These Birthday Cake Protein Balls are a favorite with the whole family. An easy energy bite recipe that tastes like vanilla cake batter!

Craving dessert but still need to get your protein in? These cake batter protein balls are made with easy ingredients and rolled in sprinkles for an irresistible snack that tastes incredible!

My original energy balls are one of my top recipes for a reason: they are absolutely delicious. Once I mastered how to make protein balls taste like dessert, the possibilities were endless.

Since then I have made many variations of protein balls, and these sprinkle covered cake batter ones are my newest creation!

They are made with the classic protein ball ingredients: oats, protein powder, and nut butter, and rolled in sprinkles for a fun and colorful treat.

You can find the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of this post, but here are the ingredients that you will need to make these easy protein balls.

energy balls

What you need to make it

Cashew Butter: The only ingredients should be cashews, oil, and salt.
Rolled Oats: Also known as old fashioned oats.
Salt: Be sure to note whether your nut butter is salted, then read the notes for how much salt to add.
Honey: the all natural sticky sweetener to hold the ingredients all together.
Protein Powder: vanilla flavored protein powder.
Sprinkles: we used dye free sprinkles.
Vanilla extract: don’t skip this! This really makes the cake flavor stand out.

ingredients to make cake batter protein balls

How to make Birthday Cake Protein Balls

Step 1: Add the cashew butter, vanilla protein powder, rolled oats, vanilla extract, honey, salt, and sprinkles to a mixing bowl.

Recipe Note

I used unsalted cashew butter for this recipe. If yours contains salt, omit the added salt in this recipe until after you mix it together. Then you can salt to taste, if needed.

Step 2: Use a rubber spatula to mix all of the ingredients together until it looks like cookie dough batter. There should be no streaks and the consistency will be slightly sticky.

Step 3: Use a cookie scoop to drop balls of batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. You should get around 20 protein balls.

protein ball ingredients in a mixing bowl

birthday cake protein ball batter in a mixing bowl

Kitchen tips

My favorite size mini cookie scoop for making protein balls is a 1.5 tablespoon. I find it to be just the right size and really makes the process go a lot smoother too!

Step 4: Roll each ball with your hands, then dip the top into a small bowl of sprinkles. Place the ball onto the baking sheet sprinkle side up, then repeat until you are finished.

How to store

In the refrigerator: Store leftover birthday cake energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

In the freezer: Store in an airtight bag or container for 2-3 months. The texture will be firmer when frozen, so make sure to allow the protein balls to thaw for several minutes for the best consistency before eating.

More Easy Protein Snacks

Dye free sprinkles

I used dye free sprinkles for this recipe and my kiddos loved them. Try amazon, kroger, or walmart if you are looking to make these dye free!

Can I use a different flavor of protein powder?

You can, but I do not recommend it. Vanilla flavored protein powder will work best to achieve the cake flavor that we are going for!

Notes

Cashew Butter Natural cashew butter does not have added sweetener. The only ingredients should be cashews, oil, and salt. How Much Salt To Add If your cashew butter does not contain added salt: use the full amount listed in the recipe. If your cashew butter has salt in the ingredients: add ¼ teaspoon of salt, or salt the batter to taste.