Nut free, gluten free, dairy free, egg free but definitely not "taste free"! I am really excited to share this recipe with you all today. Free from almost all allergens, these chocolate avocado protein bites are simple and delicious!
Recently, a friend of mine was told by her doctor to start an elimination diet. For those of you that don't know, an elimination diet refers to the removal of ALL possible food allergens.
No big deal, right? I mean, if you can do the Whole30 program, then this should be a walk in the park?
WRONG!
Although the Whole30 removes grains, gluten and dairy, eggs and nuts are still completely legal. Since nuts and eggs are a common food allergen, an elimination diet requires these food groups to be removed as well.
What you are left with are some pretty basic food groups so cooking can be quite challenging.
Since my friend was a little down in the dumps from her doctor visit, I decided to cheer her up with an "elimination diet" friendly snack. And boy, did these ever make her day!
By replacing my usual almond flour with pea protein powder, I was able to eliminate any use of nuts. Pea protein powder can be found at nearly every grocery store. I use Orgain Organic Plant Based Protein Powder 
As for its nutritional profile, a single scoop contains:
- 21 grams of organic plant based protein (consisting of organic pea, brown rice, and chia), 5 grams of organic fiber, 3 grams of net carbs, 0 grams of sugar, 150 calories per serving.
If you can't find pea protein powder, you can always use casein powder instead but just realize that these bites will no longer be lactose free.
I don't suggest using whey protein powder as this type of powder has digestive enzymes that will not help hold the avocado together. Also, for those of you that don't know, whey protein powder is highly digestible. Although this is great after a workout in order to help build muscle mass, whey protein powder will also cause a spike in your insulin so if you are insulin sensitive, stick with casein or pea protein powders.
The Execution
Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh. Depending on the size of your avocado, you may need 1-2 avocados.
Next, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until the avocado has broken down and is fully blended in.
Finally, place the dough in the fridge to rest. After the "dough" has rested about 30 minutes, take a heaping tablespoon of the dough, form into a ball and roll the ball in the palms of your hands until a tight round ball has formed.
At this point, you can either leave the bites or dust them with a little cocoa powder.
Yummy, easy and allergy friendly!
Chocolate Avocado Protein Bites (Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Egg Free)
Avocado, sweetener, cocoa powder and pea protein powder all come together to form these delicious protein bites. Allergy friendly and only 45 calories per bite!
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 Bites 1x
Ingredients
- 382 g (13.5 oz) avocado meat (approximately 2 medium avocados)
- ½ cup stevia
- ½ cup erythritol (I use Swerve)
- 72 g chocolate pea protein powder
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2-4 tablespoon coconut flour
- 15 drops vanilla stevia
- cocoa powder for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients starting with only 2 tablespoon of coconut flour.
- Continue to mix until thoroughly combined. If mixture seems to wet, add additional 2 tablespoon of coconut flour. If still too liquid, add 1 tablespoon of coconut flour until desired consistency.
- Place in fridge and let rest 30 minutes.
- Remove from fridge and take heaping tablespoons of dough and roll between hands until a nice, uniform ball has formed. Continue until all dough has been utilized.
- In a seperate small bowl, place additional cocoa powder and roll balls in cocoa powder until fully covered.
- Refrigerate and use within 3 days or place in freezer and gently heat in microwave for 15 seconds before eating.
Notes
- I keep these in the freezer and simply heat them in the microwave for 15 seconds for a delicious gooey treat!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: Allergy Friendly
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bite
- Calories: 45
- Fat: 2.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.6 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 2 g
Cat says
What brand of powdered stevia did you use? The reason I ask is that some stevias create a "weird" flavour when you add them to anything that contains chocolate. With that being said, you may be using a stevia product that I am unfamiliar with so I would LOVE to know what you used. The only reason I used erythritol was to ensure that there was no "weird" stevia/chocolate reaction.
If you have any other type of recipes you would like with Pea Protein (ie. bread, muffins, cupcakes, bars...etc), let me know as I am always looking for a challenge!
Kathy says
I just made these and love them. I tweeted the recipe a bit. I did not use Swerve, I substituted Stevia. I also substituted vanilla for for vanilla stevia. I am wondering why you use erythritol? Is it for the fiber?
I want recipes that are dairy free, nut free that I can use pea protein powder in.