Today I have an awesome nut-free and gluten-free muscle recovery protein ball snack to share with you all. It’s made with sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter, so folks with nut allergies can enjoy them. And you can take them to school without fear!

Sunflower Seed, banana, cranberry protein balls. Gluten-free, vegetarian and nut free via healthyseasonalrecipes.com

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Why We Love This Recipe For Sunflower Seed Balls

These sunflower butter protein balls are super simple to make, easy to bring on the go, and a great source of protein and carbs. I find that most protein ball recipes contain peanut butter or almond butter, so I wanted to create a recipe that was accessible to all.

Since nut allergies are so prevalent these days (I mean, hello moms! Raise your hands if your kids class is nut-free!), I thought an alternative healthy nut-free snack would be perfect for Healthy Seasonal. Because we can also never have enough healthy snacks!

Ingredients For This Recipe

Banana

Banana is a great binding ingredient that adds both flavor and fiber. It’s also perfect because who doesn’t always have ripe banana or two laying around the house!

Sunflower seed butter

As mentioned above, I chose sunflower seed butter so that I could make a nut-free protein ball recipe. It also has very similar properties to peanut butter, and tastes amazing. It’s very creamy, and has a very mild flavor.

Unflavored whey protein powder

I love adding protein powders to my protein snack recipes just because it’s a great way to add that extra protein. Sunflower seed butter only has a bout 2-3 grams of protein per 1 tablespoon serving, so to really amp it up, I like to add a few scoops of unflavored whey protein.

Other Ingredients

  • ¼ cup honey or pure maple syrup, dark or amber
  • 3 tablespoons coconut flour
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • ½ cup toasted unsalted sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup dried cranberries, preferably fruit juice sweetened

(Hint: if you’re feeling extra fancy, you could always add a little bit of chopped up dark chocolate.

Step By Step Instructions To Make These Sunflower Balls

Step 1: Combine & Mix

Combine the banana, sun butter and honey (or maple syrup) in a food processor fitted with a steel blade attachment. Mix the ingredients together until well combined. Add the whey, coconut flour, cinnamon and salt and process until it forms a dense paste. Add the sunflower seeds and cranberries and pulse until just incorporated.

Step 2: Assemble

Roll the mixture into 24 balls, about 1 ½ tablespoons each. Freeze in a re-sealable bag or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

FAQs and Expert Tips

How long do these sunflower balls last in the freezer?

Freeze them in a re-sealable bag or container for up to 1 month. Dethaw them at room temperature before eating.

Do protein balls give you energy?

Yes, since protein balls are a combination of healthy fats and energy, protein, and carbs (from nuts, seeds, and fruit), they will defiantly give you an energy boost.

Are protein balls good for you?

Since protein balls are a good source of healthy fats and protein, they are technically healthy. However, if you’re watching your calories intake, be weary that they are not a low calorie food.

sunflower seed protein ball

Alternative Protein Snack Recipes

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Sunflower Seed Protein Balls

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5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 24 balls 1x
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Description

Gluten free and nut free whey protein balls with sunflower seeds, bananas and dried cranberries.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 very ripe banana, mashed
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter, such as sunbutter preferably organic
  • 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup, dark or amber
  • 4 scoops unflavored whey protein powder
  • 3 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup toasted unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, preferably fruit juice sweetened

Instructions

  1. Combine banana, sun butter and honey or maple in a food processor fitted with a steel blade attachment. Process to combine. Add whey, coconut flour, cinnamon and salt and process until it forms a dense paste. Add sunflower seeds and cranberries and pulse until incorporated. Roll into 24 balls, about 1 ½ tablespoons each. Freeze in a re-sealable bag to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before eating.

Notes

Freezing:

Freeze them in a re-sealable bag or container for up to 1 month. Dethaw them at room temperature before eating.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: No cook
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ball
  • Calories: 98
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 35 mg
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 5 g

Did you make this recipe?

Make sure you come back to the recipe post to leave a star rating and review.

Disclosure: I was not compensated by Cabot Creamery Cooperative for this post or to be on the Cabot Fit Team. I received a free sample of the Whey protein from Cabot. All opinions expressed here are my own.