With football season rapidly approaching, I thought it was high time I post my vegan, gluten free, healthy, quinoa hemp buckeyes recipe. In case you don’t know what buckeyes are, they’re basically peanut butter cups, only in ball form. Meant to look like the nut that falls from the Ohio buckeye tree, they are a staple for all Ohio State University football fans. This Californian family has roots in Ohio, as well as a deeply rooted peanut butter obsession, so we eat our fair share. According to my mom, with these quinoa hemp buckeyes, you can eat 10 and “it’s okay because they have quinoa in them, so they’re healthy”
This quinoa hemp buckeyes recipe contains none of the butter or vegetable shortening that your average buckeyes contain, very little processed sugar, Quinoa for crunch, hemp for extra crunch and heart healthy Omegas, and is (of course) vegan. Oh, and did I mention they are gluten free? My grandpa is a celiac, meaning he is highly allergic to gluten. Buckeyes are one of his favorite desserts, so of course, my quinoa hemp buckeyes had to be gluten free!


- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp hemp seeds*
- 3 Tbsp quinoa
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp oat flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate
- 1 tsp coconut oil, if needed
- Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat and toss in the quinoa and hemp seeds. Shake it around in the pan until it looks and smells toasty, about 2-5 minutes. Set it to the side
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, flour, and vanilla into a thick dough. Fold in the millet and mix together. Make walnut sized balls with the dough and put them on the baking sheet. It should make about 24. Freeze them for at least 30 minutes.
- Right before you take out the balls, melt the chocolate. Either melt it in the microwave using 25 second increments OR use a double broiler. (to make your own, stack a metal bowl on top of a pot with 1-2 inches of water in it. Place over medium-low heat and pour the chocolate into the bowl. Keep stirring.) If the chocolate is too thick, you can add 1 tsp of coconut oil
- Once the chocolate is melted, use a toothpick, fork, or your fingers to dip the balls in. Put back in the freezer and let freeze for 2 hours before serving. Store in a sealed container in the freezer or the fridge.
- *If you don't have hemp seeds, replace with 2 Tbsp quinoa.
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