Oatmeal peanut butter balls are a 5 ingredient recipe that’s easy enough for kids to make on their own. Made with oats, peanut butter, and honey, these won’t last long! Gluten-free.
Cooking with kids has so many benefits including encouraging children to try new foods, learning how food is made, spending quality time together, and building a strong foundation for healthy eating in the future.
When kids help in the kitchen, they are more likely to try (and eat) the food you make together.
I recently got to spend the day with my 4-year-old niece. She was very excited to get to “cook”, but I secretly think I was more excited than she was!
Cooking with a child is a special occasion in my book, and I miss these days of watching the awe and excitement in a young child’s eyes as they get to do these cooking tasks on their own.
Related: 40 Kid-Friendly Peanut Butter Recipes
She loved the peanut butter balls – and she couldn’t stop talking licking her hands and talking about how good they were!
If you have smaller kiddos ages 2 – 5, they will need some assistance measuring out the ingredients, stirring, and rolling the balls.
Kids 6 and up will be able to do most of the recipe on their own.
How To Make
Equipment:
- 1 medium-sized bowl
- 1 wooden stir spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons
- container for storage
Ingredients:
- 2 cups certified gluten-free quick-cook oats
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Pro Tip: Spray your measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray before measuring the honey. The honey will come out much easier!
Carefully measure the ingredients and add them to the medium-sized bowl. Using a sturdy stir spoon, stir until well blended.
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoons to measure out about 2 tablespoons worth of dough. Roll in between your hands to form balls.
Store the Peanut butter balls in a ziplock bag or a large container with a lid. They keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
More Easy Recipes for Kids
- Stacked Blueberry Smoothie
- Quesadillas
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
- Mug Pizza
- Energy Balls
- Fruit Parfait
- Millet Porridge
- Homemade Soda
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls
Equipment
- medium-sized bowl
- wooden stir spoon
- measuring cups and measuring spoons
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 2 cups certified gluten-free quick-cook oats
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips ✅
- 1 teaspoon vanilla ✅
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. Add the oats, honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla to a medium-sized bowl. Stir until blended.2 cups certified gluten-free quick-cook oats, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Roll into balls. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to roll the mixture into bite-sized balls. Place into a ziplock bag or container with a lid.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed these recipes make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below!
Then follow us on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. We love seeing what you come up with!
Leslie says
This is a great recipe thank you for sharing it. I was inspired to try to make these treats without the 1/2 cup of honey as a sweetener. I substituted 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 2Tbs Maple syrup and 1Tbs coconut oil. These added coconut flavor,a little bit of sweetness and helped it all stick together in the balls without using the 1/2 cup honey.
Create Kids Club says
I love your substitutions, Leslie! I am going to have to give that a try! My kids don’t care for coconut, but I’m thinking with all the other flavors they may not even notice… Thanks for sharing!
Tara says
My kids love this simple recipe! Perfect to whip up for quick snacks!
Crystal says
Would they need to be refrigerated or could you premake and send them as a treat for school lunches? Thanks
Create Kids Club says
Hi Crystal! These can totally be premade and send as a treat in school lunches! My kids love finding these in their lunchbox! 🙂
Donna E. says
Great recipe for a go to snack. Gave it 4 stars because the mixture sticks to your hands as you roll the balls. Spraying them with a cooking spray helps . Added coconut for just a different twist !
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Donna! I agree, that while these are a favorite at my house, they do stick to your hands while rolling them out – my first ones are always prettier than the end ones! Did the coconut help cut back on the stickiness? I’d love to hear! Thanks for the review, I appreciate it!
Jen says
These were great! I only have old fashioned oats left in my house and am getting requests to make more. Do you think i could substitute for the quick oats?
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Jen – so glad to hear you enjoyed them! I’ve never tried them that way so I’m not sure. Try mixing a spoon full with a bit of peanut butter and seeing if the texture is ok. If so, I’d say go for it!