My family loves this energy balls recipe! Chewy, nutty, and easy to make with 8 ingredients, these energy bites are a delicious healthy snack.
This energy balls recipe is my family’s favorite healthy snack. Adapted from my protein balls, it’s easy, delicious, and entirely no-bake.
These energy bites are chewy, nutty, and lightly sweet—and they also happen to be good for you. They’re made with simple ingredients like peanut butter, flaxseed, and whole rolled oats…with a handful of chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.
These no-bake bites keep well in the fridge for several days and freeze well for months, so they’re a great grab-and-go snack to keep on hand.
My son Ollie loves eating one after school, and Jack and I reach for them when we need a quick energy boost during the workday. Lately, we’ve been going through about a batch a week. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Energy Bites Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this energy balls recipe:
- Whole rolled oats – Also called old fashioned oats, they fill these bites with fiber and give them their structure. Readers often ask if they can substitute quick oats for old fashioned. I like the chewy texture of the rolled oats here, so I don’t recommend swapping them out!
- Creamy peanut butter – It gives the bites a delicious nutty flavor and helps them stick together. I always use natural peanut butter in this recipe, but I think conventional would work too.
- Ground flaxseed – It adds fiber and healthy fats and helps bind the balls together.
- Honey – For moisture and sweetness. Substitute maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.
- Chopped peanuts – For nutty crunch.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut – For chewy texture and buttery flavor.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- Mini chocolate chips – Use dairy-free chocolate chips to make this recipe vegan. I like the Enjoy Life brand.
- Optional: A pinch of sea salt – If your peanut butter is salted, you may not need this. But if it’s unsalted, adding a pinch of salt will make the rich, nutty flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Recipe Variations
- Make them nut-free. Replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter and omit the chopped peanuts.
- Use a different nut butter. Almond butter and cashew butter are great here too.
- Change up the mix-ins. Not a fan of coconut, peanuts, or chocolate chips? Replace any of them with chopped dried fruit like cranberries, cherries, or raisins. Other chopped nuts would also work in place of the peanuts.
- Spice them up. Add a pinch of cinnamon or ground ginger.
Let me know what variations you try!
How to Make Energy Balls
I have good news: you don’t need a food processor to make this recipe! It couldn’t be easier:
- Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl. The mixture will be thick. If it feels too dry to come together, add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until it holds together when pinched.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the oat mixture, then roll it into balls.
- Chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
That’s it!
Tip: Because this recipe is so simple, it’s a great one to make with kids. Ollie and I love making it together!
How to Store Energy Bites
Store these energy bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can you freeze energy bites?
Yes! These no-bake energy bites freeze well. Seal them in an airtight container or bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. They thaw in minutes at room temperature!
More Healthy Snack Recipes
If you love these peanut butter energy balls, try one of these healthy snack recipes next:
No-Bake Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole rolled oats
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- Pinch sea salt, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the oats, peanut butter, flax seed, honey, vanilla, chocolate chips, peanuts, and coconut. If your peanut butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt too. Mix to combine. The mixture will be thick.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the mixture, then use your hands to roll it into balls.
- Place on a large plate or baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm.
- The energy bites keep well in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze well.
I made these and they are yummy, but they came out a little dry. Wondering if I ground the oat flour fine enough (or used too much) or should have added more water. They stuck together OK and they’ll definitely get eaten, but I may need to tweak a few things next time!
Hi Katie, it sounds like there could have been a little too much oat flour. I recommend spooning and leveling it when you measure it so that you don’t accidentally pack too much into the measuring cup.
how many calories per stk ??
Hi, we don’t calculate nutrition info for our recipes. If you like, you can plug the recipe into an online nutrition calculator such as MyFitnessPal.
Please show calories and nutrition for these recipes. Without that info I can’t eat them.
Hi Sheila, we don’t calculate nutrition info for our recipes, but if you like, you can plug them into an online nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal.
Hi, can I use Almond flour in place of the oat flour? Thanks!
Hi Karyn, I haven’t tried but another reader said it worked well. I think it would be fine!
Do you have the calories for this recipe?
Hi Casey, we don’t calculate nutrition facts but you can plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
These are yummy and so easy. I pulsed 2 cups of whole oats in my food processor and just left the resulting oat flour in the food processor to proceed with the recipe. Also, my store did not have Medjool dates, so I softened the dates in hot water while pulsing the oats. Haha, my husband said “Uh oh” when I said they were called Energy Balls. He thought they would taste “healthy.” He tasted them and said they were really good.
Could these be made in a Vitamix?
Thanks bunches!
These have the best consistency! I’ve made many an energy ball recipe before and they’re either too sweet or too sticky, but these are the perfect balance of both. The dates give the right amount of sweetness and the ground up walnuts really help give a hearty flavor and texture. I just made a batch as a postpartum gift, and I’ll be making a batch for myself very soon 🙂
I’m so glad you loved them!
These are so delicious! The vanilla and salt truly trick you into thinking you’re eating chocolate chip cookie dough. I made a batch and put them in the freezer, and know already I’ll be making another batch soon!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Do you think oat bran would work in place of oat flour? Thanks!
Is there an alternative to the Almond Butter? I am allergic to almonds….
I am looking for gluten free and vegan options. This seems amazing – except for the Almond part. LOL
Hi Trudi, another nut butter or sunflower butter should work great here.
These are amazing! Do you ever calculate nutritional information on recipes?
These were amazing! I usually have so much trouble with dates! However these AND your peanut butter cookie dough bars came together so nicely! L Both a 10/10 for me (for the taste, simplicity and the little clean up! ?
Hi Leah, I’m so glad you loved them!
The energy balls were amazing and so easy to make. I’ve made 2 batches this week!
I’m so glad you loved them!
I’m excited to try these! Can I sub sunflower butter for PB? My son has a peanut allergy.
Hi Shannon, I think that would be just fine.
I was so surprised by these, they are really tasty, I have replaced my ‘tea and biscuit’ with ‘tea and energy ball’ and it’s so filling and satisfying. Will definitely be checking out more recipes from love and lemons
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These are delicious. Very filling and satisfying. A couple keep me going for hours! I forgot to add the chocolate chips (yeah, I know!) and they’re still great!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Such a classic recipe, I love it! I’ve never used oat flour, however, so looking forward to trying this variation tonight 🙂
nice snack, like these ingredients, creative way to sweetness, thank you!
These look delicious. The perfect no/low? guilt snack to take to work.
Question: what can I use in place of the mini-chocolate chips? I am not big on chocolate.
Hi Amber, you could skip them or maybe mix in some more walnuts in addition to the ones that get blended? I hope you enjoy them!