The Best Easy Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls

If you’re like me, you loving having a yummy treat that doesn’t throw you completely off-plan. Sometimes I get a sweet tooth that a small treat would fix, but I don’t necessarily want to waste my free meal of the week on it. That’s why I love treats that are full of protein, and it’s even better when you can add fruit. These Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls are the best of both worlds!

They have protein and are full of applesauce. Better yet, it only takes minutes to throw these 3 ingredients together and pop it in the fridge for a snack that will last you for days! That is, unless your husband or kids find out they’re in the fridge….

Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls are So Quick and Easy

I love having a few healthy snacks that I can throw together in minutes. If something takes a long time to prep, it probably won’t make it into my recipe rotation. As a busy mom of 4, I’m a huge fan of quick, easy, healthy, and delicious recipes. Because you’re only dealing with 3 ingredients, the most time you spend on this recipe is waiting for the balls and the chocolate to harden. Even forming the balls is relatively simple; you can scoop it into drops with a spoon rather than having to hand-roll each one.

Are These Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls Actually Healthy?

The answer is yes! Like with every food, if you eat all 12 of them in one setting, that could set you back on your meal plan. However, these ingredients form a great low-calorie snack, coming in at only 116 calories each. They also have about 5 grams of protein, which isn’t a lot, but I always love it anytime I can add a little extra protein into a recipe. Protein is great for building muscle, and who doesn’t want more muscle tone? Also, using applesauce is a great way to sneak a whole food into your snack. Apples are great for weight loss and even include healthy carbs, which are great for increasing energy and fueling your workouts.

What About the Chocolate?

Chocolate is looked at as dessert, as something that isn’t good for you. The reason for this is that the majority of candy bars in our modern world are full of sugar. Many candy bars are actually chocolate flavored sugar bars, with sugar being listed as the top ingredient and chocolate being used more as a flavoring. If you can find dark chocolate, you can avoid a lot of the negative consequences from unnecessary sugars. Look for 80% or higher Cacao.

You can also choose chocolate chips that use healthier sweeteners. My absolute favorite is Bake Believe. Another brand that I also love is Lily’s Chocolate Chips. Both brands are pretty clean; I just personally love the taste of Bake Believe.

Why Use Peanut Butter Powder in Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls?

If you’ve ever looked into the nutritional value of peanut butter, you may already know the answer! Peanut butter has protein and is delicious. You can add just a little to almost anything and give it a rich, creamy flavor. However, it is also high in fat.

If you compare 2 tablespoons of pb powder to the same amount of peanut butter, the peanut butter has 140 more calories than the 50 calories in the pb powder. Those 50 calories still have 75% of the protein and are half the carbs. The biggest jump, however, is from 1.5 grams of fat to 16 grams. When you keep in mind that fats are higher in calories than carbs, using pb powder becomes a much smarter option.

I love using peanut butter powder in a variety of recipes. I also like having healthy fats in my diet, so I keep both natural peanut butter and pb powder in the house. Some of my favorites for pb powder are adding it to yogurt, protein shakes, and smoothies. I love having the flexibility of pb powder and natural peanut butter depending on my nutritional goals for each meal.

Does It Take a Lot of Time to Make Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls?

When I say this recipe is quick and easy, I mean it. I think I spent more time making sure I was diving the dough mixture into twelve equal parts than actually forming the balls. You can just use a spoon to scoop and drop it onto the wax paper, kind of like drop-biscuits. I definitely like putting them into the fridge before dipping them into the chocolate so that they hold together better.

For dipping the balls into the chocolate, you can just drop it into the chocolate to dip and then scoop it out with a spoon. I found that dipping them seemed to work better than dropping them in completely; it helped avoid wasting chocolate on each of the balls.

I Thought Healthy Eating Was Eating More Whole Foods Not Chocolate

A healthy lifestyle is all about balance. About 80% of my meals are nutritionally packed with protein and whole foods. Avoiding processed foods is so important for good health and for avoiding a lot of the negative impacts from living off the modern American diet. However, there will be times when you want something sweet or have a sweet tooth. It’s so much better when you prepare for that.

Are There Certain Times of Day That You Give In to Your Cravings?

I found that I had a habit of reaching for junk food around 5 o’clock just as I started thinking about what’s for supper. Dinner was still an hour or 2 out, and I found myself giving in to processed junk food just because I was suddenly starving at that time of day. Planning a snack between 3 & 4:30 has made a huge difference for me. I can enjoy a nutritionally-packed snack before I get to the desperate level and start giving in to spontaneous cravings.

The other time I tend to reach for the sweets is after dinnertime. There are times in my fitness journey where I chose to not eat anything after supper. Breaking that habit can be hard but essential to reaching specific health goals. There have been other seasons where I’ve planned for that snack time by keeping healthier treats in the house. Recipes like the Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls have made a huge difference in keeping me on track.

I’ve found that just a little something goes a long way. Having one or two healthier snacks around can be the difference of satisfying my craving and feeling great or splurging on something I didn’t intend to eat and then my body feeling the effects into the next day.

It’s hard to believe I’ve had moments in my life when I decided that eating a Reese’s was worth it, even while acknowledging that I would feel crappy the rest of the afternoon. That’s why I love having healthier snacks around, so I can satisfy those cravings in a way that helps me feel my best and stay on track with my fitness goals!

Plan for Your Cravings

What about you? Do you have certain times when you give in to cravings more? Are there extended periods of time when you don’t eat and then you’re suddenly starving and giving in to everything in site? Or, is it harder when you’re at a party or at work with candy everywhere you look? Think about how you can plan around your habits and cravings. One way to do this is to have healthier alternatives readily available. Another way is to fill up on healthier food ahead of time.

As I mentioned earlier, a whole food snack in the afternoon keeps me from getting the pre-supper munchies. Also, drinking a sweet smoothie or protein shake on the way to a birthday party has helped me not indulge in high-sugar cake and party food. I find that I don’t want a lot of that stuff if I’m already full. How can you better plan for your cravings and habits to set yourself up for success?

A Fit Life Is All About Balance Not Perfection

No one is perfect all the time. Prepping snacks and keeping healthier foods you like around can help you stay on plan more often than not. It’s kind of like working out. There may be days when you don’t get in the workout you wanted. However, if you’re lifestyle is built around working out every day, there will be a lot more days you workout than ones you don’t. You will see the benefits of exercising on a regular basis, and that will produce a snowball effect in the days, months, and years to come.

The same is true for nutrition. There will probably be days when you give in to that craving, whatever “your thing” may be. The key isn’t to be perfect. It’s to plan your meals and snacks in a way that makes you successful most of the time. Just like with exercise, a lifestyle of healthy eating will have a tremendous impact on your health in the long-run. It just requires a little planning, a little prep, a few small shifts so that you have healthy food you enjoy on hand.

This is why recipes like the Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls have resulted in such a huge shift in my life and in the way I feed my family. It’s also why I love sharing our favorite recipes with you! I hope you’re able to enjoy them and find favorite healthy foods you and your family also enjoy!

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