Super Easy Protein Bites! Vegan and Gluten Free

There are a ton of recipes for protein bites out there and this is another fun combination. Protein bites are extremely easy to make, you find a few ingredients that taste good together, some dry, some liquid, some sticky, add some protein powder, combine them together in a processor and viola! You have a yummy nutritious treat!  

For these bites, I wanted more of coconut flavor so I used minimal chocolate but feel free to add more if you want a more chocolate/coconut taste. 

Before we get into the recipe, let's talk protein powder. You can make these without the powder, but then obviously you're taking the main protein out of the treat. You will be able to taste a hint of the powder, so you want a good one. A lot of vegan protein powders are extremely chalky, you don't want to use those ones. And be careful not to use a meal replacement powder either, those taste awful. I use Vega brand plant based protein powder. I use Vega Sport, which not only tastes good but also has added benefits of BCAA's for recovery and probiotics for digestion. 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Golden Raisins

1/4 Cup Almonds

2 Tbsp soften or melted coconut oil

1 tsp cocoa powder (double if you want a stronger chocolate flavor)

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut plus more for rolling

1 Serving Protein Powder (half scoop if you use Vega)

You'll notice my first ingredient is golden raisins and I've come to find out that many people aren't familiar with these raisins. You could absolutely use regular raisins (or even dates) but I feel like these are a little sweeter and lighter in flavor than the standard raisin. You can find them right in the same area as regular raisins. 

Process:

Making these are so simple. Measure out all ingredients into the bowl of your food processor and turn it on. The mixture will moisten up as it processes. 

Using your hands, roll mixture into small balls. I made 8 small balls out of this amount. Once rolled into a ball shape, roll them in the extra shredded coconut. They'll be soft so let them firm up in the fridge for about 20 minutes for best taste (I may have consumed two of them before the 20 minutes was up) Store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!