Healthy Trail Mix Protein Bites
These easy to make Trail Mix Protein Bites make a delicious treat for your weekend adventures or a healthy after school snack. They are naturally gluten-free and can easily be made vegan. Everyone will LOVE this recipe!
Meet my favorite new way to eat trail mix. See those see those mini M&M dotted balls right there? Those are what I call Trail Mix Protein Bites. Aaaand … they're amazing.
If you're not sure you should believe me about the amazing part, scroll down to see the look on little Ava's face. It's a dead giveaway that these things are delicious.
I've made them with all my fav trail mix treats that I love to snack on when we go hiking.
And yes, there's M&Ms in here. And yes, I'm still calling them healthy. No chocolate = no trail mix. We've got to keep this realistic.
Your trail mix protein bites game plan:
Are you ready for this? Honestly, this recipe is so simple that I feel a little silly sharing the game plan with you. Ok, here it goes:
- Grab a big mixing bowl and put all of the ingredients into it. Mix them around until you have a trail mix-y dough. Tip: using your hands makes this WAY easier.
- Roll the dough into balls.
- That's it! I'm not even joking. They should really be called 2-step trail mix protein bites.
You can pop them into your fridge for a while if you'd like them to be more firm. Or you can leave them on your counter (covered!) and they'll be deliciously soft. They are amazing either way.
And for the proof that they're amazing pictures …
Little Ava looks a bit hesitant at first, but that post trail mix protein bite smiles gives it all away.
Whatever you do, can you not look at the mess on my floor? It took me longer to clean her and the mess she made than it did for me to make the bites.
That little face! How am I ever supposed to parent a little girl that cute? I'm serious. Just try imagining saying, “No, you can't have ALL the trail mix balls” to that smiling face. Impossible!
More healthy energy ball recipes:
- Coconut Lemon Energy Balls
- No Bake Energy Bites
- Peanut Butter Energy Balls
- Chocolate Coconut Bliss Balls
Healthy Trail Mix Protein Bites
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick oats
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup each: sunflower seeds, raisins, chopped walnuts, and chopped peanuts or almonds
- ¼ cup mini M&Ms, sub mini vegan chocolate chips, if needed
- ¾ cup natural peanut or almond butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup, can sub honey
Instructions
- Place the oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, walnuts, peanuts or almonds, and the mini M&Ms in a large bowl. Add the peanut or almond butter and the maple syrup and mix everything together well. I find it easier to start mixing with a wooden spoon and then use my hands at the end.1 cup quick oats, ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, ¼ cup each: sunflower seeds, raisins, chopped walnuts, and chopped peanuts or almonds, ¼ cup mini M&Ms, ¾ cup natural peanut or almond butter, ¼ cup maple syrup
- Once the dough comes together, form it into 22 balls. You'll need about 2 tablespoons per ball.
- Store in your fridge for firmer balls and covered on your counter for softer ones.
If I’m using regular (non-natural) peanut butter that already has sugar in it, can I leave out the maple syrup/honey?
I think that would be a good idea. 🙂
These were so yummy! However, they were super messy when I tried to roll them into balls. It seemed like more was on my hands than in the balls. Did I put too much honey, or is that just how it is? Any tips would be great! Thanks!
Try wetting your hands with a little water next time. It helps keep them from sticking. 🙂
These are so awesome. We took them in a tupperware container in my backpack on a hiking trip with my 3 and 5 year old. They were a huge hit and very yummy
So happy to hear that they were a hit!
Delicious healthy snack! My daughter and I couldn’t stop eating them.
So happy to hear you both like them!
THESE. ARE. AMAZING!!
I made them for a school camping trip and they were gone in an instant. A big hit with all my friends!!
That’s so great to hear!
These look amazing. Gonna try them out for our up coming camping trip, but might make a few substitutions (like craisins for raisins, etc). Question though…how long of a shelf like would these have? (I mean I know they will get go bled up quickly….but wondering how far in advance I can make them) . Thanks.
We’ve kept these for a few weeks and they’ve still been delicious!
How do you store these when you go hiking? Just in zip lock bags or some other way?
I put them in a small plastic Tupperware container as they’re safer that way than in a bag. Enjoy your hike!
Wow these look so good!! I can’t wait to try them! I’ve been experimenting with some of my own recipes for “energy bites” too that are great for hiking trips!
I hope you like them as much as I do!
Thanks for sharing this. These look good for our camping trip. What can I use if nobody in our family will eat coconut? We aren’t fans of the texture – similar to chewing on apple peels. What are my options?
You can omit them if you’re not fans. 🙂
These are the best little snacks! My kids went crazy for them too. I can see they’ll be in regular rotation once the kiddies get back to school.
They really are, aren’t they? So happy your kids liked them, too!