Banana Peanut Butter Snack Bites
While April 23 is National Picnic Day, you don’t need a reason to whip up these snack bites any time you have a ripe banana on hand. Unlike my other energy bite recipes, you don’t need a food processor, just a good old mixing bowl and rubber spatula or wooden spoon. These banana peanut butter snack bites are perfect for kids and adults, before a workout or as an afternoon work snack, and as a side with or to finish off a picnic meal!
Post-Workout Picnic Snack
Few things make me feel more at peace than dining outside. Enjoying nourishing meals and snacks out in nature where our food comes from just feels right! I have breakfast out on the patio or at least our sun porch any chance I get and while I love grilling with Tim, think it’s even better when we pack up a picnic to enjoy after a hike in Tyler State Park close to our house.
The great thing about picnicking is you can do it anywhere! It doesn’t have to be a state park after a hike. Why not a small park in your neighborhood or even your backyard? For the perfect picnic anywhere, check out my article on the Today’s Dietitian RD Lounge. Want more recipes to pack on your next picnic? Click the link at the bottom of this post for other Recipe Redux picnic hits!
Banana Peanut Butter Snack Bites Variations
Nut butter: Feel free to sub peanut butter for natural cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
PB powder: I tried this with hemp protein powder as well and it turned out great. Feel free to use other protein powders and let me know how it goes.
Add ins: Some of the Bites pictured had cacao nibs mixed in, and you could also add mini chocolate chips or raisins. I also rolled a few in unsweetened coconut flakes!
Banana Peanut Butter Snack Bites
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana mashed
- 10 tbsp (½ C + 2 tbsp) natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ cups quick oats
- ½ cup course ground flax
- 3-4 tbsp peanut butter powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Mash the banana in a medium mixing bowl before stirring in the peanut butter and honey until well blended.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, starting with just 3 Tbsp of the peanut butter powder.
- Roll 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture into a balls. If mixture seems too wet to form into solid balls, add the other tablespoon of peanut butter powder. If for some reason it still is too wet to form, add one tablespoon of oats until you reach the right consistency, or refrigerate for 20 minutes before rolling out.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to one week and up to three months in the freezer.
Lots of ripe bananas to make these with!
Good! Make some banana bread too!
LOVE the picnic-themed photos! You totally took this month’s theme and blew it out!
Thank you! I looove picnics and couldn’t take photos without pulling out the picnic basket!
These snack bites look great!
These banana peanut butter snack bites look delicious! They are the perfect grab-and-go snack for picnics, days by the pool or even a quick breakfast!
Ooh yes will definitely pack for the pool & beach too great idea!
Look delish! Perfect addition to any picnic!
Thanks ladies! Happy spring
So tasty and simple! LOOOVE bringing things like this on the go and al fresco 🙂
I used chocolate protein powder with “super foods” in place of the PB powder, blue agave nectar instead of honey (because it was already open), and regular PB. Added a little cinnamon and a couple spoonfuls of strawberry preserves. I tastes like chocolate banana PBJ!! Love it❤️
I added cacao powder and raisins and crushed macadamia nuts. They are delicious.
Excellent!!! I used almond butter, flax and chia seed meal, 1 scoop of Wegmans pasture raised vanilla whey protein powder, 1 scoop of organic Sunwarrior, plant based collagen protein peptides powder Tahitian vanilla flavor, and organic raisins. Delicious!!!
Thank you for this recipe! I had some bananas that needed to be used STAT, and this was perfect. I accidentally doubled the recipe (didn’t see I only needed one banana, and already mashed two), but these will help with my pregnancy cravings, so it all works out. I added chopped up prunes and chia seeds for some extra nutrition and for binding since I didn’t have PB2, and as long as they stay in the freezer, they’re the perfect texture! Thanks for again helping me avoid wasting food and adding yummy snacks to my rotation. I’ll check your blog for other great recipes!
Thanks so much for your feedback! Best of luck with the rest of pregnancy – the best way to avoid intense cravings is eat enough at meals and snacks, so your additions were perfect 🙂
Any particular reason for the flax? Can I use a different kind of seed?
Hi Carla, the soluble fiber in ground flax soaks up a lot of the liquid to offer the correct texture versus seeds such as pumpkin or hemp, for example. Chia may also work, but I cannot confirm it will be as successful. Soluble fiber is beneficial for heart health, blood sugar management and gut microbiome health as well, and flax also provides omega-3 ALA.
Do you know how many calories are in one?
We see a lot of disordered eating, so don’t publicize calories. We also encourage a focus on protein, fat, an fiber if you’re looking for more satiating foods that can help regulate appetite and likely give the effect you’re looking for without a hyper focus on counting! This recipe offers all 3 of those nutrients 🙂
Will definitely be making these. I’d like to up the protein. Thoughts on adding unflavored protein powder?
You can absolutely try with unflavored/unsweetened protein powder. If you added more than the recipe suggests however, you likely need to add more liquid in some form!
Delicious! A great grab-and-go healthy breakfast and anytime treat!