4.39 185 Published Aug 30, 2020, Updated Sep 04, 2024
Why You’ll Love These Energy Balls
They’re super tasty – The flavor of the balls is awesome, especially if you’re a peanut butter lover like me. The texture is great too! It’s like homemade granola formed into a ball. Portable – The balls hold together well so you can easily toss a few in your bag for school/work or as a travel snack during road trips. Kid-Friendly and mama approved – these balls are super kid-friendly and made with ingredients you can feel good about serving your kiddos! They will gobble them right up, trust me! Plus, they will have fun helping you make them too! No protein powder – these balls have a decent amount of protein (3 grams per ball) without having to add protein powder. I get a lot of questions about making my protein balls without protein powder and this is the recipe I direct them to.
Ingredients Needed
The cool part about this recipe is that it only requires 8 simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have sitting in your pantry.
old fashioned rolled oats – oats are a great base for energy balls. I recommend using rolled oats. natural peanut butter – I love the flavor that peanut butter adds to these balls but feel free to use your favorite nut butter. honey – honey is the glue that binds these no bake energy balls together. unsweetened shredded coconut – be sure to get unsweetened shredded coconut, not the sweetened coconut. chocolate chips – You can use any type you like, but I usually go for dark chocolate chips from Lily’s or Enjoy Life. Both of these options are dairy-free. ground flaxseed – I add flaxseed in to boost the nutrition, but this is an optional ingredient. Add it if you have it in your pantry and skip it if you don’t! vanilla – this adds a hint of vanilla flavor. sea salt – a little sea salt enhances the flavors in these energy balls.
How to Make Energy Balls
Most energy balls need a food processor to mix up… not these! The idea for these energy balls came to me because I wanted to share a simple recipe that you could make if you don’t have a food processor. It just requires one bowl and about 10 minutes of prep time. To make these energy balls simply place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Place the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill. Once the dough has chilled, bring the dough out of the fridge and roll into balls. It’s that easy!
Substitutions and Notes
This recipe is really forgiving and works well with a lot of different substitutions. Here are some common subs I get asked about often:
I haven’t tried it, but I’m pretty sure quick oats would work as a sub for rolled oats. Peanut butter can be swapped for another nut butter like almond or cashew butter. Sunflower seed butter also works. Just be sure your nut butter is fresh (kind of drippy) and not super thick/dry. Thick or dry nut butters will make the energy balls dry and they won’t hold together very well. Honey can be swapped for maple syrup, coconut nectar or agave nectar to make these vegan. You can sub 2-3 Tablespoons more rolled oats for the shredded coconut if you don’t love coconut. You can sub chia seeds for the flaxseed or omit the flaxseed all together. Chocolate chips can be left out or subbed for another add-in like raisins, dried cranberries or blueberries.
How to Store Energy Balls
You can store your energy balls in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days but you’ll want to store them in refrigerator or freezer for longer storage. They’ll last up to 1-2 weeks in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. That said, they never last more than a week at our house!
More Energy Ball Recipes
Granola Bites Cranberry Energy Bites Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls Cherry Energy Balls Coconut Protein Balls Cinnamon Raisin Cookie Protein Balls Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls Tahini Chocolate Chip Protein Balls Hazelnut Chocolate Balls
And be sure to check out all of the healthy snack recipes here on EBF.
