This protein cookie dough only calls for 3 ingredients, is no-bake, and can be made with different nut or seed butters! It’s also gluten-free and vegan, as long as your protein powder is.

Happy 2023, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the holidays if you celebrate.

Here’s a super quick and easy snack. One that I always have in the fridge for when I need a bit of a protein boost.

It takes less than 5 minutes, and the result is super tasty. Just as good as a peanut butter ball.

Ingredients

Almond butter or another nut or seed butter
Vanilla protein powder
Maple syrup
Optional: chocolate chips and vanilla

What brands I use

I use Dr. Murray’s Vanilla Protein Powder, and that’s what’s used in the photos. I love the flavor.

I also tried them with Orgain Organic Vegan Vanilla Bean Protein Powder, and they came out great. I personally preferred Dr. Murray’s, but there wasn’t a huge difference.

With Orgain, I needed a little extra maple syrup to get the dough just right.

Can I use a different brand?

If your protein powder doesn’t taste good on its own, then neither will this cookie dough.

Every brand absorbs liquid a bit differently, so you may need a little bit more or less protein powder to get the right texture.

With Dr. Murray’s Vanilla Protein Powder, 2 scoops = 60 grams. With Orgain, 2 scoops = 46 grams. If I had used 60 grams of Orgain, the dough would’ve been too dry, making it crumbly.

I always bake using grams, but with this recipe, I recommend going by volume as long as a scoop is around 45-60 grams.

I also wrote to start off using 1 1/2 scoops and to add more if necessary. That way, you won’t accidentally add too much and end up with crumbly dough!

Can I use chocolate, unflavored, or other flavored protein powder?

I tried this cookie dough with Dr. Murray’s Chocolate Protein Powder. The result didn’t have enough chocolate flavor, so I added more cocoa and maple syrup until it had the right taste and consistency.

Thirty minutes later, my bowl of perfect dough was dry and powdery. So you definitely don’t want to mess with the recipe.

I really recommend sticking to vanilla!

Can I use unsweetened protein powder?

Nope. The cookie dough wouldn’t be sweet enough, and if you added enough sweetener to make the cookie dough the right sweetness, it’d have the wrong texture.

Can I use a different nut butter?

Nut butters vary a lot in how thick they are. Not just type (cashew butter vs. sunflower seed butter), but between brands.

But because this cookie dough isn’t baked, it’s pretty flexible. The key is to start off by adding 1 1/2 scoops of protein powder, and if needed, you can add up to 2 scoops.

With the two brands I mentioned above, I always use 2 scoops. But if you use cashew butter, which is pretty thick compared to other types of nut butter, you likely won’t be able to use the full 2 scoops.

You definitely don’t want to add too much protein powder and end up with dry dough. So, adding a smaller amount and then adding more, if needed, is the way to go.

My favorite way to make this protein cookie dough is with sunflower seed butter or a 50/50 mix of that plus cashew butter. It’s kind of like a peanut butter copycat.

Sunflower seed butter is so thin (at least mine is) that it balances out the super-thick cashew butter.

If you can have peanut butter, then that’s also a great choice in this recipe!

Can I use a different sweetener?

You can use whatever liquid sweetener you’d like, as long as it’s interchangeable with maple syrup. It should also be sticky, like maple syrup, to help hold everything together.

I don’t think it’d work with something like liquid stevia. You’d have to add additional liquid, which gives the dough a strange texture.

Can I bake this cookie dough?

Nope. It’s just protein powder, almond butter and a little maple syrup. It won’t yield proper cookies.

I do have some protein cookies coming, though! I also have these Protein Brownies that are super tasty (but not vegan).

And should you just want some regular cookie dough to bake up, here’s some chocolate chip cookie dough.

Other raw treats

If you’re looking for more protein balls that will give you an energy boost, here are more to try.

Peanut Butter Bliss Balls are oat-based snacks high in protein and fiber. They’re naturally gluten-free, refined sugar-free and dairy-free, with a vegan option.
Coconut Chocolate Balls will satisfy your chocolate cravings without the guilt. They’re easy to make, naturally vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
Cocoa Balls have a perfect fudgy texture with a strong chocolate taste and are made with pantry ingredients. They’re naturally paleo and vegan.
Paleo Energy Balls have only 3 ingredients and taste like fudgy brownies. They’re vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
No-bake Lemon Coconut Oat Balls have a touch of citrus flavor and have vegan and dairy-free options.

If you make this protein cookie dough, I’d love to hear about it! If you post on social media, please mention @texanerin or tag #texanerin so I can be sure to see it. Thanks. :)