Looking for an easy healthy snack idea? Then you'll love these six no-bake energy balls recipes!
Each flavor uses a base recipe of rolled oats, nut butter, dates, maple syrup and chia seeds. Other ingredients are added to each base to create distinct flavors.
Whether you want to create one flavor or all six, this blog post will show you just how easy it is to make delicious energy balls at home.
Easy Healthy Snack
Need an easy healthy snack idea? These energy balls are the perfect grab-and-go recipe to fuel your day.
- These make a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack option, and they’re something the whole family will love.
- With simple ingredients, these make a great budget-friendly recipe.
- The fiber and protein in them help you to feel satisfied longer.
- These are made with one base recipe of rolled oats, nut butter, chia seeds, cinnamon and sweetener. Dates and maple syrup (or honey) add sweetness and help to make the energy balls stick together.
- Rolled oats are a healthy ingredient that can be used in a variety of ways including or popular six healthy overnight oats recipes.
- What I personally love about energy balls is that they help to avoid a poorer snack choice. When you prepare them in advance, you have a snack that's ready to go.
- These are easy to grab as you head out the door. They're great as an afternoon pick-me-up, or to add to kids' bento box lunches.
Free Cookbook
Make sure you grab the free energy balls recipe cookbook. Inside you’ll get the six delicious flavors you see here plus all the best tips and tricks for making this easy snack!
**Get the FREE Energy Balls Recipes Guide: All six healthy energy balls in one easy-to-print format – sign up here to get it
Recipe Ingredients
- OATS: Whole rolled oats will give you the best results. I love these sprouted rolled oats. They're gluten-free, non-GMO and made with whole grains.
- NUT BUTTER OR SEED BUTTER: This acts as a glue to keep the balls together. You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, tahini or Sunbutter (it's a sunflower seed butter and is nut-free. I used Sunbutter.
- DATES: Dates are sticky and sweet. They help to glue everything together, but also give sweetness to the energy balls.
- SWEETENER: You can use maple syrup, honey, or liquid monk fruit sweetener to sweeten the energy balls.
- CHIA SEEDS: Adding chia seeds provides even more nutrition benefits, but this ingredient can be skipped if you don't want them.
- WATER: A little bit of water helps to blend all the ingredients together in a food processor.
- CINNAMON: For more flavor.
Here's The Energy Balls Base Recipe = ½ cup Rolled Oats + ¼ cup Nut Butter + 3 Pitted Dates + 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup (optional) + ½ tablespoon Chia Seeds + ½ tablespoon Water + ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
**Get My FREE Energy Balls Recipes Guide: All six healthy energy balls in one easy-to-print format – sign up here to get it
Flavor Additions
After adding the base ingredients together, you can mix and match ingredients below for even more flavor.
- PUMPKIN SEEDS: I used pumpkin seeds in the carrot cake energy balls recipe. Raw unsalted pumpkin seeds taste great in energy balls.
- SUNFLOWER SEEDS: You can also use sunflower seeds. Typically, they're cheaper than pumpkin seeds. Look for unshelled raw unsalted sunflower seeds.
- HEMP SEEDS: Another great superfood to add to energy balls.
- CHOPPED NUTS: Add any of your favorite nuts for extra crunch, including almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc.
- COCOA POWDER: Look for an unsweetened cacao powder that is naturally full of antioxidants and magnesium.
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS: For a healthier option, try 60% dark chocolate chips that are sweetened without sugar.
- RAISINS: An easy ingredient to add to energy balls. Look for unsweetened raisins.
- DRIED CRANBERRIES: These taste delicious when added with another ingredient like shredded coconut. They would also taste great with citrus zest.
- FLAXSEED: A great source of added fiber.
- CHIA SEEDS: Feel free to add more chia seeds to your energy balls. From my experience, black chia seeds tend to be cheaper than white chia seeds, so I stick with those.
- SHREDDED COCONUT: A good source of fiber. Adds great texture when combined with other toppings like fresh fruit or chocolate chips.
Recipe Cost = $3
Each batch of flavored energy balls cost me about $3-$4 for seven energy bites. That's a pretty good deal for a healthy snack that usually costs $12 for a pack of 4 when you buy them at the store! (prices will vary slightly depending on where you live).
Kitchen Equipment I Used
- FOOD PROCESSOR: A food processor is used to blend all the ingredients together to create the perfect energy balls consistency.
- COOKIE SCOOP: A cookie scoop is the best and easiest way to roll even energy balls.
- GRATER: A cheese grater or zester is used to create zest from citrus fruits and carrots.
- SILICONE SPATULA: My go-to for baking. A silicone spatula is handy to scrape down the sides of the bowl so you get every last bit of that batter to make your energy balls.
How To Make Energy Balls
- Add ingredients to the food processor according to full recipe instructions below.
- Blend on high for 1-2 minutes until dates have been chopped small.
- Use a cookie scoop to grab the batter. Squeeze out and roll between your hands into a ball. Serve and enjoy!
Leftover energy balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months. Just add them to a large freezer bag and seal them tightly.
Variations
Energy Balls Without Peanut Butter: These energy balls can be made with seed butter including tahini (made with sesame seeds) and Sunbutter (made with sunflower seeds and is 100% nut-free).
Energy Balls Without Dates - Dates help to sweeten and make everything stick together so they can be rolled into balls. You can also try raisins or dried cranberries in substitution. For energy balls without dried fruit, see my pumpkin oat energy balls recipe as an example (they're made without any dates).
Recipe FAQs
Yes, oats can be eaten raw, but it's recommended that they're soaked beforehand. Adding them to the other energy ball ingredients does just that. You can also eat raw oats (that are soaked) in my six overnight oats recipes.
You can eat protein balls (aka. energy balls or energy bites) as a quick snack - they're great as an afternoon pick-me-up. You can have them as an after-meal "dessert" - I like to add them to my daughter's lunchbox for her school treats. You can also have one or two right before a workout.
Yes! This is my personal favorite way to store them. I like to make a big batch, add them all to a freezer bag, and store them in the freezer for later. This frees up fridge space and family members can grab one or two for a quick snack - they thaw pretty quickly... after about 10 minutes or so.
Yes, you can, but I prefer to use rolled oats. Here’s why… instant pack oats are quite different from the whole grain rolled oat version and will provide a different "mushier" consistency. They’re usually not the only thing included in the pack either – many have added salt, sugar and preservatives. For more energy whole rolled oats are a better option.
More Snack Recipes
- Six Easy Overnight Oats Recipes: This ultimate overnight oats guide will walk you through everything you need to know in order to make the best overnight oats!
- Baked Oatmeal Cups (6 Flavors): These are grab-and-go muffins that are easy and delicious.
Did you love this energy balls recipe? Be sure to leave a rating below!
6 No-Bake Energy Balls Recipes
Ingredients
Oatmeal Raisin Energy Balls:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup nut butter or seed butter - peanut butter, sunflower seed butter etc.
- ¼ cup raisins
- 3 pitted dates
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup - optional
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ Tbsp water
Double Chocolate Energy Balls:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup nut butter or seed butter - peanut butter, sunflower seed butter etc.
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- 3 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon water
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Carrot Cake Energy Balls:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup grated carrots
- ¼ cup nut butter or seed butter - peanut butter, sunflower seed butter etc.
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup shredded coconut - plus extra for rolling
- 3 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup - optional
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ tablespoon water
Lemon Zest Energy Balls:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup nut butter or seed butter - peanut butter, sunflower seed butter etc.
- 3 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup - optional
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- zest from a fresh lemon
Cranberry Coconut Energy Balls:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup nut butter or sed butter - peanut butter, sunflower seed butter etc.
- 3 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup - optional
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- 3 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup - optional
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Oatmeal Raisin, Double Chocolate, Cranberry Coconut, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until dates are broken down and ingredients are fully mixed.
- Use a cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon to measure and roll into balls.
- Store in fridge or freezer until ready to eat.
Carrot Cake Energy Balls Instructions:
- Use grater to shred ¼ cup of carrot.
- Add all carrot cake balls ingredients to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until dates are broken down and ingredients are fully mixed. Use a cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon to measure and roll into balls.
- Roll each ball in extra shredded coconut.
- Store in fridge or freezer until ready to eat.
Lemon Zest Energy Balls Instructions:
- Grate the peel of one lemon to create zest.
- Add all ingredients for lemon zest balls to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until dates are broken down and ingredients are fully mixed. Use a cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon to measure and roll into balls.
- Roll in extra lemon zest.
- Store in fridge or freezer until ready to eat.
Recipe Notes:
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
