Protein balls have a lunchbox problem: nearly every recipe leads with peanut butter, and nearly every school leads with a nut-free policy. This one fixes that. Sunflower seed butter does the binding; hemp, chia and flax do the protein — no nuts anywhere, no baking, one bowl, about ten minutes.

Prep 10 min  •  Chill 20 min  •  Makes 18 balls  •  Per ball ~4–5g protein  •  Nut-free

This is the school-safe sibling of our protein balls without protein powder — same real-food logic, zero nuts. For the full technique library, start at the master protein balls recipe.

Ingredients

Stir the sunflower seed butter well before measuring — the oil separates more than nut butters.

• 1 cup sunflower seed butter (unsweetened)
• ⅓ cup honey
• ¼ cup coconut flour (it absorbs 3–4× more than nut flours — a little goes far)
• 3 tbsp hemp hearts
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• ⅓ cup mini dark chocolate chips (dairy-free; pick a nut-free facility brand if the school requires it)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Fruit-sweetened variant: cut the honey to ¼ cup and fold in ⅓ cup chopped raisins or dried cranberries.

How to Make Nut-Free Protein Balls

1. Stir the base. Sunflower seed butter, honey, vanilla and salt until smooth.
2. Add the dry team. Coconut flour first, then hemp, chia and flax; fold in the chips.
3. Chill 20 minutes — coconut flour keeps thickening as it sits.
4. Roll about 1½ tablespoons per ball — you’ll get 18.
5. Store airtight: 1 week in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. Pack frozen in the lunchbox — they thaw by snack time.

Troubleshooting: too dry (coconut flour over-absorbs fast)? Work in warm water a teaspoon at a time. Too wet? Wait five minutes before adding more flour — it’s still thickening.

School-Safe FAQ

Is sunflower seed butter actually school-safe? It’s the standard nut-free swap — but policies differ, so check yours. Sunflower seed butter, hemp, chia and flax are all seeds, not nuts.

How much protein? About 4–5g per ball — seeds are quietly excellent at this.