These birthday cake protein balls taste like cake batter, but are made with wholesome ingredients. What I love most about these is that they are made without protein powder and still have 6g of protein per ball. The protein comes from cashew butter, almond flour, and oat flour. Gluten-free, dairy-free and naturally sweetened.
Try my oatmeal peanut butter bars for another wholesome, protein-rich snack without protein powder.
Why We Love These Birthday Cake Protein Balls
- No protein powder - While I'm not against a quality/clean protein powder (hello, I am obsessed with my protein brownie bites), I do love a good protein forward snack that is made from wholesome ingredients without needing to add in protein powder.
- 6g of protein per ball - Thanks to the cashew butter, almond flour, and oat flour, these make a protein-forward snack. And more protein than most store-bought snacks have. If you're looking for a higher-protein snack, try my no-bake chocolate protein bars.
- Enjoy for a snack or dessert - We love these as a quick snack or for an after dinner healthier treat! And I love enjoying one with my afternoon coffee.
- Vanilla birthday cake flavor - I was honestly surprised by how much these really taste like cake batter! I tested these with all oat flour, all almond flour, and a combination of the two and found that both were needed to get that classic cake batter flavor without tasting like flour!
When testing this recipe, I played around a lot with using protein powder vs. using just a combination of almond and oat flour. And I found out you can still make a high-protein ball using whole food ingredients without protein powder.
Even when I tried replacing half of the flour with protein powder, it only added one additional gram of protein per ball, so I was super happy to discover you don't need expensive protein powders to make a protein-rich snack!
And quick, real-food, protein snacks are a must around here, especially as we head into back-to-school season!
We all love a good chocolate and peanut butter combination, like my no-bake protein granola bars and chocolate coconut peanut butter balls, but I knew we needed to venture out and add a classic vanilla snack to our rotation, so here we are with these birthday cake protein balls.
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Ingredients for Birthday CAke Protein Balls
- Oat flour - You can make homemade oat flour or buy it. I prefer to make my own as I always have massive bags of organic oats around.
- Almond flour - Use almond flour and not almond meal. Almond flour is made from skinned almonds, resulting in a softer texture.
- Vanilla extract - For the best vanilla cake batter flavor, use pure vanilla extract. It's worth the extra price... trust me! I love using Simply Organic vanilla.
- Cashew butter - For best results, use raw cashew butter made with just cashews and no added oils. If your cashew butter contains added oil and the mixture is too wet, you may need to add a little more of the dry ingredients. Artisana Organics is my go-to cashew butter.
- Sprinkles - I think Jimmies (the long, skinny kind) work best in these birthday cake balls, but really any kind will do. I always use naturally dyed sprinkles, but you do you!
🤍 Sara's clean food tips: Because glyphosate can be sprayed directly on oat crops, I recommend organic oat flour.
A complete list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card below. The above are some specific notes to help with selecting ingredients.
Variations
- Make gluten-free - Even though oats are gluten-free, they can become contaminated during processing. If making for someone with a gluten sensitivity, use certified gluten-free oat flour.
- Decrease the added sugar - I tested these with 2 and 4 tablespoons of maple syrup. I prefer 2 tablespoons, but my kids liked them sweeter, so I used 4 tablespoons in the final recipe. For less added sugar, use 2 tablespoons.
- Use chocolate chips - Swap the sprinkles for mini chocolate chips for a vanilla chocolate chip protein ball.
- Add "frosting" - For a clean eating vanilla glaze, top with coconut butter glaze.
How to Make Birthday Cake Protein Balls
- Step 1: Add all ingredients except the sprinkles to a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Fully mix ingredients until a "dough" forms, then fold in the sprinkles.
- Step 3: Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop or a measuring tablespoon, scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough for each ball.
- Step 4: Roll into balls until all "dough" has been used. You should get 16 balls total.
Sara's Tips and Notes
- I recommend using raw cashew butter. Raw cashew butter has a milder flavor, while roasted cashew butter will have a nuttier flavor. For that classic vanilla cake flavor, I recommend raw cashew butter.
- Adjust ingredients if needed until a sticky dough forms. Depending on what type of cashew butter you use, you may end up with a stickier or drier dough. If it's too dry, add cashew butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's too wet, add oat flour or almond flour 1 tablespoon at a time until a sticky dough forms. You should be able to easily roll the mix into balls.
- Enjoy straight from the freezer. They taste more like frozen cookie dough when you eat them straight from the freezer (um... yum!). Just let them slightly thaw (about 5 minutes) so they are easier to bite into.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but other nut butters have a stronger flavor and may come through more than the cashew butter. The cashew butter will provide the mildest flavor while allowing the vanilla cake flavor to shine.
Dye-free sprinkles are made without artificial food dyes and are colored with plant-based ingredients instead. You can find these at Whole Foods, Amazon, or most health food stores.
While yes, you can, raw cashew butter has a milder flavor which will result in a stronger vanilla cake batter flavor. If you use roasted cashew butter, you will have a deeper nut flavor.
How to Store
Fridge: These birthday cake protein balls should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will stay fresh for up to 1 week.
Freezer: These also freeze well and can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. Be sure to store in a freezer-safe container.
More Protein Rich Snacks
Healthy Banana Protein Muffins
Chocolate Protein Banana Bread
No-bake Chocolate Protein Bars
No-bake Protein Granola Bars
Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and comment below. It helps other readers and means so much to me. And don't forget to tag @CleanPlateMama on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your creations!
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Eat Clean.Be Well!
-Sara
Birthday Cake Protein Balls
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Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashew butter
- ¾ cup (75g) oat flour
- ¾ cup (65g) almond flour
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup dye-free sprinkles
Instructions
- Add all ingredients, except the sprinkles, to a large mixing bowl. Mix until well combined and a thick "dough" forms.¾ cup raw cashew butter, ¾ cup (75g) oat flour, ¾ cup (65g) almond flour, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Fold in the sprinkles.¼ cup dye-free sprinkles
- Using about 2 tablespoons of dough for each ball, roll into balls until all of the dough has been used. You should get 16 balls.
- Store protein balls in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- For best flavor, I recommend raw cashew butter. Roasted cashew butter will give the protein balls a slightly nuttier flavor.
- If your cashew butter contains salt, you can omit the added salt.
- The mixture may be too dry or too sticky depending on what cashew butter you use and how you measure the flours. If too dry, add cashew butter 1 tablespoon at a time. If too sticky, add oat flour (or almond flour) 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is easy to roll into balls.
Nutrition
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Sara says
These are the best straight from the freezer! Tastes like a mix between cake batter and cookie dough. So good!