Chickpea Cookie Dough Protein Balls made with healthy ingredients like peanut butter powder and protein powder are perfect for a dessert or post workout treat. These easy chickpea protein balls taste like bites of raw chocolate chip cookie dough and are Vegan, Gluten Free and Sugar Free too.

That edible protein chickpea cookie dough from last week got me so hooked on the whole chickpea recipes for dessert thing that I had to make some protein balls too!

It’s essentially the same recipe as the cookie dough, but shaped as bite sized treats.

I was probably just looking for excuses to eat more cookie dough, but it totally worked!

Ingredients for Chickpea Cookie Dough Protein Balls

These chickpea or garbanzo bean cookie dough balls are some of the most healthy bites you can get and are made with all clean and sugar free ingredients.

Here’s what you need for these healthy cookie dough balls:

Chickpeas – You can use the canned chickpeas or cook some from dried garbanzo beans.
Peanut Butter Powder, also known as Powdered Peanut Butter. I use the sugar free one from Lakanto (the code HAYLSKITCHEN gives you a discount), but the one from PbFit works well too.
Vanilla Protein Powder to make high protein cookie dough bites; I use Quest vanilla protein powder for this recipe; It’s sweetened with stevia and makes the recipe sugar free!
A bit of Coconut Flour
Maple Syrup; the Sugar-free from Lakanto again (same discount code here)
Unsweetened Almond Milk or another non dairy or regular milk
Water
Chocolate Chips – I use sugar free ones from Lakanto here too. Lily’s is another sugar-free option!

Want Vegan Cookie Dough Protein Bites?

The only thing you need to do to turn this recipe into vegan cookie dough protein balls is use a plant based protein powder and dairy free chocolate chips 🙂

What about Gluten Free Energy Balls?

These bites are made with coconut flour and are already gluten free!

How to make Healthy Chickpea Protein Balls

If you have all the ingredients on hand, Chickpea Cookie dough protein bites are super easy to make; All you you need to do is combine the ingredients in a food processor, add in the chocolate chips and then shape the balls!

Process the chickpeas in the food processor until they get slightly broken down.

Add in everything else (except coconut flour and chocolate chips): peanut butter powder, protein powder, water, almond milk and maple syrup, and process again.
You should have a smooth mixture.

Transfer the mix to a bowl and fold in the coconut flour and chocolate chips.

Spoon out some of the chocolate e chip protein cookie dough, about 1-2 tablespoons worth, and roll the chickpea balls using your (clean) hands.
If the mix is too sticky, add a bit more coconut flour.

Tip: Slightly dampen your palms to help with the sticking issue.

How to store Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls

These chocolate chip cookie protein balls are best stored in the fridge since they do have a bit of milk in there.

Keep the chickpea balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

For a freezer friendly option, place the energy bites in an airtight sealed container and they should be good for 2-3 months. Be sure to let them thaw on the counter before eating!

Alternate ingredients for Healthy Cookie Dough Protein Balls

White Bean cookie dough energy bites using dry or canned Cannellini Beans instead of the chickpeas
Replace peanut butter powder in these chickpea energy balls with regular peanut butter, but skip the water, and use less milk.
To make chickpea protein balls nut free, use cashew butter or tahini in place of peanut butter.
You can also try to make cookie dough protein balls with oats using ⅓ cup oat flour or may be even almond flour instead of coconut flour; I haven’t tried this myself.
Honey in place of the maple syrup, but this won’t be sugar-free or Vegan anymore.

Another funky option to try is adding a bit of cocoa powder to the mixture to make chickpea chocolate protein balls!

More Chickpea Desserts you’ll love:

Some more Healthy Energy Bites recipes to try: