If you’re looking for an easy, no bake treat that’s ready in just about 15-20 minutes, then I’ve got the perfect one for you. Meet my crispy toasted quinoa chocolate peanut butter truffles made with only 7 ingredients!
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself obsessing over the crispy, crunchy texture of these truffles and how they resemble the taste of peanut butter cup. Plus it doesn’t hurt that they’re both vegan, gluten free, grain free and naturally packed with protein.
What makes these peanut butter truffles healthier?
Traditional peanut butter truffles usually call for powdered sugar, butter and sometimes shortening. These quinoa peanut butter truffles are naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and just have a bit of coconut oil.
So easy and packed with delicious protein you can feel good about!
Ingredients in this quinoa peanut butter truffles
These delicious truffles are made with super simple ingredients you might already have on-hand. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Quinoa: the toasted quinoa makes these truffles truly magical. They’ll taste like a crispy Reese’s cup!
- Coconut oil: you’ll just need a bit of coconut oil to help toast the quinoa.
- Maple syrup: we’re adding a little maple syrup to the toasted quinoa (yum) and to the truffle filling.
- Peanut butter: use an all natural, drippy peanut butter for this recipe.
- Vanilla: for a boost of delicious flavor.
- Oat flour: you’ll also need some oat flour to help bind the truffles and keep them gluten free. Feel free to sub almond flour or even a little bit of coconut flour (although I wouldn’t use as much coconut flour)
- Dark chocolate: I like to use an 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar, but feel free to use dark chocolate chips or your fav chocolate. Go for a dairy free chocolate to keep these vegan!
- Sea salt: optional, but I love sprinkling a little coarse sea salt on top. YUM.
How to toast quinoa
Toasted quinoa might just be my new favorite thing, and it’s super easy to make:
- Add uncooked quinoa to a skillet over medium low heat with a little coconut oil.
- Toast the quinoa for about 5 minutes or until it starts to pop and turn just a slightly golden brown; be sure to stir frequently.
- Once it’s toasted, turn off the heat, immediately add in 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup, and stir for 30 more seconds.
- Finally, remove quinoa from heat and transfer to wax or parchment paper and spread in an even layer to cool slightly.
The toasted quinoa is mixed with the peanut butter to create the best crunch EVER, then of course they’re covered in antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. It’s as if I made a healthy & crispy Reese’s Egg.
CAN I GET A HELL YES?!
Make your own oat flour
Don’t have oat flour on hand? No problem! Simply place rolled oats (gluten free if desired) into a blender and blend or pulse until they’re smooth and resemble flour. This is a super easy & affordable option. Check out my tutorial with all of my best tips & tricks. So easy!
You’ll only need a couple of tablespoons in these truffles, so feel free to use extra oat flour in any of my delicious oat flour recipes!
Easy ingredient swaps
- Try them with regular butter. Instead of coconut oil, you can also toast the quinoa in a bit of butter or vegan butter.
- Swap your nut butter. Try these truffles with flavored peanut butter or another nut butter! I think a chocolate peanut butter or chocolate almond butter would be delicious.
- Easily change the flour. Feel free to swap the oat flour with almond flour or coconut flour (I’d maybe use less coconut flour.)
- Chocolate party. These peanut butter quinoa truffles would be delicious with different chocolate flavors, too! Try out a sea salt chocolate or even a caramel flavor. Remember to use a vegan & dairy free chocolate to keep them vegan.
Tips for making a chocolate coating
It can be tricky to make these quinoa peanut butter truffles look nice when dunking them in melted chocolate, but I have the best tips for doing so!
- Instead of using your hands, place a fork under each truffle and gently place the truffle in the melted chocolate.
- Have a spoon with you as well so that you can spoon chocolate over the truffle.
- Lift the truffle up and tap the fork against the top of the saucepan then transfer to a baking sheet and slide the fork out. Done!
How to store & freeze
In the fridge: feel free to keep these quinoa peanut butter truffles in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
In the freezer: these truffles will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat one, let it soften just a bit at room temp and enjoy!
More no bake treats to try
Salted Dark Chocolate Pistachio Quinoa Crunch Bars
Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Vegan No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Homemade Healthy Peanut Butter Cups
I hope you love these crispy toasted quinoa chocolate peanut butter truffles! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Crispy Toasted Quinoa Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup all natural drippy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons gluten free oat flour
- 3.5 ounces of 72% or higher dark chocolate (I used an 85% bar)
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil to a skillet and place over medium low heat. Once coconut oil melts, add in quinoa and toast for approximately 5 minutes or until the quinoa begins to pop and turn just a slightly golden brown; be sure to stir frequently. Once quinoa is toasted, turn off the heat and immediately add in 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup; stir for 30 more seconds, then remove quinoa from heat and transfer to wax or parchment paper and spread in an even layer to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, stir together peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract until well combined. Add in oat flour and stir to combine. Fold in toasted quinoa. The dough should be soft.
- Roll dough into 9 balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- After peanut butter balls have been frozen and are ready to be coated: melt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Alternatively you can melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring at each interval until chocolate is melted. Once chocolate is melted, transfer to a small bowl. Dip each ball in chocolate until it is fully coated. Tip: Place a fork under each truffle and gently place the truffle in the melted chocolate. I always have a spoon with me as well to ensure that I can spoon chocolate over the truffle. Lift the truffle up and tap the fork against the top of the saucepan then transfer to a baking sheet and slide fork out. It sounds easy, but it can be difficult to get truffles to be pretty looking.
- Sprinkle truffles with coarse sea salt then place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes or until the chocolate hardens. Makes 9 truffles. Feel free to double the recipe if you are making it for a party.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
120 comments
These truffles are out of this world amazing!! Im all about crunchiness, and the toasted quinoa is the perfect way to add it to these truffles!! Great wholesome ingredients!
Hooooold up! Quinoa in truffles?! This is MIND BLOWING. I love me a good chocolate peanut butter truffle, and this healthy one is rocking my tastebuds! Pinned!
Girlfriend, if your photography keeps looking this good I may be out of a gig. <3
Do you think almond flour could be substituted for the oat flour?
Yes, or you can sub 1 tablespoon of coconut flour. 🙂
Thank you. I can’t wait to try for the holidays!
Could I substitute coconut flour?
These truffles are simple to make but give maximum flavour, crunch and a feeling of decadence!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe X
Oh my, these look absolutely heavenly! That inside though <3 I love how you used quinoa here; I love a good protein punch in my desserts so I can feel better about eating more (hehe). Can't wait to try this out!
I LOVE following all of your wonderful recipes and frequently share AK with friends who ask about them! Just wondering about rinsing the quinoa before toasting like I always do before cooking it?? Thanks so much for all you do to keep healthy eating fun and delicious!!
Hi! So happy you’re here 🥰 Unfortunately rinsing it would make it wet/moist so it won’t toast in the pan, so I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t rinse mine!
I have some cooked quinoa sitting in my fridge… so this is definitely happening today!! Do you think 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa equals about 3/4-1 cup cooked?
1/4 uncooked equals 1/2 cup cooked 🙂 enjoy!!
Thank you! I am going to devour these… amazing recipe!
yes yes yes! Making these babies ASAP!
Wait, this is GENIUS! I have totally need to give this try! xo
I am having a hard time expressing how much I love these. I know the nuttiness in that quinoa and chocolate taste SO GOOD TOGETHER!!!! Making making making.
Oh my goodness these sound amazing! The peanut butter balls are always a favorite holiday treat of mine, I will have to try out this healthier version!
I need to make these immediately! So amazing!
I used almond flour instead of oat meal, it worked very well — these are just the most wonderful and extraordinary truffles I have ever had! Thank you. — I have one question, not really related to this recipe though: what kind of blender (type/brand) do you use? Greetings from Europe!
I made these last night and could not get the peanut butter/toasted quinoa mixture to form a ball. I put it in the fridge for a little bit, and it still would not form. While the recipe is delicious, the final products look more like chocolate-covered drop cookies than balls. Thanks!
Hmmm! That’s so odd. Did you follow the recipe exactly? I’ve tested these four times! It is best to use your hands to mix together! I love these so maybe you can try again?
Well, I could pretty much eat about 2 dozen of these bites of awesomeness!
These look delicious & know I would eat more that one. Are the calories of 203 per truffle correct?
Yes! You could skip the chocolate if you are looking to save calories 🙂
These took some time due to the cooking but the result is well worth it! I love the crunch of the quinoa!
Thanks for the yummy treat!
These are out of this world incredible! I could not believe how easy they were to make and how delicious they are. Do you think that almond butter would work in the recipe?
I just made these with sunflower seed butter due to peanut/tree nut allergy in my household and they are ah-mazing!!
These are SO good – thank you for yet another recipe that’s a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these! Such a great treat 🙂
Can I double this recipe for a cookie exchange?
Sure!
THE BEST EVER!!! …EVER!!
Glad you love them! 🙂
Just wondering why sodium is not listed with the nutritional information.Love your site and recipes though😊
I don’t typically add sodium as it really varies depending on the brands you’re using in the recipe 🙂 Glad you’re finding recipes you love here!
Can’t wait to make these! If I don’t have coconut oil can I use a substitute — maybe avocado oil?
Butter would be best, but I recommend grabbing some coconut oil at the store!
I have never thought about quinoa in dessert applications!!!
You should try her salted chocolate pistacio quinoa bars
I made these as soon as you posted them lol!
I used powdered PB because that’s all I had and I have a full jar of it…
its waaaaaaaaaaay stickier when you add everything and that you cant even roll them into balls so they turned out into blobs lol Still yummy
Any tips on what to do?
Do I need to rinse my quinoa first? I purchase it from our local natural foods store from the bulk section. Thoughts?
Great info. I like your articles. Thanks for your sharing this.
These are incredible!! The quinoa kind of act like sprinkles and I am all for it!! Also love the texture of the peanut butter mixture… it’s just all around delicious.
Loved this easy dessert! I usually keep a bar of 71% dark chocolate around for my sweet tooth. I accidentally bought an 85% bar that just did not taste good by itself, but you gave me a perfect use for it with this recipe! The peanut butter and maple syrup made the chocolate taste great. I did have quinoa all over my kitchen by the end, but that was my fault and it was worth it. 😊 my husband also loved!
SOOO GOOD! Perfect little crunch.
Used almond flour instead and made 20 mini truffles.
Perfect! love that 🙂
This was easily the best dessert I have made in a while! It was super easy to make and it satisfied my cravings in a way that didn’t feel overindulgent! So good!
The PERFECT 3pm snack! They have everything you need chocolate, peanut butter, salt, crunch plus a little boost of quinoa – seriously amazing!
So easy, so good. The crunch factor is awesome! Will definitely make again.
Could I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes, honey worked well for me.
These are delicious! The quinoa adds a cool crunch and I love the hint of salt! Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
These are SO TASTY! I didn’t dip them in chocolate and just drizzled chocolate on top – good but a little sticky to eat. Next time I make them I am going to completely coat them in chocolate like the recipe says! I substituted almond flour for the oat flour (it was all that we had in the pantry) and it worked well. Looking forward to having these for afternoon snacks for the next few days!
These are so delicious!
Made these for Valentines Day! I got a total of 15 from the recipe. I wanted to make them like a box of chocolate, with different flavors. So I rolled some in coconut flakes before covering in chocolate, some with jelly in the middle before the final chocolate, etc. Super fun and very easy to make. The recipe as is tastes like healthy Reese’s cups. Key point to have both a fork and spoon for the chocolate finish! Thanks.
Delicious!! Made this recipe for vday and they were SO easy, so tasty, and so perfect. LOVE
So happy to hear that!
I made these tonight for Valentine’s Day dessert and wow, they are incredible!! I had some oats so put them in a blender to form more of a flour consistency instead of buying oat flour and it worked perfectly. Made about 12 truffles… and they will probably all be eaten tonight! 🙂
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed!
Easy and delicious! I made smaller truffles and that doubled the number– which is good for me so I can pretend like I’m getting more. Haha.
Perfect! The best treat 🙂
I was so excited to see this recipe – I am not a candy fan, but LOVE reeses. And this truffle did not disappoint! I doubled the filling (except for the quinoa) and it was perfect. Very smooth and delicious with salt sprinkled on top. I also wasn’t sure about the quinoa, but it gave it just a little crunch. When cooking, adding the maple syrup and cooling helped it to crisp up nicely so it popped in your mouth when bitten into. Will definitely make again!
Absolutely! Perfect treat.
I love these! I used the almond flour option. I used a mix of 95% and 60% chocolate. The one thing I noticed right away – if you’re adding salt you need to sprinkle it on right after you place the chocolate dipped truffle on the baking sheet. If you wait until the end the chocolate will have set and the salt will not stick. After I got my system down the process moved quick and was worth every second. Also, I decided to make 18 smaller truffles. I think they’re a perfect size! This is my first Ambitious Kitchen recipe and I’m very pleased! Thank you!
Perfect! And yes, great tip 🙂 Hope you keep finding recipes here that you love!
SO good! I wanted something sweet so I whipped these up in like 20 minutes! I had All the ingredients and this really hit all of my cravings. Definitely recommend trying!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
This is the first time I have EVER published a comment/rating on any site. This was one of the easiest, tastiest and most elegant looking recipes I have ever made. Instructions easy to follow and came out as expected. My husband raved about these daily. I do enjoy the GF V recipes on your site. Thanks Much. Sharmain
Amazing! So glad you loved these and thank you for your comment 🙂
I wanted to love these so badly but it just fell short. I even had to double check the recipe & measurements to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong! For starters, rolling them into a ball was impossible as the consistency was too sticky so I rounded with spoons. Chilled for the recommended time but had to come up with my own technique to dip it in hocolate as it started to melt the balls and was difficult to handle. Taste and texture wasn’t bad but it wasn’t enough to make up for the preparation difficulty. Maybe if more flour was used and the balls were chilled longer it would’ve been easier to do but I’m not exactly inspired to try these again.
hi! so sorry to hear you didn’t love these. I wonder if you could have added more flour to help properly bind them? As far as flavor, with the maple syrup and peanut butter and chocolate + toasted quinoa these should be plenty delicious! sorry they fell short for you!
These are so good! I have never had toasted quinoa before and had no idea it could be used in such a delightful treat. I used tricolor quinoa and it worked great. I didn’t have oat flour so I used coconut flour and it turned out just fine. Thanks for sharing!
Love it! Such a great treat 🙂
I was in regifted by the uncooked quinoa in this recipe but oh my goshhhhh it is so insanely good!! The peanut butter chocolate combo is divine and the quinoa adds an amazing crunch that you didn’t even know you needed. Can’t recommend this sweet treat enough!! And how fun that you can tell people there’s quinoa in it 🤣
Isn’t it amazing?? So glad you loved these!
Wow, yum! So amazing! I actually substituted oat flour for almond flour (couldn’t find any at the store) and there didn’t seem to be any issues. I let the balls freeze for 15 minutes then actually rerolled them into prettier balls. I kept them in the freezer until I had the chocolate ready. Monique’s tip about about the form and spoon was really helpful! I may have done a tad too much of sea salt so go easy on it!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
These are outstanding and so easy to make! I have made these weekly since you posted the recipe 😬 my last batch I used chunky pb to add a little more crunch. So good! My kids love them too. Thank you for bringing these into my life!
Love it! Perfect treat 🙂
This recipe is so easy and delicious! I used almond flour rather than oat just because that is what I had. Such a great way to sneak a dose of quinoa into my kiddos! I made the balls about half the size so they are a perfect bite of sweet treat!
Perfect! Such a great little treat 🙂
REALLY enjoyed these! I’m not a fan of regular peanut butter, so I made these with Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter and they were awesome! Super easy! Thinking next time I may make 20 rather than 10 so it’s easy to just pop a whole one in my mouth rather than to bite it in half.
Perfect! Such a great treat 🙂
SO easy to make and SO tasty! One truffle definitely does the job for satisfying a dessert craving – Make sure to pay attention to the quinoa toasting.
Yes, absolutely!!
These are genius! Simple and fast but very effective! Kids got crazy for them.
So happy to hear that!
I just came across this recipe and to be honest I wasn’t sure about the uncooked Quinoa part but I was wrong. This are so so delicious! Absolutely amazing!
Even made them without Quinoa, by mistake but they still turned good. But must say I prefer the crunch 😋😀
I’m so glad it was a pleasant, crunchy surprise! 🙂
The best page !
Aw thank you! SO happy you’re here 🙂
These are delicious! I had to sub sunflower butter for peanut butter and honey for the maple syrup bc that’s what I had on hand but they still turned out amazing. The mix was a little sticky to work with (probably the sunflower butter), so I chilled it first then rolled into a ball and dipped. Kids and husband approved, so they are going on the after school snack list!
So easy and SO DELICIOUS! I love the crunch of the quinoa. Nice to have in the freezer for a little special treat or dessert.
I’m so glad you loved them! Yay!
These are EVERYTHING and so easy! Thank you!!
So good & so easy to make! I love that the quinoa adds a little bit of crunch to the inside
These are amazing! Followed the recipe exactly, though made 15 smaller balls.
Nice! So glad you loved them 🙂
I only have tri-color quinoa on hand, would this work? Thanks!
Yes definitely! Enjoy!
Such an easy simple but delicious recipe. I used 85% dark chocolate as well and I think it’s balanced the sweetness of the the truffle.
So happy to hear that. Easy and delicious 🙌
These are amazing. I made them as a Christmas treat for myself since they are GF and DF. I didn’t even want to share them because they were so good!
I rolled them a little smaller and was able to get 16. I also used 1T of Screwball (peanut butter whiskey) in place of the vanilla. They’re perfect right out of the refrigerator or freezer depending on your preference of texture.
Thank you for this new addition to my holiday favorites
Ah THIS!!! The screwball is such a brilliant idea, thank you for sharing. So glad you are loving this recipe!
Hi there! If I wanted to make these more of a snack and less of a treat could I omit the chocolate coating and perhaps stir in a smaller quantity of chocolate chips like you would in an energy bite? Thanks! These look so good and like they could be a really nice snack!
Yes, that should work perfectly!
Super yummy. Love all of your recipes. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with the world.
Mary Helen
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Thanks Monique, these are the best. I used chunky chilli peanut butter, chilli honey instead maple syrup and almond flour instead of oat flour as that’s what I had in the kitchen.
So good. Will definitely be making these again
Thanks Monique, these truffles are the best. I used chunky chilli peanut butter, chilli honey instead of maple syrup and almond flour instead of oat flour. Will definitely be making them again. They are so good
Perfect! Glad you loved them!
Can quinoa be replaced with anything? I’d love to make these but oddly have a quinoa sensitivity. TY!
Try these cookie dough bites and use peanut butter instead of tahini!
I am allergic to oats so I made with almond flour. I made the first batch and my two daughters came home from college and took them all back with them! These were a huge hit!! Plan on making again now that they are home from school.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Honestly this is the perfect dessert to help me keep focused on eating healthy. The only substitute I make is using using protein powder in place of flour.
Absolutely! Great idea to boost the protein.
Do these have to be refrigerated? Or could they be left at room temp?
I’d recommend storing them in the fridge!