Rose Pistachio Vegan Protein Energy Balls

Rose Pistachio Vegan Protein Energy Balls

Today we are making Rose Pistachio Vegan Protein Energy Balls! These are no bake energy bites that infuse two of my favorite flavors: rose and pistachio! Recently, I discovered a bag of dried rose petals in the depths of the kitchen cupboard. I don’t know why I was surprised, seeing as my family is Indian and rose is an ingredient that is used in some form or another.

Same thing with pistachios! They are used extensively in India, more so in food than in face masks, oils or extracts. You’re more likely to see pistachio popsicles (pista kulfi) satisfy those sweet cravings on the streets of India than a regular old chocolate pop!

When it comes to rose though, candied dried rose petals are used as a garnish on some sweets, or the flavor of rose in infused in other desserts such as rice pudding. Rose water is spritzed on for that skin glow-up, and it’s also a part of many perfumes! It reduces inflammation, helps with a sore throat, and has many other properties aside from its unique flavor and smell.

Pistachios are the base of creamy popsicles (kulfis), in drinks (pista lassi), as a garnish on sweets (mithai), or just for eating as a snack (roasted pistachios are where it’s at)! So today, I combine these two flavors and bring to you a quick and healthy recipe to remind you of the wonderful flavors India has to offer!

Why You’ll Love These Rose Pistachio Vegan Protein Energy Balls

Indian-Inspired Recipe: Pistachio and rose are two common flavors in Indian recipes. Eating pistachio kulfi, using rose water for the face, snacking on roasted pistachios and much more! These two key ingredients provide the perfect balance of flavor in today’s power balls, and they add a beautiful pink-green color to the energy balls!

Additionally, you get a healthy dose of caffeine for an energy boost with the matcha powder, contributing a bright green color as well. Along with this, the amazing nutritional profile of dates (and no refined sugar used)!

Substitutions: Dry Ingredients

Pistachios: Pistachios (unroasted) are here for the color, the healthy fats and and flavor (as well as helping to bind the dough – you need something dry, like nuts or oats, to help blend with the dates)!

I prefer them unroasted, because roasted ones have added salt and oil. You will need to add a pinch of salt here to make up for that lack of sodium. If you do need to use salted pistachios, just omit the added salt.

Rose: Dried rose petals, pulsed into the mixture, leave enough bits and pieces of it to be visible. The flavor of rose is unique – do not substitute anything else. Without it, you’d just have a pistachio bite! I wouldn’t recommend adding rose water because it would get soggy. Rose extract will also be too strong, and won’t provide the nice pink color.

Matcha: Matcha powder gives this more of a green flavor, as well as the green tea taste. The quality of the matcha can be evident through a taste test. High quality matcha should not have a super-bitter taste, where it needs a ton of sugar to hide the flavor. It should also be brighter green in color versus a dull green. There are other options, such as ceremonial grade versus culinary grade – go with the ceremonial for the better taste and higher quality. If it isn’t listed as ceremonial on the packet, it most likely isn’t this type.

Substitutions: Wet Ingredients

Medjool Dates: Dates are the binding agent here – they’re soft and caramel-y, so I wouldn’t replace this with anything else. For best results, stick to Medjool dates! Using the dates also means we don’t need any liquid sweeter, such as pure maple syrup or date syrup.

Vanilla: I like to add vanilla to desserts because of the flavor, and use an alcohol-free vanilla flavor with minimal ingredients. No dyes, caramel colors or other additives. The taste is much stronger and the texture is thicker than a diluted, cheaper version of vanilla.

Although the type I use from Simply Organics doesn’t contain any alcohol so it can’t be deemed vanilla extract. Instead, the alcohol-free options legally must be called vanilla flavor.

I love vanilla flavors in all my recipes, but this can also be omitted.

More Healthy Snack Recipes You’ll Love

Vegan Protein Balls (with Peanut Butter): This vegan protein ball recipe is great for a post-workout snack! Only four ingredients, refined sugar free and made in ten minutes. Add mini chocolate chips to make these like peanut butter cookie dough bites!

Raw Butter Pecan Cookie Bites: This no bake treat takes inspiration from Butter Pecan Sandies, but in raw form with nutritious ingredients: dates, pecans and raisins!

Raspberry Lamington Bites: These No Bake Lamington Coconut Balls are the perfect snack. They’re like a raw Lamington, an Australian sponge cake coated in chocolate and rolled in coconut!

Raw Key Lime Pie Bites: These 3 Ingredient Key Lime Pie bliss balls recreate the American Key Lime Pie dessert – a buttery crust and zesty lime filling in one simple recipe!

Turmeric Apricot Balls: These 10 minute, no bake energy balls get their flavor from a packed nutritional profile using coconut flour, turmeric and apricots for healthy snacking!

Lime Coconut Energy Bars: These No Bake Energy Bars are a four-ingredient recipe using all natural ingredients of dates, almond flour, lime and coconut for the perfect snack!

Dark Chocolate & Pistachio Energy Bars: This Raw Granola Bar Recipe uses dark chocolate, pistachio and matcha with coconut flour for a no bake, quick snack recipe!

If you make these Rose Pistachio Vegan Protein Energy Balls, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!