnessPal or a similar app of your choice with the exact data from the nut butter, protein powder, and other ingredients that you prefer to use.
