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5 from 9 reviews

These 3 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls take just 5 minutes to prepare and are a super quick and easy snack! They’re vegan, gluten free, and are a perfect little sweet treat.

3 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls in a bowl with oats scattered around

Whether you’re low on ingredients or just looking for an easy kid-friendly snack or dessert that comes together in minutes, you’re going to love these 3 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls! I like to make these every week so that I can just grab one whenever I’m snacky.

They are made with just 3 simple ingredients: oatmeal, maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice), and peanut butter! I also like to add mini chocolate chips to mine, but it’s totally optional.

What I Love About These Oatmeal Balls

  • They’re gluten free, egg free, and dairy free.
  • This recipe is super customizable. You can use any nut butter, or you can even make them nut free if you want to use wow butter or sunflower seed butter.
  • This recipe is perfect for meal prep and they are freezer friendly!
  • These peanut butter bites are a great dessert or snack for picky eaters. I have a picky eater at home and he ate about 10 of these in a day the last time I made them.
3 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls with chocolate chips in a bowl with chocolate chips scattered around

Ingredient Notes

  • Peanut Butter: This recipe can be made using creamy natural peanut butter or regular (Jif, or Skippy) style peanut butter. Note that the oat balls with natural peanut butter will be a bit drier the next day than the ones made with Jif. 
  • Oats: This recipe uses old fashioned oats. Large flake oats work as well, but when I tested these with quick oats, they were quite flakey in texture and didn’t bind together as well.
  • Mini Chocolate Chips: this is an optional add in! I recommend mini chocolate chips over regular ones. These bites are small so when I tested them with mini chips it made them easier to bite into than standard sized ones.
Ingredients needed to make 3 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls in bowls with labels

How To Make These Oat Balls

peanut butter and maple syrup mixed together in a glass bowl on a white tile counter.

Mix the peanut butter and maple syrup together.

peanut butter, oats, and maple syrup in a glass bowl on a tiled countertop.

Add oats.

chocolate chips, peanut butter, oats, and maple syrup in a glass mixing bowl on a white tile background.

Add mix-ins then roll into balls!

Add In Suggestions

Mini semisweet chocolate chips are my personal favorite add in, but you can also add shredded coconut, chopped nuts, cranberries, or raisins. I also sometimes like to melt chocolate chips and drizzle them over top of the oat balls before refrigerating!

Featured Reader Review

“These are so good, I’ve made them 3 times already! I made them once using natural pb and the second time I used creamy peanut butter and added coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Delish.”

Alex
Read more reviews
Close up image of peanut butter balls with chocolate chips in a bowl a bite is taken out of one so you can see inside

Expert Recipe Developer Tips

  • Chill the dough: You can chill the dough for 10-15 minutes, making it easier to roll the dough into balls.
  • If using natural peanut butter, adjust the amount of maple syrup you use. Regular (Jif, Kraft, or Skippy) style peanut butter is sweeter than natural peanut butter, so you need less sweetener than if you use natural peanut butter, which is unsweetened and drier.

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If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

Baking FAQ

These are the topics I’m asked about most frequently:

You can get these answers and more in my frequently asked questions post!

3 ingredient peanut butter balls with chocolate chips in a bowl
5 from 9 reviews

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

Gabby Kislanko
These 3 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls take just 5 minutes to prepare and are a super quick and easy snack! Vegan and gluten free!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 20 oatmeal balls
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Ingredients
 

Instructions
 

  • Add the peanut butter and maple syrup to a medium mixing bowl. Pour in the oats, then stir together with a wooden spoon. Add in chocolate chips or other add ins if desired.
  • If the mixture is sticky, place it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before rolling into balls.
  • Scoop out tablespoons of dough and roll them in your hands to form the balls. Store or enjoy!

Equipment

Mixing Bowl

Notes

MAPLE SYRUP/HONEY: Increase to 6 Tablespoons if using natural peanut butter
PEANUT BUTTER: Since natural peanut butter is drier, if you make this recipe with it, the oat balls may dry out the next day. If the mixture is dry before you’ve formed the balls, you can add another tablespoon of peanut butter until the consistency of the dough is more moldable.
OATS: Old fashioned oats work best. Weighing your oats using a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to ensure that the oatmeal balls aren’t too dry. I don’t recommend using quick oats.
Storage and Freezing:
The oatmeal balls can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature, or you can freeze them in a container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy!
Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 41mg, Potassium: 106mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg
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The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.