Add more protein to your snack with these yummy Fudgy Chocolate Protein Bites! They are gluten free, dairy free, peanut free, and paleo
It’s been a little while since I’ve made a great protein bite recipe, so here’s another great one for you: Fudgy Chocolate Protein Bites!
My food allergies have been pretty interesting lately, so I haven’t been able to eat a lot of traditional protein powders out there. I can’t have brown rice protein anymore, no pumpkin protein, no pea protein, no egg protein, etc.
These days it’s just hemp protein, beef collagen powder, or marine collagen powder for protein powders.
But I’ve also moved away from eating a lot of protein powders as well since I develop allergies easily and protein powders have created new allergies for me in the past. So I tread with caution and avoid using protein powders very often these days.
I still like to occasionally make protein balls now and then, and collagen powder has been my go-to for making protein balls these days.
The macronutrient profile for these brownie protein bites are pretty well balanced: they are moderate in protein, carbs, and sugar, and lower in fat, so they are great for replenishing protein and glycogen after tough workouts!
How to make chocolate protein bites with collagen powder
If you’re used to making recipes with other kinds of dairy free protein powders (like rice protein, pea protein, hemp protein, etc.), collagen protein powder is a little bit different.
I’ve even made smoothie bowls with it and it turns into a cool smoothie/mousse bowl once it’s been chilled. Pretty neat!
When used in smaller quantities, collagen powder has no discernable effect on texture (like if you add 1 Tablespoon of it to coffee), but when you use it in larger quantities in recipes like protein balls, it can get slightly sticky depending on your other ingredients.
These chocolate protein bites are a little bit gooey and slightly sticky at first, but will firm up quite a bit in the fridge, depending on how long you leave them in the fridge.
I don’t mind that these paleo protein balls are a little gooey at first (I was even going to call this recipe Gooey Brownie Protein Bites), but if you want them more firm, chill them for at least 4 hours first before eating them.
I used the Great Lakes Gelatin beef collagen protein hydrolysate for these protein balls, but you could also try this with marine collagen powder as well or another brand of collagen protein powder.
Flavor ideas for protein balls
You can have a lot of fun with this recipe! Try adding a bit of instant coffee granules for added coffee flavor (and caffeine if you want), or add some mini chocolate chips to make these a sweeter treat.
You can also roll these protein balls in finely shredded coconut if you want to add something to the outside!
I made these brownie protein balls with SunButter because my kids have peanut allergies, but you can make these with any kind of nut or seed butter you like.
You can try using pumpkin seed butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, or any kind of nut/seed butter for this recipe. But you may have to adjust the amount of coconut flour in them if your nut/seed butter is a bit thin or very thick.
Check out our other protein bite/protein ball recipes:
- Strawberry Oat Protein Bites
- Coffee Chocolate Chip Protein Bites
- Healthy Chocolate Protein Bites (Vegan)
- Orange Poppyseed Protein Bites (Vegan)
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Bites
- Cranberry Chia Protein Bites
- Espresso Hemp Protein Bites
- Chai Spice Protein Bites
Fudgy Chocolate Protein Bites (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons coconut flour
- ⅓ cup collagen powder (I used Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate)
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- ¼ cup SunButter (or your favorite nut butter)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stevia drops to taste
Instructions
- Stir together the dry ingredients, then mix in the wet ingredients. This will make a super thick dough that you’ll want to knead with your hands until mixed (I use gloves to keep it from getting under my nails).
- Mix it all up until it’s easy to roll. If it’s too sticky, you can add a little bit more coconut flour to make it less sticky.
- Roll into balls and store in the fridge. These will be sticky at first but they firm up once chilled. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and healthy living blogger based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
I know I’m crazy..but my taste buds have come to experience chocolate as grossly bitter. It has been such a struggle. Do you think if I make these but leave the cocoa powder out they woul be ok? Thanks for your help!
Hi Theresa! You can skip the cocoa powder in this recipe if you like and just add maybe a little bit more coconut flour if you need (like 1 teaspoon) to replace the cocoa powder.
Hi there! Am I correct in interpreting that one serving is 9 balls? How many balls should this recipe yield? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Kim! 1 serving is 1 ball/bite, and this recipe makes about 9 bites. The nutrition info is estimated for 1/9th of the recipe as a serving (so 1 bite if you divide the recipe into 9). Hope that helps! 🙂
I love the few ingredients in here but how hearty they are. They definitely fill you up and keep you going.
Thank you Kelly! These definitely keep you going, they’re perfect for post-workout treats 🙂
Good morning,
I see in your writing that you are becoming more “allergic” recently. Have you heard of a book called “5 Years Without Food”, by Nicolette M Dumke. She uses food family groups to avoid the same food families in a 5 day rotation.
I am reassured to hear of your “protein – allergy” connection. I thought I was imagining the connection.
Wishing you the best of health, and thank you so much for your vigilance in providing healthful, allergy friendly foods for anyone who wishes it. You are so appreciated!
Thank you for stopping by Renee! I haven’t read that book yet, but it sounds very similar to a rotation diet? I had tried a rotation diet in the past to help prevent new food allergies. I’m not following a rotation diet strictly now, but I try to adhere to those principals fairly loosely, by trying not to eat the same things every single day, rotating my proteins (I write our family menu rotating our meats during the week, etc.). I’m not sure about other people, but for me, there is definitely a protein-isolate connection with my new food allergies! Especially my newest allergy, a pumpkin seed allergy which is pretty bad 🙁 That all started with my regular use of pumpkin seed protein powder. I’m hoping that not everyone else has that issue, but it’s something I have to watch out for 😮
Protein bites have become my easy to make snack! Fast and delicious and if you make them the right way – healthy! These look great and have been pinned to make later this week!
Thank you Jules! Protein bites are definitely one of my favorite treats, they are the perfect snack! 🙂