It’s pumpkin spice season, but it is ALWAYS coffee season, so we’re combining the two here.
I know that pumpkin spice lattes are a big deal this time of year, but I’ve never been a fan.
To be fair, I’m not much of a latte fan. If I’m having coffee, I’m only drinking it black. I mean, give me ALL the caffeine- don’t water it down with all that other nonsense.
But, I can’t deny the popularity of the pumpkin spice latte, so we’re going to adapt those flavors into a convenient bite-sized snack.
And the best part is that these are no-bake, so they’re virtually impossible to screw up (that’s not a challenge).
These may look like my Protein Cheesecake Bites or Protein Oreo Cheesecake Bites, but they don’t require messing with any frozen ingredients. Simply mix, coat, and let sit. That’s it!
When I first tasted these, I wasn’t completely sold. They tasted pretty good, but I want excellent. I left them in the fridge and figured that I’d try another recipe the following day.
Wouldn’t ya know, when I tried these again the next morning, I loved them. I don’t know what exactly happens inside these things, but when they sit in the fridge overnight, those flavors really develop.
I won’t tell you that you HAVE TO let these sit overnight, but I highly recommend it.
What ingredients do ya need?
No-bake means you can more freely make substitutions because you don’t have to worry about the science of baking. However, there are still certain ingredients I recommend here.
- Whey/Casein Protein Blend: I used PEScience here, but any brand will do. The reason I like the whey/casein blend is that it mixes a lot smoother. Since these are no-bake, we need to rely on the texture being ideal. The casein helps to create a new smooth batter, whereas a whey protein alone may lead to a stickier dough. I haven’t tested it, however. If you’re using a whey protein, I definitely recommend adding it in last (don’t worry, it’s in the directions below).
- Instant Espresso Powder: I first discovered using instant espresso in my Dark Chocolate Espresso Protein Brownies and I’ve been loving it as an ingredient. Since it’s “instant,” it will dissolve and not taste gritty. Instant coffee will also work great here. If you grind up your own coffee, you’ll likely find it to be gritty. You can certainly omit this all together, but the amount I use in this recipe isn’t huge. It’s enough to give a very subtle coffee flavor, but it’s not strong. If anything, I feel I should have used even more!
- Coconut Flour: This flour is like a magical ingredient. It doesn’t taste the greatest on its own, I’ll give you that, but it is a fantastic thickener. You can omit this if you don’t have it, but I’d recommend throwing in something you can use as a thickening agent to bind everything together.
- Oat Flour: This is the main flour I use here, but you can really use any flour you want. If you want to make these low carb, you can likely use almond flour instead. I find oat flour to be the best tasting when dealing with no-bake goods, but this can be left to experimentation.
The process
Since there’s no baking involved, making these is super simple!
- Mix up the dry ingredients
- Toss in the pumpkin & vanilla extract
- Add the protein in AFTER the liquids. See how the dough thickens up between steps? If you add the protein in during the first step, it tends to lead to a much stickier dough.
- Roll ’em up into balls.
If you wanted to, you could stop right then. They’re not super exciting at this stage, but without the white chocolate, each bite would be around 30 calories and 3g protein!
To make these the real-deal, we’re going to melt down some white chocolate (I used Lily’s Sugar-Free Baking Chips, but any will do), roll the balls in the melted chocolate, and then top with some cinnamon and espresso powder.
To be honest with you, I didn’t use any pumpkin spice in this recipe. I’m including it in the recipe below, but just note that I only used cinnamon! Personally, I don’t love pumpkin spice, so cinnamon is plenty for me.
Get yo’ self in the spirit
If you’re in search of more Fall recipes, I’ve got a handful here on the blog!
- Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Donuts
- Cheesecake Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies
- The Softest Protein Pumpkin Cookies
- Protein Apple Cider Donuts
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats
No Bake Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bites
A recipe you can whip up in minutes to enjoy this Fall, or any time you find yourself craving pumpkin! Unlike traditional "pumpkin spice" flavored recipes out there, we're actually going to add some espresso flavor to these to make them more of an authentic latte flavor!
Ingredients
For PSL Bites
- 14g Coconut Flour
- 30g Oat Flour
- 1 tsp Instant Espresso Powder (or instant coffee)
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Spice or Cinnamon
- 31g (or 1 scoop) Vanilla Protein Powder (I used PEScience)
- 80g Canned Pumpkin or Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 20g Powdered Sugar Substitute (I used Swerve)
For Coating
- 56g White Chocolate Chips (I used Lily’s Sugar Free Chips)
- 1 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients except your protein powder. Mixing them helps to avoid clumping.
- Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin, then use a silicone spatula to mix it all together until fully incorporated.
- Now add the protein powder and mix until everything is fully combined. Don't be afraid to use your hands if needed.
- I've found that adding the protein powder last makes it significantly easier, because adding it too early can lead to a sticky mess.
- Break the dough apart into 10 roughly equal-sized pieces and roll them in your palms to create balls. Place the balls on a cooling rack or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- In a microwavable bowl, add your white chocolate chips and one tablespoon of milk. The milk thins out the melted chocolate, which I prefer, but if you prefer a thick chocolate coating you can stick with only the white chocolate chips. Microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between until fully melted.
- Place each ball on a spoon, drop into the melted chocolate, roll to fully coat, then return to the baking sheet. Repeat for all 10. While still wet, sprinkle some cinnamon & espresso powder on top.
- Add bites to the fridge for at least one hour to fully set. In my experience, it works best to leave the bites overnight, and I found the flavor to be much better after sitting overnight. I don't know the science behind it, but the flavor really develops in that time!
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1 BiteAmount Per Serving Calories 55Total Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 7.5gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 4g
