Banana Bread Cookie Dough Balls

Cookie dough balls meet banana bread in this easy no-bake snack. With 10g of protein per serving and no refined sugar, these banana bread balls are the healthy bites you’ll make on repeat. Gluten-free with a grain-free option, and a yummy dark chocolate coating for extra decadence!

SPONSORED BY SUNBUTTER

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I’ve seen a few different versions of “banana bread cookie dough balls” popping up in my feed recently, and those are all yummy words I love. So of course I had to give this delicious snack mashup a try, and of course I had to customize the recipe a bit too. The original version is made with oats, but I tested and included a grain-free option too. The original version is also made with peanut butter, but I swapped in my favorite SunButter instead. And I boosted the protein content with hemp seeds and vanilla protein powder, so each delicious little ball packs a full 10 grams! Oh, and what the title didn’t mention is they are also CHOCOLATE COATED. So let’s get into this banana bread ball deliciousness…

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No-bake and quick to make
• 10g protein per serving
• Gluten-free with grain-free option
• No refined sugar
• Dark chocolate coating = indulgent but healthy
• Kid-friendly and meal-prep friendly

Banana Bread Ball Ingredients

These easy no-bake banana bread balls are made with just a handful of easy ingredients you probably already have on hand (unless your bananas are currently green, then wait a few days!) You will need:

• Banana. For natural sweetness, moisture, and flavor. Make sure it’s extra ripe for the best banana bread vibes.
• SunButter. For protein, healthy fat, and a “buttery” cookie dough texture. I opted for the Original variety because it’s lightly sweet and oh so delicious in this no-bake snack.
• Protein powder. Optional, but helps us hit that 10g of protein per serving. You can use unsweetened/unflavored or vanilla.
• Rolled oats. Or unsweetened shredded coconut for a grain-free option.
• Hemp seeds. Or any variety of nuts/seeds you have, but I like the flavor and protein content of hemp seeds specifically.
• Maple syrup. For natural sweetness and moisture, you can replace with coconut oil if you don’t want the extra sweeteners or are using a sweetened protein powder.
• Pinch of salt, dash of cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla.
• Dark chocolate chips. Melted with a little bit of coconut oil for the delicious coating.
• Walnuts. Chopped as garnish–optional, but I like the little bit of texture on top.

How to Make Banana Bread Cookie Dough Balls

This is a one bowl, easy peasy, mix it all by hand kind of recipe. You will need a couple of hours for the balls to chill before coating in chocolate, but other than that the prep is very quick. Perfect to sneak into a busy meal prep day and treat yourself all week!

1. Mash the banana. By hand, with a fork, it can be rough and some chunks are fine. Just like you’re about to bake a loaf of banana bread.
2. Grind the dry ingredients. The oats (or coconut) + hemp seeds to a fine flour-ish consistency.
3. Mix everything together. Wet, dry, all of it in one bowl and mixed roughly by hand with a spatula. It should be quite thick like a cookie dough consistency. If it’s too wet to roll into balls now, chill for 30 minutes.
4. Scoop/roll into balls. About 2-3 tablespoons per ball, I like to use a medium sized cookie scoop to make sure they are all similar sizes. Arrange on a pan lined with parchment paper, and freeze 2-ish hours so they are firm and easy to dip in the dark chocolate.
5. Dip in dark chocolate. Dip, dunk, fully coat in melted chocolate then carefully place back on the parchment lined pan. I like to use a large fork for this. Immediately add the walnut garnish.
6. Set and serve. Since the balls are already cold, the chocolate will set pretty quick. But you can refrigerate them briefly if need be.

Tips for the Best Results

These balls are pretty simple and hard to screw up, but I do have a few tips for optimal deliciousness. First of all, make sure your banana is RIPE. We’re talking lots of brown spots, maybe a little squishy even, typical “needs to be used asap” banana bread status. Riper = sweeter banana bread cookie dough balls.

My next tip is to be patient and give the balls enough time to chill, otherwise they will be tricky/messy to coat in chocolate. The recommended 2 hours in the freezer is a minimum, overnight in the fridge is honestly even better. And don’t skip the coconut oil in the dark chocolate coating too, that will ensure you get a thin snappy chocolate layer.

I also really recommend using a cookie scoop to get evenly sized cookie dough balls, you want to end up with 12 balls total for each to hit that 10g of protein per serving goal.

Recipe FAQs

More No-Bake Ball Recipes You’ll Love

• Tahini Cookie Dough Balls
• No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
• Funfetti Cake Batter Bites
• Blueberry Muffin Bites

If you try these Banana Bread Cookie Dough Balls, let me know what you think by leaving a comment or rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for even more yummy recipes!

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