PBJ balls! This is one of our favorite simple bean recipes for kids, packaged in oats and naturally-sweet dates. Add this one to your list of healthy vegan snacks for kids.
One of the most common questions we receive from parents and caregivers is how to make healthy homemade snacks for plant-based babes.
If your kids are snack monsters like ours, it’s easy to run out of new ideas to try.
One of our favorite things to offer are homemade snack balls, using beans. You may be familiar with our recipes for Blueberry Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls and Carrot Cake Chickpea Balls.
These recipes use garbanzo beans, or chickpeas, as a great binder and source of protein for babes. They also have a neutral flavor that lends itself well to slightly sweet ingredients.
Today’s recipe for PBJ Balls also uses beans, but we’ve incorporated white beans instead, which have similar characteristics.
How to Make PBJ Balls
First, you’re going to make oat flour out of whole oats. Place these in a food processor and pulverize just until a flour forms. Don’t over-blend these or the flour will start to become sticky.
With your oat flour still in the food processor, add a can of drained white beans and pitted dates. For older kids, you can add a pinch of salt if you like, but we don’t recommend added salt for children under age 2.
Next, pulse these together until a dough forms that you can work with.
Then, add freeze-dried strawberries and pulse a few more times until incorporated.
Carefully remove your dough from the food processor and roll it into snack balls with your hands.
If your kids are eager to eat them right away, go ahead and serve them some!
Otherwise, these taste even better after they’re stored in the fridge for a little bit to cool and solidify a little more.
Keep them in an airtight storage container in the fridge for 4-5 days, or you can bag them up and freeze them to enjoy at a later date.
Find the printable recipe for PBJ Balls below!
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 8 dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse oats into a fine powder.
- Add beans, peanut butter and dates to your food processor along with the oat flour you just made. Combine until a dough forms. Optional: add a pinch of salt for older kids.
- Gently pulse in the freeze-dried strawberries until just combined.
- Remove your dough from the food processor and roll it into individual balls.
- Eat! Or store them in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days in the fridge. They also freeze well.
If you’ve been looking for new bean recipes for kids, give these PBJ Balls a try! We love sharing our go-to healthy vegan snacks for kids.
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Chime in: Have you made any of our bean-based snack balls? Leave a comment below!
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Mollie says
Wow those look amazing!!! What can we replace the freeze-dried strawberries with? I can’t find any that have no sugar added.
Thank you!!! 🙂
Kelly says
Is their a sub for the freeze-dried strawberries? TIA
alexwhitney says
Any kinda of freeze dried or dried fruit works! Cherries are good too.
Lauren says
Would you have a suggestion of alternative for the freeze dried strawberries that would work?
Dani says
What would you substitute for the oats?
alexwhitney says
Hi Dani, I’m not sure what would work instead of the oats. Maybe quinoa flakes?
Yulca says
Millet flakes maybe? I’ve successfully used those instead of oats in other recipes.
Tara Fox says
If you don’t have freeze dried strawberries would regular strawberries work or would that make it too moist?
alexwhitney says
It should work! I haven’t tried fresh strawberries yet, but I’ve done with fresh blueberries and it works!
JL says
How many calories are in this recipe? I was able to make 12 balls from this recipe!
Frances says
I read somewhere that oats are better digested when soaked in liquid. My baby is 16 months old i have not given him any raw oat flour yet (always baked them). What is PBJ’s stand in the use of raw oat flour for no bake recipes— in terms of nutrient absorption and digestion? (Also came across a random article that raw oats contain anti nutrients? This i didnt read in detail but just wanted to clear the air while I’m here :)) TIA!!
alexwhitney says
Hi Frances, yes– cooked/sprouted/soaked grains have decreased levels of phytates in them which can decrease absorption of some nutrients. However, that’s really only a concern when consumed in large amounts in the diet and without adequate intakes in other forms. We don’t stress about using raw oats in this recipe.
Ken says
When I blend the beans and the rest a thick dough immediately forms preventing mixing and leaving the dates whole. Any suggestions?
Meghan says
Hi there! Cannot wait to make these. Two questions:
1) What size of canned white beans do I need? 398 ml?
2) How old does my babe need to be to eat these? They have dates so I’m assuming they aren’t suitable for my 8 month old?
Thank you!
alexwhitney says
Hi Meghan, yes, we use a 15.5 ounce can of white beans (439g)
8 months is usually OK– they are soft enough for most babies; we tend to say after 9 months. Dates are Ok!
Whitney says
So quick and yummy! Didn’t have dates so I substituted a splash of maple syrup
Aryane says
My daughter loves these, thank you for such a good recipe!
Marie says
Do you use deglet dates or medjool dates?
Thanks
alexwhitney says
I use medjool!
Chantelle says
I didn’t follow the recipe but used these more as inspiration. I didn’t have dates or freeze dried strawberries but I used the oat flour, beans, pb, and then added a tsp maple syrup and about 1/4 cup of strawberry puree. They were softer as I expected but they were delicious! My 1 and 3 year old both loved them! I also did a few rolled in shredded coconut and those were a hit as well! I can’t wait to buy dates and freeze dried strawberries and try these as written!
Ruth says
Hi, I’m a huge fan of your snack ball recipes and can’t wait to try these! – I’m not from the US though, what white beans are you using? Cannellini?
Plant-Based Juniors says
Yes, but a great northern or similar bean would also work
Elyse Hopkins says
Do you think you could use garbanzo beans with this since I don’t have cannellini beans on hand?
Plant-Based Juniors says
Yes, though I find that garbanzo beans have more “flavor” but can work!
Amber says
I had such a hard time blending the ingredients. It was so thick the food processor and the magic bullet couldn’t get through it. I added a little milk to soften it up and it was a disaster. What should I do? I’d like to give this a second chance. Like someone else said the dates aren’t blending.
Plant-Based Juniors says
Hi Amber– the softness of your dates does make a difference. Therefore, I’d recommend softning them first in hot water so they can blend easier. I don’t think a magic bullet would work– a food processor is a wider base that should be better for the batter.