These peanut butter oatmeal balls are my FAVORITE sweet treat! Not only are they kidney friendly, but they are also diabetes friendly. They’re super easy to make and don’t require any baking.
Kidney and Diabetes Friendly Dessert
So what makes a dessert kidney or diabetes friendly? As a Renal Dietitian, I am looking at the following things:
- Low in added sugar. Regardless of the type of sugar you use in dessert (maple syrup, coconut sugar, cane sugar, honey, etc) it is important to limit the amount of added sugar per serving. I typically recommend to stay at 8 grams of added sugar or less for a sweet treat. This is equivalent to 2 teaspoons of sugar. These peanut butter oatmeal balls are 3.5 grams of added sugar per ball.
- Contains fiber. Fiber is important to slow down digestion and reduce how quickly the carbohydrate/sugar consumed in food turns to sugar in the blood. This sweet treat provides 1.5 grams of fiber per ball. While this isn’t a ton of fiber, for a dessert/treat it is much more than you will find in store bought cookies/treats.
- Minimal ingredients. Since these peanut butter oatmeal balls are homemade, you get to control what goes into them! They only contain 6 ingredients. And there are no phosphorus additives 🙂 Just make sure you use a peanut butter where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt, or just peanuts. No oils or sugar added!
- Controlled potassium. While many people with kidney disease don’t need to restrict potassium, some do. Nuts and seeds are often frowned upon on the, “renal diet” because they are good sources of potassium. These balls contain peanut butter, chia seeds and flaxseed. But on a per serving basis, they are not high in potassium!
How To Make Them
The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make. You just mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. And then pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl and combine.
Next you form balls about the size of a heaping tablespoon. Lay the balls out on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for at least an hour. Then store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
I prefer to store mine in the freezer. They give off a frozen cookie dough vibe this way. But if you like them softer, you can store them in the fridge.
Recipe Alterations
There is a lot of versatility with this recipe!
You can use almond butter or another nut butter in place of peanut butter.
Try adding cacao nibs (I love to do this), use hemp hearts in place of flax or chia seeds, or omit any of them if you prefer.
You can use date paste or honey in place of the maple syrup.
Check out my Almond Coconut Balls recipe for another variation of this recipe!
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
Equipment
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 Sheet pan
- 1 Storage container air tight lid
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup dry oats whole rolled or quick oats
- 1/8 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/8 cup chia seeds
- 1/8 cup cacao nibs or coconut shreds optional (not part of nutrient analysis for this recipe)
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peanut butter with no added sugar or oils
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3/4-1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl and combine.
- Form balls (~16) about the size of a heaping tablespoon and lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30-60 minutes. Transfer the balls to an air tight container and store in the freezer.
If you have a sweet tooth or love a great tasting snack, these PB Oatmeal Balls are for you. My sweet tooth gets out of control which is not good with CKD. I keep these beauties in the freezer and can quickly grab one for a treat. My husband loves these too and he does not have CKD. Just an all around great snack for anyone!