You are here: Home / Diet / Gluten-Free / Vegan Tofu Protein Balls (Healthy No Bake Energy Bites Recipe)
Published: · Modified:
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Soft and sweet, these tofu protein balls are like soft bites of cake that is incredibly easy to make without any baking needed! These no-bake energy bites are packed with protein, fiber and nutrients and are perfect for people with an on-the-go lifestyle 🙂
What I love about this recipe
- Easy to make (just 5 ingredients!)
- Vegan-friendly
- Gluten-free
- Full of fiber and nutritious!
- A perfect healthy treat
- Easy way to use tofu without any cooking needed
Ingredients used to make this
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
- Tofu - I used silken tofu (extra firm), but you can use other firm or extra firm tofu. For the best results, squeeze out excess water from the tofu. You can just strain it over a colander or fine-meshed sieve.
- Protein Powder– You can use any vanilla flavored protein powder for this protein ball recipe, but I used thisplant-basedprotein powderwith an added “superfood” powder which I’ve found turns out darker than regular vanilla protein powders. Just something to have in mind when you compare my photos with yours!
- Coconut Flour - you can use any brand of coconut flour for this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar of choice - such as cane sugar, coconut sugar, maple sugar or sugar-free sugar like monk fruit sweetener
Did you know?
Tofu is a good source of protein and contains the 9 essential amino acids vital to healthy living and a balanced lifestyle. Tofu is also an excellent source of calcium, iron, and some minerals, such as manganese, selenium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, zinc, and vitamin B1. According to USDA, tofu contains protein (10.59 g / 100g), fiber (1.2 g / 100g), calcium (118 mg / 100g). A high intake of legumes, like soy, is associated with lower rates of heart disease. Tofu is also known to contain soy isoflavones and saponins that have protective effects on heart health, reduce the risk of diabetes, lowered blood glucose levels and cholesterol. A recent study also observed that a higher intake of tofu was linked to a 61% lower risk of stomach cancer in men. Isoflavones have a similar chemical structure to oestrogen (a female hormone). They, therefore, mimic the action of oestrogen produced by the body. Isoflavones can be combatting symptoms and conditions caused by estrogen deficiency. This is very beneficial for premenopausal and postmenopausal women. In addition, isoflavones may also play a role in fighting cancer.
More Healthy Recipes Using Tofu
3-Ingredient Vegan Steamed Buns "Mantou" Recipe Made Without Yeast
Healthy Tofu Mantou (Chinese Style Yeasted Steamed Bread)
How to Make Tofu Mochi Using a Mochi Maker
How to Make Tofu Mochi from Scratch in the Microwave
No Knead, No Yeast Japanese Tofu Steamed Buns Recipe with Red Bean Paste Filling
How to Make Tofu Mochi Donuts, BAKED
Tofu Steamed Buns with Mochi Filling (Yeasted, Japanese Style Recipe)
Savory Tofu Dango Stuffed with Vegan Impossible Meat Filling
Flourless Pancakes - Extra Fluffy Pancakes made with Tofu (Tofu Pancakes)
Healthy Japanese Cotton Cheesecake made with Greek Yogurt
Healthy Tofu Glutinous Rice Balls Recipe (a.k.a Tofu Dango, Tang Yuan)
How to Make Japanese Souffle Cheesecake with Tofu
Vegan Tofu Protein Balls (Healthy No Bake Energy Bites Recipe)
High Protein White Bread Recipe Made Using Silken Tofu
The Best Tiramisu Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Cream-Cheese Stuffed Tofu Cookie (Made with Almond Flour)
How to Make
Vegan Tofu Protein Balls
STEP 1
Mix all ingredients together (except the coffee granules) in a bowl. Add more coconut flour if the dough is too soft, add a teaspoon or more of water or milk of choice if the dough is too thick
STEP 2
Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls, and refrigerate 15 minutes to help set. Afterwards, roll the protein balls in a mixture of ground flaxseeds and sugar of choice
Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:
- Add natural flavoring / extracts. You can add a teaspoon ofvanilla extract(I didn’t feel like it was essential so I left it out in this recipe), or other flavorings or extracts, such ascaramel flavoring,hazelnut extractoralmond extract.
- Add mini chocolate chips, or up to 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder to make these chocolate flavored
How to Make this Healthier
- Make this even healthier by adding a handful of nuts, seeds and old-fashioned oats to add texture and nutrition. Even better, add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, hemp seeds, or chia seeds.
Is Tofu Good for Weight-Loss?
Soy-based foods are rich in isoflavones. Just one serving of a traditional soyfood, such as 100 g of tofu or 250 mL soymilk, can provide about 25 mg of isoflavones. These isoflavones are known to reduce BMI, especially in dosages of <100 mg / d for 2-6 months, but not in higher doses or longer intervention lengths. Isoflavones also caused a nearly significantly reduced BMI in Caucasians compared with Asians. Additionally, tofu can be a great source of low-calorie protein for weight-loss. It's a plant-based protein - like beans and corn - but tofu is lower in carbohydrates than these sources. One study showed that soy products significantly reduce body weight (0,59 kg) in overweight Asian populations.
How to Store
- Store these protein balls covered in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Final Tips
- Coconut flour and protein powders are all very different depending on brands, so if you find that the dough is too soft, add more coconut flour; if the dough is too thick, add a teaspoon or more of water, honey or liquid sweetener of choice.
More Energy Bite Recipes
Banana Almond Butter Protein Balls (3-Ingredient Energy Bites)
Vegan Tiramisu Protein Balls (Coffee No Bake Energy Bites made with Banana)
Keto Tahini Collagen Protein Balls (The Best Healthy Post-Workout Snack!)
Healthy Monster Cookie Protein Balls Made with Collagen Peptides
Apple Butter Protein Balls (Healthy 5-Ingredient Energy Bites)
Dulce de Leche Protein Balls Recipe (3-Ingredient Energy Bites)
Easy Avocado Protein Balls with a White Chocolate Shell
Keto Pistachio Cheesecake Protein Balls (Low Carb Energy Bites made with Collagen Peptides)
Honey Miso Protein Balls (4-Ingredient Energy Bites)
Nutella S'mores Protein Balls Recipe (Easy No Bake Energy Bites)
Easy Confetti Birthday Cake Collagen Protein Balls Recipe
How to Make Apple Pie Protein Balls (No Bake Energy Bites Recipe)
Healthy Lemon Peppermint Patties Recipe with a Protein Cream Cheese Filling
Easy Collagen Protein Balls with Peanut Butter (with 8 Variations)
Protein Chocolate Hearts (4-Ingredient Energy Bites)
Healthy Greek Yogurt Protein Balls Recipe (Low Carb, High Fiber)
Power Packed Matcha Latte Protein Balls Recipe with Collagen Peptides
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Protein Balls (No-Bake, Vegan Recipe with Oats)
Protein Coffee Bean Cookies (The Best Healthy Vegan Snack)
Easy 4-Ingredient Nutella Protein Balls Recipe
Black Sesame Protein Balls (Healthy 5-Ingredient Energy Bites)
Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Collagen Protein Balls with Pretzels
Homemade Protein Mint Thins (Easy, No-Bake Recipe)
Lotus Biscoff Protein Balls Recipe (Easy No Bake Energy Bites)
Spicy Honey Ginger Protein Balls (Easy Healthy and No-Bake)
Soot Spirit Chocolate Protein Balls for Halloween (no-bake, Vegan recipe)
Applesauce Birthday Cake Protein Balls (Healthy 5-Ingredient Energy Bites)
THE Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls Recipe You'll Need This Fall
Lemon Cheesecake Protein Balls (Healthy No Bake Energy Bites)
5-Ingredient Chocolate Avocado Protein Balls (Easy, No-Bake)
Pumpkin Flaxseed Protein Balls with Oats (No-Bake, Vegan Recipe)
Homemade Protein Peppermint Patties (Easy, No-Bake Recipe)
Sweet Potato Protein Balls Recipe (Easy Healthy and No Bake)
Easy 5-Ingredient Pecan Pie Protein Bites
Vegan Pecan Pie Protein Balls made with Pecan Butter (No Bake)
Chocolate Covered Red Velvet Protein Cookies (Easy, No-Bake Recipe)
Probiotic Coconut Protein Balls Recipe (Easy Healthy and No Bake)
Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Balls (Healthy Energy Bites)
Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Balls Recipe (Healthy Low Carb Energy Bites)
Vegan Tofu Protein Balls
All Purpose Veggies
makes 4-5 protein balls
4.38 from 8 votes
Pin it Print it Leave a Comment
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 5 servings
Calories 42 kcal
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp firm tofu squeezed of moisture, then mashed
- 2 Tbsp vanilla protein powder* packed
- 1-2 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar of choice**
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
Instructions
Mix all ingredients (except the ground flaxseeds) together in a bowl. Add more coconut flour if the dough is too soft, add a teaspoon or more of water or milk of choice if the dough is too thick*
Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls, and refrigerate 15 minutes to help set
Roll the protein balls in a mixture of ground flaxseeds + additional sugar (optional)
Notes
*I used a plant-based protein powder. Whey protein powder also works, but the result was gummier.
** I like using light-colored sweeteners such as raw cane sugar in this recipe because it doesn't affect the color of the final product. Coconut, date, and maple sugars are less processed, more natural granulated sugars, but it results in a browner, darker donut so I don't recommend them here. I usually use honey powder, since it's light in color as well as less processed. For the low carb option reflected in the nutrition facts, you can use sugar-free substitutes such as monk fruit sweetener or stevia powder (but be sure to convert the amount of stevia according to package directions)
Nutrition
Calories: 42kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 18mgPotassium: 34mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 1mgZinc: 1mg***Net Carbs: 2g
Keyword high protein, no-bake
Did You Like this Recipe?I'd love to know more about it! Please leave a rating or comment below so I know what to add and which recipes to share with you next!
Favorite Recipes
How to Make Keto Caramel Apple Dip (Easy, 3-Ingredient Recipe)
Gluten Free Carrot Swiss Roll Cake Recipe to Make for Easter
Guilt-Free Keto Snickers Protein Bars made with Collagen Peptides Powder
Paleo Zucchini Chocolate Cake Made in the Blender
Reader Interactions
Comments
Anonymous says
Does silken tofu work better for this recipe?Reply
All Purpose Veggies says
Silken tofu will give you a smoother texture, but I don't think it'll make that much of a noticeable difference. Hope this helps!
Reply