peanut butter pretzel energy balls
Read on for this recipe for an easy 15 minute snack made with ingredients you already have on hand! Crushed pretzels are mixed with peanut butter, honey and dried cranberries for a healthy no-bake energy ball that grown-ups and kids will love.
If I had a dollar for every time my youngest daughter stood at the pantry door or into the fridge and declared that there was NOTHING to eat, I would be a millionaire. My standard response is to ignore her (this is the whole duct tape parenting thing still in effect 12 months after we began) or if I am feeling more generous I’ll step in to gently guide her through seeing that there is in fact a ton of food in the pantry that would make an easy and yummy snack. See we have peanut butter, pretzels, apples, cucumbers etc.
Last weekend though, it just rained and rained and we were house bound for a few days. I knew I’d need to have plenty of healthy snacks on hand for them or they’d be climbing the walls and eating box after box of crackers. So I bought a bag of snap peas and two pints of cherry tomatoes at the farmers’ market on our weekly produce bender. They nibbled on them with delight!
And I made these tasty and healthy energy balls with crushed pretzels and peanut butter. And what do you know? The ingredients were already in my pantry! It is an adaptation of a recipe I originally developed for Parents Magazine.
I used Vermont Peanut Butter Company Mad River Mojo to make these because it is super yummy with this combo. Anywhoo, the Mad River Mojo, has pumpkin seeds and whey protein in it for added nutrition. It’s like spreadable trail mix! I love this peanut butter you guys so if you haven’t had it before, check it out. It has pumpkin seeds and whey protein in it for added nutrition. It’s like spreadable trail mix! I love this peanut butter you guys so if you haven’t had it before, check it out. You can also make your own PB for this recipe if you want, just read this: how to make peanut butter!
Just mix the peanut butter up with some honey and a touch of cinnamon. Then crush pretzels in a bag with a rolling pin. The finer you crush them, the easier it will be to make these into balls. If you crush them to a powder the balls will be less sticky, but you’ll have to squeeze the mix together to get it to hold together (don’t worry, it will.)
They come together in just 15 minutes and kids and adults will love the sweet and salty combination. I also love that they keep the kids full and satisfied between meals from the peanut butter. Keep them in a Tupperware container in the fridge for a week (if they last that long.) They become less crunchy as they sit.
If you’re looking for more rainy day snack ideas for kiddos, try these Healthy Chewy Granola Bars from Salted Plains, or these Peanut Butter Protein Balls from Texanerin Baking.
Printpeanut butter pretzels energy balls
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 15 balls 1x
Description
An easy 15 minute snack made with ingredients you already have on hand. Crushed pretzels are mixed with peanut butter, honey and dried cranberries for a healthy no-bake energy ball that grown-ups and kids will love.
Ingredients
- 2 cups bite-sized pretzels (about 3 ounces)
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
Instructions
- Place pretzels in a re-sealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or heavy-bottomed skillet until broken up into small bits no bigger than a corn kernel. Stir peanut butter, honey and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Stir in pretzel pieces and raisins with a wooden spoon until completely combined. Roll into 15 balls, about 1 generous tablespoon each, squeezing as you shape.
Notes
The finer you crush the pretzels, the easier it will be to make these into balls. If you crush them to a powder the balls will be less sticky, but you’ll have to squeeze the mix together to get it to hold together (don’t worry, it will.)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 93
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 103 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
Keywords: snack, protein balls,pretzels snack,peanut butter snack
Yum! These are so good, easy to make, and perfect grab and go snacks for the kids!
★★★★★
I followed the recipe and it didn’t come together at all – it cannot be shaped into a ball. Do you have any advice for why this might be? I wouldn’t think it would have to do with store bought peanut butter, would it?
Hi BB. I have heard this happen once before and we figured out that the culprit that time was that the cook had pulverized the pretzels to a powder. There was too much dry to PB and it didn’t stick. When I make them I break up the pretzels and there are still little chunks of them left (not big ones but not flour like.) If you have the mixture, try mixing together 2 tablespoons PB and a teaspoon honey and then mixinging that into the mix to see if you can save it.
This is a really nice recipe. It’s so easy to make.
★★★★★
Thanks Bianca. I am so glad you like the recipe. Thanks for rating!
Hi Katie – these are delicious! Surprisingly so. We winged it with what we have here in the house so that meant big pretzel rods, thick raw honey,big sultanas (golden raisins) and apple juice sweetened cranberries. Our peanut butter is the kind that is just peanuts and salt and we just did a half batch to us up the already broken rods we had. All of these changes meant that we couldn’t get all of the delicious crumble to turn into balls (of course!) but….ummm… the remaining crumble was really yummy eaten by spoon! I am mostly GF, so will one day make these and give you feedback (accurately following what you say then, so you now based on your recipe).
A hearty hello to your Miss L. from her new friend,Brierley. : ) I will email the photo of her with the pretzel balls.
So excited to discover your amazing blog – so very up my alley…. now to find the pomegranate molasses for that fantastic eggplant recipe….
Hey Marybeth! Great news that you liked these snacks. I love that you went for it with what you had on hand and they worked out. And…So glad to e-meet you! Just got the pictures from camp of the whole cabin. So cute to see what they all look like now that i have been hearing stories about all the girls for two weeks. Please keep in touch!
I love having snacks like this on hand for when hunger hits! The salty sweet combo in these is perfect!
I love the pretzels in here. Sweet and salty is my thing!
I am so with you Allison. I have always been a fan. Glad you agree. Thank you for coming by.
I love that these energy balls have pretzels mixed in – what a fun treat! My kids and I love having easy, healthy snacks on hand and these sound delicious! Pinned!
Thank you so much. It is a great habit to get into having healthy snacks for them. Thanks so much for pinning!
Yum! I will be making these with gluten-free pretzels.
I have been meaning to try that variation, since I know you aren’tthe only one who will want to try it. Please let me know if you do! Happy cooking Gretchen.
I’m sure those days are coming for my (my oldest is 5)! What a great idea to slash the boredom (and save some crackers) but making such a delicious snack for them! 🙂
It is coming! Ha ha! Lol about saving the crackers. I need that bumper sticker. 😉 Have a great day Laura.
Haha – Oh Katie, my daughter is 17 and she still opens the fridge and pantry (both full of food) and laments about how there’s nothing to eat!
I better make some of these pronto and keep them in the fridge though seeing we both love the sweet and salty pretzel, peanut butter, cinnamon, and cranberry combo, I’m thinking we are gonna have a hard time sharing these with each other – and forget about these lasting a week!
Sounds like you may need a double batch! Ha ha! Thanks for visiting Shashi. Have a great day.
These look awesome! I think I would love the salty pretzels in this combination. Look forward to trying them!
Yay! That’s great Laura. So glad you stopped by to see them.
I need to pick up a bag of gluten-free pretzels and make these. They sound like the perfect afternoon snack!
Let me know how it goes if you do try it Hannah. Have a great day.
What a delicious snack! I can’t wait to try them!
Thanks so much Marye.
These are perfect for snacking! I love that sweet and salty combo 🙂
I too am so into the sweet salt thing. Glad you approve. Have a great day Brandy.
Thanks for the simple snack recipe! Love it! 🙂 And the crunch!
Thank you my friend! Have a great day Maria.