Key Lime Pie Protein Bites are the mini, energy-packed, healthy snack version of your favorite summery, tart and creamy key lime pie. These energy bites are made from quinoa, cashew or almond butter, vanilla protein powder, key lime juice, lime zest, and low-fat graham crackers.
Pros for Key Lime Pie Protein Bites
- High in protein – these energy bites are LOADED with protein. In addition to the obvious protein from protein powder, there’s also a huge source of complete protein coming from quinoa.
- Healthy fats – regardless of whether you use cashew butter or almond butter, nut butters as a whole provide a rich source of healthy unsaturated fats.
- Oil free – pretty self explanatory. No added oils. Period. Nut butter and key lime juice act as flavorful binding agents, eliminating the need for oils.
- Tastes like dessert – one of the biggest pros is that this snack is super healthy while tasting like dessert. Win win.
- Easy to make – 6 ingredients and a food processor or blender is all you need to pull this recipe together. Simple and quick to make.
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Ingredients for Key Lime Pie Protein Bites
- Quinoa – I love using leftover quinoa in these protein bites. Quinoa is a surprising source of complete protein.
- Plant butter – we use almond butter and cashew butter in this recipe, but also feel free to try it with your favorite nut butter.
- Vanilla protein powder – we have found that using vegan/plant based protein powders, especially pea protein, results in the best protein bites. Whey protein varieties often feel greasier than plant-based powders.
- Key lime juice – the star of the show that lends its signature sour, zingy flavor to these protein bites.
- Lime zest – for a little extra hit of lime.
- Low fat graham crackers – for coating the protein balls. No key lime pie is complete without a graham cracker crust, so we thought why not roll these babies in graham crackers?
Recommended Gear
- Food processor – I use my Cuisinart 14 cup food processor weekly. It’s my go-to for nut butters and energy bites. You won’t need something as big as a 14 cup food processor. An 8 cup food processor is likely fine.
- Protein powder – Some protein powders do better than others in this recipe. I’ve found some whey protein powders end up making a greasy film on the outside of the protein bites. So I like to use plant-based or vegan protein powders for this recipe.
- Here are my tried and true vegan/plant-based protein powders that I recommend for this recipe.
How to Make Key Lime Pie Protein Bites
Combine quinoa, cashew butter, protein powder, key lime juice and lime zest in a food processor. Blend for about 1 minute, or until ingredients are well processed and begin to form a large ball.
Place the graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and crush them using a rolling pin. Pour crushed graham crackers onto a small plate.
Roll the quinoa-protein mixture into roughly 3 inch balls. Roll each ball in the graham crackers, coating the exterior evenly. Repeat until all protein balls are formed and coated. This recipe should yield about 18 to 20 balls.
If the protein bites are a little bit saggy, pop them in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up. Enjoy!
How to Store Protein Bites
We recommend storing the protein bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Beyond 5 days they can get dry and crumbly. If you are making these protein bites for a multi-day snack, we also recommend only rolling the bites in the graham cracker just before eating. The graham cracker will get soggy if stored for multiple days.
Let us know what you think about these Key Lime Pie Protein Bites by giving us a rating or dropping a comment below on the recipe card! Also, please consider sharing to social media and/or Pinterest if you enjoyed this recipe! We really appreciate it! 💕
Check out Our Other Protein Bites:
- Quinoa Walnut Brownie Bliss Bites
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites
- Iced Pumpkin Pie Protein Bites
Key Lime Pie Protein Bites
Ingredients
- 1¼ c quinoa, cooked
- 1 c cashew or almond butter
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (vegan/plant based or whey)
- ⅓ c key lime juice
- 1 Tbsp lime zest
- 3 low fat graham crackers, crushed (vegan or regular)
Instructions
- Combine quinoa, cashew butter, protein powder, key lime juice and lime zest in a food processor. Blend for about 1 minute, or until ingredients are well processed and begin to form a large ball.
- Place the graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and crush them using a rolling pin. Pour crushed graham crackers onto a small plate.
- Roll the quinoa-protein mixture into roughly 3 inch balls. Roll each ball in the graham crackers, coating the exterior evenly. Repeat until all protein balls are formed and coated. This recipe should yield about 18 to 20 balls. If the protein bites are a bit saggy, pop in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up. Enjoy!
Notes
- Not all protein powders do well in this recipe. I used a whey vanilla protein powder the first time and it resulted in an almost “greasy” mixture (even though there was no oil). Plant-based proteins tend to do better.
- We recommend storing the protein bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Beyond 5 days they can get dry and crumbly.
- If you are making these protein bites for a multi-day snack, we recommend only rolling the bites in the graham cracker just before eating. The graham cracker will get soggy if stored for multiple days.
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