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Peanut-Cocoa Protein Bites
No-cook bites of roasted peanuts, roasted chana, cocoa and milk powder, bound with dates — a portable sweet that keeps for a week.
- Region
- Modern
- Status
- Modern recipe — no traditional claim
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Prep 20 min · Chill 30 min
- Serves
- 6 (2 bites, about 35 g, each; makes 12)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Tiffin, travel, after-dinner sweet
- Tags
- Good source · High fibre · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free · Meal-prep friendly
- Allergens
- Peanuts, milk
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 195 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 23 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Headline values are per serving, as written.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Added sugar | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 bites | 195 | 9 g | 23 g | 8 g | 2 g | 6 g | 15 g | 11 g | 4.5 g |
Good source. "Added sugar" here is the sugar from dates, which act as the sweetener and binder. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 15 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 100 g roasted peanuts (skinned) · 60 g roasted chana (dalia)
- 100 g soft dates, deseeded · 15 g unsweetened cocoa · 30 g skimmed milk powder · pinch of salt
- 1–2 tbsp water if needed
Method
- Pulse peanuts and roasted chana in a mixer to a coarse meal.
- Add dates, cocoa, milk powder and salt. Pulse until the mixture clumps when pressed, adding water a teaspoon at a time only if needed.
- Divide into 12 portions (about 17 g each) and roll into firm balls.
- Chill 30 minutes to set.
Protein optimisation
- Peanuts supply 4 g per serving, roasted chana 2 g, milk powder 2 g, cocoa and dates 1 g.
- Boost: replace the milk powder with 30 g whey (+2 g protein per serving).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional flavour: til-gud style — roll in toasted sesame (adds about 15 kcal per serving).
- Substitution: almonds for half the peanuts (slightly less protein, more cost).
- Storage: 1 week refrigerated in an airtight box; 1 month frozen.
- Food safety: keep dry; check that peanuts are fresh, not rancid or mouldy.
- Meal prep: excellent.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com