Birthday cake energy balls are a fun and easy snack made with wholesome ingredients and fun colorful sprinkles. With all the deliciousness of vanilla birthday cake but the nourishment from whole food ingredients, these make a great snack for after school, on-the-go, or as a little snack between meals.
No bake energy bites are one of my favorite snack recipes to make at home. Like our peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls, these birthday cake protein bites are full of protein, fiber, and lots of other nutrients which actually helps to tide me over until my next meal!
Since these hold up well all week long, I love making a big batch of these at the beginning of the week so I can grab a little something that I know is made with nutritious ingredients any time. These bite-sized balls make a great better-for-you dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth too!
Since rainbow sprinkles make these an extra fun snack, these may be a great way to get any picky eaters you have at home to try something new.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This No Bake Energy Balls Recipe
- Ingredients Needed for Birthday Cake Energy Balls
- Energy Ball Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Birthday Cake Energy Balls Step-By-Step Instructions
- Possible Dietary Restrictions?
- Storage for Energy Balls
- Energy Bites Recipes Expert Tips
- Energy Ball FAQs
- Love This Recipe? Try One of These Snack Recipes Next!
- Recipe for Energy Balls (Birthday Cake Energy Balls!)
Why You’ll Love This No Bake Energy Balls Recipe
Easy to make. A little measuring, stirring ingredients together, and then rolling into balls… it doesn’t get much easier than that! The perfect snack recipe to try for newer cooks or having little hands helping you in the kitchen.
Tasty birthday-inspired flavor. These sprinkle-filled energy bites bring you that birthday cake taste without all the extra calories and sugar.
Wholesome snack that’s fun! A fun snack that tastes like vanilla cake but it packed with good-for-you ingredients like rolled oats and chia seeds, natural sweetness from pure maple syrup, and some extra grams of protein from both nut butter and protein powder?! Sign me up!
Ingredients Needed for Birthday Cake Energy Balls
- Cashew Butter: I have tried this recipe with peanut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter. Cashew butter simply works the best in this recipe. It has the nut butter texture you need to hold your energy balls together without having an overpowering flavor. This allows that birthday cake taste to prevail in your snack!
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: Use your favorite old fashioned oats or rolled oats (NOT quick cook oats) to make this energy balls recipe. Old fashioned oats are less processed than quick cook oats, leaving them with a sturdier texture which make them ideal for these birthday cake protein balls.
- Vanilla Protein Powder: Use your favorite vanilla protein powder in this energy bites recipe! There are a lot of protein powder options out there, and some are better for you than others. I recommend selecting a protein powder with minimal ingredients. I personally like and use this whey protein powder because I know what every ingredient listed is (and their vanilla has less than 5 ingredients total!). You can use also plant-based vanilla proteins for this recipe. I’ve used this plant-based protein in the past and enjoyed it.
- Pure Maple Syrup: This natural sweetener gives your energy bites just enough sweetness. Please make sure to use real maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup) for this recipe.
- Chia Seeds: Chia seeds pack a huge nutritional punch! They are loaded with fiber, protein, omega-3s, antioxidants, and so much more. They’re a superfood for a reason, and they’re relatively easy to find these days in your local grocery store. A great addition to energy bites.
- Vanilla Extract: Helps to give these birthday cake energy bites that pop of birthday cake flavor you’re looking for!
- Almond Extract: Optional, but highly recommended. Adding almond extract really takes these birthday cake protein balls to the next level.
- Your Favorite Sprinkles: The fun twist giving these birthday cake energy balls that birthday vibe. I recommend using your favorite type of standard sprinkles (also known as sugar strands or jimmies).
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Energy Ball Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Don’t have cashew butter? Try peanut butter instead. If making this substitution, please note that peanut butter has a much stronger flavor profile than cashew butter. This results in energy bites that will have more of a peanut butter taste with birthday cake undertones. They’re still perfectly delicious (I have made them this way several times), but using peanut butter doesn’t give you that pop of birthday cake flavor you would expect.
Birthday Cake Energy Balls Step-By-Step Instructions
Pre-soak your chia seeds in a small bowl by mixing together your chia seeds and water. Set aside while you measure and mix your other ingredients. If you remember, give it a little stir part way through the next step.
In a large bowl, mix together the oats, protein powder, maple syrup, vanilla and almond extracts, and cashew butter until mostly combined.
Add in the pre-soaked chia seeds and stir until uniform.
Gently stir in the sprinkles last to minimize the chances of breaking them.
Roll the energy bite dough into balls by rolling a small scoop of dough into a ball between your hands. You may need to gently press the dough together to help it form into a ball as you roll. I like to use a small cookie scoop to get evenly sized protein balls (you could also use a Tablespoon measure or wing it using a regular spoon).
Lightly roll each energy ball into additional sprinkles to mostly coat the outside. I often will lightly dab the outside of the energy bites into the sprinkles and then roll them again in my hand to ensure the sprinkles stick.
Place protein balls onto a lined cookie sheet, or into a storage container, and place into the refrigerator to finish setting up.
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
This protein ball recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan as written. However, a few notes:
- For those with celiac disease it is important to verify the rolled oats you are using specifically note gluten free on the packaging. This will ensure that you are making gluten free protein balls.
- You will also want to verify that the protein powder you are using meet your dietary needs. My go-to protein powder is this whey protein which is vegetarian friendly. I’ve also used and enjoy this vegan protein powder which is certified to be both vegan and gluten free.
- It would also be good to double-check your sprinkles for any ingredients they may not meet your dietary requirements.
Storage for Energy Balls
Store energy bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months if desired!
Energy Bites Recipes Expert Tips
Pre-soak your chia seeds. You may be tempted to skip this step, but don’t! Pre-soaking your chia seeds makes a HUGE difference in how this high protein snack turns out. Since chia seeds can soak up to 10x their weight in liquid, putting your chia seeds into this protein ball recipe without soaking them leaves you with a very dry energy ball. So ensure your energy balls have enough moisture by simply pre-soaking your chia seeds in water as you mix up the rest of your ingredients.
Energy Ball FAQs
How do I get my cashew butter protein balls to all be the same size?
There are a couple of ways to do this. My favorite way to get uniformly sized protein bites is to use a small cookie scoop to portion them out. Alternatively, you could use a Tablespoon measure to accomplish the same goal.
Could I use collagen instead of protein powder in this energy bites recipe?
Yes! Swap out 1-to-1 if you’d prefer to use collagen.
What’s the best protein powder to use in this recipe?
My personal favorite is Simply Tera’s because it has minimal ingredients (4 total!) and it tastes great. If you are looking to make this into a vegan snack recipe, select a plant-based protein powder.
Is this high protein snack kid friendly?
Assuming your child does not have a nut allergy, yes! If you’ve been looking for protein balls made with wholesome ingredients that your kids will be excited about, give this recipe a try! Since the rainbow sprinkles make these an attractive snack, these protein bites may be a great way to get any picky eaters you have at home to try something new.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Snack Recipes Next!
Recipe for Energy Balls (Birthday Cake Energy Balls!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1.5 C rolled oats
- 3 tablespoon vanilla protein powder
- ¼ C pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ C cashew butter
- 2 tablespoon sprinkles + more for rolling
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the chia and water and set aside to pre-soak while you measure and mix the other ingredients. Give the chia a stir part way through the next step
- In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients (except the chia, water, and sprinkles). When almost all of the way combined, add in your pre-soaked chia and any remaining water and stir until uniform. Finally, gently stir in the sprinkles until distributed throughout
- Roll into 1″ balls by rolling a scoop of dough into a ball between your hands. You may need to gently press the dough together to help it form into a ball as you roll
- Lightly roll each protein ball into additional sprinkles to coat the outside. Note: it is often helpful to lightly dab the outside of each energy bite into the sprinkles and then roll them again in your hands to ensure the sprinkles stick
- Place protein balls on a lined cookie sheet (or in a storage container) and place into the refrigerator to finish setting up
- Store protein balls in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week
Meghan says
So good I had to share the recipe with school friends! Great for lunchboxes!
Meredith says
So glad these were a hit Meghan!! Thanks for giving them a try, and for sharing the recipe with friends 🙂
Serena says
Quite tasty! Easy to make. Thank you 🙂
Meredith says
So happy to hear you enjoyed these Serena, thanks for giving our recipe a try!