No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Balls with Hemp Hearts and Pecans
No-bake apple pie protein balls with dates, dried apples, oats, almond butter and hemp hearts. Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and no protein powder needed.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Serves
- 9
No-Bake Apple Pie Protein Balls with Hemp Hearts and Pecans is a vegan snack recipe made with old-fashioned rolled oats, pecan halves, soft Medjool dates. It takes 20 minutes of hands-on time, plus 30 minutes resting, serves 9, and each serving has 229 calories, 6 g of protein and 5 g of fiber.
Chewy dried apples and toasty pecans give these bites the flavor of apple pie filling, and cinnamon and nutmeg round it out. Hemp hearts and almond butter add protein without the chalky texture that powder can leave, and they help bind the mix. Grind the oats and pecans first, then add the dates and apples. That order gives you an even, sticky dough that rolls cleanly instead of crumbling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup81 gold-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup50 gpecan halves
- 1 cup178 gsoft Medjool dates, pitted (about 10)
- 1 cup86 gdried apple rings, roughly chopped, soft, chewy dried apples, not crispy apple chips
- 1½ tsp3.9 gground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp0.6 gground nutmeg
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine salt
- ¼ cup64 gcreamy almond butter, well stirred
- ⅓ cup53 ghemp hearts
- 1 tsp4.2 gvanilla extract
- 2 tbsp30 gwater, as needed (optional)
Coating
- 2 tbsp20 gextra hemp hearts, for rolling (optional)
Kit: food processor, parchment paper, tablespoon or small cookie scoop
Tips
- Use soft, pliable dried apples. Crunchy apple chips won't blend into the dough and make the balls crumbly.
- If the dough sticks to your hands while rolling, rinse your palms and leave them slightly damp.
- Use certified gluten-free oats if you need these to be gluten-free.
Swap ideas
- Walnuts instead of pecans
- Slightly more bitter and earthy, a little like an apple-walnut cake.
- Sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter
- Makes them nut-free when paired with pumpkin seeds instead of pecans. They taste a bit more savory.
- Add 1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed with the hemp hearts
- The mix binds more firmly and the texture gets a little more seedy. You may need an extra teaspoon of water.
- Apple pie spice instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg
- Adds allspice and clove notes for a warmer, more classic pie flavor.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
229kcal per serving
Everything else · 9 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 1 g 5%
- Sugars
- 19.4 g
- Sodium
- 27 mg 1%
- Potassium
- 362 mg 8%
- Calcium
- 56 mg 4%
- Iron
- 1.6 mg 9%
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg 1%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry, Nuts, pecans, Dates, medjool, Apples, dried, sulfured, uncooked, Spices, cinnamon, ground, Spices, nutmeg, ground, Salt, table, Nuts, almond butter, plain, without salt added, Seeds, hemp seed, hulled, Vanilla extract
Method
If your dates feel firm or dry, cover them with hot water for 10 minutes, then drain well and pat dry. Soft, sticky dates can go in as they are.
Pulse the oats and pecans in a food processor until they look like coarse meal with a few small nut pieces left, about 10–12 pulses.
Add the dates, dried apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Process until the fruit is broken down into small bits and the mixture starts to clump, 45–60 seconds. Scrape down the bowl halfway through.
Add the almond butter, hemp hearts and vanilla. Pulse until evenly combined, about 15 pulses.
Test the texture by pinching a small amount. It should hold together without crumbling. If it feels dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time and pulse again. If it feels too sticky, pulse in 1–2 tablespoons more oats.
With damp hands, scoop level 1½-tablespoon portions and roll them into firm balls. You should get about 18. Roll them in the extra hemp hearts if you like.
Put the balls on a parchment-lined plate and chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm enough to hold their shape when picked up.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, put them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months, then thaw for 10 minutes before eating.
Questions
- How much protein is in no-bake apple pie protein balls with hemp hearts and pecans?
- Each of the 9 servings has 6 g of protein, 5 g of fiber and 229 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is no-bake apple pie protein balls with hemp hearts and pecans vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does no-bake apple pie protein balls with hemp hearts and pecans take to make?
- 20 minutes of prep, so 20 minutes of hands-on time, plus 30 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make no-bake apple pie protein balls with hemp hearts and pecans ahead?
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, put them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months, then thaw for 10 minutes before eating.
- What can I substitute in no-bake apple pie protein balls with hemp hearts and pecans?
- Walnuts instead of pecans — slightly more bitter and earthy, a little like an apple-walnut cake.. Sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter — makes them nut-free when paired with pumpkin seeds instead of pecans. they taste a bit more savory.. Add 1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed with the hemp hearts — the mix binds more firmly and the texture gets a little more seedy. you may need an extra teaspoon of water.. Apple pie spice instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg — adds allspice and clove notes for a warmer, more classic pie flavor..
- Does no-bake apple pie protein balls with hemp hearts and pecans contain gluten or tree nuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten and tree nuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 28, 2026 ·American
