Orange Pistachio Protein Balls
A Little Change Up To The Normal Protein Ball
These Orange Pistachio Protein Balls are a delightful combo of refreshing orange and tasty pistachios with vanilla plant protein powder. I made these as a recipe tester and loved them. For those of you that are allergic to chocolate and peanuts this is a nice alternative to enjoy. I make protein balls for road trips because they are so easy to grab and munch on. Although, they are perfect for camping, school lunches, after school snack, workouts, work or just grab for an on the go lifestyle.
How To Make Orange Pistachio Protein Bars
There are so many combinations of ingredients on how to put these delicious little balls together. I found that using a mix of raw cashews and pistachios helps keep these balls together. The cashews seem to be more moist and easier to clump up the balls into ball forms. The pistachios are more on the grainy side when chopped up small. I use the food processor and that really helps this recipe come together really well. You may have to squeeze the balls a little more for them to stick together, but they will stay that way after they sit.
These little balls really make their signature with it’s citrus orange flavor. I like to find organic oranges for these tasty protein balls. When making these I only use the outside rind for zest so it’s important to pick the best organic oranges.
I use agave as a sweetener to help hold them together as well. Sugar is way too grainy it doesn’t work. If you find that they are not forming in a ball very well just add more agave or water. Just use a little at a time because you don’t want it to get too wet.
There are so many protein powders out there to choose from, but I recommend one that is not very grainy. A powder form is best. I use a plant based vanilla powder with a little sweetener in it, but that is up to you on how sweet you want these Orange Pistachio Protein Balls.
As for the yummy texture on the outside. I just put 1/3 of a cup of pistachios in a small food processor or you can use a blender and just pulse. You can get the desired texture of small bits this way. Then just take the balls and roll them in the chopped pistachios to coat the outside.
I will be making more of these travel friendly protein balls so stay tuned for more recipes in the future. If you like them you can find my other protein balls on my website. You might want to try my Chocolate Cinnamon Spice Protein Balls. I hope you love these as much as we do. Enjoy!
Orange Pistachio Protein Balls
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or Blender
- 1 Scraper
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Small spoon
- 1 Container or zip lock bag for storing
Ingredients
- ½ cup Raw, Pistachios
- ½ cup Raw, Cashews
- ⅓ cup Vanilla Plant Based Protein Powder
- 2 Tbsp Agave Sweetener
- 2 Tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Orange Zest, organic and fresh
Topping To Coat Protein Balls
- ⅓ cup Pistachios, crushed
Instructions
- In a food processor add the raw pistachios and raw cashews. Pulse the food processor until the nuts are large in crumble size. Add the vanilla plant based protein powder. Pulse food processor to mix. Add the agave, water, vanilla extract and orange zest. Pulse the mixture until it starts to get clumpy and looks moist enough to start forming into balls. Look at the YouTube video to see how it looks.
- Scoop out the mixture with a small spoon. Scoop out enough to form a small one to one and half inch ball in your hand. Roll and squeeze the mixture in the palm of your hands until it stays in a ball form. The mixture should make about 10 to 11 balls.
- When you are done forming the protein balls take the ⅓ cup of pistachios and pulse them in the food processor. Pulse until they are small chopped up nuts. They will look like little crumbles. Take the pistachio nut crumbles and roll the protein balls in them until they cover the protein ball. Set them aside in a small bowl or plate. They are ready to eat or store them up in a seal lock bag. They are good for up to 5 days. Enjoy!