High Protein Pumpkin Bites (Printable)

Spiced pumpkin and oat energy bites with protein powder. No baking needed, just 15 minutes to make these naturally sweet autumn snacks.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
02 - 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
03 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
04 - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
05 - 1/8 tsp ground ginger
06 - Pinch of salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
08 - 1/4 cup almond butter or peanut butter
09 - 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Add-Ins

11 - 2 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips (optional)
12 - 2 tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
02 - In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, nut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth.
03 - Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined and a thick dough forms.
04 - Fold in chocolate chips and nuts, if using.
05 - Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls using your hands (about 1 inch in diameter).
06 - Place the bites on a parchment-lined tray or plate.
07 - Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving to help them set.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • They taste like pumpkin pie crossed with an energy bar, but somehow better than both
  • The texture is perfectly chewy and satisfying without being dense or dry
  • They come together in literally 15 minutes with zero baking required
02 -
  • The dough will seem impossibly dry at first but keep mixing. The oats need about 2 minutes to fully absorb the pumpkin mixture.
  • If the mixture still wont come together after mixing, add just 1 teaspoon of water at a time. I learned this the hard way after adding too much liquid and ending up with pumpkin soup.
03 -
  • Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before rolling. This makes shaping so much easier and prevents the mixture from sticking to your hands.
  • Use a small cookie scoop instead of spoons for perfectly uniform bites that look professionally made.

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