3 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls

A simple recipe for 3-ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls. Perfect for a snack when you want healthy fats, protein, and carbs all rolled into one easy treat. These oatmeal energy bites are great for meal prep too!

Easy recipes are my favorite thing to create. I always try to think of ways that I can take a recipe and make it even easier with the least amount of ingredients possible. I have been making these peanut butter energy bites since my kids were little, so at least seven years now. They have always been a favorite snack in our house. When I first started making them I loaded them up with all kinds of ingredients, but the base always remained the same: peanut butter (or another seed butter or nut butter), honey, and oats. That's the beauty of these. Simple inexpensive basic ingredients that almost everyone has in their home. Just my style.

Give this easy healthy snack a try this week. Prep them on Sunday night so you can have a little snack ready to go for you and your family all week. It's also a fun one to get kids involved making. They love rolling them into balls. Now that my kids are older, they just make them by themselves without help from me, but I have fond memories of us in the kitchen making these yummy little treats.

Simple ingredients

peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter can be used. My kids always liked the smooth. I prefer a natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt as the ingredients. Almond butter or sunflower butter may be substituted, but peanut butter gives the best results.

honey: Any honey will work, but it needs to be a pourable honey. I use 2 T. honey, but if you prefer a little sweeter oatmeal ball, you could add another tablespoon of honey. Pure maple syrup can also be substituted for to make it vegan friendly.

oats: Quick oats work best for this recipe since they are thinner and broken up into small pieces. If you are using old fashioned oats or a thicker consistency oat, you may want to pulse the oats in a food processor or blender for a second to slightly break down the oat. It's not absolutely necessary, but it does make the raw oats easier to chew.

Step-by-step instructions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together peanut butter and honey.
2. Pour in oats and stir with a spoon until evenly distributed. They will be a little hard to stir, but keep stirring and smashing with your spoon and they will eventually come together.
3. Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out a small amount and form into balls with your hands.
4. Eat right away or store in the fridge for later.

Optional add ins

If you want to add a little variety, you can add any of the following mix-ins:

• chia seeds
• coconut
• flax seeds
• hemp seeds
• mini chocolate chips
• chopped dried fruit
• protein powder

How to store

Store in airtight container or a ziplock baggy.

They can be kept at room temperature for several days, but I prefer to store in the refrigerator so the peanut butter stays more solid and holds its shape better.

For more healthy snack ideas, read my article 50 Cheap Healthy Snacks